Shadow Walker Read Online Free PDF

gasped and spun away when Duke brought his hand to her breast and squeezed. “I thought you were hungry.”
    He leered at her. “I am. Food first, then I’ll satisfy my other appetite. Loosen up, Dawn. I know you want me. Women always want me.”
    Dawn wanted to gag. His vile touch sickened her. The only good thing she could say about Billy was that while he was alive he had kept his men from her. Without Billy’s protection, Dawn realized she’d be fair game to every outlaw in the territory. She needed the train robbery money to get as far away from here as possible. If she felt any guilt over taking the money, it disappeared when she considered her alternatives. Working in a brothel or scrubbing floors in a saloon. Either way she’d end up on her back, spreading her legs for strangers.
    With trembling hands Dawn set the food down on the table and took a seat opposite Duke.
    “Where’s the coffee?” Duke growled.
    “There isn’t any.”
    “Water, then.”
    Dawn stood up in a rush. “The bucket is empty. I’ll go down to the river and fetch us some.”
    Duke lashed her with a narrow-eyed look of disdain. “I ain’t no fool. Once you get down to the river you’ll keep going. Sit down and eat, I can do without.”
    Dawn sat back down, swallowing her disappointment but little else. The lump of food that lodged in her throat grew bigger and bigger. She finally summoned the strength to swallow but gave up trying to eat. She watched with barely concealed contempt as Duke wolfed down his portion of the food.
    “Ain’t you hungry?” Dawn shook her head. Dukereached over and emptied the contents of her plate into his. “I am,” he mumbled around a mouthful of beans.
    Duke ate fast and without manners, not that Dawn expected any from the crude outlaw. When every last scrap of food had been consumed, Duke sat back and gave a loud burp.
    “That’s better. I feel like I could hump all day and night now. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you after all Cobb told me about your stamina in bed.” He rose abruptly, grasped her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, honey, let’s give that corn-husk mattress a try. I’m as horny as a billy goat.”
    Dawn wanted to scream, but she knew that no one would hear her in this isolated place. Fear was her enemy; she couldn’t allow herself to succumb to it. She had to be on guard every minute. Men liked to hurt women, and if Duke knew she was afraid of him, he would use that knowledge to inflict even more pain.
    Dawn felt like a rabbit caught in a trap as Duke dragged her to the cornhusk mattress in the corner and shoved her down. She landed on her back so hard the air exploded from her chest. Before she could catch her breath, Duke fell on top of her and shoved her dress up to her waist. Dawn struggled fiercely, to no avail. Duke was a strong man, too strong for her frail resistance.
    “I like it when you fight me, honey,” Duke said hoarsely. He shifted between her legs, and Dawn cried out as his gun dug painfully into her hip. He hadn’t bothered to remove either his gunbelt or spurs, unconcerned about the damage they could inflict upon her tender flesh.
    Something snapped inside Dawn. She’d been a victim of men’s depravities once too often and she’d die before letting it happen again. The moment she felt the cold metal of Duke’s guns biting into her flesh, she knew what she had to do to save herself. She grasped his gunbelt, trying to find the butt of his pistol. Duke mistook her desperate groping for impatience and gave her a leering grin.
    “Hang on, honey, you’re gonna get all the humpin’ you can handle just as soon as I get these damn pants unbuttoned.” Straddling her hips, he raised himself up on his haunches and fumbled clumsily with the opening of his trousers.
    Her face pale beneath the yellowing bruises, Dawn acted with a determination born of desperation. While both Duke’s hands were occupied, she found the butt of his pistol, pulled it