The Gambler Read Online Free PDF Page B

behind. Without a moment's delay, Charm lifted her skirts and sprinted off down the hard-packed street. Her reticule was clasped in a tight grip, her heart hammering, but even over the sound of her thudding terror, she could hear the door moan open behind her.
    "Charm." Raven's voice was a raised whisper. "Where..."
    There was a moment of silence. Charm used every second, realizing she would not have many, somehow knowing he would follow her.
    From up ahead came the sound of approaching horses. It was all the inspiration she needed. The livery stable was near. Suddenly she could smell the tangy barnyard fragrance. A horse nickered. On her right was a broad, open doorway. Light spilled out at a diffused, yellow slant, but she had no choice but to dash through it, knowing that her pursuer would see her. Up ahead, a wagon stood unhitched. Ten more strides and she was past it and out of Raven's sight. Lungs aching, she spurted along the side of the livery, hoping against hope that the devil's spawn would think she had gone on. But still she needed a place to hide. Somewhere unlikely. Pale light spilled from an overhead stable window. He would not expect her to hide somewhere well lit and possibly inhabited.
    Adjacent to the barn was a fenced area. Up the side of the building a ladder ran toward a dim square of light. It was a small doorway from which hay could be thrown. Twice, the heel of her boot caught in her skirts as she hiked upward, but finally she was in the safety of the loft.
    Last year's fodder lay in mounded piles, tied in bundles or left loose. It was a perfect place to hide and a good soft spot to spend the night if need be. The hay would offer relative comfort, and from the height of the loft, she could watch for trouble. Charm drew a deep breath. She'd finally outwitted him. Lost him. She'd rest for a while and wait, and then when she was certain he would bother her no more, she'd sneak from hiding and find Jude. It would be very simple now. No need to fear. He was only a man, after all, with a man's shallow instincts and very little...
    "Hello," said Raven and grabbed her arms.
    She squealed in terror.
    "I'm beginning to think you're more the criminal than I realized," he said, "because you sure know how to lose a fellow." Luckily there was no one in the stable below to take exception to his actions. Not that he planned to harm her, of course. She was just a girl, after all.
    It was at that precise moment that her knee slammed into his crotch. Pain blasted through his groin. There was nothing he could do but crumple to his knees. Every nerve ending begged for mercy. There was none to be found from Charm. She lunged for the ladder. But the toe of her boot caught in her hem and she faltered. It was just for a moment, but it was all the chance Raven needed. Anger welled up on the crest of pain, spurring him into action. He leaped after, slamming into her fleeing form and dragging her down.
    She wriggled beneath him. He remained immobile and agonized, trying to wrestle his muscles into submission. But that one leap was all he could manage for the moment, and so he lay heavy as an inert log, sucking air through his teeth and trying to keep her still to lessen the shattering pain that crippled his body.
    She bucked, trying to dislodge him. Raven moaned a curse through his teeth, but already she was squirming away. He grappled for a better hold, but somehow she found her feet.
    Frantically, he willed his fingers to work. They snagged in her skirt. There was the sound of rending fabric melded with a squeal of dismay as she fell. He thumped his weight fully atop her, hearing her breath leave her in a whoosh of anguish.
    For a moment all was silent, and then they were both breathing hard, fighting to do nothing more than fill their lungs with air.
    "What the... devil... is wrong with you, woman?" he finally managed to ask, closing his eyes as he gripped both her arms with his hands and let his upper body crush against her