Slave To Love
Chapter Twenty Six
Jack wasn't usually one to drink. But he needed something with a heavy caliber of alcohol just so he could forget everything he'd heard this evening. Lord Thomas had sold his own daughter because he'd squandered all of his money away to Capono and his so-called investments. His debt had continued to grow until he'd lost everything; his money, his possessions, and most recently his home.
When Tara had broken down the last emotional barrier he'd built against his own deeds, he'd finally broken down and told them everything.
He'd begun gambling just after Sue's mother died. It was nothing serious at first. A card game here; a horse race there… Year after year, it would escalate and slowly the family's fortune dwindled as his daughter grew closer to marriageable age. Only when he realized that, he'd also realized that he'd gambled away her dowry and left her and her future husband with nothing.
That was when Capono had first approached him with his proposition. John, of course, had turned him away. The situation hadn't been dire enough yet for him to even consider that option. Sue was all he had left in life and even if he'd cursed them to life a life of destitution, he'd promised himself that selling his daughter to the vile blackguard would not even be an option.
But something had changed. Jack could only guess that Capono had laid out his entire act to the desperate man. There was no way to know for certain, considering the moment John had brought up that extremely dark hour, he'd shut down again. The only thing they did know was that the evening when Sue had been taken for the second time, was the evening that John Thomas had sold not only his soul to the devil incarnate, but his entire life as well.
Jack poured himself another drink and swallowed it in one swift gulp. Then he poured another.
"You okay Jack?" D asked as he watched his friend down his third shot of strong liquor.
Jack shook his head to ease the burn running down his throat. He was going to pay for this later, he was sure, but at the moment he needed to be numb.
"I just don't get it," he finally said after a moment of silence. He gripped the glass in his hand tightly so he wouldn't hurl it across the room. "How could he do something like that?"
"He was desperate. Desperate men do desperate things."
Jack snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. He contemplated pouring himself another drink, but just set the glass on the mantle and turned away. "Tell me something, D. If you were in the same situation, would you have done the same thing? For Tanya?"
D's response was an immediate "No. I would have found some other way. Besides," he added with a smirk, "Donna would have my head."
That was true, Jack knew. Donna Gans was a tough little lady but she also had one of the largest hearts he'd ever seen. Until Sue, that is. "They get anything out of him yet?" he asked of Capono, eager to change the subject.
"Not yet, but Wes'll get something out of him eventually."
"But what if eventually is too late?" It was a question on all their minds.
"We can't think like that." Myles had remained silent for quite some time. He'd followed along with them like a silent shadow but never spoke. The shock of seeing a man trying to take his own life was new to him. Of course, he'd heard stories about such things, but hearing someone talking about it and seeing it where two very different things. "We have to remain positive. We owe Sue that much."
Jack allowed the hint of a smirk to appear on his lips. "And I though you didn't like her."
Myles smiled in return. "She has a way of burrowing her way into your heart, that one." Besides, she didn't deserve the life that had been laid out in front of her. Now all she had left was to look toward the future and Myles was quite certain that future involved Jack Hudson.
"We'll get her back, Sparky."
The three men looked up to see the tall figure of Bobby leaning against the door jam. He looked as tired as the rest of them felt. The day had been a long one as it was. And it was only going to get longer.
"Lucy and Tara settled in?" D asked.
Stifling a yawn, Bobby nodded and stalked over to the closest chair that could fit his large frame. "It took some goading, but they're finally asleep." In actuality, Lucy had been out as soon as her head had touched the pillow. Tara, however, had taken a bit more convincing, yet no one would hear him complaining.
He tried to hide the smirk that appeared on his still tingling lips. She hadn't wanted to fall asleep, lest she miss something important, but he then reminded her that he, Myles, Jack and D had a very long night ahead of them and she would need to be well-rested and prepared for when they brought Sue home the next morning.
She hadn't been convinced by his theory, of course and he'd had to use another method of persuasion.
He'd only meant to kiss her once before wishing her sweet dreams, but the moment their lips met, he realized how much of a mistake that was. The energy current that shot through them both when his lips covered hers shot straight to his gut where heat began to pool and blossom into the passion he felt for the woman lying in the bed. It only increased when her hand raised to sift through the thickness of his hair.
He stifled a groan at the memory of her fingernails scoring against his scalp and her tongue boldly flicking out like a tiny hand reaching for more contact. The way the soft curves of her breasts arched to meet him, the sweet sounds she made in the back of her throat when his hand reached out to cup her supple flesh.
She'd whispered his name on a breathy moan and tried to pull him closer. But he was already close to the edge of his self-control and if they would have continued any longer, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself.
He'd eased himself away from her when he heard Lucy shift in the other bed, adding a little bit more distance until Tara had finally fallen asleep, hopefully dreaming of him.
"Good," Myles said, knocking him out of his reverie. "Those two have already been through enough. They should at least get a good night's sleep out of the deal."
"Yeah, we really need to thank Lord Hamilton for allowing them to stay here for the night." The Aussie scrubbed his face with his hand to rub away the exhaustion.
"I think he considers it a mere pittance to the relief he feels now that his daughter is no longer engaged to Capono." D couldn't resist smiling. It had been so great to see Allie rip the engagement ring off of her ringer and toss it at the man in the Marshal's custody. Especially when the ring bounced off the man's head and clattered to the floor, the "pure white diamond"—the main focal point of the platinum filigree band—shattering into a million pieces. The man was so willing to use others to gain money and power, yet with everything he had, he hadn't even been willing to spend the money on a real diamond for his so-called beloved.
Allie was lucky to be rid of him.
"Hudson!" They all jumped at the sound of Wes's deep voice calling the room to attention. The small man filled the doorway, his Stetson still perched on top of his head.
"Sir?" Jack asked as if he was back on the battlefield during the war and Wes was, once again, his commanding officer. "Did he tell you anything?"
Wes nodded as he poured himself a drink and tossed it back. "Oh yeah. He started singing like a little birdie once all the charges were stacked against him."
"What about Sue?" D asked. "Did he tell you where she is?"
Wes nodded again, setting his glass on the mantle beside Jack's empty one. "He told me, alright. But, you're not going to like it."