Chapter 7
"Damn it, Sonny! I think we've got company."
Sonny too had heard the riders. "Most likely Moreno searching us out."
Jason quickly grabbed Elizabeth by the arm, and ordered, "Give Johnny the rope to the pig, and get behind those bushes, now!" Elizabeth had not even finished handing over the rope, before Jason pushed her behind the shrubs. "Remain completely still until I say otherwise. Do you understand?"
As she crouched down, Elizabeth nodded. She could feel her heart begin to pound within her breast. Lord...what was going on? Who was coming?
Just at that moment a booming voice rang out, "Corinthos? That you down there? I thought you were coming to the ranch."
Sonny mounted his horse and rode up the incline closer toward Moreno and his men. "We're just runnin' a little late. But we can talk out here as well as we can at your ranch."
Moreno nodded toward the shrubbery. "What the hell were you doing down there?"
Johnny, who had tied Burt to a tree and had, along with Francis, ridden up beside Sonny, answered, "Nature calls ya know Moreno."
Francis added, "Yep, a bit of oh-be-joyful and ya know what happens!"
"Go check out those trees and bushes, Sorel!" Moreno ordered with narrowed eyes. As Sorel made his way toward the shrubs on horseback, Moreno asked, "So where's Morgan?"
"Here," Jason replied in an unfriendly tone as he walked out of the greenery. His gun was pointed at a startled Sorel. "So you can say what the hell you have to say."
As all his men drew their guns, Moreno demanded, "What the hell are you doin' Morgan? We just wanna talk."
Without taking his eyes or gun off of Sorel, Jason said coldly, "Then talk."
Moreno turned to Sonny and said irritably, "Your friend here is a loose cannon."
Sonny almost laughed at that. Jason was probably the most controlled person he had ever known, but at the moment, Jason was concerned about getting rid of Moreno because of the girl. And so was Sonny. "Look Moreno. What's your proposition?"
After a moment of silence as he suspiciously eyed Sonny, Moreno began, "You know I want that land. You let me purchase it from you and I'll leave the saloon alone."
Sonny smiled slightly and asked, "And what guarantees will I have you'll leave us alone once the land has been handed over to you?"
Moreno replied, "You have my word."
With a derisive laugh, Sonny asked, "Your word, Moreno? You think the word of a liar and a killer means anythin'?"
"How many times am I gonna have to tell you I had nothin' to do with your father's death," Moreno nodded toward Jason, "More than likely, it was his family that beefed your old man."
If Moreno was expecting a reaction from Jason, he was disappointed as Jason's face remained completely passive.
"Yep. Those Quartermaines wanted the land just as much as I did. More probably since they knew I was after it as well."
Sonny asked shrewdly, "So this is all 'bout the Quartermaines? What has that land have to do with them?"
While his eyes swept Moreno's men, Jason recalled the argument between Edward and Moreno. Access to water...that was what Moreno had said he wanted. And the land bordered Quartermaine land, right by the river.
Moreno shrugged, "Does it matter? All you need to know is I want it."
Smiling pleasantly, Sonny said, "Sorry, but it ain't mine to give you Moreno. It's Jase's."
Moreno turned his wary eyes toward Jason. "Is this true, Morgan?"
Jason nodded slightly. "The land has nothin' to do with Sonny any longer. So you can leave him out of it."
Moreno's was quiet for a moment, but then said threateningly, "Then if you know what's good for you and your family, you'd better sell Morgan."
Jason shrugged, "You should keep up on local news, Moreno...I've had a fallin' out with the Quartermaine's. Go ahead ruin them, for all I care."
Moreno's eyes widened at the completely detached manner of the man. "Damn...you mean it don't you? You're really as cold a bastard as they say." He had heard of the stories of Jason Morgan. He was the man you called in when you wanted someone hunted down. They said Morgan never failed to get his man because he was completely ruthless. There was no way he was going to get this man to sell to him...at least not through mere threats..."Alright then. If you won't give me that land, I'll have to find another way to get what I want. But I'm warnin' you Morgan, stay the hell out of my business you hear?"
When Jason didn't reply, Moreno continued, "You've been warned. Now, get off of my land!"
At this, Sorel swung his head around to look at his boss and shouted, "Wait, Moreno! You promised I could have a go at him!"
"If ya hadn't noticed, Sorel," Johnny taunted, "Jase's got ihis/i gun trained on ya not the other way 'round!"
"Forget it, Sorel. Just let them leave, for now," ordered Moreno impatiently. But when he saw that none of the four men had moved, he demanded, "What the hell are you waiting for, Corinthos?"
Sonny looked over at Jason. Jason said in a hard voice, "No. You and this idiot," he motioned his gun at Sorel, "get goin' first."
Moreno grumbled, "You ain't too trusting are you, Morgan?"
"No."
With an irritated grunt, Moreno ordered, "Let's go men." And at their boss's command, the men all turned their horses, and started to head out.
But before turning, Sorel warned, "You ain't seen the last of me, Morgan. You're goin' to pay for humiliatin' me in town."
With a mocking smile, Francis chuckled, "Jase didn't need to do a thin'. You did a good 'nough job all on your own, Sorel."
"You little-" Sorel turned toward Francis, starting to draw his gun. But he paused suddenly. "What the hell was that?"
Moreno and his men turned around, with guns drawn. "What?"
"I heard something comin' from those bushes."
Moreno turned to his men, "Go have a look."
Sonny was about to protest when Jason gave a small shake of his head. He knew that if they made a fuss they would only arise Moreno's suspicions. All they could do was hope the girl stayed out of sight.
A few moments after the men went through the trees, they came out with the pig on the rope. "This hog was all we found, boss," one man shouted.
A look of confusion crossed Moreno's ugly face. "What the hell?" Turning to Sonny, he asked, "What's a damn hog doin' here?"
Sonny replied easily, "Ain't ya heard, Moreno? There's hogs runnin' loose all over the place. They escaped from the fair."
Sorel asked suspiciously, "Why's it tied to a tree?"
"Johnny found it, and tied it there. We were gonna tell one of those farmhands to come back for it," Sonny paused as if giving the situation some thought, "But we'll take it with us, if you're gonna have a problem with it."
Moreno nodded, "Just get the damn thing off my land." After motioning his men to hand over the pig to Jason, he ordered them to mount. Then he and his men finally rode out.
Jason waited until they could barely see the retreating riders, and then said to Johnny and Francis, "Go have a look around and make sure that there are none of Moreno's men still 'round. I don't trust him."
Johnny and Francis nodded, and then rode off in different directions.
Sonny looked down at Jason and asked, "You gonna get the girl?"
Giving Sonny the end of the rope to Burt, Jason nodded as he started to head back down the incline. "But I want to make sure Moreno has no surprises for us before we take her home."
While Sonny kept watch at the top of the incline, Jason walked over to the bushes he had left the girl behind. He made his way through the bushes, and to his surprise he saw that the girl was not there. However that surprise was short lived as he felt something hard hit him on the back of his head...
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As she had hid, straining to hear what was being said a distance away, Elizabeth felt herself begin to shake again. How had she found herself in this position? All she had wanted to do was rescue Burt and now here she was hiding out while the most dangerous men in the county were out there having a meeting! Her grandmother would have a fit!
She could hear the sound of angry voices but could not quite make out the words. After a few long moments, she heard approaching footsteps. "Zach check out those bushes over there, and we'll have a look over here."
Oh no!! Those were not the men from the saloon. Striving to calm the panic running through her body, Elizabeth tried to think what she should do. As the footsteps approached closer, her eyes searched desperately for some escape. But all she could see was a large branch from one of the nearby cottonwood trees. She quickly grabbed the branch in her shaking hand. Oh Lord...was she actually considering /ihitting/i a man? But before she could answer that question, she heard a man shout out, "Look at this! A damn hog's tied to this here tree!"
"That must be what Sorel heard. Grab it and let's get out of here."
As she heard the sound of Burt squealing, Elizabeth almost let out her own cry of distress. What were they going to do with him?! Should she go out after them? But ihe/i had told her to stay put.
She was still in a state of turmoil, when she once again heard the sound of footsteps. Oh no, they were back! And this time the footsteps were heading directly toward her. Creeping on all fours she made her way a little to the left, away from her previous location, and with branch in raised hands, waited...
As she heard the sound of the rustling of leaves, and saw a black hat, she closed her eyes in fear and brought the branch down hard.
"Damn it!" Jason turned around angrily and reached for the branch that had just caused the sharp pain in his head. But he found that getting the branch was not easy. That damn girl was struggling to keep her tight grip on the thing. He shouted, "Stop it! It's-"
In her overwhelming fear and panic, it didn't register to Elizabeth who he was, and she continued to struggle wildly for the branch. She lifted her leg and gave the man a kick.
Jason growled in pain. Finally, he gave into his anger and grabbed for the girl. With her struggling to get away from his hand, he ordered, "I said stop, Miss Webber."
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she finally realised who it was, and as the fight went out of her, her whole body went limp. Unfortunately, Jason had been pulling at her arm trying to get her attention, and when her body went suddenly still, he ended up yanking her hard toward him, causing both of them to fall out of the bushes and down toward the ground.
"Ahhh!" As she landed on his hard body, Elizabeth felt the breath get knocked out of her. When she finally came to her senses, she became aware that she had not only fallen, but that she had fallen on top of ihim/i! His hand was still wrapped firmly around one of her arms. As she tried to force herself to breath more evenly, she became aware of his other large hand on her waist. And she could feel the rising of his chest and hear his harsh breathing. Oh dear! Placing her free hand on the ground beside of him, and with a feeling of dread she lifted her head off his chest, and looked up into his hard face. His very iangry/i face! The scar on his face seemed even more pronounced than usual and there was a tick in his forehead. She whispered apologetically, "Mr. Morgan...I-I'm t-terribly sorry..."
As he watched her large eyes gaze out at him fearfully, Jason had shake his head in frustration. God damn it! How the hell had he ended up becoming mixed up with this troublesome minx?! This was the second time she was responsible for knocking him over! He muttered, "Just get the hell off me Miss Webber."
Elizabeth nodded and tried to get off the man, but it was no easy task. Lifting herself slightly, she freed her other hand and placed it on his chest. Then pushing off him, she attempted to rise to her knees.
For a moment while she had wiggled her small soft body on top of him, Jason had felt a sudden rush of...damn...ithis could not be happening/i. How the hell could his body be responding to this girl of all women? He must have been without a woman for far too long...
Then the beginnings of arousal gave way to sudden pain. "God damn it! iMove/i your knee!" Was the Lord punishing him for all his sins at once? Her knee was in the most sensitive of areas...With a grunt, he rolled over with her, to ease the painful pressure.
As they both laid on their sides, they found themselves staring into each other's blue eyes, hers a deep sapphire and his an icy crystal blue. While very much aware that the man's hands were now both firmly planted on her waist, Elizabeth swallowed nervously at the intensity in the man's gaze. She wanted so desperately to look away but she couldn't.
"What the hell is goin' on here Jase?"
The voice broke their strange connection, and Jason looked up to find three pairs of eyes looking down at them in mild surprise and amusement. Disentangling himself from the girl and jumping quickly up to his feet, he muttered, "Don't even ask." God his head hurt. He was about to help the girl to her feet when Sonny offered his own hand to the very dishevelled girl.
As Elizabeth accepted Sonny's hand and was lifted to her feet, she murmured, "Thank you sir."
"Sonny, remember?"
Looking up at the man's handsome face, she nodded, and then she took a tentative glance toward the man she had just attacked. He was still glaring at her. Quickly looking away, Elizabeth saw a black cowboy hat. It must have been knocked off his head during their struggle. Picking it up, she tentatively handed it over to the man. "I-I really am sorry, sir for hitting...and knocking you over...I thought you were one of those other men."
Jason grunted a reply which she could not make out as he grabbed the hat and placed it firmly on his head.
While staring at the tiny girl, Johnny asked incredulously, "iYa/i hit Jase?!"
Elizabeth nodded shamefully. "But it was an accident sir."
Francis chuckled as he said, "He's Johnny, not sir!" Then turning to Jason he asked with an amused twinkle in his eye, "That li'le girl knocked iyou/i over, Jase?"
Scowling at the two men, Jason grumbled, "She may look little, but she's ibig/i trouble."
As her guilt grew by leaps and bounds, Elizabeth was about to apologise again when she caught sight of the pink pig by Sonny. "Burt! Oh I had thought those men had taken you!"
Sonny turned toward Jason, who was still glaring down at the poor girl. "Johnny and Francis didn't see anyone about, but I think we'd better get goin'."
Nodding, and without another word, Jason headed toward his horse and mounted. The three other men looked at each other in surprise. What was going on with him?
Sonny turned to the girl and said gently, "I'll take the pig on my horse, and you can ride with Francis."
As she handed over Burt, Elizabeth shook her head. "I must ride my bicycle home, si-
Sonny"
Slowly, Sonny nodded. "If that's what you want, Elizabeth. Let's go."
As the men mounted, Elizabeth walked over to where her bicycle was still hidden and guided it out of the bushes and trees and up the incline. Once on level ground, Elizabeth hopped onto the seat and as the men began to ride out slowly, she started to peddle quickly. The four men arranged their horses so they surrounded the girl and her bicycle, with Sonny and Jason slightly behind her and Johnny and Francis slightly ahead of her.
The sun had by this time set and the half moon was coming out. And as the riders remained silent, the only sounds that could be heard were the beating of the horses trotting on the ground, the creaking of the bicycle, and the soft squealing of Burt. When they were finally off Moreno land and on the main trail, Elizabeth let out a small sigh of relief. She called out to the men, "Thank you for all your help, gentlemen. Bye Burt. I will see you soon." Then she turned her bicycle in the direction toward her farm, expecting the men to ride off in the other direction toward town.
But instead, the men followed her. Elizabeth came to a sudden stop. Turning around, she asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Sonny replied, "Escortin' you home, Elizabeth. You can't be riding out here at night alone."
"B-but...w-what if someone sees me with you? Will that not be rather...difficult to explain?" Elizabeth could not believe her own daring lately. Here she was questioning Sonny Corinthos! But she could only begin to imagine her grandmother's horror and disapproval if she saw these men. "Besides I've ridden in the dark before...and have come to no harm. P-please be on your way."
Sonny was silent for a moment, and then turning to Jason, he asked, "So what do you think?"
"She's right, we can't all follow her." Jason shifted uncomfortably in his saddle, "You and the other two head back to the saloon. I'll follow her from a distance."
Francis began, "I'll follow the gal, Jase..."
Jason shook his head firmly. "No. I'll do it."
The other three nodded, and after tipping the rim of their hats at Elizabeth they left the two in the middle of the dirt road. Elizabeth swallowed nervously, and began, "Mr. Morgan, I really do not think this is nec-"
"Just get going," said Jason impatiently.
At his abrupt command, Elizabeth immediately started to peddle as fast as she ever had. Even as she heard him follow her from a distance, she could feel the anger radiating from the man. And she deserved it. Had she not hit him on the head? It must still be paining him. Perhaps that was why he was so irritable at the moment? And she must have ruined his clothing, as she doubted all that mud could ever be washed out...Oh dear, why did she always seem to be causing such trouble?
A good twenty minutes must have gone by in tense silence before Elizabeth could make out the farm. She came to a slow stop, and looked behind her to see the outline of the man and his horse stopped a distance down the road. With a small wave, she turned and rode toward her farm, readying herself for another lashing. But it had been worth it...Burt was safe...
As Jason watched the girl ride down toward the small farm, he wondered how she was going to explain her absence...shaking his head, he told himself firmly that what happened to the girl was inot/i his concern. If he never saw Elizabeth Webber again it would be too soon. As he urged his horse toward town, he tried to force her from his mind.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Damn it, Sonny! I think we've got company."
Sonny too had heard the riders. "Most likely Moreno searching us out."
Jason quickly grabbed Elizabeth by the arm, and ordered, "Give Johnny the rope to the pig, and get behind those bushes, now!" Elizabeth had not even finished handing over the rope, before Jason pushed her behind the shrubs. "Remain completely still until I say otherwise. Do you understand?"
As she crouched down, Elizabeth nodded. She could feel her heart begin to pound within her breast. Lord...what was going on? Who was coming?
Just at that moment a booming voice rang out, "Corinthos? That you down there? I thought you were coming to the ranch."
Sonny mounted his horse and rode up the incline closer toward Moreno and his men. "We're just runnin' a little late. But we can talk out here as well as we can at your ranch."
Moreno nodded toward the shrubbery. "What the hell were you doing down there?"
Johnny, who had tied Burt to a tree and had, along with Francis, ridden up beside Sonny, answered, "Nature calls ya know Moreno."
Francis added, "Yep, a bit of oh-be-joyful and ya know what happens!"
"Go check out those trees and bushes, Sorel!" Moreno ordered with narrowed eyes. As Sorel made his way toward the shrubs on horseback, Moreno asked, "So where's Morgan?"
"Here," Jason replied in an unfriendly tone as he walked out of the greenery. His gun was pointed at a startled Sorel. "So you can say what the hell you have to say."
As all his men drew their guns, Moreno demanded, "What the hell are you doin' Morgan? We just wanna talk."
Without taking his eyes or gun off of Sorel, Jason said coldly, "Then talk."
Moreno turned to Sonny and said irritably, "Your friend here is a loose cannon."
Sonny almost laughed at that. Jason was probably the most controlled person he had ever known, but at the moment, Jason was concerned about getting rid of Moreno because of the girl. And so was Sonny. "Look Moreno. What's your proposition?"
After a moment of silence as he suspiciously eyed Sonny, Moreno began, "You know I want that land. You let me purchase it from you and I'll leave the saloon alone."
Sonny smiled slightly and asked, "And what guarantees will I have you'll leave us alone once the land has been handed over to you?"
Moreno replied, "You have my word."
With a derisive laugh, Sonny asked, "Your word, Moreno? You think the word of a liar and a killer means anythin'?"
"How many times am I gonna have to tell you I had nothin' to do with your father's death," Moreno nodded toward Jason, "More than likely, it was his family that beefed your old man."
If Moreno was expecting a reaction from Jason, he was disappointed as Jason's face remained completely passive.
"Yep. Those Quartermaines wanted the land just as much as I did. More probably since they knew I was after it as well."
Sonny asked shrewdly, "So this is all 'bout the Quartermaines? What has that land have to do with them?"
While his eyes swept Moreno's men, Jason recalled the argument between Edward and Moreno. Access to water...that was what Moreno had said he wanted. And the land bordered Quartermaine land, right by the river.
Moreno shrugged, "Does it matter? All you need to know is I want it."
Smiling pleasantly, Sonny said, "Sorry, but it ain't mine to give you Moreno. It's Jase's."
Moreno turned his wary eyes toward Jason. "Is this true, Morgan?"
Jason nodded slightly. "The land has nothin' to do with Sonny any longer. So you can leave him out of it."
Moreno's was quiet for a moment, but then said threateningly, "Then if you know what's good for you and your family, you'd better sell Morgan."
Jason shrugged, "You should keep up on local news, Moreno...I've had a fallin' out with the Quartermaine's. Go ahead ruin them, for all I care."
Moreno's eyes widened at the completely detached manner of the man. "Damn...you mean it don't you? You're really as cold a bastard as they say." He had heard of the stories of Jason Morgan. He was the man you called in when you wanted someone hunted down. They said Morgan never failed to get his man because he was completely ruthless. There was no way he was going to get this man to sell to him...at least not through mere threats..."Alright then. If you won't give me that land, I'll have to find another way to get what I want. But I'm warnin' you Morgan, stay the hell out of my business you hear?"
When Jason didn't reply, Moreno continued, "You've been warned. Now, get off of my land!"
At this, Sorel swung his head around to look at his boss and shouted, "Wait, Moreno! You promised I could have a go at him!"
"If ya hadn't noticed, Sorel," Johnny taunted, "Jase's got ihis/i gun trained on ya not the other way 'round!"
"Forget it, Sorel. Just let them leave, for now," ordered Moreno impatiently. But when he saw that none of the four men had moved, he demanded, "What the hell are you waiting for, Corinthos?"
Sonny looked over at Jason. Jason said in a hard voice, "No. You and this idiot," he motioned his gun at Sorel, "get goin' first."
Moreno grumbled, "You ain't too trusting are you, Morgan?"
"No."
With an irritated grunt, Moreno ordered, "Let's go men." And at their boss's command, the men all turned their horses, and started to head out.
But before turning, Sorel warned, "You ain't seen the last of me, Morgan. You're goin' to pay for humiliatin' me in town."
With a mocking smile, Francis chuckled, "Jase didn't need to do a thin'. You did a good 'nough job all on your own, Sorel."
"You little-" Sorel turned toward Francis, starting to draw his gun. But he paused suddenly. "What the hell was that?"
Moreno and his men turned around, with guns drawn. "What?"
"I heard something comin' from those bushes."
Moreno turned to his men, "Go have a look."
Sonny was about to protest when Jason gave a small shake of his head. He knew that if they made a fuss they would only arise Moreno's suspicions. All they could do was hope the girl stayed out of sight.
A few moments after the men went through the trees, they came out with the pig on the rope. "This hog was all we found, boss," one man shouted.
A look of confusion crossed Moreno's ugly face. "What the hell?" Turning to Sonny, he asked, "What's a damn hog doin' here?"
Sonny replied easily, "Ain't ya heard, Moreno? There's hogs runnin' loose all over the place. They escaped from the fair."
Sorel asked suspiciously, "Why's it tied to a tree?"
"Johnny found it, and tied it there. We were gonna tell one of those farmhands to come back for it," Sonny paused as if giving the situation some thought, "But we'll take it with us, if you're gonna have a problem with it."
Moreno nodded, "Just get the damn thing off my land." After motioning his men to hand over the pig to Jason, he ordered them to mount. Then he and his men finally rode out.
Jason waited until they could barely see the retreating riders, and then said to Johnny and Francis, "Go have a look around and make sure that there are none of Moreno's men still 'round. I don't trust him."
Johnny and Francis nodded, and then rode off in different directions.
Sonny looked down at Jason and asked, "You gonna get the girl?"
Giving Sonny the end of the rope to Burt, Jason nodded as he started to head back down the incline. "But I want to make sure Moreno has no surprises for us before we take her home."
While Sonny kept watch at the top of the incline, Jason walked over to the bushes he had left the girl behind. He made his way through the bushes, and to his surprise he saw that the girl was not there. However that surprise was short lived as he felt something hard hit him on the back of his head...
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As she had hid, straining to hear what was being said a distance away, Elizabeth felt herself begin to shake again. How had she found herself in this position? All she had wanted to do was rescue Burt and now here she was hiding out while the most dangerous men in the county were out there having a meeting! Her grandmother would have a fit!
She could hear the sound of angry voices but could not quite make out the words. After a few long moments, she heard approaching footsteps. "Zach check out those bushes over there, and we'll have a look over here."
Oh no!! Those were not the men from the saloon. Striving to calm the panic running through her body, Elizabeth tried to think what she should do. As the footsteps approached closer, her eyes searched desperately for some escape. But all she could see was a large branch from one of the nearby cottonwood trees. She quickly grabbed the branch in her shaking hand. Oh Lord...was she actually considering /ihitting/i a man? But before she could answer that question, she heard a man shout out, "Look at this! A damn hog's tied to this here tree!"
"That must be what Sorel heard. Grab it and let's get out of here."
As she heard the sound of Burt squealing, Elizabeth almost let out her own cry of distress. What were they going to do with him?! Should she go out after them? But ihe/i had told her to stay put.
She was still in a state of turmoil, when she once again heard the sound of footsteps. Oh no, they were back! And this time the footsteps were heading directly toward her. Creeping on all fours she made her way a little to the left, away from her previous location, and with branch in raised hands, waited...
As she heard the sound of the rustling of leaves, and saw a black hat, she closed her eyes in fear and brought the branch down hard.
"Damn it!" Jason turned around angrily and reached for the branch that had just caused the sharp pain in his head. But he found that getting the branch was not easy. That damn girl was struggling to keep her tight grip on the thing. He shouted, "Stop it! It's-"
In her overwhelming fear and panic, it didn't register to Elizabeth who he was, and she continued to struggle wildly for the branch. She lifted her leg and gave the man a kick.
Jason growled in pain. Finally, he gave into his anger and grabbed for the girl. With her struggling to get away from his hand, he ordered, "I said stop, Miss Webber."
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she finally realised who it was, and as the fight went out of her, her whole body went limp. Unfortunately, Jason had been pulling at her arm trying to get her attention, and when her body went suddenly still, he ended up yanking her hard toward him, causing both of them to fall out of the bushes and down toward the ground.
"Ahhh!" As she landed on his hard body, Elizabeth felt the breath get knocked out of her. When she finally came to her senses, she became aware that she had not only fallen, but that she had fallen on top of ihim/i! His hand was still wrapped firmly around one of her arms. As she tried to force herself to breath more evenly, she became aware of his other large hand on her waist. And she could feel the rising of his chest and hear his harsh breathing. Oh dear! Placing her free hand on the ground beside of him, and with a feeling of dread she lifted her head off his chest, and looked up into his hard face. His very iangry/i face! The scar on his face seemed even more pronounced than usual and there was a tick in his forehead. She whispered apologetically, "Mr. Morgan...I-I'm t-terribly sorry..."
As he watched her large eyes gaze out at him fearfully, Jason had shake his head in frustration. God damn it! How the hell had he ended up becoming mixed up with this troublesome minx?! This was the second time she was responsible for knocking him over! He muttered, "Just get the hell off me Miss Webber."
Elizabeth nodded and tried to get off the man, but it was no easy task. Lifting herself slightly, she freed her other hand and placed it on his chest. Then pushing off him, she attempted to rise to her knees.
For a moment while she had wiggled her small soft body on top of him, Jason had felt a sudden rush of...damn...ithis could not be happening/i. How the hell could his body be responding to this girl of all women? He must have been without a woman for far too long...
Then the beginnings of arousal gave way to sudden pain. "God damn it! iMove/i your knee!" Was the Lord punishing him for all his sins at once? Her knee was in the most sensitive of areas...With a grunt, he rolled over with her, to ease the painful pressure.
As they both laid on their sides, they found themselves staring into each other's blue eyes, hers a deep sapphire and his an icy crystal blue. While very much aware that the man's hands were now both firmly planted on her waist, Elizabeth swallowed nervously at the intensity in the man's gaze. She wanted so desperately to look away but she couldn't.
"What the hell is goin' on here Jase?"
The voice broke their strange connection, and Jason looked up to find three pairs of eyes looking down at them in mild surprise and amusement. Disentangling himself from the girl and jumping quickly up to his feet, he muttered, "Don't even ask." God his head hurt. He was about to help the girl to her feet when Sonny offered his own hand to the very dishevelled girl.
As Elizabeth accepted Sonny's hand and was lifted to her feet, she murmured, "Thank you sir."
"Sonny, remember?"
Looking up at the man's handsome face, she nodded, and then she took a tentative glance toward the man she had just attacked. He was still glaring at her. Quickly looking away, Elizabeth saw a black cowboy hat. It must have been knocked off his head during their struggle. Picking it up, she tentatively handed it over to the man. "I-I really am sorry, sir for hitting...and knocking you over...I thought you were one of those other men."
Jason grunted a reply which she could not make out as he grabbed the hat and placed it firmly on his head.
While staring at the tiny girl, Johnny asked incredulously, "iYa/i hit Jase?!"
Elizabeth nodded shamefully. "But it was an accident sir."
Francis chuckled as he said, "He's Johnny, not sir!" Then turning to Jason he asked with an amused twinkle in his eye, "That li'le girl knocked iyou/i over, Jase?"
Scowling at the two men, Jason grumbled, "She may look little, but she's ibig/i trouble."
As her guilt grew by leaps and bounds, Elizabeth was about to apologise again when she caught sight of the pink pig by Sonny. "Burt! Oh I had thought those men had taken you!"
Sonny turned toward Jason, who was still glaring down at the poor girl. "Johnny and Francis didn't see anyone about, but I think we'd better get goin'."
Nodding, and without another word, Jason headed toward his horse and mounted. The three other men looked at each other in surprise. What was going on with him?
Sonny turned to the girl and said gently, "I'll take the pig on my horse, and you can ride with Francis."
As she handed over Burt, Elizabeth shook her head. "I must ride my bicycle home, si-
Sonny"
Slowly, Sonny nodded. "If that's what you want, Elizabeth. Let's go."
As the men mounted, Elizabeth walked over to where her bicycle was still hidden and guided it out of the bushes and trees and up the incline. Once on level ground, Elizabeth hopped onto the seat and as the men began to ride out slowly, she started to peddle quickly. The four men arranged their horses so they surrounded the girl and her bicycle, with Sonny and Jason slightly behind her and Johnny and Francis slightly ahead of her.
The sun had by this time set and the half moon was coming out. And as the riders remained silent, the only sounds that could be heard were the beating of the horses trotting on the ground, the creaking of the bicycle, and the soft squealing of Burt. When they were finally off Moreno land and on the main trail, Elizabeth let out a small sigh of relief. She called out to the men, "Thank you for all your help, gentlemen. Bye Burt. I will see you soon." Then she turned her bicycle in the direction toward her farm, expecting the men to ride off in the other direction toward town.
But instead, the men followed her. Elizabeth came to a sudden stop. Turning around, she asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Sonny replied, "Escortin' you home, Elizabeth. You can't be riding out here at night alone."
"B-but...w-what if someone sees me with you? Will that not be rather...difficult to explain?" Elizabeth could not believe her own daring lately. Here she was questioning Sonny Corinthos! But she could only begin to imagine her grandmother's horror and disapproval if she saw these men. "Besides I've ridden in the dark before...and have come to no harm. P-please be on your way."
Sonny was silent for a moment, and then turning to Jason, he asked, "So what do you think?"
"She's right, we can't all follow her." Jason shifted uncomfortably in his saddle, "You and the other two head back to the saloon. I'll follow her from a distance."
Francis began, "I'll follow the gal, Jase..."
Jason shook his head firmly. "No. I'll do it."
The other three nodded, and after tipping the rim of their hats at Elizabeth they left the two in the middle of the dirt road. Elizabeth swallowed nervously, and began, "Mr. Morgan, I really do not think this is nec-"
"Just get going," said Jason impatiently.
At his abrupt command, Elizabeth immediately started to peddle as fast as she ever had. Even as she heard him follow her from a distance, she could feel the anger radiating from the man. And she deserved it. Had she not hit him on the head? It must still be paining him. Perhaps that was why he was so irritable at the moment? And she must have ruined his clothing, as she doubted all that mud could ever be washed out...Oh dear, why did she always seem to be causing such trouble?
A good twenty minutes must have gone by in tense silence before Elizabeth could make out the farm. She came to a slow stop, and looked behind her to see the outline of the man and his horse stopped a distance down the road. With a small wave, she turned and rode toward her farm, readying herself for another lashing. But it had been worth it...Burt was safe...
As Jason watched the girl ride down toward the small farm, he wondered how she was going to explain her absence...shaking his head, he told himself firmly that what happened to the girl was inot/i his concern. If he never saw Elizabeth Webber again it would be too soon. As he urged his horse toward town, he tried to force her from his mind.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
