Sorry it took so long... I hope it is ok. I will post more later... I hope:-)

Chapter 3

"What… Marcus… we have to go now!" Kurdy grabbed his olive colored duffle in one hand and slung it across his shoulders as he tried to push past Rita. She tilted her chin up towards Kurdy's face her pale ivory features nearly glowing next to his ebony ones. Her red hair blew across her face in strips as the night air shifted blowing between the two. Rita reached up and lay her hand open palmed on his firm chest. She felt his breath moving the surface up and down beneath her long fingers.

"Kurdy… you really need me. I can help you." She calmly stated.

Kurdy looked back at Marcus who was standing in front of a window. He slipped his hand through his hair as he licked his lips. His eyes held both Kurdy's and Rita's before he looked towards Blake.

"We need help. We don't know Molson, we don't know the threat we're up against and more importantly, we don't know what kind of shape Jeremiah's gonna be in." His words were well spoken and well thought out. He was a natural born leader. He could control any situation with the drop of a single word.

Kurdy cursed loudly as he threw his duffle to the floor. "We need a minute…" He grabbed Rita by the wrist and shoved her out the front door, slamming the door behind him.

"You better not be screwing around here…" His eyed were ablaze with anger as he shoved the slighter woman against the wall of the house. "That's my friend and I'm not about to let…"

"Look Kurdy…. I just wanna help."

Kurdy looked back at the green eyes that continued to gaze up at him. They shimmered like diamond filled pools in the moonlight. She was breath taking to behold the color of her skin, the way she smelled, like lilacs in the spring. She drove him crazy with desire. He had to stop thinking about her and focus on Jeremiah.

"Please trust me Kurdy… I know that you don't want to but I promise I can help." She replied plainly.

He reached down cupping her cheek in the palm of his powerful hand. Kurdy bit his lip as the burning desire to kiss her long and hard washed over him. He closed his eyes and then opened them leaning slowly into her. He took a deep breath in and then pushed it back out. He could feel the quickening hitch of her breath as he moved closer to her. He watched as she swallowed hard lifting her mouth in the direction of his advance. She didn't fight; she didn't even struggle as he moved closer. With his free hand he brushed the single strands of hair from her face. He licked his lips as his deep brown eyes connected with her emerald colored orbs. He felt the warmth of her hand rest gently against his spine and then slip slowly down towards his buttocks. He pulled her closer his hand also slipping down to brush the front of her breasts. Rita closed her eyes as the rattle of a doorknob caused the two to pull suddenly apart.

"Kurdy… look we need to put together a plan and we need the both of you." Marcus stated looking inquisitively from side to side.

Rita took in a deep breath as she looked down towards the ground and then back at Kurdy. She was a little embarrassed but longed to feel the dark skinned man against her. He was so handsome and rugged. He seemed to be somewhat kinder than the normal traveler. More than anything to her he was a stranger. Not from the area and that she called home. She also knew that a life hung in the balance so there was no choice. She rushed past Marcus who stood just outside the door watching the two intently.

"Did I interrupt anything?" The tall man asked confused.

"No, no Marcus… you didn't interrupt anything…" Kurdy declared sarcastically. "You didn't interrupt anything… you interrupted something." The man retorted as he walked by following the red head into the house.

--

Jeremiah sat on his knees facing Roger. His wrists were being secured out to his sides by a rope on each side. At the ends of the rope stood a burly man who had twisted the rope around a slick pole and then held it at the end. Jeremiah's arms were being pulled straight out from his sides. Jeremiah's fever stricken eyes glistened against the backdrop of flames as they leapt from the base of torches. His body was covered in various bruises, welts, and bloody gashes. His body continued to shake as a result of the chilling water that was cruelly thrown on him. His chin sunk to his chest as he fought to hold his head up. His voice was raw; it was nearly gone from the continued cold surrounding his battered body. He closed his eyelids and swallowed hard as Roger stepped menacingly forward.

"Jeremiah… tisk, tisk… you don't have to struggle like this. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know." Roger demanded grasping the young man under his chin. He lifted his captives chin until the two looked into each others eyes.

Jeremiah's black eye shined against the dried flakes of blood from his head. There was bruising which continued across his face and at the bottom of his lip. He held Rogers stare as he continued to struggle to keep himself conscious. Jeremiah felt overwhelming anger at his inability to fight against the people holding him, trying to beat information out of him. It had crossed his mind to tell them to go ahead and kill him. He wasn't going to tell them anything.

Jeremiah flinched as Roger ground his fingers into his swollen jaw. He sucked air in through his teeth while closing his eyes tightly to the pain that continued to grasp him tighter between his fingers.

"You will tell me what I want to know or were going to start pulling your body apart very, very… slowly." Roger whispered.

"Go… ahead." Jeremiah snapped between his teeth, his voice gravely from sickness.

"Okay… boys." Roger nodded at the two men on either side of the trembling man at his feet.

The ropes pulled tighter and tighter his arms rising to a perfect ninety degree angle to his side. Jeremiah sucked in a tortured gasping breath. He could feel popping and snapping in the ropes as they dug deeply into the bones on his wrists. His shoulders began to burn bitterly, throbbing and stinging as the pulling and tugging continued. Jeremiah gritted his teeth as he struggled to bare the punishment being dispensed on him.

He was sure that his body should have been torn apart by now but it still managed to stay together. Jeremiah let out a deep sigh as he collapsed on the floor beneath him once the ropes were released. Jeremiah could hear the cheers of people as they watched him fall heavily on the hard surface of the stage in front of them. He didn't have time to enjoy the way he felt as he was hoisted up to his feet by his hair and the slack was pulled very quickly out of the ropes initiating a loud cry from Jeremiah's swollen vocal chords. This time the pain was searing, nearly causing him to black out.

"OH GOD... AGGGGHHH!" He screamed as his left side pulled further than it should have. He knew that he had done damage this time… damage that was going to take real time to heal. He was certain he had dislocated his left shoulder.

Roger smiled as the smaller man cried out in agonizing pain. He watched the man convulse as he was dropped on the floor. Jeremiah was clutching at his shoulder with his right hand as he lay on his back. In the background more cheers could be heard as Roger strolled fiercely over to the badly injured man. He hunkered down next to Jeremiah who continued to shake gasping for air. He could see a tear sliding down his cheek.

"Does it hurt?" Roger sneered.

"Go… to hell…"

Roger cocked his left eyebrow as he grabbed a handful of Jeremiah's hair.

"That's where you're going… boy." Roger seethed. "Hoist him up!" He yelled at the men who surrounded the stage.

The men promptly set in gear securing a rope around Jeremiah's wrists and tossing the end over a tree branch and pulled the man to his feet. Jeremiah screamed as the nearly intolerable pain blazed through his right shoulder. He was hoisted up high enough that the only thing touching the ground were the tips of his boots. The burning in his arms starting at his wrists was excruciating. He tried to flex his finger as he felt the pins and needles of no circulation in his wrists. He almost wished he could pass out this time as he could feel bile rising in the back of his throat. His left shoulder continued to scream at him as he grimaced closing his eyes tighter to the pain. He took in a ragged gulp of air as he bit his lower lip trying to stifle a cry. He could feel the cold as a breeze blew across his bare chest. Goose bumps began to rise up in his flesh again as he hung painfully from the tree.

Marcus… Kurdy… please… I can't take much more.

"Just tell me what I want to know and I'll let you go." Roger stated.

"D-Doesn't… exist…" Jeremiah stuttered.

"Boys if he passes out… wake him up. I don't want him resting while I am waiting for information from him. If he talks I want to know right away." Roger ordered. He seemed displeased with the situation as he turned and walked through the crowd.

"Cole… you're in charge." Roger shouted again.

Lacy watched in dismay as her brother climbed the steps of the stage to assume control over the torture of the stranger. She watched heart broken as her gentle brother was forced to follow orders and hurt a man they were already sure should be left alone. He had done nothing to anyone and here he was being victimized for Roger's pleasure. Her stomach knotted as she watched one man lift a bucket of cold water and toss it at the unconscious man to wake him up. There had to be something she could do to help him… anything…

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