Desperado by Sandra Hill

kissed me on the ground, and—”
    â€œSex crazed! Sex crazed!” he sputtered out. “Puhleeze!” Then laughter bubbled up from his throat. “I’m in a Stephen King nightmare with General Patton’s clone. I just engaged in a two-man dive on one parachute. Every muscle in my body aches from being battered. And you think I want to jump your bones. Well, why didn’t you ask, honey? Let me pull the whip and chains out of my pocket.”
    â€œWhip?” Pablo asked breathlessly.
    â€œChains?” Sancho added. “You use chains on Elena?”
    â€œSHUT UP!”
    Startled, Rafe and Helen both turned toward Ignacio.
    â€œSilencio!” Ignacio bellowed. “ Diós mío! You two are worse than cats in a fandango parlor.”
    â€œListen, guys, how about untying me now?” Rafe suggested, trying to sound reasonable. Not that he was going to forget his treatment by them. Nope. He was going to clean a few clocks before this day was out. “I’d like to get back to the base before dark and have a nice stiff Scotch on the rocks. Maybe even two.”
    BAM! The loud report from Ignacio’s gun was his only response.
    Rafe looked down to see a crease in his left boot matching his right. This ape was definitely cruising with his lights on dim.
    â€œYour continual chatter ees annoying me, Señor Ángel .” Ignacio blew the smoke from the end of his pistol and replaced it in its holster.
    â€œWell, golly gee. All you had to do was ask me to be quiet.”
    â€œThe next time I weel aim higher,” Ignacio informed him coldly.
    Rafe wasn’t sure if he referred to his knees or his balls, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He decided to shut up—for now.
    Okay, I’ll bide my time until the right moment. Then I’ll show this bum a few dirty tricks I’ve learned over the years. He might think he’s got the upper hand here, but only till I’m ready. Wait till he sees what a real gang member can do .
    But first things first, he decided, as Sancho began to lead the horses once again in their direction.
    He was going to have to ride a horse.
    Rafe tried to brave it out . . . until Mr. Ed attempted to takea bite out of his shoulder. “No dice! I am not getting on that horse. I’ll walk first.”
    Helen shot him a glance of surprise. “Don’t tell me. The hotshot L.A. lawyer is a shark in the courtroom, but he’s afraid of a little ol’ horse.” Then she smiled. Actually, it was more like a smirk.
    Rafe decided then that Helen wasn’t as attractive as he’d always thought. In fact, her hair wasn’t really fiery red; it was more like orange. And those freckles that stood out on her nose made her seem ridiculous, like an innocent kid who should be wearing pigtails. And her body wasn’t all that great, either. Damn it, who cared if her breasts were round and high, like one of those Vargas models? Or if her legs were long and athletically muscled and would look terrific in a pair of black silk stockings. Or—
    â€œYou weel ride,” Ignacio said, patting his holster, “even if I have to put a bullet in your ass and tie you to the saddle.”
    Helen didn’t like the tone of Ignacio’s voice. Oh, she knew he had to be a friend of Rafe’s. What other explanation could there be for this perverse joke? But Ignacio carried the prank too far. It had seemed like he’d really kicked Rafe, and he could have hurt Rafe those times when he’d fired his gun.
    The arrival of the horses interrupted her thoughts. She’d been riding since she was ten years old, and both animals looked like lively mounts. She’d enjoy a short ride if it weren’t for the company, or this ludicrous scheme they were playing out.
    â€œSaddle the horses,” Ignacio ordered his cohorts as he waddled over to a shady tree. He was over six feet tall, but he had a beer belly that stood