Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes Read Free Book Online

off her so she could breathe or how I been puking my guts out since last night. If you don’t believe me, go outside, walk around and see.”
    “I believe you,” Adam said, rising from the floor and slipping his gun back into the holster. “Mark’s the one told us you had the money—right before he took off himself. Dirty double-crosser. We’ll find him next.” Adam glanced at his brothers then back at Thayne. “I told Russell—first time we met you—that you didn’t have the brains to be an outlaw. Problem is, what are we gonna do with you now?”
    “Just shoot him and be done with it,” Michael suggested.
    Adam shook his head. “Too easy. We’ve got to do something to appease Russell. He’s so mad now, thinking you took his loot and his woman . . . I know what we’ll do.”
    Thayne didn’t much care for the evil glint that came to Adam’s eye. Stay calm. Think of Joshua. Keep your wits, and you can get out of this. Thayne forced his hands to stay relaxed. Adam was watching him closely.
    “Take a real good look around, boys. See if you can’t find the gal, and then . . .” Adam’s lip curled. “Thayne here’s gonna have a little swim.”

Chapter 7
    Behind his back, Thayne rotated his tied hands, trying to keep the circulation flowing. He was going to need all the feeling he could get in them if he was going to be able to untie the rope once they lowered him down into the well.
    Across the room, Adam Martin sat on the floor and chewed a piece of jerky as he watched Thayne. “Failed at farming, failed at mining, even failed at being an outlaw. You should thank me for putting you out of your misery.”
    Thayne’s reply was merely a grunt. For the past hour, he’d mostly listened as Adam had carried on a one-sided conversation. After searching the well, cabin, and surrounding area, Michael and Clay had ridden out in opposite directions to see if they could find Miss Madsen.
    Left behind with Adam, Thayne had been forced to listen to the coarse details of Adam’s time with the captured women—one of whom had already died. Thayne was repulsed and more than a little guilt stricken for his part in the abductions. Miss Madsen’s accusations rang true, and after listening to Adam, Thayne couldn’t even rationalize Joshua’s care as a good excuse for joining up with outlaws. A woman had died; several others were being terrorized, and he was at least partially responsible. He vowed that if he got out of this alive, he’d get the necessary information to the law so the Martins could be captured.
    The sound of a horse galloping into the yard brought Adam to his feet. Gun drawn, he walked to the window. When he saw it was his brother, he moved to the door.
    “No sign of her anywhere,” Michael said as he dismounted.
    Clay rode up behind him. “Nothing my way, either. She mighta made it to Sidney if she left last night.”
    Adam turned to Thayne. “Too bad. Time’s up.” He waved Thayne outside with his gun.
    Thayne leaned forward, again exaggerating weakness as he struggled to rise from the bed.
    They’d left his feet untied, so he walked slowly toward the door. Stay put, Miss Madsen. Just stay quiet and stay put a while longer.
    Once outside, he squinted against the sun. Adam’s pistol at his back prodded him toward the well. Thayne thought of the little stub of candle he’d made from bits of wax melted on the mantel. He wished he’d had the foresight to send it down this morning to see if it burned. Then again, if he’d known he was only going to face three Martin brothers, he’d have kept his gun and wouldn’t be facing a trip down the well.
    Looking up, Thayne watched as Clay knocked the remaining piece of wood from the platform. The splintered windlass fell to the ground, the fraying rope coiled beside it. Thayne thought it a miracle it had held his weight the previous day. He was in need of another miracle now—a few of them—if he was going to survive this.
    “Up,” Adam ordered