Trailing Home Ch. 13

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haremgirl
haremgirl
1,356 Followers

Wondering who his partner had been, Selena looked back toward the wagon. She clutched a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp when she saw Natasha climb out of the wagon. Natasha cast furtive glances around as she pulled her pantalets up and tied them before dropping her skirts back into place. She quickly buttoned her chemise and bodice and ran a smoothing hand over her disheveled hair before she walked nonchalantly back into the barn as if nothing had happened. Like her lover, she didn't notice Selena in the shadows.

Selena shook her head in sad disbelief. Poor Marcia and Gerald would be heartbroken if they ever found out how their daughter was behaving. She felt deeply saddened for her friends. Selena was still trying to come to grips with this new development when Liam appeared along with the rest of the McKenzies.

Liam noticed her troubled expression right away. "What's the matter, Selena?"

"It's nothing," she said with a small smile. "I'm just tired. Let's go home."

************

Two days later, Selena was busy preparing blackberry jam. She had sterilized the jars and had just placed a large pot of the berries and sugar on the stove. She was waiting for them to boil when she heard a knock on the door. Selena wiped her hands on her apron and went to open the portal. Her shock couldn't have been any greater when she saw Natasha standing on the porch, a slight frown on her face.

"Natasha, what are you doing here?" Selena asked.

Ignoring her question, Natasha raised a haughty brow. She was carrying a deep wicker basket, and she indicated it with a wave of her hand. "Mama made some apple cake and I thought I would bring you some. May I come in?"

After only a slight hesitation, Selena stepped aside. "Certainly. I wasn't expecting you for a visit. I'm right in the middle of making jam."

Natasha breezed into the cabin and waited for Selena to close the door before turning to face her. She smirked at Selena, raking her eyes down over her simple gown and berry stained apron. "Quite the little housewife, aren't you? I'm surprised Liam hasn't already grown bored with you."

Selena tamped down her irritation. "Natasha, I'm not in the mood for your petty rudeness. I am quite busy. Now what is it that you want?"

"What I want is for you to drop dead, and I'm here to make sure that happens." As she said the words, Natasha pulled a revolver out of her basket and pointed it squarely at Selena. She set the basket down on the table and leaned one hip against its surface. "I'm sick of having you around."

Selena gasped before taking a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. She noticed with some chagrin that Natasha's hands were steady, and she held the pistol in a comfortable grip. Selena knew from previous experience that Natasha was cold-blooded and calculating, and her instincts told her without a doubt that this woman was capable of killing her. Selena fought against an initial wave of fear as she tried to think of a way out of her predicament.

"Natasha, don't be foolish. You can't just shoot me. Surely you must know that someone will have seen you coming here. You will be hanged for murder."

"I don't think so. I took great pains to slip away from home. Mama thinks I'm resting in my room, and I was careful to slip through the woods so no one would see me. I have a perfect alibi, so no one will suspect me when they find your body."

Seeing the sheer malice in the other woman's eyes, Selena shivered. "Natasha, Liam is due to come in for lunch any minute now. You won't get away with it."

Natasha laughed and shook her head. "Oh Selena, you know he won't be coming in for at least another hour or more, or you wouldn't be making jam."

"But he'll hear the gunshot and come running. He's sure to see you," Selena protested.

Natasha heaved a condescending sigh. "I'm not planning to shoot you here, you dolt. I'll take you into the woods, and by the time anyone is able to find you, I'll be long gone. Now come on." She waved the gun toward the back door, clearly expecting Selena to lead the way out.

Selena gave her a look of pure amazement. "Surely you don't think I'm going to go with you, knowing what you intend to do."

Natasha cocked her head to one side and gave her a considering glare. "Well, the way I see it, you can come with me quietly now, or we can just wait here for Liam to return. I really don't want to have to kill him too, but I will, if it's the only way I can get rid of you."

"You'd really do that?" Selena asked incredulously. "What could you possibly hope to gain by harming Liam?"

"Like I said, anything to get rid of you. You've been nothing but a source of irritation since the first day I met you." She raked Selena with a look of pure loathing. "I can't stand to even look at you. Now, I'm losing patience. Let's go." She jerked the pistol toward the back door once again.

Selena hesitated. She knew Liam was in the barn, and he would come running if she screamed or if he heard a shot. She desperately wanted his help, but she couldn't risk him getting hurt. His life was much more precious to her than her own. Hauling in a shaky breath, Selena reluctantly walked toward the back door with Natasha trailing a few feet behind her.

"Open the door and look out," Natasha ordered curtly. "Make sure no one is around to see us. You wouldn't want any of your dear relatives to get hurt."

Selena stepped out onto the back porch and looked around. The day was quite cold, and there was no one outside. "I don't see anyone," she stated quietly.

"Good," Natasha hissed. She prodded Selena in the back with the pistol. "Now move."

As Selena led the way across the small clearing and into the woods, her heart was pounding in her chest. She really didn't see any way to escape as long as Natasha kept the gun pointed at her. Her only hope was to keep Natasha talking and delay as much as possible. Hopefully, she could distract Natasha and somehow get away. It was a slim chance but the best she could think of at that moment.

***********

Liam was in the barn loft when he heard a wagon approaching. He opened the loft door and looked out just as Marcia pulled up. "Hello Marcia. What brings you out?"

Marcia gave him a tense smile as she set the brake and climbed down out of her wagon. "Hello Liam. I'm looking for Natasha."

"Natasha? Why would she be here?" Liam asked frowning.

"I'm not sure. She slipped out, and I saw her heading this way." Marcia gave a nervous shrug, and her smile turned apologetic. "I know she's always been a bit of a bother to you and Selena, and I was worried that she had come here making a nuisance of herself."

"Well I haven't seen her, but I've been busy here in the barn. She may have come and I wouldn't have known it." Liam felt uneasy as he glanced at their cabin. "Why don't you go check with Selena? I'll be right there."

"Thanks Liam." Marcia turned and walked toward the cabin.

Liam quickly climbed down the ladder and brushed most of the dust off his clothes before following in her wake. When he reached the cabin, Marcia was still standing on the porch. "Why didn't you go in?"

"Selena didn't answer the door. I knocked several times," Marcia said.

Liam reached around her to open the door and held it open for Marcia. "Selena, Marcia's here to see you. Selena?" His voice echoed in the cabin. As he glanced around, his uneasiness blossomed into full-blown worry.

The cabin was colder than usual, and Selena was nowhere in sight. However, a large pot of blackberry jam was bubbling and spurting on top of the stove. A fire was burning merrily in the fireplace, and everything appeared normal except for the fact that Selena was nowhere in sight.

"Selena, where are you?" Liam called, heading for their bedroom. He stopped in his tracks when he heard Marcia gasp.

"Liam, look!" He turned and saw Marcia holding up a straw basket. "This is Natasha's. She must be here."

Without pause, Liam headed for the bedroom and saw the back door standing open. In two quick strides, he reached it and looked outside, but neither Selena nor Natasha was anywhere around.

"Selena, Natasha, where are you?" Only silence greeted him. Liam closed the door and walked back to the living room. His brow was furrowed with worry. "Maybe they went to visit Naomi or Sarah. Come on, let's go see."

"Wait a minute, Liam." Marcia paused only long enough to remove the jam from the stove and set it aside. "It's not like Selena to leave something cooking like this."

"No, it's not," Liam said grimly. He wondered what Natasha might have said to upset Selena enough to make her forget her jam, but he didn't say that to Marcia. "Come on, they're probably next door."

Liam held the front door open once more and followed Marcia out. They walked quickly to Aidan and Naomi's cabin and knocked on the door. Naomi appeared at the door and smiled at them.

"Oh, hello Marcia, Liam," she said nodding to them. "Please come in."

Liam made no move to enter but glanced past Naomi into the cabin. "Is Selena here?"

"No. Isn't she at your house?" Naomi asked, looking puzzled.

"She was, but I think Natasha came to visit her. We thought maybe they were here with you." Liam turned to leave. "I'm going to check with Sarah."

He made his way to Brian and Sarah's cabin, this time at a trot. Sarah answered his impatient knock. "Is Selena here?" Liam asked before she had a chance to speak.

"No. What's the matter?" Sarah asked, instantly concerned by Liam's behavior. She looked past Liam to see Naomi and Marcia rushing up in his wake. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Liam growled.

Without another word, he turned and ran back toward his own cabin. He burst through the front door and quickly scanned the room, looking for any sign that might tell him where Selena had gone. He remembered finding the back door open, and he ran to the back porch. He knelt on his haunches as he quickly scanned the ground. It had rained just the day before, and sure enough, he found two sets of ladies footprints in the soft soil, leading into the woods. As he straightened and made to follow the trail, Marcia, Naomi and Sarah caught up with him.

"What is it, Liam?" Marcia asked breathlessly.

"They've gone into the woods. I'm going to follow them," Liam said over his shoulder as he started running.

"I'm going with you," Marcia said, quiet determination ringing in her voice.

"Marcia, it's probably best if you stay here," Liam said stopping briefly. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Natasha was up to no good. "I'll find them and bring them back home. You should wait here."

As if she sensed his thoughts, Marcia touched his arm and met his gaze squarely. "She's my daughter, Liam. I don't know what she's up to, but I need to be there when you find them."

Liam hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Alright, but we have to hurry."

"We'll get Brian and Aidan," Sarah called after him.

Liam merely nodded to show he had heard before rushing to follow the trail. Marcia was breathless keeping up with his long strides, but she didn't complain. They were possessed by an urgency to find Selena and Natasha, although they weren't sure what had happened to the two women. Somehow, they knew that whatever was happening, they wouldn't be happy with what they found.

**********

Selena walked as slowly as she dared, going ever deeper into the woods. She repeatedly pretended to trip over roots and logs to delay their progress even more. When her steps lagged too much, Natasha prodded her roughly in the back with the pistol.

"Hurry up, you clumsy fool. Walk faster."

"Why are you doing this?" Selena asked quietly. "What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much?"

Natasha gave a snort. "Before you came along, I could have my pick of any man I wanted. But I never wanted a man for very long until I met Liam. I wanted him from the first day I met him, but he was already married to you. I've had to stand aside and watch him lusting after you for all these months. I'm tired of it. I'll get rid of you, and it won't be very long before I have Liam in my bed."

Selena risked a quick glance over her shoulder at Natasha. "Why Liam? Why not that man I saw you with the other night? You know, the one in the back of that wagon?"

Her words caught Natasha momentarily off guard, and she stopped abruptly. "You were spying on me?" she asked.

"I didn't have to, Natasha. The two of you were making so much noise that anyone could have heard you. It just happened to be me." Selena raked her with a cold glare. "I must say, you weren't very discreet." Selena thought she heard a faint rustling noise from the direction they had just come, and her heart leapt with hope. Was it possible Liam had seen them entering the woods and was coming for her?

Natasha apparently hadn't heard anything as she narrowed her eyes. "I've been discreet enough. I've had lovers for years, and Mama and Daddy haven't suspected a thing. They think I'm still a sweet, innocent virgin." She laughed at the thought.

It was Selena's turn to be shocked, and she abruptly stopped and pivoted to face Natasha. They were standing in a small clearing, surrounded by towering trees, and Selena cast surreptitious glances into the woods, trying to identify the source of the sounds she had heard as she voiced a question.

"Have you no shame? Don't you know your parents would be heartbroken if they knew how you were behaving?"

Natasha smirked at her. "Who cares? It's their fault I started sleeping with men in the first place."

"What do you mean? How can you possibly think that?" Selena asked, shaking her head in wonder.

Natasha raised her chin to a haughty angle. "When I was fourteen, Daddy had a business associate, Mr. Cooper. He had a daughter the same age as me. She wanted to be friends with me, but I didn't like her. However, Daddy and Mama were only too happy to send me over to the Cooper's home for extended visits. They were relieved to get rid of me. I knew even back then that they didn't want me around."

An expression of pain flitted briefly over Natasha's features before it was replaced by angry defiance. "Mr. Cooper certainly wanted me though. He made it a point to visit my room every night. The first few nights, I resisted and he raped me. He would slip into my room while I was asleep, stuff a rag into my mouth to stifle my screams and then he would hold me down by force and take what he wanted. I was too ashamed to tell anyone, and I thought no one would believe me anyway."

Selena thought she heard a muffled gasp nearby, but she ignored it. "Oh Natasha, how awful for you," Selena murmured with genuine feeling. She, more than anyone, knew what it felt like to have a man force himself on her.

Natasha laughed coldly and raised a disdainful brow. "Oh spare me your sympathy, Selena. I assure you that I don't want it. The first few times, he hurt me, but I soon realized that I was the one who held the power over him. He couldn't help himself. He kept coming back like a moth to a flame. I started to enjoy his attentions. He taught me everything about how to please a man, and I must have pleased him immensely because he couldn't get enough of me. He started inviting me for even lengthier visits, and my parents were only too happy to agree. When I was fifteen, I spent an entire summer warming his bed and learning how to use my body to get what I wanted. By the end of it, I was pregnant. Of course, he didn't want the baby, and neither did I. He was already married, so he paid to have the baby taken care of. Then he paid me handsomely to keep my mouth shut."

Natasha laughed as she gave a casual shrug. "The nice part of it was, by then I was tired of him. He had already taught me everything he knew, and I wanted to learn more. I found a new lover, then another. I liked the way I felt when men made love to me. They were so desperate for me, begging for my favors. I found that all I had to do was flash a little skin, and men would give me any amount of money I wanted. It was even better when they were married, because once I got them hooked, I made them pay to keep their wives from finding out. Men are such fools really, and so are my parents. They have no idea that I have a small fortune of my own. One day, I'll use it to leave here. I have no intention of ending up as a farmer's wife."

Selena realized her mouth was hanging open, and she closed it with a snap. "If that's the case then I don't understand. Why Liam? If you don't want to marry him, then why are you doing this?"

Natasha glared at her with seething hatred. "Of course I don't want to marry him. Do you think I want to end up living in some pathetic cabin for the rest of my life, raising some man's snot nosed little brats? It's just that Liam is different. He's a real challenge, although I could have had him long ago if not for you." Natasha reached up to smooth her hair as if she were unconsciously trying to smooth her own bruised ego. "You know, I wouldn't have had to kill you if you had just stuck to your word."

"What do you mean?" Selena asked with a puzzled frown.

"I overheard you talking with Mama. I knew your marriage to Liam was a sham. You weren't supposed to consummate your vows. When I found that out, I was so happy. I knew I would have no trouble seducing Liam since you weren't a real wife to him. But then, like the conniving little bitch you are, you had to sleep with him. I knew, once you had done that, I would have no choice but to get rid of you. I got the idea to do away with you when you nearly drowned in the river crossing. I was hoping and praying you would die, but of course you didn't. I hated watching Mama while she nursed you. She had never shown so much concern for me."

"Natasha, you are so wrong. Your mother loves you very much. She worries about you all the time," Selena assured her quietly.

"No she doesn't," Natasha spat with bitterness. "She's always been too busy with Susan, and now you. She dotes on you like a daughter. When you fell down that hill when you were pregnant, Mama felt so bad, she went rushing out to pick more blackberries to make you a cobbler. I fixed both of you though."

"What do you mean?" Selena asked cautiously, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

Natasha gave her an evil smile. "I mixed quinine into your cobbler before I brought it to you that night. I was worried you would taste the bitterness, but you were so anxious to get me away from Liam that you gobbled it right down. I was hoping it would be a large enough dose to kill you, but it only caused you to lose the baby."

"You killed my baby?" Selena asked in a weak whisper. "All this time I thought it was my fault, but it was you all along. You murderer!"

Selena would have launched herself at Natasha, but she was brought up short by the waving pistol that was still pointing at her chest. "Don't come any closer," Natasha ordered. She was obviously enjoying the pain she had inflicted on Selena. "Yes, I killed your little brat. Too bad Liam will never know. He would probably thank me for relieving him of that particular burden."

"You really don't know Liam at all, Natasha. He was deeply hurt when I lost the baby." Selena stopped and stared as another thought occurred to her. "You tried to kill me again, didn't you? That day when I was doing laundry, you caused the rocks to fall didn't you?"

Natasha dipped her head in mocking admiration. "That's very astute of you, Selena. I heard you and Mama talking about me. When Mama left and you were there all alone, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." Natasha's eyes narrowed to tiny slits, and she gnashed her teeth in frustration. "It would have worked too, if you had been just a little slower."

Selena shook her head sadly. "Natasha, you really are quite pathetic. You won't gain anything by my death. Liam doesn't want you, and he never will."

haremgirl
haremgirl
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