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Back Savage Desire Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. COVER
  2. ROSEMARY ROGERS
  3. DEDICATION
  4. THE BEGINNING
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. NEW ORLEANS
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. MEXICO
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. LA CORTESANA
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. THE JOURNEY
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. THE DESTINATION
  51. 42
  52. TURNING POINTS
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. THE PROMISE
  58. Epilogue
  59. COPYRIGHT

After an hour of perusal, William Brandon sat back in the chair with a grunt of satisfaction. It always paid to do your own investigations.

Locking his fingers together over his chest, he smiled. “This is much better than I expected. You have done well.”

“Sí, we have been careful. What of Díaz?” he asked. “Do you intend to maintain the same…standards?”

“I intend to do what I must, as always. Your reward is well-earned. Do you wish to share with Díaz? Ah, I thought not. Neither do I. We will, as I said, do only what we must to ensure that the silver gets safely to the United States.”

It was, he thought, a perfect, profitable arrangement. Cheap labor provided by the Mexican government, and a high grade quality of ore. Just perfect.

A sudden loud noise outside jerked him upright. As he lurched from the chair, he heard Delgado begin to swear furiously in Spanish as he leaped for the door.

He understood only a few words, but enough to know that an insurrection of the prisoners was creating havoc—and it had begun with a blue-eyed gringo.

Uneasily, Brandon limped to the door Delgado had left flung wide open, and stepped out into utter pandemonium.

28

It had all happened so quickly. One moment Juan was working beside him while Steve stood staring with frozen disbelief at the tall, dignified form of his father-in-law, the next a guard had brought down his whip to prod the prisoners back to work. Brutally, he slashed down again and again, the whip a fiery tongue against the bare chests and backs of the prisoners.

Straightening, Steve met the guard’s angry gaze with a brief glance of utter contempt. His hands tightened on the handle of the shovel he’d been using to scoop ore into the heavy buckets for the smelter.

Beside him, Juan stumbled slightly, the chains making a metallic rattle as he tried to regain his balance. Another guard stepped in swiftly, coming from behind to curse at them.

“Filth! Move! Back to work…what do you dare to stare at, pendejo!” This last obscenity was accompanied by a clip of his rifle butt that caught Juan on the cheek, laying it open.

When Juan staggered and went to one knee, his weight pulled Steve off balance as well so that he also fell to one knee. The guards reacted as if they had been attacked, viciously using the whips on not only Juan and Steve, but randomly striking other men manacled in the line.

“Christ, leave him alone!” Steve said to the guard as Juan moaned under the savage beating. “Can’t you see he’s nearly unconscious?”