Texas conquest, p.30
Texas Conquest, page 30
Olivia had warned Angie what type of man he was. But she hadn’t listened. She had been too caught up in his moments of strength, his laughter, his kindness. He taxed her sanity more than anyone she had ever known, and yet she would miss their arguments. She would miss him, regardless.
“Are you already regretting the deal you made?”
Angie drew in a sharp breath of air, her eyes seeking and finding Lorenzo standing at the corner of the house, his stance tense, his eyes hard. There was no warmth in him; there was no appearance that he was pleased to see her.
Angie’s hands clutched her skirt as thoughts raced through her mind. She didn’t know what to say to him first. Finally, “I see Daniel held to his word.”
“What kind of deal did you make with him to make this happen?”
Angie shook her head. “No deal. No pact of any kind.”
“A man such as he wouldn’t do something like this without promise of something to gain in return.”
“I’ve already promised what he wants to another man.”
Lorenzo’s body tightened. “Why did you do this? Why?”
Angie avoided his question, not having a clear enough answer in her own mind. “I thought you would be halfway to camp by now.”
“I should be. But I had to speak with you first. I had to know.”
“What? What did you need to know?”
“Why you betrayed me.”
“Why I what?” Angie’s voice rose and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from shouting. “I saved your sorry hide, if you haven’t noticed!”
“By getting your lover to set me free so I can witness what the two of you have together. You deceived me, Angie.”
Angie rose to her feet and stomped forward, not caring that he looked more dangerous than she had ever seen before. If he strangled her, fine. She wasn’t going to have him speaking about her before knowing how she felt, even if it meant going nose to nose with him. “If anyone did any deceiving, it is you, Lorenzo Delgado! You lied to me about the reason you were a convict. You deceived me into believing you have been on the Texians side from the beginning. You...”
“I told you why I was in prison. You didn’t even need to know that much. You don’t need to know everything about my past.”
“You were an officer. One of them. You don’t think that might have been important for me to know?”
“Why? So you could fling it in my face when you thought I did something wrong? There has been no reason for you to know anything about me. If I had told you about my past, it wouldn’t have helped our situation. It is completely irrelevant.”
“It would have been nice to know these things before I agreed to work with you!”
Lorenzo leaned forward, and they were almost nose to nose. “If you’ll remember correctly, I never wanted to work with you. You forced the whole thing! And you want to know why I didn’t want to work with you? Because I knew you would stab me in the back, just the way you did tonight!”
Angie was close to slapping him. “I saved your life tonight. I made sure to free myself—”
“At my expense!”
“Are you a complete fool? Armando knows you. He was going to find a way to kill you no matter what I said. And, if his story is true, he might have a legitimate reason to kill you.”
Lorenzo visibly withdrew. “So you saw no point in trying to help me? You figured it was best to cut your losses and get away while you could?”
Angie gritted her teeth. “With both of us being held captive, there was no way either one of us would escape. But if I could get free, I could find a way to free you.”
“By using your lover.”
“He isn’t my lover. He never has been. But, yes, I used his affection for me to my advantage to save your life. But if he hadn’t agreed, I was going to go back myself and help you escape.”
“How?”
“I don’t know! But I was going to do something, even burn down the whole Alamo if that was what it took to get you to safety!” Tears were brimming in her eyes and she wiped hastily at them. “They were going to kill you, and I couldn’t bear for that to happen. Regardless of what you have done in the past, I love you, and I wasn’t about to let them hurt you.” The tears fell now, completely uncontrollable, but she didn’t care.
He took a step forward, and his face came into the light. Angie gasped as she saw the bruises, his swollen eye, his purple jaw. “What did he do to you? I never thought him capable...”
“It was Armando, not your beloved Daniel. What did you promise him?”
Angie’s fingers curled into fists. “For the last time, I promised him nothing. I have nothing to offer him. He already knows my heart belongs to you.”
Lorenzo was silent for several moments and Angie wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. She wiped at her tears, hating herself for revealing to him how much he hurt her.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low, hoarse. “I used to be an officer in the Mexican Army. I was damned good at what I did. And I thought our government was right, no matter what anyone said.”
Angie watched him, her heart pounding in her chest.
“A couple of years ago, information came across my desk about activities of the Texians. I thought, in my inexperienced youth, I could handle the problem on my own. It was far more than I expected it to be and I was captured.” He shook his head. “And they opened my eyes to the cruelty of General Santa Anna’s ways. I hadn’t known... I hadn’t seen the things that were being done to the people in the name of Mexico. They freed me, but I made a promise to them. I would work from the inside towards the cause of the Texians.”
He was silent for several moments, and Angie could tell that what he was about to say was painful for him. “I had some contacts on the inside of the Mexican government. Together, we began to help the Texians, to provide them with information, to sneak things to them that would help the cause. Armando and his wife became my closest friends.”
Angie was visibly shocked by this statement. “You mean they were...”
“Yes. They were Texians. Or so I believed. They continued helping me, and I became very—fond—of Armando’s wife. She was seductive; I was young.”
Angie closed her eyes, not certain that she wanted to hear anymore. The pain in Lorenzo’s voice spoke volumes of the difficulty he was going through. “She was the one? His wife was the one who betrayed you?”
“Yes. She had been misleading me all along. She pretended to be helping me with the Texian cause, while all along she was informing the Mexican government of our every action. Because of her, many Texians were arrested. Many more were killed, though most of the time it was presented as an accident.”
Angie’s face began to burn. They had been told by the Mexican government that her parents’ deaths had been an accident. She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to hear anything more. But Lorenzo kept speaking, and she had to know the truth.
“I was kept in prison for many months. I suppose they realized they couldn’t get much information on the Texians without me, so they released me, not saying a word as to why. But I knew they expected me to lead them back to the Texians.” He turned and looked at Angie, his eyes cold. He wanted to be sure she understood what he said next. “Instead I killed Armando’s wife.” He shook his head at himself. “She had taught me most of what I knew. She taught me how to follow people, how to disguise myself. A long time ago she had been an actress. I thought she was...” He hesitated, trying to find the right word. “Magic.” He shook his head again, looking down at the mud caked on the side of the house. “So I used the skills she had taught me. I found her and I killed her. I strangled her after she shot me.” His eyes rose to hers. “They sent me back to prison. I think they all hoped I would die from the wound. I should have been executed. But Armando wouldn’t let them. I never knew why and I hated being in his debt. Now... now I think he had intended all along to use me to get to the Texians.”
“You think he was following you all this time?”
Lorenzo shook his head. “I killed a man to get here. They weren’t going to let me leave Laredo. They knew who I was—knew I would help the Texians as soon as I got the chance. There was another man in the prison. The crimes he had committed... the only reason he hadn’t been executed was because they needed him as a soldier. So I killed him and took his place while they marched out. No one noticed... at least not for a while. The other prisoners were too afraid to say anything.”
The silence that followed was complete. Neither of them even seemed to breathe, nor did the wind stir. For a few moments, their world was devoid of sound.
Finally, Lorenzo spoke, his voice rough. “I am not proud of the things I have done. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Were you really going to kill me when you thought I had betrayed you?”
He looked away from her again. “I wanted to. The anger in me was something I haven’t felt since the day she watched me get beaten. Looking at you, I felt I was looking at her again. But then... then...” He looked back at her. “Then, saner minds prevailed.”
She hugged her arms around herself. “Why did you come here tonight? Why didn’t you just go to Tom’s?”
“I needed to tell you these things... and I needed to know that you hadn’t really betrayed me.”
“Do you still feel like I did?”
“No. Though I’m not too crazy about your methods. And you? You now know the truth.”
“You’re still the man I believed you to be.”
“I’m a murderer, Angie. I’m not a thief... well, I did a bit of that, too. But I’m not the man you thought I was.”
Angie looked at his face for several long moments. “I can’t change who I love.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“No, it’s not. You’re in love with a man that doesn’t exist.”
Angie reached up and caught his face in her hands. “I’m in love with a man who believes in something so strongly he’s willing to risk everything for it. I’m in love with a man whose strength gives me a security I never thought I would feel in my life. I’m in love with a man whose heart is good, but he’s had to face decisions in his life I would never, ever wish to make. I’m in love with you, Lorenzo, and there is nothing you can do to change that.”
Lorenzo closed his eyes, his face anguished. She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly, then more firmly, her hands threading into his hair. Groaning, he caught her around the waist and pulled her against him, taking control of the kiss.
Angie’s hands ran frantically over his back, through his hair, and down his arms. She could barely believe he was alive and that she was back in his arms again, if only for a short time. He was leaving soon, and in her heart, she knew she would never see him again.
He deepened the kiss, turning and pressing her back against the wall of the house, lifting her so she was at the same height as him. Nibbling on his lower lip, she drew her legs up and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him tight against where she ached the most.
He moaned and pulled back, placing kisses down her neck. “Don’t love me, Anjelica,” he whispered. “Don’t love me. You can’t.”
She dropped her head and placed tiny kisses along the collar of his jacket. “I love you. I think I have from the moment you picked up that snake.” Lorenzo chuckled against her neck, then she gasped as his teeth bit gently on her collarbone. “I don’t want you to go,” she whispered softly, and instantly regretted her words.
It was as though cold water had been splashed on him, and he slowly pulled away from her, letting her body slide down his. “I’m not the man you want, Angie. As much as I hate to say it, Daniel would be a better man for you. You can depend on him.”
“I’ve been able to depend on you so far.”
He shook his head and took a step away from her. “You’re wasting your love on me, Angie. I can’t—you can’t...” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I have to leave, Angie.”
“I know.” And she did. In her heart, she had always known he would leave. It was her mind that had created the false hope that he would return. “Whatever happens—” Her voice caught on the words and she couldn’t continue. Drawing a shaky breath, she wiped at her tears. When she looked up, he was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Angie was at the market the morning it began. The sound of gunfire seemed to explode all around her and she dropped the winter lettuce she had been scrutinizing. A woman yelled, “They’re attacking! God save us, they’re attacking.”
Angie heard the sound of running feet and realized there were Texians pouring from every corner. She was too stunned to move. Those around her, however, were shutting the booths rapidly and racing to safety, shoving Angie out of the way.
She dropped her basket when a woman stumbled into her, and quickly kneeled to gather up her purchases. She couldn’t comprehend that the battle had finally begun. In the early morning light, the town took on a surreal look, and the gunshots and startled shouts seemed to echo distantly around her.
A gun fired close to her, so close the smell of burned gunpowder stung her nose and her eyes watered from the smoke. It snapped her out of her daze. Pulling upright, her ears ringing, she turned and collided with a Texian soldier.
He was a rough looking fellow, his plaid shirt so worn the pattern was nearly indiscernible. He looked just as startled as she felt. “You shouldn’t be out here, miss,” he said in a soft Southern drawl. “It isn’t safe.”
She didn’t know what inspired her. Maybe it was because looking at him she realized how alone Lorenzo probably felt. She stood on tiptoe and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “God be with you,” she said quietly, before racing up the road, leaving a stunned soldier behind her.
She was out of breath and her heart was pounding when she reached the cocina. The combination of fear, excitement, and adrenaline had her trembling from head to toe and uncertain whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
The battle they had been preparing for was finally upon them.
The cocina seemed to be a moving sea of people and Angie didn’t recognize any of them. Pushing past men she could only assume were Texians, she made her way to the back of the house.
Olivia nearly collided with her as she came out of one of the bedrooms. “Angie! Oh, thank God!” She glanced upwards and crossed herself, muttering a quick prayer. She quickly returned her eyes to Angie and grabbed her shoulders. “Where have you been? My God, you’ve had me worried sick!”
The confusion must have addled all their brains, Angie thought. “I went to the market, remember? We needed—”
“Oh.” Olivia gasped, remembering. She pulled Angie into a fierce, quick hug, before stepping back, regaining her typical cool composure. “As you can see”—Olivia gestured to the chaos around them—“the Texians are using our home as a shelter.” She ran her hand over her unusually disheveled hair. “I need you to get everyone to the far end of town. We can use that big barn. They’ll be safe there.”
Angie’s mind still felt like mush as she tried to comprehend what Olivia was asking of her. A lamp crashed to the floor, and Olivia stormed over, waving her finger threateningly. “If you continue to behave like heathens, I won’t cook any dinner!”
The men looked properly chastised, though it was obvious they were more concerned about living to eat dinner than whether it would be cooked or not. They were clustered together, discussing what they would do next, where their next point of attack would be.
Angie grabbed Olivia’s arm, pulling her away from what obviously held her interest. “Who am I taking to the barn?”
Olivia looked at her as though shocked she hadn’t left yet. “The family, of course.”
“Then you’re coming as well.”
“No, I will—”
“You’re in this family, and I won’t see any harm come to you while the rest of us hide!”
Olivia shook her head. “This house is my responsibility.”
“It is our responsibility. I will get everyone to the church. But then I’m coming back.”
Olivia’s look became stern. “No. And that’s final. I won’t hear any more discussion on the matter.” She looked behind Angie and nodded. “Besides, they need you. You can’t abandon them.”
Angie ground her teeth together as she turned around and saw her grandparents, obviously frightened, but refusing to let it control them, and Serena, who looked like she would break down into a screaming fit at any moment. Olivia always had a way of making the choice for Angie that she didn’t want.
But her family was depending on her. And she wasn’t about to let them down. She turned back to Olivia. “Don’t do anything foolish, Vi.”
Olivia’s cheeks flamed. “I’m not you, remember.”
“Thank the Lord for small things,” Grandma muttered and Angie shook her head, gave Olivia a quick kiss on the cheek, and hurried her frightened family out the back door.
Regardless of what anyone said, she wasn’t going to hide in a barn while everyone else fought the war.
The sound of church bells seemed odd amidst the gunfire. Lorenzo leaned back against the side of a house, reloading his gun as he listened to the deep troll of the bells. A priest must be warning the citizens to get to safety. He prayed to God they were listening. Especially the stubborn-willed woman who had haunted his dreams every night since he had left her.
He glanced around the side of the house. The roads were clear. Everyone had taken up positions that offered them the most protection, firing at anything that moved in a red jacket. He shook his head and settled back into his spot, sharing a look of momentary relief with the men near him. It seemed that as soon as they had set foot into town that morning they had been fighting, ducking behind wagons and homes, racing through the roads as pellets kicked up dust and gravel at their feet.
He blinked as sweat rolled into his eyes, surprised to see the sun beginning to dip in the sky. It had seemed only moments earlier he had been standing in a field, watching in admiration as Ben Milam had rallied the men, challenging them to join him as he went into San Antonio. And they had met the challenge. The men, hungry and cold, had raised their weapons and let up a roar that he knew even the soldiers fortressed in the Alamo could hear.
