Money Grab

"Two of my teeth are loose, Davis," she sobbed. "I do not want to lose my teeth."

"Open up and let me feel," he told her.

Her jaw was so sore that she could only open it a little way. He wiggled the loose teeth.

"I think they're going to be fine, too, baby. They should tighten back up. You can't eat anything hard or tough there for a while, but I think you're going to be fine."

"My face hurts so bad, Calley. I don't think I can stand it."

"I'll help you baby." She went away and came back with a cup of water and a pain pill.

"She has blood in her mouth," Davis told her. "We need to brush her teeth and give her some anti-bacterial mouthwash."

They brushed her teeth carefully and made her rinse with mouthwash. Davis lifted her from the tub and Calley wrapped her in a towel and wrapped another around her hair. He carried her into his bedroom and put her in.

"Are you feeling better, honey?" Calley asked her. "Do you want another pill?"

"I am feeling better, but I would like another pill. My ear is very painful."

Davis looked inside. "There's blood in your ear, baby. Let me get the Otoscope and look inside."

He got the medical device and turned on its light. He probed gently inside. "Calley, I need some q-tips and some peroxide." She got the supplies and Davis gently cleaned inside her ear while Calley got her another pill. Davis looked inside again. He put the Otoscope away and sat down on the bed next to her. He helped her sit up and she took the pill.

"I know why your ear hurts, baby. Your eardrum is ruptured. Did he hit you on the side of the head, honey?"

"Yes, several times. Will I be able to hear from that ear?"

"Yes, honey, you will. It will heal and be just as good as before. Malina, I'm so sorry I let this happen." His voice broke and tears streamed down his face.

"No, Davis, this is not your fault." She patted his leg. "It is the fault of that fat pig. You came for me, Davis. You and Calley both came. You cannot watch me all the time. Calley, you must not let Davis blame himself. I am growing very sleepy and the pain is almost gone. I am sorry to be so much trouble but I must sleep. Will you both hold me while I sleep?"

Calley lay beside her and stroked her hair and whispered words of love in her ear while Davis showered. He climbed in bed and eased his arm under Malina's pillow. He stroked her silky stomach and kissed her forehead. Calley got up and showered and joined them. Malina rolled over in her sleep and slid one arm and leg across Calley with Davis spooned up against her and they drifted off to sleep.

She woke them in the early hours, shifting and moaning as the medication wore off and her pain increased. Davis gave her another pill and in 15 minutes she was resting peacefully again.

He got up at nine and reluctantly went to do chores. Will was milking when he walked into the barn. Davis explained what had happened and Will was visibly shaken. "I've got the chores today, boss. You go take care of that girl."

"Thanks, Will; I'll make it up to you," he told him.

He made breakfast for himself and Calley and made oatmeal for Malina. Calley was awake when he entered the bedroom. She smiled and blew him a kiss. "Should we wake her up?" she whispered.

"I think we should. She needs to eat and drink. Especially drink and she might need to use the bathroom. We should start her on antibiotics and she needs something in her stomach. I need to ask her a couple of questions too."

Calley leaned over Malina and kissed her lips gently, careful to avoid the cut in the corner of her mouth. "Malina, honey, wake up and eat something," she called softly. Malina's eyes fluttered and she murmured, "Where is Davis, Calley?"

"I'm right here, baby." He sat down beside her. "Malina, are you allergic to any antibiotics?"

"No," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"I think you should take some so that your ear doesn't get infected and just as a precaution. You need something in your stomach so I'm going to feed you some oatmeal. Is that okay?"

"Yes, although I am not very hungry."

"You might like this. I put butter and brown sugar and cream in it. Open up."

He spooned the oatmeal into her little mouth and she opened her eyes. "This is quite good, Davis. It is called porridge in Europe, but it is thin and made with water. I like this much better."

He fed her the rest of the oatmeal and gave her hot tea with lemon and honey to drink. He let her swallow another pain pill and an antibiotic. She sank back on her pillow with a sigh. "Thank you, Davis. You would make a very good mother." She giggled a little.

Davis and Calley ate sitting on the bed beside her. "Davis, is this breakfast in bed?" she asked.

"Yes it is, kitten. Please don't do this again just to get breakfast in bed."

She giggled again. She reached out and pulled Calley down to her and took her position half lying across her. She squeezed her fingers into one big breast and caressed the nipple.

"Hold me, Calley. I am sleepy again. You may go away and do things, Davis. Calley will take care of me." Her eyes closed and she was asleep. Davis covered them up and went to call Angus on the radio.

Angus had not yet returned, but Beckett assured him that he had spoken with the old man and had been informed that his first stop would be Davis' place.

Davis puttered around, carrying wood into the house and playing with the dogs for a while. He checked on the girls after about three hours and found them awake. Calley was helping Malina sit on the side of the bed.

"We just got back from the bathroom," she said. "Malina is feeling nauseas."

"It's probably from the drugs but she might have a mild concussion. Do you think you can get dressed and sit on the couch honey?"

"Perhaps, may I wear your robe, Davis?"

"You can wear anything I own. I'll get one for you." He brought back a robe for Calley as well. They slipped them on and Davis and Calley walked beside Malina, helping her to the sofa. Davis made beef and vegetable soup and a peanut butter sandwich for Malina and sat beside her while Calley fed her.

He and Calley ate the same thing and he made more hot tea with lemon and honey.

"Do you feel well enough to talk, baby?" Calley asked her.

"Yes, I feel very much better now. My face still hurts and my ear, but not so much as last night."

Davis got up and got new bandages and cleaned her cuts and abrasions. She sucked in her breath as he cleaned the cut on her nipple. "I'm sorry kitten, but it has to be done." He kissed the other one gently and she sighed.

"What happened after you went outside, baby?" Calley asked her.

"I'm afraid that Tim Lane led me into a trap," she said. "I'm sorry if he was a particular friend of yours, Davis. He took me to a shed by promising to show me new kittens. They were very cute, but when I grew cold I asked him to take me back inside. Men were waiting outside and they drew a cloth bag over my head and restrained my arms. I bit one of them through the hood. You would have been very proud of me, Davis."

"He wasn't a friend of mine," Davis told her. "I've met the Lanes a few times, that's it. I'm proud of you every day Malina."

"Yes, I am a credit to you. I tried to kick one in the knee as you did the man in the leather jacket, Davis. I kicked him but I was unable to see and so it was not so effective. I lost my shoe when I kicked him and I tried to run but I collided with a car and they caught me. They put tape on me to restrain me and put me into the boot of a car and carried me away."

The intercom on the gate sounded and interrupted her. It was Angus. Davis let him in and he pulled up a chair.

"It's great to see you up and around, Malina," he told her. "I was so afraid we weren't going to get there before they did something bad to you."

"They did many bad things to me, Mr. Angus. The fat pig beat me many times. Twice, he knocked me unconscious. He cut away my clothes and called me a whore. He pinched my nipples cruelly so that one began to bleed and told me that I was enjoying it because I was a whore. He said that since I was a whore one more wouldn't matter to me. It matters very much to me, Mr. Angus. I do not give myself to men; only Davis whom I love."

"Jesus Malina, I'm so sorry," tears filled Davis' eyes. Calley was sobbing on Malina's shoulder and even Angus' eyes were misty.

"From the way things looked in that house you turned the tables on him," Angus said.

"Yes, I saw that he planned to rape me, but he was not capable. I offered to help him. I said that I was a whore and I wanted it and I would help him. He cut loose one of my arms. I had been taped to the chair in a convenient position for him. I touched him. It was disgusting." She shivered at the memory. "Only when I had the opportunity I seized him by the cojones and bit him very hard on el pene. He screamed and blood went everywhere.

"That's my girl," Angus cheered. "She told you she didn't need you to fight for her, Davis."

"No, he was planning to kill Calley and Davis. One cannot simply kill those I love. I could not permit this so I took his knife and stabbed him in the eye."

"Good God, Malina! The man deserved it, but you're a regular tiger. I had no idea you could do something like that," Davis exclaimed.

"Neither did I," she confessed. "But he was going to harm you and Calley. We Latin's are very fierce when our families are threatened. Calley would have done the same thing."

"I would have tried, baby, but I'm not as brave as you," Calley spoke in admiration. "You are the most amazing person I've ever met, Malina."

"Was it not you that shot that other coward?" Malina asked her. "I believe you are braver than you think. What happened to those other evil men, Angus?"

"We killed the ones that fought and buried them in the prairie. The ones that surrendered, we loaded them into trucks and drove them 50 miles west and they started walking on west. We helped them on their way a little, I'm afraid."

"What about the women and children?" Malina asked.

"What about them? They either knew about this and helped set it up, or they knew about it and didn't do anything to stop it or warn us. They wrote their own ticket. We gave them food and water and blankets. I don't care what happens to them and you shouldn't either."

"No, I suppose not," she said. "What about the Lane's? What will happen to them?"

"They took the same ride. They set you up to be killed, little girl. We don't need that sort around here. We burnt Coats to the ground. There's not a building left standing."

"Thank you, Angus," Malina told him. "I would kiss you but my mouth is very sore."

She looked like a mugging victim. Her face was bruised and swollen and both eyes were black and puffy. She had a cut in one corner of her mouth and on her cheek and ear.

He got up and knelt in front of her. He took one of her hands and pressed it to his lips. "I'll take a rain check on that kiss, young lady. You can give it to me when you bring me that deer jerky you promised me."

"Yes, I have finished it. I hope you like teriyaki, Angus. That is the liquid that Davis had in his recipe. You may take it with you if you like."

"I'll love it. But I want you to deliver it to me so I can have the pleasure of your company. Don't ever thank me, Malina. I like to do things that make you happy."

She threw back her head and laughed, then winced in pain. "You must not make me laugh, Angus. It is too painful. When I deliver the jerky we will laugh. Now you must go away so that I can be alone with Calley and Davis."

"I'm off then," he laughed. "I'll be back in a day or two to check on you."

"You will be very welcome," she told him.

Davis walked him out. When he got back Calley was helping Malina back to bed. The drugs made her very wobbly and he quickly supported her on the other side.

They tucked her in and Calley got her a kitten to hold, and a book to read. When she peaked in half an hour later, she was asleep with the kitten curled up on her stomach.

She got two bottles of beer and found Davis in the gun room, cleaning their weapons. She sat his bottle down beside him on the workbench and pulled another stool up beside him.

"Davis, I've changed my mind," she told him.

"I'm told that's your prerogative," he laughed. "What have you changed your mind about?"

"I don't want to have a baby anymore," she told him.

He turned away from his bench and pulled her stool between his legs so that she could lean back against him. She leaned back with a sigh and he slid one hand up under her shirt and fondled her breasts. She sighed again and arched her back, pressing against his hand.

"Do you know, a year ago I would have hated for a man to do that to me," she told him. "I would have found it demeaning. Somehow, when you do it, it just makes me want to melt."

"That's because I love you and you know it," he told her. "You aren't just a pair of boobs to me. Not that you don't have the most incredible boobs I've ever felt. I just can't keep my hands off of you. You're so warm and soft and firm all at the same time."

"It makes me feel incredibly sexy, Davis. I love you, too, and I guess that's what makes the difference. I never loved anyone before. I was too selfish to love anyone. You've changed my life, Davis, but you were right about a baby. It's too dangerous. What if someone stole our baby like they did Malina? I love you, Davis and I love Malina, but I have the feeling that loving a baby would be a whole new experience and if something happened to it it would kill us all. We might never recover."

"You're probably right. I'm not sure we should let our circumstances dictate our actions. I know sometimes that happens, but I think we have the obligation to ourselves to live our lives the way we choose, not the way we think we have to because the world is such a dangerous place. It's always been sort of dangerous, Calley, and people had babies and they were just fine. I suspect the pioneers in this country faced more hardships than we will, but they didn't let that stop them. The only difference between us and them is they didn't know the world was supposed to be any different. We've been spoiled by 100 years of relative safety. Don't let what happened to Malina close your mind about this. Let's keep our options open. It doesn't have to be tomorrow or next week, but when we're ready I think we should do what our hearts tell us is right."

She pressed his hand to her breast with both hands. "Davis, you're the best man I ever met. Thanks for saying that, but now I'm confused again. You're very wise. No wonder I'm in love with you." She turned her head and offered him her lips. He claimed them and kissed her until her face flushed and her heart was racing.

"Make love to me, Davis," she whispered. "We can use my bed."

He scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom and lost himself in her mysteries.

Malina felt well enough to get out of bed on her own. She went looking for Davis and Calley and found them in Calley's bedroom. She climbed into bed between them.

"That's not fair," she told them, "you started without me."

"You were asleep," Calley told her, "and I don't think you're up to it. Besides, you needed to rest. Are you feeling better, baby?"

"Yes, I am very much better. My ear still hurts but it is not so bad. My face only hurts if I press on it and my mouth is hurting not at all. Perhaps I am not up to being loved yet, but soon I wish for you to make love to me. That fat pig made me touch him and I feel not clean. If you love me I will feel good again."

Davis pulled her against him. "I can hardly wait, kitten. Don't you ever feel bad about what someone forces you to do. You'll always be beautiful to us. We should only feel bad or good about choices we make. We can't feel bad about things we do because we have no choice. That man was forcing you to do things you hated and you didn't have any choice. Never feel bad about that. Just be glad when it's over. Besides, you fought and kept him from doing the most evil thing to you and you made sure he'll never do that to anyone else.

"Yes, but when one is forced to do disgusting things, they are no less disgusting because one is forced. I accept no blame but I do feel shame that I was not strong and prepared enough to kill those men who kidnapped me. Davis, you must teach us to fight so that this will not happen again."

He stroked her bruised cheek lightly. "I can teach you to fight, Malina, but no matter how good you become at hand to hand combat, you're very small. You will be able to defeat some men. Men your size are always going to be stronger and faster than you. Training will allow you to defeat them as long as they aren't trained. If I were to attack you, there's no way for you to beat me unless you get lucky. Even Calley who is much larger and stronger than you wouldn't stand a chance. I weigh 220 pounds and I doubt you weigh more than 110. If you were to hit me as hard as you can in the stomach it wouldn't hurt me at all. You might be able to kick me and hurt me. Our best bet is to always carry weapons. Weapons are the great equalizer."

"We cannot carry guns to a dance! It is absurd."

"Why can't we carry guns to a dance? I have guns that we can strap to your thighs, guns that you can carry in your purse; guns that you can pop out of your sleeves. I have knives and razors and throwing stars. I am going to teach you how to fight, but I'm going to teach you how to fight dirty. Unfortunately, even the very best fighters can be caught with their pants down."

"Yes, I wish to be very fierce, Davis. I can defend myself and you and Calley. When Calley has our baby we will be able to defend ourselves and our baby. Why did we not learn to fight before, Calley?"

"We did. We learned to fight in different ways. We fought in the boardroom and in the classroom with different kinds of weapons. We were suited for that type of fight. This is a different kind of fight. We were prepared for the wrong kind of fight. Now Davis can teach us how to fight like this."

"First my face must get better. Then you can begin to teach me. But Calley could begin today."

"No, today we are going to stay right here and have a cuddle Malina day," Calley told her.

"Oh, well, in that case we will begin the fighting tomorrow. You must cuddle me gently though. I am still very sore to touch."

Chapter 15

Malina healed with the gift of the young and by Christmas, only a faint darkening around her left eye remained. Davis thought they were both acting somewhat weirdly. Neither girl had slept with him for a week. He knew it was Calley's time of the month so that wasn't unusual, but Malina had been sleeping with Calley. That was unusual She usually slept with him even if they didn't make love. They had been sewing mysteriously and wouldn't let him look at what they were making. He suspected Christmas presents, but really had no idea what they were up to. He had searched through his stock of electronics, saleable items and weapons, looking for something to give them. He found a new iPod. He had several of them, but he didn't want to give both girls the same thing. He had a new Nikon D3200 DSLR camera with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. Calley loved photography and was quite the amateur photographer. She had a camera but it was nowhere near the quality of this one. He would give Malina the iPod but he felt like the gifts were now out of balance because the camera was much more expensive. He dug around some more and came up with a set of Bose quiet comfort headphones. He remembered they cost almost 300 dollars back when a dollar was worth something. He found parang type machetes with sheaths from Gerber and wrapped them. A trip to the jewel boxes brought rubies and sapphires to mind and he took the stones and drove to one of his neighbor's houses. Daniel Southbow was a Native American that had lived on the fringe of society for years. He was a very good silversmith and Davis got him to set the stones in silver wrist bands. He sacrificed several silver coins to the project and bought a lot of turquoise from Daniel to set around the wrist bands in a circle. There were a lot of Native American symbols worked into the designs and Davis collected them early on Christmas Eve. He traded cigars for two beautiful doeskin beaded jackets and he had to be content.