“Puttana! Torna qui!”
Somehow, Liam managed to look away from the vision racing toward him to the one in pursuit and demanding her return. The man appeared enraged at the girl. Liam noted that she seemed no older than himself. She looked terrified. The fear in her voluminous gaze lent a sense of desperation to her advancement.
Before she’d zipped behind him, Liam had but a moment to marvel over the fact that her eyes were an uncommon shade of purple. A thin, trembling arm shot around his waist and she snagged a wad of his shirt in a quivering grasp. Her other hand did the same where it rested high against his shoulder.
Liam forced his mind and his hormones away from the plump breasts that were crushed into his back. There were other less desirable issues demanding his attention then. The man hadn’t eased his shouting. Now, it was directed at Liam.
“Mossa!” Move! The man ordered.
In response, Liam felt the girl’s grip tighten on his shirt. “What is your business with this girl?!” he demanded, hoping his unexpected use of English might calm the moment.
The man used his gun to point. “This girl-this whore is my daughter, boy! Step aside,” his English was near perfect.
The man advanced. Liam did not retreat. He had long since dropped the rope he’d used to leash Corti. He was also armed. His hand had been hovering over the butt of a rifle, one of two he carried. He had no qualms about being a shepherd. A gentle shepherd, he was not.
“Step aside, boy!”
“I can’t do that,” Liam’s tone remained level.
Instead of verbalizing his next request, the man merely raised the muzzle of his rifle. He took aim at Liam. A second later, the rifle lay on the ground. It had been shot free of his hand.
Liam barely inclined his head. “I promise you I didn’t miss.”
The speed and agility with which the younger man had unholstered, aimed and fired his rifle, gave pause to the enraged father. It had all happened with an effortless efficiency. The man gave a sharp glance toward his weapon in the tall grass, but stepped away instead of moving in to retrieve it.
“She is my daughter,” he said. “It is my right to punish her.”
“You say she is your daughter. I see a naked girl being chased by a man with a gun. What father would shame his daughter this way?”
“Shame?” The man seemed offended and pointed over Liam’s shoulder. “She is the one who has shamed our family. If she goes unpunished, her actions will stain us all.”
Again, Liam inclined his head. “You could be speaking truth or lies. Until I know which, she stays with me.” He felt the girl’s supple body relax against him as relief claimed her body. He wouldn’t acknowledge how much he approved of what she made him feel. The confrontation wasn’t over yet.
“I have sons, boy. The next time we meet, I won’t be alone.”
“Understood,” Liam acknowledged the threat. “Be sure to bring the authorities as well. I won’t release her to you without them.”
“How dare you-”
“My name is Tesano. I live across the ridge beyond the lake.”
A flicker of recognition lurked in the man’s eyes, but then his lip curled into a snarl. “Enjoy yourself tonight, boy. I’m sure you will. The little puta should be most grateful to you.” His snarl downgraded to a thin-lipped smile when Liam angled his rifle’s muzzle dead center of his chest.
“You’re a foolish boy,” he breathed and pointed once more across Liam’s shoulder. “This isn’t over.”
Liam felt the girl ease her death grip on his shirt and registered the feel of her forehead against his spine. He allowed her several moments to inhale relieved breaths before he made a move. “My home is spacious,” he said without turning to face her. “You’ll have a room to yourself for as long as you want it.”
“Grazie- tha-thank you,” her voice was small when it hit the wind.
Liam unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it from his back, he handed it to her over his shoulder.
“Oh no, I-”
“I’ll wait,” Liam kept the shirt extended across his shoulder. It didn’t take much longer for her to accept the garment.
“Thank you,” she said the words to his face that time.
“You’re welcome,” Liam offered a genuine smile. The shirt he wore only for chores was an ill-fitting garment he’d outgrown two summers ago. On her, it was like an overcoat with the hem falling well past her knees. The tattered cuffs practically hid her small hands.
Liam beckoned her to join him and together they walked back the way he’d come past the lake. Corti had apparently lost interest in feeding and was more intrigued by the newest addition to their troupe. He ambled alongside Liam at first, but gradually made his way closer to his lovely companion.
“He is my father,” her voice was faint as she gave the confession.
Liam wasn’t surprised. “I figured as much. Also figured you could both use time apart.”
“This will only make him angrier,” she said.
Liam looked the way they’d come. “Should I take you back?”
She shuddered. “No please.”
He smiled. “Do you ever want to go back?”
“No,” she returned his smile and then sighed. “But I must. My clothes are there.”
Laughter followed and the two of them covered a bit more of the walking distance in silence. After a while, the girl stopped along the path.
“My name is Athena Cavalese,” she said.
