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took several moments, but between them they were able to pry the wet leather belt off
her wrists.
She rubbed the tender skin gingerly, certain she was going to have some bruises in
addition to the cuts on her back to explain to Ginny.She stalked over to Albert, who was
now lying on his side."Give me your hands," she commanded darkly, her entire body
shaking with pent-up anger.She let loose a vicious punch to his mouth just to get his
attention, but even though his head sagged and he groaned in pain, he wouldn't offer up
his hands.He was as stubborn and stupid as an old nag.
When Albert didn't respond she tried one last time. "Last chance before I throw you into
the river and follow you downstream until I'm sure you're drowned," she warned him,
meaning every single word."I don't honestly know what's keeping me from it now.And I
swear to God, I won't ask you again."
The timbre of her voice alone chilled him to the bone and his head snapped up.The eye
above the cheek she'd kicked was already beginning to swell shut and his mouth was
throbbing.He saw the shimmering waves of fury licking closer and closer to the surface of
her gaze and without a word he held up his wrists and allowed her to tie them.He was
beaten.
"That might be the first smart thing you've ever done," she told him, pulling the belt so
tight he cried out in pain."Shut up!You're the luckiest bastard in the world today, just
because you're alive.Don't forget that."
Prudently, Albert remained silent, instead choosing to glare at Bo.
"Oh, not you too," Bo said, pointing angrily at Albert."I have to be on somebody's side,
you know."He smirked a little."Just not yours."
"Traitor," Albert spat.
"Pretty much," Bo agreed, brushing several chunks of dirt from his pants. "Somebody had
to make sure you didn't actually kill her when you found her.ÔCourse, after what I've seen
here today, I seriously doubt you could have done it anyway."
Albert narrowed his eyes."That wrong train you insisted we take out of Baltimore wasn't
an accident, was it?"Comprehension began to dawn."Shit! Shit! Shit!" For several
heartbeats he couldn't think of anything else to say.Then words came pouring out in a
fast, nearly incoherent stream."You asshole!It was you!You!You're the one who was
supposed to wake us up for the train we missed in West Virginia!"
One of Lindsay's eyebrows twitched.Not only couldn't she believe what Bo had done, now
Albert was going to have a stroke before their very eyes.
"It's your fault we had that hangover our first day in Texas and spent an extra day just
laying around.You were buying the beer."
Bo grinned unrepentantly.
Albert's mind scrambled for every rotten detail of their trip."The arrest in Atlanta!"
Lindsay's eyes formed twin moons.
Bo held up his hand to forestall him. "Now wait a minute.I didn't tell you to grab that
man's ass."
Lindsay blinked then turned slowly to Albert.Both eyebrows at their zenith.
"I didn't do that," he complained loudly."I was picking his pocket.Not grabbing his ass"
"Says you," Bo quipped.
"Snake!" Albert seethed, his mind awhirl with painful, hideous revenge scenarios."I'm
gonna-"
"You're gonna what?" Lindsay growled, bending over and grabbing Albert's ear. She
twisted it until he squealed like a stuck pig.And then she twisted it some more.
"Nothing!" Albert squeaked, his face contorted."I'm going to do nothing.I swear!"
Lindsay let go of his ear and, with a sour look, wiped her hand off on her tattered shirt.
"That's what I thought you said."She turned to Bo and her gaze softened.She thought of
everything Bo had been through on her behalf and felt a lump develop in her throat.She
swallowed a few times."Thanks."She let out a long breath, absorbing that fact that Bo
hadn't sold her out for ten dollars.It felt wonderful."For everything"
He smiled at her words and then saw his action mirrored in the form of a dazzling grin
that wrinkled the skin at the corners of Lindsay's eyes and showed off her teeth. It was
the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Bo felt his cheeks going warm, and he looked away, his feelings for Lindsay written all
over his face. "UmmÉ It wasn't anything.Really."
"Oh, for Christ's sake," Albert groaned as he rolled his eyes and flopped over onto his back
so he wouldn't have to watch the disgusting scene. "Fuck her and get it over-" He was
interrupted by Lindsay staring curiously at his leg.Albert followed her gaze.
"What's that?" she asked.
Bo stepped over and peered down."That's a fat piece of shit."
"Well, yeah," she agreed casually."But I mean there." She pointed to Albert's ankle. "It's
moving under the pant leg."
"There's nothing there," Albert said irritably.He shook his leg for emphasis then his eyes
popped wide open and jaw dropped.His mouth worked for a few seconds but no sound
came out.
Bo and Lindsay looked at each other then back at Albert.
The bearded man began to scream bloody murder and shake his leg wildly, grabbing at his
trouser cuff and twisting ."Ahhh!So-som-mething is in there!" He was bordering on
hysterical."In my pants!"
"I doubt it's much," Lindsay scoffed.
Bo made a gagging noise."It's not.I accidentally saw it."
Albert's screams abruptly stopped and his face turned bright red; he gasped then let out a
gut-wrenching yell as the veins in his forehead popped out, his face twisting in pain.He
held his leg very still as a slender olive-colored snake, about two-and-a-half feet long,
slithered out of the bottom of his pants and back into the water.
Bo and Lindsay both shivered and took a large step backwards.Albert began to howl.
"It bit me!" he sobbed, grasping frantically at his calf.A tremor took hold of Albert and he
began to shake helplessly.
Lindsay searched the area around her feet while Bo picked up a stick as a weapon.
"Do something," Albert yelled, his leg throbbing in time with his heartbeat; the area
around the bite felt like it was on fire.He tried to stand but the world spun and he crashed
back to the ground, a sodden, pathetic heap.
They ignored him."I hate snakes," Bo said, his eyes intently scanning the area around
them.
"Me too," Lindsay agreed as she looked too.They poked and prodded until they were fairly
certain there were no more where they were standing.Then a thought struck her and she
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