[Fanfic] Red West III. - Chapter thirteen
Jul. 28th, 2020 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
witchann2Title: RED WEST III.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: This is kind of unusual chapter, but I hope you´ll still like it. ^^´
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve //
The pounding on the door sounded unpleasantly familiar.
In no mood for any unexpected visitors, Ned dropped the knife for chopping vegetables and rushed to cut off that sudden noise, thinking of his wife sleeping in the next room. Roughly pulling the door open, he glowered at the black man on the threshold.
“You again?”
“This ungrateful attitude´s gonna slap you in the face one day, man!” offended Alphonse complained in a voice that could be heard almost up to the heaven itself.
Then Ned noticed that his old fellow didn´t come alone and almost slammed the door shut again. A tall man in a neat suit was observing his house with cool interest, as if trying to evaluate Ned´s home.
“This him, sir!” Alphonse announced with almost sickening eagerness. “I guarantee he´s the man you need!”
Just how well that creepy man pays his subordinates that it makes Alphonse lick his ass? Ned wondered disgustedly.
Cameron Henderson moved his sharp eyes away from the roof, which he definitely considered at least shabby, and approached them with smooth steps, which reminded Ned of a predator driving its chosen prey into a corner.
“Ned, I assume you remember me,” to his surprise, Henderson held out his perfectly clean hand to him.
He cautiously accepted the gesture and shook it: “I do, Mr. Cameron.”
Content with his answer, Henderson nodded and folded both hands behind his back: “I don´t want to take much of our time, so I will get straight to the point. Certainly, you´ve already heard I´m in urgent need of capable men and I want to ask – are you currently employed?”
Ned crossed his arms over his chest, finding himself tempted to lie, but knowing he should rather speak the truth: “Not right now.”
“Man, that ´now´ of yours takes ages already,” Alphonse cut in mockingly, which earned him a murderous stare from Ned.
“You must be in a difficult situation then,” Henderson noted calmly, ignoring the disturbance. “Why haven´t you come to me yet? You seem to be in... Well, in need of some cash and I can be generous to those who deserve it.”
“So I´ve heard, sir,” Ned admitted, carefully maintaining his vague expression. “But my woman´s sick. Can´t leave her for lon´ now.”
“That´s unfortunate,” his visitor reacted in such an emotionless tone it gave him the creeps. “Even so, you can find someone to stay with her for one afternoon, can´t you, Ned?”
He frowned: “And why´d I do that?”
“Alphonse here told me you used to be a headman in certain mines, is that correct?”
“Years ago,” he confirmed the fact unwillingly.
“Good. Would you check on one for me then?” Henderson revealed his request. “None of the workers I´ve gathered so far has the necessary knowledge. I´d like to use your experience.”
Not exactly thrilled by the idea, Ned really wanted to say a strict ´no´, but his gut was telling him that it wouldn´t be a good idea to displease this man. He had already felt the same way a year ago– he didn´t want this former butler to become his enemy.
It was nothing unusual for the reception room of her pleasure house to be filled with girly giggles, yet it felt strange. It took Cora a minute to figure out why – this time, it didn´t sound forced or faked.
She finished checking their limited alcohol stock under the short counter and threw a sharp glance in the direction of that noisy corner. Half the girls were gathered there, around the sofa, whose broken leg was just getting fixed by her new bodyguard.
Who would say that Jin Akanishi had not only a good-looking face but also quite skilled hands?
The early afternoon was usually a very calm part of the day. Nevertheless, her dear predecessor Madame Sukina would have never allowed them to slack off like this. The girls were standing around Akanishi in a narrow circle, as if they were watching a damn theater play.
Cora cleared her throat just behind the backs of the giggling group.
“You´ve got nothing to do or what? Stop keeping him from work.”
Her lazy girls stopped cheering the ongoing repair right away.
“Come on, Cora… No one´s here now. We´re just having fun,” Lydia, the cheekiest one of them all, dared to face her with a pout.
“And our new protector doesn´t mind us, do you, Mr. Bodyguard?” another one – Dana – joined her, winking at the man, who was leaning over the sofa, kneeling on one knee.
Their bodyguard chuckled, shaking his head: “Not at all.”
Cora raised her eyebrows: “I do not remember paying you for having fun at work,” she reacted strictly, freezing all those smiles around. “There´s a load of laundry in the back yard and all the rooms upstairs have been waiting for proper cleaning for more than two weeks now. So, let´s move it, darlings.”
Grumbling complaints, the girls dispersed unwillingly, going after the mentioned tasks. Cora waited until even the last of them disappeared on the stairs and then she turned to Akanishi, who was looking up to her with amusement in his deep eyes. Cora´s throat dried up under that look. No wonder her girls were so much into this man.
“You´re surprisingly good at this,” she evaluated the new leg, which seemed to fit in its spot almost perfectly.
Akanishi shrugged: “I just had to learn things like that.”
“All the better for us now,” she assumed.
“I really didn´t mind them here, you know,” he assured her, smoothing the fresh wood with sandpaper.
“That´s not the point, Jin. I won´t let them laze around like this. We must keep up to certain standards, otherwise our customers won´t be coming back,” she reacted frowning, but his significant look made her reconsider the last statement. “Okay, the perverts always will, but we need those who are rich more and they usually require good service.”
“You´re definitely right about that,” Akanishi admitted. “Good thinking.”
It was meant as praise, but it made her remember some very bitter moments from the time she was nothing more than just one of the youngest harlots in the city...
“I had to learn things as well,” she murmured sullenly, already returning to the counter.
Her bodyguard glanced at her quite curiously now, but before he could speak again, the front door opened. Akanishi´s attention immediately shifted there, evaluating the arriving man with a sharp look.
Cora was quite surprised to see the black man entering the reception room and watched him walking toward her curiously.
The man stopped in front of her with quite an unhappy expression: “Good afternoon, Cora…”
She could not help but sneer at him: “Well… Hello, Ned. I must say I´m almost shocked to see you here. Didn´t you say that you won´t ever step over the threshold of this dirty burrow again?”
She remembered the last confrontation with this man more than clearly and her pride was still hurt. Her response distorted his face even more; he looked like chewing a lemon now.
“I wouldn´t have come if I didn´t have to, believe me.”
“Oh, so now you need something from the stupid snotty girl?”
He clenched his hands into fists: “Cora, can´t you just…”
“You thought I´d forget about your awful behavior?” she snapped recognizing that haughty tone of his.
“Stop it,” Ned growled.
“And you even want to order me what to do?”
“I just need a little favor, damn it!”
“Is there any problem, Cora? Should I show this gentleman out?” Jin appeared next to her as a ghost. She didn´t even notice when he had left his working spot at the sofa and he was already stabbing Ned with cold eyes. It didn´t escape her attention that the black man was answering her bodyguard with the same look.
Realizing that she got upset over nothing, Cora took a deep breath: “That won´t be necessary, Jin. Thanks.”
“All right,” he nodded and stepped aside, but remained close by, leaning over the counter.
Cora eyed Ned´s face again, more carefully now.
“What do you need?” she asked quietly, giving up on her futile anger.
“Maria´s quite sick and I don´t wanna leave her alone. Can you look after her until I´ll be back?”
“Sick?” Cora repeated worriedly. “What´s up with her? Will she be all right?”
Maria used to be her friend, actually the best friend ever, before she had met her current husband and left the brothel part of her life behind.
“Yeah, doc says so, but she´s got a high fever. So, please…”
Ned hated the place which was Cora´s life and living, just as he hated her for being the constant reminder of his wife´s dark past. Yet, he pleaded with her. She wouldn´t have had a heart to refuse him, even if it wasn´t about her former friend.
She nodded curtly: “All right, I´ll send one of the girls over to check up on her.”
“Thank you… I´ll be back before nightfall,” and with that, Ned rushed out.
Akanishi spoke only after the door closed behind him again: “He seems familiar to me. Didn´t he used to work for Karnaka before?”
Cora turned to him cautiously: “Yes, I think he did. But he´s not a bad guy… He just doesn´t like me and what my girls do here.”
Her bodyguard stared into space pensively for a while, before he moved so quickly it almost startled her.
“I´ll be right back,” he muttered over his shoulder and left the reception room.
That supposedly golden hole was located not far from the city, but it was all the more difficult to get there.
The damp air after the recent heavy shower was filled with sharp whistles of whips. Several heavily loaded carts were pulled up to the overgrown space in front of the dark entrance to the mine. The bumpy road had not been used for years and it was all slippery with mud. The painful whining of horses – straining themselves to get the heavy cargo to the place – made Danny cringe.
Some men were already working on a simple shed for tools, while others were hidden inside the black hole in the rocky slope and only the occasional faint sounds were indicating that the mine was not empty anymore.
Danny was glad that he hadn´t been sent inside along with that gloomy black man. He definitely preferred staying outside, by the side of his boss, who supervised the progress of carts with a stern expression.
A sudden clatter made him turn to the mine entrance again.
“He´s coming out, sir,” he announced, spotting the former guard from Karnaka´s farm.
Mr. Cameron checked the time on his watch first, before turning away from the struggle of horses and men with the impossible road. As his superior went to meet the black man, Danny followed him closely behind.
Popping up from the dark, Ned was dragging some long rods and rotten sticks, which was the reason of the awful rattle.
“Quite a damn mess inside,” he commented and let his load fall into high grass by the side of the entrance. “Without proper light, these could give you a broken leg at least,” he snarled looking at Mr. Cameron.
Danny´s boss eyed the pile shortly: “I´ll order my men to take proper care of cleaning up. Apart from this? What do you think, Ned?”
“It´s not that deep, they´d given up quickly, but no wonder – the rock is hard. It seems stable, but some struts need to be rebuilt, to support the ceiling, mainly near the entrance,” the black man summarized the results of his observation shortly.
“Do you think there´s any chance of finding more gold in there?” Mr. Cameron continued asking.
Ned shrugged: “It´s possible, sir, I saw rich veins much deeper than this. But I wouldn´t bet on it.”
Mr. Cameron accepted his opinion with a short nod: “You said the rock is hard – meaning it will be difficult to proceed without explosives, is that right?”
“You got it, sir, but usin´ dynamite´s tricky. It´ll help, but it´s dangerous, especially in hands of some greenhorn.”
“I´m aware of that, thank you,” Mr. Cameron reacted in a cold tone, which made Ned alter his attitude to a more humble one. Danny exactly knew the feeling.
“Just speakin´ from experience, sir,” Ned emphasized. “Many good fellows of mine never saw the sun again after they were trapped by the collapse.”
Danny carefully checked Mr. Cameron´s expression, but it remained detached. He didn´t react to Ned´s statement and just eyed the black man in short silence, before he spoke again.
“I appreciate your skilled overview, Ned. You proved that you´ve got the exact knowledge I need. I´d like you to work for me.”
The black man´s expression didn´t change, but Danny would dare say he was not happy about the offer.
“Sir… Thank you, but as I said, my woman…”
“Naturally, I´ll find someone who can look after your wife until she´s all right again,” Mr. Cameron interrupted him decisively. “You´ll be appointed as a headman for this mine and as I´ve mentioned before – I´m generous to those in my services who prove themselves capable. So, do we have a deal?”
Ned hesitated, but since he didn´t refuse Mr. Cameron´s request before, Danny was sure he wouldn´t do it even now.
The sharp gust of wind felt as a cold foretaste of the summer storm and it added just another wrinkle on Cullen´s troubled forehead. It would suck if they were caught in the storm while still riding through this godforsaken valley.
Shifting his hat a bit, he eyed the steep walls on both sides of their almost non-existing road, annoyed by the lack of view. They should get out of this natural trap and find some shelter. Soon.
Gently, yet uncompromisingly, he kicked the flanks of his horse to break off that lazy speed they were proceeding with since the very morning and lined up with Leo´s stallion.
“We should hurry up,” he murmured with a frown.
Without even taking eyes off the cloudy sky above the valley, his young leader nodded: “Yeah, I noticed that change of wind, too.”
His fiancée turned in the saddle to observe them with a slight surprise: “I´ll never cease to be amazed by your weather predictions,” Jane commented shaking her head. “How can you tell there´s something coming?”
“His old knees just know, Jane, don´t bother trying to understand,” Ryo let himself be heard from behind their backs.
“My old knees can still kick you off the saddle, brat,” he snorted, while both Jane and Ryo giggled like kids.
Only Leo remained serious: “Keep your eyes open, guys, I´ve got a feeling we´ll have a hard time finding any convenient shelter around here. Let´s move.”
That feeling of yours is probably damn close to the reality, Cullen thought gloomily.
They happened to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in the central Wyoming, with the closest human settlement roughly forty miles away and the ground under the hooves of their animals looked more like a dry river bed than a road. There was only one good point about their situation – they were finally moving forward.
Instead of the planned couple-of-days-long visit, they were held in Nishikido´s birthplace for a few weeks and it was almost a miracle when they set off again with full numbers.
Ryo´s family was in deep troubles and they needed some help to reap the harvest, otherwise it could end up with the whole village starving to death during the winter. Then, for a change, Leo got sick, when the epidemic from Colorado caught up with them in Wyoming as well.
In overall, crying siblings in their way on the day of departure were the least difficult obstacle they had to overcome, even though Nishikido might have had something to say about it.
Therefore, no matter the late hot summer, annoying dust and stupid remarks, Cullen was quite relieved they were finally traveling again and was determined to prevent them from any other…
“Guys? Wait a second…”
Cullen rolled his eyes: For Christ´s sake, this tone again?
He stopped his horse and turned to the younger Rider, who was closing their small group.
“No,” he snapped, making Ryo flinch. “No more shopping, no family visits, no convenient detours. It was agreed we go north, so let´s go north. Period.”
Nishikido´s face melted into the picture of surprised and overacted innocence: “Something bit your ass? I didn´t…”
Cullen growled, not letting him talk: “I can already tell from that expression of yours – I´m sick of delays, so just let´s go.”
Ryo stared at him for a while: “But I´ve just heard something,” he stated then with incredible stubbornness.
He took a deep breath, wondering if gagging the youngster would help: “I said no more…”
“Wait,” Leo cut him off this time, already pulling on the reins as well. “I hear it too.”
Cullen face-palmed himself. He had noticed something stranger than the upcoming storm in the air as well; he just hoped they would avoid involving themselves in something unnecessary again.
Even Jane joined the boys then: “Oh, God, it sounds like…”
“Gunshots,” Leo finished darkly. “Somewhere over that hill,” he pointed in the least accessible direction from their spot.
Cullen took a breath for one last attempt: “And why the hell should we care about it? It´s probably just some Indians on bison hunt. Avoiding them would be for the best.”
Leo gave him a frowning look, but it was Jane, who spoke: “We don´t know that! What if it´s an ambush? What if there´re some innocent travelers in danger?”
Just another reason for not getting involved, but Cullen kept this thought to himself this time. Leo already pushed his horse to trot and he could tell when he lost.
It took them a two-minute gallop to reach the spot, which seemed convenient for overcoming the natural obstacle at least on foot. Irregular barking of firearms from the other side of the steep hill got much louder and in the short pauses between them, they could hear the neighing of horses and painful screams.
There´s nothing out there but troubles, Leo thought gloomily.
For a brief moment, he was tempted to side with Cullen and rather pretend to be deaf. It would be definitely easier to ignore it and continue their way, but his conscience was not so thick-skinned. Not to mention it was always better to be safe than sorry. If they were careful, they could check the situation out without being spotted and…
Just that short moment of reconsideration was enough for his dear fiancée to catch up and she was the first one slipping down the saddle.
“Jane! Wait!” he called in a forcefully low voice, but she already rushed up the hill with confident short steps. Cursing, Leo jumped down on the ground as well, at the same moment as Cullen, with Ryo just seconds behind them.
“Ryo, stay with the horses!” he ordered shortly, while checking his revolvers.
The young Rider took a breath for objections: “But, Chief…”
“Stay!” Leo cut him off, already climbing up hastily.
Their animals were restless from the sudden commotion and it would be too risky to leave them alone; they might need them to ride away quickly. Naturally, he would have preferred Jane to stay as a horse guard, but she was too quick this time and he was about to have a very serious discussion with her about it later. With heavily armed Cullen on his heels, he followed the path Jane had chosen as fast as he could to catch up with her.
With a shortened breath, Jane crawled almost to the very edge of the rocky ledge to have a good view at the suddenly quiet scene below. Her eyes widened and shivers ran down her spine, as she remembered what she had said when they had noticed those ominous sounds.
An upset hiss was heard to her left, escaping the lips of the man she was intending to marry and an almost inaudible rustle accompanied the ascent of Cullen, who was soon about to reach the spot and see the same as them.
There was a simple coach, overturned to the side, horses unharnessed from it already. A couple of war-painted Indians were moving around it, digging in open trunks and throwing things they didn´t consider interesting all around. Some pieces of already discarded clothing were partially covering the unmoving bodies in blue uniforms.
With a squeezed throat, Jane counted ten bloodstained corpses. Soldiers usually meant big troubles for them, yet she couldn´t help feeling sorry for those lost lives.
Angry shouting and rattle of loose stones made her tear her eyes away from the massacre on the road and check the hard terrain on this side of the hill. Only then, she found out that there were two survivors of the assault – a fair-haired man and a woman in traveling clothes. They were climbing up the hill on the right of their position, desperately trying to get away from the rest of Indians, who were going after them with mocking whoops echoing within the walls of the valley.
The man stopped for a moment and turning on his heel with revolver in hand, he took aim at the pursuers. A single gunshot stopped one Indian´s advance, as he jerkily collapsed among the dry thorny bushes. Unfortunately, it didn´t scare the rest of them off and they continued pursuing the two fugitives with unwavering determination. Jane could see at least five half-naked figures just from her spot.
They cannot last long like this…
“Fuck it,” a subdued voice of Cullen was heard from another watching spot on the top of the hill, as he accurately covered the happenings under them.
Jane turned to Leo, who was observing the escape route of those two closely as well: “We must help them!” she whispered urgently. “Now!”
Leo frowned, not reacting right away.
“Cool down, darling. We can´t get close to them soon enough,” Cullen growled behind the bush. “Before that, those redskins will…”
“I won´t just turn my back on them! I´m going!” she decided, ignoring his pessimistic prediction.
A firm hand grasped around her elbow: “We´re both going to help them,” Leo assured her hastily, before she could snap at him as well. “Just don´t be so hasty, okay? Cullen, cover us. You´ve got the good position from up here.”
“Seriously?” the older man hissed.
“Seriously. Let´s go, Jane.”
Augusta did not remember ever being in such a particularly unpleasant situation. Almost everybody from her voluntary escort was dead, all her personal belongings scattered around in the dust and presents for her son´s family irrevocably damaged. Halfway there, her dream about a safe trip to Montana was just stomped down to the ground and yet, she was more angry than scared.
Running up the hill, she blamed herself for the slow reaction before, when Captain had pulled her out of the coach shortly after that senseless attack began. She should have grabbed the revolver hidden under her seat. She learned to shoot ages ago and might have been able to show those ugly savages that there were no actions without consequences. Without any weapon, she was just a weak woman, not capable of protecting herself.
Noticing a quiet curse behind her, which followed the latest gunshot, she figured that was probably the Captain´s last attempt to get them rid of at least some Indian pursuers – he was out of bullets.
Originally, they had a big lead on them, but after the Indians bloodily dealt with the soldiers; they were on their heels and getting closer faster than she had expected. They would not be able to keep running away from them for long. They might not even reach the top of this ugly hill…
Augusta slipped on the hard surface covered with sand, but gathered her balance quickly and looked around, searching for the safest route further. Glad for choosing the comfortable travelling clothes instead of female dress for this trip, she dragged herself over the huge boulder and cowered, not to provide those yelling villains an easy target. She turned around to help Captain Walker up as well. He had twisted his ankle while helping her down there, which only added to her desperate anger from such a sudden turn of events.
Breathing heavily, Captain accepted her offered hand and pushed himself up over the difficult spot as well. Augusta looked in his face with some desperate remark almost slipping from her lips, but his expression made her reconsider in the last second.
“We might-“ Captain started, but then his eyes flinched and in the next moment he grabbed her shoulders, pushing Augusta to the side roughly. The arrow intended for her neck ended up hitting the rock crevasse instead, the feathered end sticking out of it with soft vibration.
Before Augusta could gather herself together, Captain started moving again and still clutching one of her arms firmly, he led her higher, stumbling a little on the way.
“We might find some good hiding place on the other side,” he finished the sentence hoarsely. “And we can use some rocks on the top, to throw them down.”
Augusta could not help but smile for herself faintly. She was right about this man from the very beginning – a brave and honest gentleman, who was not about to give up no matter the circumstances. It was such a shame that she would not get to know him better…
Twangs of strings warned them soon enough to stop and crouch behind an uprooted tree, which seemed to be the only one on the whole slope. More arrows hissed right above their heads. Their pursuers were closer again. The Indians knew better how to move in such a terrain and they were about to catch up to them very soon. And it seemed they realized that too, as their victorious whoops gave Augusta goose bumps.
“Damn it,” Captain cursed again, massaging his right ankle with a pained expression.
Augusta took a deep breath. So, that was it for them, wasn´t it? There was no way they could get out of here alive.
She turned to look at Captain, who was checking the situation below them carefully with strange shine in his eyes, and opened her mouth…
Mrs. Tabor said something, but he couldn´t hear a word. All other sounds died in the thunder of repeated roaring gunshots just above them. Approaching Kiowa rebels started screaming in surprised anger and some of them in pain, while frightened Mrs. Tabor squeezed his hand.
John turned his head and looked up so abruptly that a flash of pain in his ankle made him stagger. In that very moment something scratched his shoulder with burning intensity. If Mrs. Tabor would not be at his side, supporting him readily, he would have collapsed down the slope, which they had so laboriously climbed.
The view, which the top of hill provided to them, was most unexpected. There was a man in worn out clothes, holding a very unusually looking rifle in his hands. John had no idea how that man got there, but apart from the fact he was shooting on their enemies – and that quite effectively, releasing one deafening shot after another – nothing else mattered much at the moment.
“Captain!”
A pull on his sleeve finally made him realize that Mrs. Tabor was trying to get his attention. She pointed to the right. If the unexpected help from unknown gunman surprised John, it was nothing in comparison with how shocked he was now. A very pretty brunette in light shirt and tight trousers was slipping down the hill toward them, urgently waving in their direction.
“Here! Quickly!” that pretty woman urged them, pointing on the non-existing path, which could lead them over the top.
Captain and Mrs. Tabor looked at each other shortly and then started climbing again with the new determination. And right in that moment, the top of the hill on their left started moving…
With the echo resonating throughout the whole valley, a load of stones rolled down the slope right into the faces of upset Indians. Cullen had to admit it was quite an amusing view, as they tried to avoid being hit by the hard rock. Leo was lucky to let loose so many of them at once, but it was a damn smartass move nevertheless.
It seemed that the blood-thirsty bunch – he would guess they were Crow or Kiowa – had lost quite a few of their red brothers already in the shootout with the army unit, so when they realized that yet another clash would have cost them even more, they reconsidered chasing after the fugitives and started to retreat.
Just to be sure they wouldn´t change their mind, Cullen sent one more shot behind them, hitting the late red man in his leg, before he lowered his impressive weapon.
Who would imagine that he could use the valuable present from Nishikido´s grandfather so soon?
He checked on Leo, who was waving at him reassuringly from his position and then he gestured to move to the other side. Jane and those two could not be seen anywhere, so Cullen guessed they made it. They better should, otherwise they just wasted all those precious bullets for nothing.
“Dear God, you´re hurt, Captain!”
Mrs. Tabor, breathless and adorably disheveled, didn´t even stop to catch a breath and she was already checking his unpleasantly bleeding shoulder.
“It´s just a scratch, Madam,” John assured her hastily. “It´s nothing, I can move.”
“That´s good to hear, Mister. We might need to flee even further away,” the pretty woman, who led them down on the other side of the steep hill, noted.
“Won´t be necessary, it seems they gave it up.”
All three of them turned to the older man, who just finished the dusty descent as well. It was the one with that incredible weapon, which could be apparently used repeatedly without loading. John had never seen such a rifle in his life and he was definitely about to ask about it later.
“Really?” Mrs. Tabor reacted tensely, probably still upset by their narrow escape. John was actually amazed she managed to remain so composed despite the past thrilling hour.
“Yeah,” the man nodded. “It seems you´re not worthy of their attention anymore, Ma´am.”
Hearing this, John leant over the rock, which provided them shelter for the moment, with a heavy exhale. His legs ached and trembled, and almost gave out the second he heard the immediate danger was averted. Mrs. Tabor turned to look at him, her eyes wide and worried.
“I´ll be fine, really. Just need a bit of rest,” he tried to assure her, but it didn´t seem he succeeded. She was looking at him like that since the sprained ankle thing.
The older man eyed him somewhat suspiciously, while the face of their female savior showed just relief.
So far empty and almost invisible road vibrated with the heavy sound of hooves.
“Guys! Here you are!” a black haired youngster leading four horses reached the rock niche they occupied in quite a hurry. “Next time you try to leave me with horses behind and I´ll leave you too, got it?”
His companions just rolled their eyes, while the horse guard shifted his attention to them.
“Oh, and you even managed to find new friends meanwhile?” he asked curiously.
Before anyone could reply, the last of their saviors appeared too. John assumed it was probably the one causing the noisy avalanche before. He looked up to the young man in dark clothes, who just jumped down from the boulder by the road, and immediately rushed toward them.
Seeing the man´s face up close, John felt his muscles stiffening from unpleasant surprise.
“Everybody all right?” Leo Akanishi asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: This is kind of unusual chapter, but I hope you´ll still like it. ^^´
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve //
Coincidences
The pounding on the door sounded unpleasantly familiar.
In no mood for any unexpected visitors, Ned dropped the knife for chopping vegetables and rushed to cut off that sudden noise, thinking of his wife sleeping in the next room. Roughly pulling the door open, he glowered at the black man on the threshold.
“You again?”
“This ungrateful attitude´s gonna slap you in the face one day, man!” offended Alphonse complained in a voice that could be heard almost up to the heaven itself.
Then Ned noticed that his old fellow didn´t come alone and almost slammed the door shut again. A tall man in a neat suit was observing his house with cool interest, as if trying to evaluate Ned´s home.
“This him, sir!” Alphonse announced with almost sickening eagerness. “I guarantee he´s the man you need!”
Just how well that creepy man pays his subordinates that it makes Alphonse lick his ass? Ned wondered disgustedly.
Cameron Henderson moved his sharp eyes away from the roof, which he definitely considered at least shabby, and approached them with smooth steps, which reminded Ned of a predator driving its chosen prey into a corner.
“Ned, I assume you remember me,” to his surprise, Henderson held out his perfectly clean hand to him.
He cautiously accepted the gesture and shook it: “I do, Mr. Cameron.”
Content with his answer, Henderson nodded and folded both hands behind his back: “I don´t want to take much of our time, so I will get straight to the point. Certainly, you´ve already heard I´m in urgent need of capable men and I want to ask – are you currently employed?”
Ned crossed his arms over his chest, finding himself tempted to lie, but knowing he should rather speak the truth: “Not right now.”
“Man, that ´now´ of yours takes ages already,” Alphonse cut in mockingly, which earned him a murderous stare from Ned.
“You must be in a difficult situation then,” Henderson noted calmly, ignoring the disturbance. “Why haven´t you come to me yet? You seem to be in... Well, in need of some cash and I can be generous to those who deserve it.”
“So I´ve heard, sir,” Ned admitted, carefully maintaining his vague expression. “But my woman´s sick. Can´t leave her for lon´ now.”
“That´s unfortunate,” his visitor reacted in such an emotionless tone it gave him the creeps. “Even so, you can find someone to stay with her for one afternoon, can´t you, Ned?”
He frowned: “And why´d I do that?”
“Alphonse here told me you used to be a headman in certain mines, is that correct?”
“Years ago,” he confirmed the fact unwillingly.
“Good. Would you check on one for me then?” Henderson revealed his request. “None of the workers I´ve gathered so far has the necessary knowledge. I´d like to use your experience.”
Not exactly thrilled by the idea, Ned really wanted to say a strict ´no´, but his gut was telling him that it wouldn´t be a good idea to displease this man. He had already felt the same way a year ago– he didn´t want this former butler to become his enemy.
*
It was nothing unusual for the reception room of her pleasure house to be filled with girly giggles, yet it felt strange. It took Cora a minute to figure out why – this time, it didn´t sound forced or faked.
She finished checking their limited alcohol stock under the short counter and threw a sharp glance in the direction of that noisy corner. Half the girls were gathered there, around the sofa, whose broken leg was just getting fixed by her new bodyguard.
Who would say that Jin Akanishi had not only a good-looking face but also quite skilled hands?
The early afternoon was usually a very calm part of the day. Nevertheless, her dear predecessor Madame Sukina would have never allowed them to slack off like this. The girls were standing around Akanishi in a narrow circle, as if they were watching a damn theater play.
Cora cleared her throat just behind the backs of the giggling group.
“You´ve got nothing to do or what? Stop keeping him from work.”
Her lazy girls stopped cheering the ongoing repair right away.
“Come on, Cora… No one´s here now. We´re just having fun,” Lydia, the cheekiest one of them all, dared to face her with a pout.
“And our new protector doesn´t mind us, do you, Mr. Bodyguard?” another one – Dana – joined her, winking at the man, who was leaning over the sofa, kneeling on one knee.
Their bodyguard chuckled, shaking his head: “Not at all.”
Cora raised her eyebrows: “I do not remember paying you for having fun at work,” she reacted strictly, freezing all those smiles around. “There´s a load of laundry in the back yard and all the rooms upstairs have been waiting for proper cleaning for more than two weeks now. So, let´s move it, darlings.”
Grumbling complaints, the girls dispersed unwillingly, going after the mentioned tasks. Cora waited until even the last of them disappeared on the stairs and then she turned to Akanishi, who was looking up to her with amusement in his deep eyes. Cora´s throat dried up under that look. No wonder her girls were so much into this man.
“You´re surprisingly good at this,” she evaluated the new leg, which seemed to fit in its spot almost perfectly.
Akanishi shrugged: “I just had to learn things like that.”
“All the better for us now,” she assumed.
“I really didn´t mind them here, you know,” he assured her, smoothing the fresh wood with sandpaper.
“That´s not the point, Jin. I won´t let them laze around like this. We must keep up to certain standards, otherwise our customers won´t be coming back,” she reacted frowning, but his significant look made her reconsider the last statement. “Okay, the perverts always will, but we need those who are rich more and they usually require good service.”
“You´re definitely right about that,” Akanishi admitted. “Good thinking.”
It was meant as praise, but it made her remember some very bitter moments from the time she was nothing more than just one of the youngest harlots in the city...
“I had to learn things as well,” she murmured sullenly, already returning to the counter.
Her bodyguard glanced at her quite curiously now, but before he could speak again, the front door opened. Akanishi´s attention immediately shifted there, evaluating the arriving man with a sharp look.
Cora was quite surprised to see the black man entering the reception room and watched him walking toward her curiously.
The man stopped in front of her with quite an unhappy expression: “Good afternoon, Cora…”
She could not help but sneer at him: “Well… Hello, Ned. I must say I´m almost shocked to see you here. Didn´t you say that you won´t ever step over the threshold of this dirty burrow again?”
She remembered the last confrontation with this man more than clearly and her pride was still hurt. Her response distorted his face even more; he looked like chewing a lemon now.
“I wouldn´t have come if I didn´t have to, believe me.”
“Oh, so now you need something from the stupid snotty girl?”
He clenched his hands into fists: “Cora, can´t you just…”
“You thought I´d forget about your awful behavior?” she snapped recognizing that haughty tone of his.
“Stop it,” Ned growled.
“And you even want to order me what to do?”
“I just need a little favor, damn it!”
“Is there any problem, Cora? Should I show this gentleman out?” Jin appeared next to her as a ghost. She didn´t even notice when he had left his working spot at the sofa and he was already stabbing Ned with cold eyes. It didn´t escape her attention that the black man was answering her bodyguard with the same look.
Realizing that she got upset over nothing, Cora took a deep breath: “That won´t be necessary, Jin. Thanks.”
“All right,” he nodded and stepped aside, but remained close by, leaning over the counter.
Cora eyed Ned´s face again, more carefully now.
“What do you need?” she asked quietly, giving up on her futile anger.
“Maria´s quite sick and I don´t wanna leave her alone. Can you look after her until I´ll be back?”
“Sick?” Cora repeated worriedly. “What´s up with her? Will she be all right?”
Maria used to be her friend, actually the best friend ever, before she had met her current husband and left the brothel part of her life behind.
“Yeah, doc says so, but she´s got a high fever. So, please…”
Ned hated the place which was Cora´s life and living, just as he hated her for being the constant reminder of his wife´s dark past. Yet, he pleaded with her. She wouldn´t have had a heart to refuse him, even if it wasn´t about her former friend.
She nodded curtly: “All right, I´ll send one of the girls over to check up on her.”
“Thank you… I´ll be back before nightfall,” and with that, Ned rushed out.
Akanishi spoke only after the door closed behind him again: “He seems familiar to me. Didn´t he used to work for Karnaka before?”
Cora turned to him cautiously: “Yes, I think he did. But he´s not a bad guy… He just doesn´t like me and what my girls do here.”
Her bodyguard stared into space pensively for a while, before he moved so quickly it almost startled her.
“I´ll be right back,” he muttered over his shoulder and left the reception room.
*
That supposedly golden hole was located not far from the city, but it was all the more difficult to get there.
The damp air after the recent heavy shower was filled with sharp whistles of whips. Several heavily loaded carts were pulled up to the overgrown space in front of the dark entrance to the mine. The bumpy road had not been used for years and it was all slippery with mud. The painful whining of horses – straining themselves to get the heavy cargo to the place – made Danny cringe.
Some men were already working on a simple shed for tools, while others were hidden inside the black hole in the rocky slope and only the occasional faint sounds were indicating that the mine was not empty anymore.
Danny was glad that he hadn´t been sent inside along with that gloomy black man. He definitely preferred staying outside, by the side of his boss, who supervised the progress of carts with a stern expression.
A sudden clatter made him turn to the mine entrance again.
“He´s coming out, sir,” he announced, spotting the former guard from Karnaka´s farm.
Mr. Cameron checked the time on his watch first, before turning away from the struggle of horses and men with the impossible road. As his superior went to meet the black man, Danny followed him closely behind.
Popping up from the dark, Ned was dragging some long rods and rotten sticks, which was the reason of the awful rattle.
“Quite a damn mess inside,” he commented and let his load fall into high grass by the side of the entrance. “Without proper light, these could give you a broken leg at least,” he snarled looking at Mr. Cameron.
Danny´s boss eyed the pile shortly: “I´ll order my men to take proper care of cleaning up. Apart from this? What do you think, Ned?”
“It´s not that deep, they´d given up quickly, but no wonder – the rock is hard. It seems stable, but some struts need to be rebuilt, to support the ceiling, mainly near the entrance,” the black man summarized the results of his observation shortly.
“Do you think there´s any chance of finding more gold in there?” Mr. Cameron continued asking.
Ned shrugged: “It´s possible, sir, I saw rich veins much deeper than this. But I wouldn´t bet on it.”
Mr. Cameron accepted his opinion with a short nod: “You said the rock is hard – meaning it will be difficult to proceed without explosives, is that right?”
“You got it, sir, but usin´ dynamite´s tricky. It´ll help, but it´s dangerous, especially in hands of some greenhorn.”
“I´m aware of that, thank you,” Mr. Cameron reacted in a cold tone, which made Ned alter his attitude to a more humble one. Danny exactly knew the feeling.
“Just speakin´ from experience, sir,” Ned emphasized. “Many good fellows of mine never saw the sun again after they were trapped by the collapse.”
Danny carefully checked Mr. Cameron´s expression, but it remained detached. He didn´t react to Ned´s statement and just eyed the black man in short silence, before he spoke again.
“I appreciate your skilled overview, Ned. You proved that you´ve got the exact knowledge I need. I´d like you to work for me.”
The black man´s expression didn´t change, but Danny would dare say he was not happy about the offer.
“Sir… Thank you, but as I said, my woman…”
“Naturally, I´ll find someone who can look after your wife until she´s all right again,” Mr. Cameron interrupted him decisively. “You´ll be appointed as a headman for this mine and as I´ve mentioned before – I´m generous to those in my services who prove themselves capable. So, do we have a deal?”
Ned hesitated, but since he didn´t refuse Mr. Cameron´s request before, Danny was sure he wouldn´t do it even now.
***
Territory of Wyoming
38 miles south of Greybull Ranch
38 miles south of Greybull Ranch
The sharp gust of wind felt as a cold foretaste of the summer storm and it added just another wrinkle on Cullen´s troubled forehead. It would suck if they were caught in the storm while still riding through this godforsaken valley.
Shifting his hat a bit, he eyed the steep walls on both sides of their almost non-existing road, annoyed by the lack of view. They should get out of this natural trap and find some shelter. Soon.
Gently, yet uncompromisingly, he kicked the flanks of his horse to break off that lazy speed they were proceeding with since the very morning and lined up with Leo´s stallion.
“We should hurry up,” he murmured with a frown.
Without even taking eyes off the cloudy sky above the valley, his young leader nodded: “Yeah, I noticed that change of wind, too.”
His fiancée turned in the saddle to observe them with a slight surprise: “I´ll never cease to be amazed by your weather predictions,” Jane commented shaking her head. “How can you tell there´s something coming?”
“His old knees just know, Jane, don´t bother trying to understand,” Ryo let himself be heard from behind their backs.
“My old knees can still kick you off the saddle, brat,” he snorted, while both Jane and Ryo giggled like kids.
Only Leo remained serious: “Keep your eyes open, guys, I´ve got a feeling we´ll have a hard time finding any convenient shelter around here. Let´s move.”
That feeling of yours is probably damn close to the reality, Cullen thought gloomily.
They happened to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in the central Wyoming, with the closest human settlement roughly forty miles away and the ground under the hooves of their animals looked more like a dry river bed than a road. There was only one good point about their situation – they were finally moving forward.
Instead of the planned couple-of-days-long visit, they were held in Nishikido´s birthplace for a few weeks and it was almost a miracle when they set off again with full numbers.
Ryo´s family was in deep troubles and they needed some help to reap the harvest, otherwise it could end up with the whole village starving to death during the winter. Then, for a change, Leo got sick, when the epidemic from Colorado caught up with them in Wyoming as well.
In overall, crying siblings in their way on the day of departure were the least difficult obstacle they had to overcome, even though Nishikido might have had something to say about it.
Therefore, no matter the late hot summer, annoying dust and stupid remarks, Cullen was quite relieved they were finally traveling again and was determined to prevent them from any other…
“Guys? Wait a second…”
Cullen rolled his eyes: For Christ´s sake, this tone again?
He stopped his horse and turned to the younger Rider, who was closing their small group.
“No,” he snapped, making Ryo flinch. “No more shopping, no family visits, no convenient detours. It was agreed we go north, so let´s go north. Period.”
Nishikido´s face melted into the picture of surprised and overacted innocence: “Something bit your ass? I didn´t…”
Cullen growled, not letting him talk: “I can already tell from that expression of yours – I´m sick of delays, so just let´s go.”
Ryo stared at him for a while: “But I´ve just heard something,” he stated then with incredible stubbornness.
He took a deep breath, wondering if gagging the youngster would help: “I said no more…”
“Wait,” Leo cut him off this time, already pulling on the reins as well. “I hear it too.”
Cullen face-palmed himself. He had noticed something stranger than the upcoming storm in the air as well; he just hoped they would avoid involving themselves in something unnecessary again.
Even Jane joined the boys then: “Oh, God, it sounds like…”
“Gunshots,” Leo finished darkly. “Somewhere over that hill,” he pointed in the least accessible direction from their spot.
Cullen took a breath for one last attempt: “And why the hell should we care about it? It´s probably just some Indians on bison hunt. Avoiding them would be for the best.”
Leo gave him a frowning look, but it was Jane, who spoke: “We don´t know that! What if it´s an ambush? What if there´re some innocent travelers in danger?”
Just another reason for not getting involved, but Cullen kept this thought to himself this time. Leo already pushed his horse to trot and he could tell when he lost.
*
It took them a two-minute gallop to reach the spot, which seemed convenient for overcoming the natural obstacle at least on foot. Irregular barking of firearms from the other side of the steep hill got much louder and in the short pauses between them, they could hear the neighing of horses and painful screams.
There´s nothing out there but troubles, Leo thought gloomily.
For a brief moment, he was tempted to side with Cullen and rather pretend to be deaf. It would be definitely easier to ignore it and continue their way, but his conscience was not so thick-skinned. Not to mention it was always better to be safe than sorry. If they were careful, they could check the situation out without being spotted and…
Just that short moment of reconsideration was enough for his dear fiancée to catch up and she was the first one slipping down the saddle.
“Jane! Wait!” he called in a forcefully low voice, but she already rushed up the hill with confident short steps. Cursing, Leo jumped down on the ground as well, at the same moment as Cullen, with Ryo just seconds behind them.
“Ryo, stay with the horses!” he ordered shortly, while checking his revolvers.
The young Rider took a breath for objections: “But, Chief…”
“Stay!” Leo cut him off, already climbing up hastily.
Their animals were restless from the sudden commotion and it would be too risky to leave them alone; they might need them to ride away quickly. Naturally, he would have preferred Jane to stay as a horse guard, but she was too quick this time and he was about to have a very serious discussion with her about it later. With heavily armed Cullen on his heels, he followed the path Jane had chosen as fast as he could to catch up with her.
*
With a shortened breath, Jane crawled almost to the very edge of the rocky ledge to have a good view at the suddenly quiet scene below. Her eyes widened and shivers ran down her spine, as she remembered what she had said when they had noticed those ominous sounds.
An upset hiss was heard to her left, escaping the lips of the man she was intending to marry and an almost inaudible rustle accompanied the ascent of Cullen, who was soon about to reach the spot and see the same as them.
There was a simple coach, overturned to the side, horses unharnessed from it already. A couple of war-painted Indians were moving around it, digging in open trunks and throwing things they didn´t consider interesting all around. Some pieces of already discarded clothing were partially covering the unmoving bodies in blue uniforms.
With a squeezed throat, Jane counted ten bloodstained corpses. Soldiers usually meant big troubles for them, yet she couldn´t help feeling sorry for those lost lives.
Angry shouting and rattle of loose stones made her tear her eyes away from the massacre on the road and check the hard terrain on this side of the hill. Only then, she found out that there were two survivors of the assault – a fair-haired man and a woman in traveling clothes. They were climbing up the hill on the right of their position, desperately trying to get away from the rest of Indians, who were going after them with mocking whoops echoing within the walls of the valley.
The man stopped for a moment and turning on his heel with revolver in hand, he took aim at the pursuers. A single gunshot stopped one Indian´s advance, as he jerkily collapsed among the dry thorny bushes. Unfortunately, it didn´t scare the rest of them off and they continued pursuing the two fugitives with unwavering determination. Jane could see at least five half-naked figures just from her spot.
They cannot last long like this…
“Fuck it,” a subdued voice of Cullen was heard from another watching spot on the top of the hill, as he accurately covered the happenings under them.
Jane turned to Leo, who was observing the escape route of those two closely as well: “We must help them!” she whispered urgently. “Now!”
Leo frowned, not reacting right away.
“Cool down, darling. We can´t get close to them soon enough,” Cullen growled behind the bush. “Before that, those redskins will…”
“I won´t just turn my back on them! I´m going!” she decided, ignoring his pessimistic prediction.
A firm hand grasped around her elbow: “We´re both going to help them,” Leo assured her hastily, before she could snap at him as well. “Just don´t be so hasty, okay? Cullen, cover us. You´ve got the good position from up here.”
“Seriously?” the older man hissed.
“Seriously. Let´s go, Jane.”
*
Augusta did not remember ever being in such a particularly unpleasant situation. Almost everybody from her voluntary escort was dead, all her personal belongings scattered around in the dust and presents for her son´s family irrevocably damaged. Halfway there, her dream about a safe trip to Montana was just stomped down to the ground and yet, she was more angry than scared.
Running up the hill, she blamed herself for the slow reaction before, when Captain had pulled her out of the coach shortly after that senseless attack began. She should have grabbed the revolver hidden under her seat. She learned to shoot ages ago and might have been able to show those ugly savages that there were no actions without consequences. Without any weapon, she was just a weak woman, not capable of protecting herself.
Noticing a quiet curse behind her, which followed the latest gunshot, she figured that was probably the Captain´s last attempt to get them rid of at least some Indian pursuers – he was out of bullets.
Originally, they had a big lead on them, but after the Indians bloodily dealt with the soldiers; they were on their heels and getting closer faster than she had expected. They would not be able to keep running away from them for long. They might not even reach the top of this ugly hill…
Augusta slipped on the hard surface covered with sand, but gathered her balance quickly and looked around, searching for the safest route further. Glad for choosing the comfortable travelling clothes instead of female dress for this trip, she dragged herself over the huge boulder and cowered, not to provide those yelling villains an easy target. She turned around to help Captain Walker up as well. He had twisted his ankle while helping her down there, which only added to her desperate anger from such a sudden turn of events.
Breathing heavily, Captain accepted her offered hand and pushed himself up over the difficult spot as well. Augusta looked in his face with some desperate remark almost slipping from her lips, but his expression made her reconsider in the last second.
“We might-“ Captain started, but then his eyes flinched and in the next moment he grabbed her shoulders, pushing Augusta to the side roughly. The arrow intended for her neck ended up hitting the rock crevasse instead, the feathered end sticking out of it with soft vibration.
Before Augusta could gather herself together, Captain started moving again and still clutching one of her arms firmly, he led her higher, stumbling a little on the way.
“We might find some good hiding place on the other side,” he finished the sentence hoarsely. “And we can use some rocks on the top, to throw them down.”
Augusta could not help but smile for herself faintly. She was right about this man from the very beginning – a brave and honest gentleman, who was not about to give up no matter the circumstances. It was such a shame that she would not get to know him better…
Twangs of strings warned them soon enough to stop and crouch behind an uprooted tree, which seemed to be the only one on the whole slope. More arrows hissed right above their heads. Their pursuers were closer again. The Indians knew better how to move in such a terrain and they were about to catch up to them very soon. And it seemed they realized that too, as their victorious whoops gave Augusta goose bumps.
“Damn it,” Captain cursed again, massaging his right ankle with a pained expression.
Augusta took a deep breath. So, that was it for them, wasn´t it? There was no way they could get out of here alive.
She turned to look at Captain, who was checking the situation below them carefully with strange shine in his eyes, and opened her mouth…
Mrs. Tabor said something, but he couldn´t hear a word. All other sounds died in the thunder of repeated roaring gunshots just above them. Approaching Kiowa rebels started screaming in surprised anger and some of them in pain, while frightened Mrs. Tabor squeezed his hand.
John turned his head and looked up so abruptly that a flash of pain in his ankle made him stagger. In that very moment something scratched his shoulder with burning intensity. If Mrs. Tabor would not be at his side, supporting him readily, he would have collapsed down the slope, which they had so laboriously climbed.
The view, which the top of hill provided to them, was most unexpected. There was a man in worn out clothes, holding a very unusually looking rifle in his hands. John had no idea how that man got there, but apart from the fact he was shooting on their enemies – and that quite effectively, releasing one deafening shot after another – nothing else mattered much at the moment.
“Captain!”
A pull on his sleeve finally made him realize that Mrs. Tabor was trying to get his attention. She pointed to the right. If the unexpected help from unknown gunman surprised John, it was nothing in comparison with how shocked he was now. A very pretty brunette in light shirt and tight trousers was slipping down the hill toward them, urgently waving in their direction.
“Here! Quickly!” that pretty woman urged them, pointing on the non-existing path, which could lead them over the top.
Captain and Mrs. Tabor looked at each other shortly and then started climbing again with the new determination. And right in that moment, the top of the hill on their left started moving…
*
With the echo resonating throughout the whole valley, a load of stones rolled down the slope right into the faces of upset Indians. Cullen had to admit it was quite an amusing view, as they tried to avoid being hit by the hard rock. Leo was lucky to let loose so many of them at once, but it was a damn smartass move nevertheless.
It seemed that the blood-thirsty bunch – he would guess they were Crow or Kiowa – had lost quite a few of their red brothers already in the shootout with the army unit, so when they realized that yet another clash would have cost them even more, they reconsidered chasing after the fugitives and started to retreat.
Just to be sure they wouldn´t change their mind, Cullen sent one more shot behind them, hitting the late red man in his leg, before he lowered his impressive weapon.
Who would imagine that he could use the valuable present from Nishikido´s grandfather so soon?
He checked on Leo, who was waving at him reassuringly from his position and then he gestured to move to the other side. Jane and those two could not be seen anywhere, so Cullen guessed they made it. They better should, otherwise they just wasted all those precious bullets for nothing.
*
“Dear God, you´re hurt, Captain!”
Mrs. Tabor, breathless and adorably disheveled, didn´t even stop to catch a breath and she was already checking his unpleasantly bleeding shoulder.
“It´s just a scratch, Madam,” John assured her hastily. “It´s nothing, I can move.”
“That´s good to hear, Mister. We might need to flee even further away,” the pretty woman, who led them down on the other side of the steep hill, noted.
“Won´t be necessary, it seems they gave it up.”
All three of them turned to the older man, who just finished the dusty descent as well. It was the one with that incredible weapon, which could be apparently used repeatedly without loading. John had never seen such a rifle in his life and he was definitely about to ask about it later.
“Really?” Mrs. Tabor reacted tensely, probably still upset by their narrow escape. John was actually amazed she managed to remain so composed despite the past thrilling hour.
“Yeah,” the man nodded. “It seems you´re not worthy of their attention anymore, Ma´am.”
Hearing this, John leant over the rock, which provided them shelter for the moment, with a heavy exhale. His legs ached and trembled, and almost gave out the second he heard the immediate danger was averted. Mrs. Tabor turned to look at him, her eyes wide and worried.
“I´ll be fine, really. Just need a bit of rest,” he tried to assure her, but it didn´t seem he succeeded. She was looking at him like that since the sprained ankle thing.
The older man eyed him somewhat suspiciously, while the face of their female savior showed just relief.
So far empty and almost invisible road vibrated with the heavy sound of hooves.
“Guys! Here you are!” a black haired youngster leading four horses reached the rock niche they occupied in quite a hurry. “Next time you try to leave me with horses behind and I´ll leave you too, got it?”
His companions just rolled their eyes, while the horse guard shifted his attention to them.
“Oh, and you even managed to find new friends meanwhile?” he asked curiously.
Before anyone could reply, the last of their saviors appeared too. John assumed it was probably the one causing the noisy avalanche before. He looked up to the young man in dark clothes, who just jumped down from the boulder by the road, and immediately rushed toward them.
Seeing the man´s face up close, John felt his muscles stiffening from unpleasant surprise.
“Everybody all right?” Leo Akanishi asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
- To be continued -
