Cowboy Girl Annie (7 page)

A spring in the dark brown couch was
poking into her back just itching to pop out of the thin
upholstery. An old recliner with the back turned to her was at the
end of the couch. A secretary desk with a beveled glass cabinet
attached was across the room by a wooden rocker. Not one thing
about any of the furniture or the living room looked
familiar.

Annie turned her head sideways.
Jake, with his chin resting on his chest, was sitting by her in a
kitchen chair. Annie patted his arm. He straightened up and rubbed
sleep from his eyes. “Easy, girl. You got to lay still.”

Annie licked her dry lips and rasped
weakly, “I'm surely and purely nervous. You're the only thing I
recognize in this here place. Where am I?”

Jake gave her an anxious once over.
“You said you wanted to go some place to get fixed up. Remember you
were gunshot?”

“
No! How could I forget that?”
snapped Annie, holding her shoulder as she fought the
pain.

“
Well, you were, and I brought you to
my friend, Sofie's house. She's a pretty good doctor when folks
need her that cain't pay,” Jake bragged.

Annie asked, “How long have I been
in this house?”

Jake said, “Two days.”

“
Two days!” Annie tried to sit up.
The quick motion was too much for her. Her head swirled, or the
room did. She wasn't sure which way it was, so she laid back down.
“Where are we anyway?”

“
Sofie's house is on the north edge
of town. You were right. The bullet went clean through so Sofie
bandaged both wounds. Just lay still now so you don't start
bleeding again. You lost too much blood already. You ain't in no
shape to move fast,” Jake scolded.

“
Use your head, hombre! Two days is
too long to stay in one place with Big Ed looking for us. As soon
as I can stand upright and stay on my feet, we got to get out of
this house.

It ain't safe to stay here for long
for you, me or Sofie now that she helped me. Big Ed won't take
kindly to her interfering with his plans to kill us,” Annie
worried.

“
I been going out in the night to see
what's going on. I stay out for two or three hours at a time,” Jake
told her. “So far it's pretty quiet on the streets. No one seems to
know nothing about Big Ed.

They do know the cops found the dead
bum. What happened to the bum is a mystery to everyone? They're
pretty quiet about what they know about anything to do with us.
Afraid for themselves if Big Ed finds out they talked to me. Now
it's all right that you rest some more.”

It was almost morning when Annie
woke at the sound of door hinges squawking. It couldn't be Sofie
coming or going. She'd have slammed the door to scare the
rats.

Annie looked over at Jake's chair.
He wasn't by her side. She'd have to fend for herself if need be.
Wonder where my gun got to?

Preparing herself to do battle,
Annie sat up on the couch, finding it hard to breathe through the
pain as she waited to see who was slipping quietly around in the
kitchen. Her heart thumped fast as she stared toward the
doorway.

Sofie leaned around the back of her
recliner to see in the kitchen. She saw Annie weaving around on the
couch. “Relax, Gal, it's just Jake coming back.”

The room was so dark, and Annie's
vision was hazy. She'd missed Sofie leaned back in that recliner.
Annie slumped against the couch back and tried to slow down her
breathing.

Her skinny friend ducked his head at
the doorway to come into the living room. He paced the floor,
running his fingers through his hair.

“
Slow down before you wear a hole in
my floor,” Sofie barked.

“
I cain't, Sofie. Annie, we got to
get out of here now. Someone ratted on us. Word on the street is
Big Ed is coming here with three of his goons. They figure on
killing you and me on sight.

Sofie, Big Ed knows you helped us.
You got to get out of here and lay low a few days until Big Ed
cools down.” Jake ran his fingers through his hair again and took a
deep breath.

Sofie grunted. “I spect it will take
more than a few days to get Big Ed off our backs. When you two
upset that mean son of a gun you did a good job of it.

You don't have to tell me twice. You
two try to stay safe. Annie, get some more rest if you can and be
careful not to start that wound bleeding again. You ain't near
healed. Now I'm out of here.” Sofie grabbed her wool coat and scarf
off a peg on the wall and headed for the back door.

She opened the door and peeked out
then slipped away into the night, leaving the door wide open. Big
Ed was a bigger fear to her right now than the rats.

Chapter 13

Annie lifted her legs off the couch
and wavered back and forth as she sat up. “Jake, where did my gun
end up?”

“
I put it in your jacket pocket,
hanging on that peg.” He pointed to the wall behind Sofie's
recliner. The denim jacket was beside the empty peg Sofie's coat
had been on. “Where you think you're going to be able to hide in
the condition you're in?”

“
In that storm drain I told you
about. That's where we was headed when I got shot. Come on,” Annie
said, standing up. She wobbled and grabbed Jake's arm until her
head quit spinning.

Slowly, Jake led Annie through the
kitchen to the door. He peeked outside, and thanked Mother Nature
for the moonless night. “Not a soul in sight as far as I can see.
As dark as it is, if I cain't see them, they cain't see us. Let's
go.”

Annie stepped outside and stopped to
look around for herself. Jake grabbed the door knob to quietly ease
the door shut. She put her hand over his on the knob. With humor in
her voice, she asked, “Do you think we should slam the door for
Sofie to keep the rats away until she comes back?”

Jake shook his head. “Nope, I don't.
Unless you want to let the neighborhood know we just left so you
can get shot again. Now come on.”

He tugged on her arm with a tight
grip and then grabbed her around the waist to make sure Annie
stayed on her wobbly feet. As much as they could they kept in the
shadows of the buildings. Soon they came to an undeveloped lot full
of scrubby trees.

When they reached the spot Annie
wanted, she pushed bush branches out of the way. She sank to her
knees and crawled into the dark metal hole. She heard scuffling
sounds of a fairly large animal and hoped it was fleeing out the
other end of the tube.

When the tube was suddenly quiet,
Annie's voice sounded like a hollow echo as she called back out of
the storm drain, “Come on in, Jake. Join me.”

She took a deep breath and let it
out while Jake bellied in. “Whoee, that walk about done me in. I'm
not going to be fit to move out of here for a day or two yet I
reckon.”

Jake grunted. “I didn't figure you
would be. I'm surprised you walked this far on your own power,” he
said softly. He rubbed his arms. “It's dang chilly in
here.”

“
That it is. The metal radiates the
cold I reckon,” Annie surmised, shivering.

“
Annie, snuggle up close to me,” Jake
said as he pulled her to him.

They curled up together to keep warm
and dozed off, feeling they were as safe as they were ever going to
get until something permanent happened to Big Ed.

When daylight lit the storm drain,
Annie opened her eyes. She stretched and that woke Jake up.
“Morning, Annie.”

“
Morning, Jake,” she answered as she
wiggled away from his arms.

“
What do we do now?” Jake asked,
raising up to rest his head on his elbow as he looked at
her.

“
I don't rightly know. If we leave
here in the daylight, we're bound to be sighted by someone that
will tell Big Ed.

If we're too far from this hiding
place, he or someone he's paid is gonna try to kill us before we
can get back here to hide,” Annie reasoned.

“
Sure will,” Jake
agreed.

“
I don't even remember for sure where
I left my shopping cart. Do you know where it is?” Annie
asked.

“
You left it back where that drunk
guy shot you. I couldn't carry you and push it in the hurry I was
in. I had to leave it there and my sack, too,” Jake said. “I went
back for the cart and my knapsack on my first night out, but they
had disappeared. Maybe we'll find your shopping cart sitting in an
alley somewheres when it's safer to look for it.”

“
Don't matter none now. Everybody and
his brother has helped themselves to our good loot, including my
jewelry box I reckon. Guess there's no hurry about looking just
yet,” Annie said with regret for the loss of her stash in her
voice. “I just hope that cart's stubborn wheel locks up but good or
falls completely off for whoever stole my cart.”

Jake chuckled. “Maybe that rat trap
hid in the stuff will break a few fingers for their thieving
efforts.”

“
Nah, reckon not,” Annie said as she
looked away.

“
How come?” Jake shot
back.

“
Cause there wasn't a rat trap in the
cart,” Annie admitted.

“
You lied to me about that. Why?”
Jake looked hurt. “Aw, Annie, you sure don't act like you're all
that fond of me,” he said sourly.

“
I had good reason to lie to you
since I didn't want anyone to know I had my gun. It was hidden in
my jewelry box in the bottom of the cart. I didn't want you going
through my stash and find the gun. At the time, you were too dad
burn interested in that jewelry box. I wanted to scare you off,”
Annie explained. “I'm sorry I wasn't truthful. It won't happen
again.”

“
In that case, you're forgiven,” Jake
said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

By noon, their stomachs took turns
growling. Annie wrapped her arms around her middle and held on
tight. “I sure wish I had one of those good doughnuts. I'd even
split it with you.”

“
You are so thoughtful to share one,”
Jake said snidely. “But first, we'd have to make it to the doughnut
shop without getting caught by Big Ed. There's not much chance of
us being able to do that in the daylight.”

“
It might be worth it for half an
iced doughnut,” Annie said wistfully. “I'm starving, and I know you
are. I can hear your stomach growling from over here.” She got on
all fours and crawled to the opening to look passed the bushes. No
sign of anyone near by. She looked back. “I'll bring the doughnut
back here to split it with you.”

Jake groaned as he grabbed her right
cowboy boot. “Wait a minute. I can't let you go off alone wounded
like you are. You might wear out before you get to the bakery and
won't be able to make it back. You would be bound to fall flat on
your face where Big Ed can find you. You know that, don't
you?”

“
Aw shucks, I'm feeling much better.
Just weak from hunger. We got to get something to eat, Jake,” Annie
declared.

“
You're crazy for wanting to go out
there.” Jake paused to think a moment. “I'm crazy for doing this,
but what the heck. I'm coming with you to really watch your back
this time. I have enough money to buy two iced doughnuts. I don't
figure on splitting one. I'm so hungry I want my
own.”

Annie grinned. That was just what
she hoped Jake would say.

Chapter 14

Jake and Annie slipped through the
back alleys to the park. They stayed in the shade of the trees,
edging from one tree to the next and angled toward the
bakery.

They looked cautiously both ways
before they crossed the street and rushed to the store. Annie went
inside this time and watched out the store front window while Jake
paid for the doughnuts. He nodded at Annie that they could go and
handed her a sack.

Once they were outside, Annie asked,
“We going back to the storm drain before we eat the
doughnuts?”

“
Nah, I'm so hungry I can't wait that
long. We might as well go to our usual doughnut eating spot in the
alley. We can go back to the storm drain later. After the sun goes
down, it will be safer moving about without being spotted,” Jake
decided.

They edged around the building to
the alley and sit down with their backs against the store wall.
Quickly, they opened their sacks and pulled out their
doughnuts

Annie held her doughnut close to her
nose savoring the moment, hoping the doughnut was as good as it
looked. It was warm and iced. Couldn't beat that with a
stick?