Sweetwater (Birdsong Series) (12 page)

“They sure do make a cute couple, don’t they Patty?” Dora
mused. “Now, I only have to worry about you.” She laughed.

Patty gave the older woman a bump with her hip and giggled,
“It won’t do any good, Dora. You and Whiskey are stuck with me . . .forever!”
She laughed and stuck out her tongue for emphasis.

“I don’t have a proper ring to give you, sweetheart, but the
next time I get into town, I’ll buy you the best one I can find. I’m not poor,
Cassie. I want to spoil you and buy you everything you’ve ever wanted. In the
meantime,” he struggled with the ring he wore on his little finger. “This is
our family ring. All the men wear one. I’d like to leave it with you.
Naturally, it is too large for your dainty finger, but would you agree to wear
it around your neck?”

“It’s lovely, Adam. I’d be proud to wear it. And you don’t
have to buy me anything. I have everything I want, in you. Kiss me again.
Please.”

“I’d be happy to oblige, ma’am.”

The handsome soldier took his woman in his arms and kissed
her long and hard, stealing her breath away and making her feel lightheaded.
Her knees grew weak as tears rolled down her cheeks from sheer happiness. It
was heavenly to be held in his strong arms, knowing he felt as she did.

“I won’t be gone long, sweetheart. Think of me while I’m
away. I hate to leave you,” he whispered, as he nuzzled her soft blonde curls,
“even for a little while.” Then regretfully, he released his hold on her,
promising to return in six days.

“Stay safe,” she called to him, as she watched him ride away
to the far edge of town, not once looking back. He rode a horse well, sitting
tall in the saddle. He was as handsome as any man could possibly be, and he
was all hers. She had never been so elated—or so sad—in her entire
life. With stars in her eyes, she slowly entered the hotel, telling herself
that someday, he wouldn’t have to ride away. They’d be together, always,
forever and ever. She was in love, and that made all the waiting bearable.

* * *

Emily struggled in vain, against the ropes that tied her
securely to the rickety chair. She strained against the filthy rag her
stepfather had stuffed into her mouth to silence her voice. Thanks to the blow
from his heavy knife handle, her head felt as if it were splitting down the
middle, causing great difficulty in focusing her eyes. She tried to think of a
way to get free, but it was useless. It took all her strength to avoid getting
sick while gagged, and possibly choking to death. Lucas certainly wouldn’t
come to her aide.

“She was a slut, you know. Yer precious ma was no damn
good.” Lucas slurred his vicious attacks against Emily’s mother. He’d been
drinking for hours. “Yer her blood and you got that dirty part in you. I’m
gonna cash in, while I can, ‘fore you get old and ugly like she did. She
weren’t worth a plug nickel by the time she died.”

Emily didn’t want to listen to the hateful man, but she had
no choice. She knew that her mother had given up on life even before she took
up with Lucas. He was her last hope of a normal life and he had proven to be
the worst of the lot.

When she closed her eyes, she could still hear her mother
cry out in the night, after suffering a severe beating from her husband. In a
drunken rage, he’d broken her arm and knocked out more than one tooth.

He also took great pleasure in disciplining the children.
Dusty was so frightened of the man, he would stay gone for days at a time,
knowing that when he eventually returned home—which he always
did—he’d suffer a worse beating. Although Emily was small for her age,
being four and five years old, she was his personal slave. He’d yell for her
to fetch this, hunt for that, gimme it. When she was too slow to do his
bidding, he’d cuff her up along side of her head. Once, he turned her over his
knee and spanked her bottom, remarking on what a fine little butt she had.

“That brat, what killed your ma, weren’t mine. She’d lay
with anythin’ in trousers. Damn good thing it killed her. Saved me the
trouble from drownin’ ‘em both.” He took a good long swig from the jug resting
on his lap. He wiped his wet lips on his dirty sleeve and belched loudly and
proudly.

“You thought you was too good for the likes of me, so you
ran off, but I showed you and those old busy bodies you lived with. I hope it
taught you a lesson, missy. You ain’t never gonna be able to outthink me,
little girl. And if you bring other folks into yer problems, you’ll just get
them killed, too. Was it worth it?”

Emily knew what he said wasn’t true, but it was close
enough. She couldn’t stifle the sob that tore from her throat. The tears
overflowed her eyes spilling onto her blouse. Sam and Alice had been so kind
to her. They weren’t afraid of her stepfather and had paid for it with their
lives. Maybe what he said was true.
“Dear
God,”
she prayed,
“don’t let Blake
get hurt because of me.”

The drunk started laughing and coughing at the same time.
He looked as if he could pass out at any moment. But, he stubbornly went on.

“I’m finally gonna get what’s mine. You own that fine hotel
ever’body talks about. That means that you got plenty o’ money, I reckon. I’m
gonna ransom you off for five thousand dollars. Yep, that’s about right, I
figure.”

She shook her head, no. It was ludicrous for him to think
she had that kind of money. If she did, she’d rather he shoot her dead than
give him one dollar. Her hatred for this man far surpassed any other emotion
she had ever felt.

Lucas stared at the beautiful brunette struggling with her
ropes and laughed. “You are mighty luscious, Emily,” he licked his fat, wet
lips. “You’re good enough to eat, fer sure. Too bad I need the money, or I’d
have me a taste o’ you and compare you to yer ma.”

How much was she going to have to endure, she wondered? His
comments were making her sick to her stomach, while filling her with an
uncontrollable rage. If she had her hands on a gun, she would, without a
doubt, kill him, just to shut his mouth.

He took another long drink and sighed with satisfaction. “I
ain’t stupid, girlie, no matter what you may think. I reckon you ain’t got the
full five thousand, but yer friends will be able to raise it, I’m a thinkin’.
And they will, too, cause they love you. Ha! They don’t know the
real
you, do they, sugar pie?” He
scratched his belly and placed the jug on the floor while he stood up. I gotta
take a piss. Don’t go nowhere, eh?” He chuckled to himself as he kicked open
the rear door and disappeared into the darkness.

Now was her chance, Emily thought.
“Please, oh please,”
she prayed and begged as her bloodied fingers
tore at the ropes. She managed to tip the chair over, but she landed on her
hands, making it even more impossible to loosen the infernal knots. She was
still wriggling and struggling when her captor returned.

With one swift and powerful move, he righted her chair and
cuffed her across her already swollen face. “Where the hell do you think yer a
goin’, missy?”

He was standing too close. His dark, cold eyes clouded over
as he drooled down one corner of his mouth. Unsteady on his feet, he leaned
toward Emily, smelling of her hair. Suddenly, he took his fat tongue and
licked up the side of her cheek, making her skin crawl and her stomach hurl.
She couldn’t help it. Vomit filled her mouth and forced the nasty rag out, and
onto the man’s repugnant face. He hollered in disgust, as he was covered in
her filth and bile. Lucas threw a hand over his mouth as he damn near lost the
contents of his own stomach, and ran for the door.

Emily would have laughed had the situation she found herself
in, been less dire. She knew that when he returned, she would be severely
punished. He was very drunk, but that wouldn’t curb his need to inflict pain
on someone smaller and incapable of defending herself.

“You bitch!” he growled. His eyes were red and wet from his
obvious retching outside the shack. His shirt was stained and sour smelling,
causing Emily’s eyes to water. He reached down, causing her to flinch in
anticipation of the fist she expected to land in her stomach, but that was not
his intention. His fingers grabbed the front of her blouse and gave it a quick
pull, sending buttons flying in all directions. Groping again, he tore at her
chemise, exposing her breasts to his lust filled eyes.

“Ooh, mighty pretty, missy. You sure look good. I think
I’ll have just a taste.”

The door opened and a very surprised Dusty walked in.
“What’s going on, Lucas? What’s she here for, and why is she all tied up?”
His face was filled with the revulsion he felt at seeing his beautiful sister
tied up and obviously being abused by his crazy stepfather. “What the hell
have you done?” he yelled, as he rushed to Emily’s side. He reached around to
fumble with the knots. “Let her go, old man!”

Dusty didn’t hear Lucas come up from behind him until it was
too late to defend himself. A beefy fist landed just above his kidney,
knocking him to the floor. It was quickly followed by a boot to his stomach,
repeatedly. The young man had no chance of fighting back. Soon, he was
unconscious and incapable of helping his sister.

“Stop it! You’ll kill him!” Emily screamed.

“It wouldn’t be no big loss. I ain’t gonna share the loot
with him, noways. I’ve been thinkin’ of goin’ it alone fer some time now, and
now’s as good a time as any, I guess. Where was I?” He smiled at Emily,
imagining all the things he was going to do to her. Of course, he wouldn’t
harm her in a way that would detract from her value.

“You been with a man, daughter?” he demanded to know, as he
held her face tightly, between his thumb and forefinger.

Emily shook her head.

“I can tell if you’ve spread yer legs. I advise you not to
lie to me, girl.”

“No. I’m still pure.” Emily held out hope that perhaps he
wouldn’t defile her in that way, knowing she was an innocent.

“Pure, hell!” He spit on the floor. “Ain’t no woman pure.
You’re all of the devil and no good.” The big man started to weave back and
forth from too much alcohol and excitement. “I’ve got to lie down fer a
minute, then I’ll get to you, girlie. Don’t try nothin’ foolish.” He
practically stumbled to the pallet on which he slept, hidden in one corner of
the room.

Five minutes or so passed, before Emily noticed Dusty moving
very slowly and carefully, at her feet. Putting a finger to his lips, he
looked back at the old man. Lucas seemed to be resting his eyes, or if they
were extremely lucky, he had passed out. Upon his knees, Dusty finished
untying the knots, letting the ropes drop silently to the floor.

Dusty’s eyes asked Emily if she could make it? She nodded,
and the two of them, slowly stood up, their eyes never leaving the sleeping
man. Quietly, they stepped ever closer to the door, taking extra pains not to
make a sound. It seemed to Emily that the beating of her heart was loud enough
to wake the dead, and that included Lucas.

The latch on the door was old and rusty, as were the hinges.
It would make noise—but would it be enough to alert Lucas? Dusty
released the latch and it clicked in place, the hinges creaked upon opening
and, sure enough . . . the monster had been awakened.

“Arrrgh!” He came flying off his pallet, fists grasping at
air, reaching for them, trying to crush their escape. He fell and stumbled
over the chair, but still, he plunged forward.

Emily screamed from the top of her lungs as she left the
little room behind her and the cold night air assailed her senses. Her heart
was soaring at the freedom she felt. Her brother was right behind her, holding
back his steps to protect her. They ran until they thought their lungs would
burst, but still the old man gained distance on them.

Emily knew Dusty could outrun Lucas, but she could not, and
he chose to stay with her. At that moment, she remembered all the times that
the little boy, so frightened of his big and angry stepfather, covered up for
her and took her beatings. He would lie for her and try to distract Lucas from
his daily abuses. Suddenly, she knew that she loved her brother—always
had.

“Run Emily! Don’t stop! I’ll . . .ugh.”

Emily heard his gasp, followed by deep vile curses. “No,”
she cried. Without turning around, she knew that Lucas had caught up to Dusty.
She prayed her brother would be all right.

Just then, she saw a miracle. A tall soldier riding hell
bent for leather, coming directly at her. Before his horse came to a complete
halt, he flew off his saddle and pulled his revolver. Emily fell to the
ground, as he aimed directly at the old man’s atrophied heart.

Emily was suddenly confused. What was happening? The gun
fired, but went high, up into the air. The soldier fell to his knees and was
simply staring at her. Another explosion tore through the air and Lucas
screamed in agony, as he turned and fled into the darkness. Emily’s entire
body was shaking so hard that her teeth were in danger of shattering, making it
impossible to speak.

Blake quickly surveyed the scene. He had passed the young
stranger, lying face down on the railroad track. He was beyond his help, with
a mortal knife wound to the side of his neck. He wanted to run to Emily, but
she didn’t appear to be seriously wounded—unlike the young soldier, still
on his knees.

“Adam,” Blake said softly. “I’m here. We’ll get you fixed
up, but I need to get you to my office. Can you get on your horse?”

The soldier nodded.

“Good. You’ve got a knife wound and it looks serious, but
don’t you worry.” He helped Adam onto his saddle, and then returned for Emily.

He gently pulled her dress together, and tied the torn
fabric into a knot. It covered her well enough. “Emmie, you’re going to have
to walk back with us. Adam’s hurt pretty bad and I’ve got to give him medical
attention. Come on, now. I know you can do this. You’re so very brave.” He
smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose for confidence.