The sun was setting when Henry stopped and told Lou to get off of the horse. Pains shot through her legs and her knees buckled when she first tried to stand up. "This is where we stop and wait." He said sliding off of the saddle.
"Wait for what"? Lou asked begrudgingly as she stretching her arms.
He chortled, "Money, and the chance to do some shootin'." He snickered and gathered the rope that was in his saddlebag. "Git over here." He motioned for her to come to him.
With obvious resistance she walked towards her captor. Stopping in front of him she pursed her lips and eyed him defiantly. "You don't really think you're going to get away with this do you. I've met some stupid men in my life, but none like you."
Henry's face flushed and before Lou knew what was happening he had reached up and knocked her across the side of the face. She stumbled and hit her cheek on a rock. It took her a couple of minutes to regain her bearings so that she could stand up again. Lou felt the side of her face, which was now sticky and wet. It throbbed something fierce.
"Don't you ever think you can back talk the Crawfords, woman!" He yanked her up and shoved her back to the ground. Thrusting her arms behind her, he tied them together and then bound her feet. "And I ain't joking!" He slapped her across the face again. Lou closed her eyes and turned away.
"You are a fool." She said to him, turning to face him once again.
"Yeah? Well I can teach you what fooling's really all about!" Reaching down he pulled out his gun and clicked back the hammer. "Don't push it." He snapped. She looked into his eyes with her bruised bleeding face and gave him no trace of fear. All of her body language told him to go ahead and shoot.
"Henry, don't. She ain't gunna get us the money dead." Bud pushed the gun down. Pointing his gun upward and releasing the trigger, Henry stomped away.
Bud watched him leave and waited until he was out of earshot. "That wasn't a very good idea. Henry's got himself a temper. He would've shot you."
Lou gazed at him. "You think he ain't anyway, even after he gets his money"?
Bud couldn't keep his eyes fixed on her and he walked away slowly. Taking a few steps forward he turned to face her again. "There's gunna be some shooting tomorrow. When Jake Dunn get's here, he'll take a piece of the action too."
She perked up. "Jake Dunn? As in the Marshal of Rock Creek? He's working for you!?"
"Any man will do anything for the right price. Why do you think I'm here"?
"Bud, it ain't like that. Your brothers haven't taught you about real life. People don't just go kidnapping for a livin'. There are other ways." Lou hoped that he was young enough to listen to her and have it really mean something. "You can still change."
He paused for a moment. "It's too late for me, Louise. I already got myself in this mess." Turning from her once again he walked away.
She leaned back trying to ignore the pounding in her head. The chilly desert breeze was starting to blow and she felt chills run through her body. Lou sat there trying to think of any possible situation that could be worse....but in her mind she couldn't think of one.
Cody had been holding his favorite position....leading the others, for the past few hours. Slowing down he looked back, "It's getting pretty dark out here."
"Yeah, I say we should stop. We're close enough to Carley point that we'll be there in no time tomorrow." Jimmy offered.
"OK, they why don't you boys gather some wood to make us a fire. It's getting a bit on the chilly side." Teaspoon rubbed his arms to animate what he was saying.
Gathering wood, they started a fire and gathered around it. Everyone leaned back against their saddles staring into the fire. Kid was the only one who sat up erect and was lost in his own thoughts fiddling with a twig.
"Well if you boys wanna stay up and chat, be my guest, I for one on the other hand, am gunna get some sleep." Teaspoon said placing his hat over his eyes. He rolled to his side and let out a deep groan. "Goodnight."
"Nite." They all chimed. With that Teaspoon didn't make another move.
They remained up for a while, occasionally talking about the past few years, or nothing at all. It was starting to get late when Cody decided sleep wasn't a bad plan. "Welp fellas, I'm beat....we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow so I'm going to turn in."
One by one they all agreed until Kid was the only one still up. As hard as he tried and as tired as he was, he just couldn't bring himself to go to sleep. Leaning back against Katy's saddle he looked up into the stars and listened to the sounds of the night trying to get his mind off of the scared sickness that was dwelling in his stomach. Lou, if something happens to you tomorrow, I'll never be able to live with myself.
"Aw man, I'd forgotten what sleeping on a rock felt like." Jimmy moaned as he sat up and straightened his hat. "I think I'm marked permanently now." He said, examining his now very sore shoulder.
Cody sat up and looked at his friend, "Well look on the bright side, at least it didn't leave a huge rock mark on your face. Then you'd be so ugly even I couldn't look at you."
Jimmy threw him a disgusted look, "It would take a lot more than a rock mark on my face to make me uglier than you are right now Cody." He motioned to Cody's head which was now a mass of matted hair that was sticking up everywhere. Feeling the top of his head he quickly grabbed his hat and changed the subject. "So what's our plan"?
Everyone who had now been awakened by the two bickering boys were sitting up waiting for an answer to that very same question. They all looked at Kid.
"Were you up all night"? Buck asked the statue of a man who sat staring at the ground, oblivious to those around him. It took him a few moments before the awareness that someone had spoken to him sank in.
"Hmm? Oh....yeah. Just thinkin." He looked around at his friends and gave them a brief smile.
Teaspoon slowly pushed himself up and walked around for a few steps to work off his stiffness. "I suggest we fix something to eat real quick and then be on our way."
"Way to where Teaspoon? They said they were going to kill her if anyone exceptin' Kid showed up. A'course we all know they're going to try to kill her anyway." If looks could strangle or murder, Cody would've been outa luck. Each one of their piercing eyes drilled right through his head clear to the other side. Kid threw down the hat that he had been toying with and walked away from the other's sight.
Jimmy turned to him, "Now that was about the smartest thing that's ever come out of your mouth, Cody."
"Can't you see he's hurting enough without you reminding him of how bad it is"? Buck threw one last jaded look at him before he got up and went after Kid.
After a few moments had passed Cody turned to Teaspoon, "Why is it every time I open my mouth to speak the truth everyone get's all upset"?
"Maybe it's because you don't know when to stop speakin' with that mouth a your's. Sometimes a man don't need to be reminded of what's right in front of him." With that Teaspoon went in search of something for all of them to eat.
Jimmy stood up to follow Teaspoon, but turned as he began to walk away. "You should listen to him. Might do you some good to hear what other's are saying before you decide what needs to be said for everyone else."
Buck found Kid watching the pink sunrise on the horizon. "You know Cody didn't mean to hurt you like that. He just doesn't think."
Kid jumped slightly and turned to face him, "He just talks too much. Always has, guess he's the type to never change." He paused for a moment. "Buck, he really didn't hurt me, I've been thinkin' about what he said all along."
Buck looked out at the different shades of oranges that were now appearing in front of them. Always take time to enjoy the rising sun, he remembered his dear Kiowa friend telling him. "Guess I haven't been doing that enough lately." He said aloud.
Kid turned, "Huh"?
Facing him Buck smiled, "Oh nothing, just thinking about an old friend." Giving Kid a firm pat on the back he slowly started back to their camp, but stopped long enough to voice his feelings. "Kid, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you that this isn't dangerous for Lou. We've been through some pretty rough times, and somehow I know we'll all come out of this one."
Nodding appreciatively, Kid began to follow him back.
"Bring her over here!" Henry yelled at Greg, who was carefully trying to shift Lou from her stiffened position. "Just drag her! We ain't got all day."
Grabbing Lou's arms Greg began pulling her across the sharp rocks and dirt. "I can walk on my own." Lou said groaning as he yanked her harder.
Henry brought his enraged face into her's, "Don't you ever shut up!? Or are you one of those stupid women"?
She looked up into his eyes with defiance and didn't give him the satisfaction of enraging her as he had hoped. He's just waiting for an excuse, so I ain't gunna give him one. "Could be." She replied.
Grabbing her arm he threw her down. Catching herself with the palms of her hands, she winced slightly at the pain of small jagged stones tearing into her skin. "I don't want to hear you speak or move!" He stomped away and stopped as Greg motioned for him. Lou tried to hear what they were saying.
"You can't be losin' your cool Henry. If you want to get that money, she's going to hafta be alive." Gregg whispered.
"Dag nabbit, you got all the answers don't you"? He exhailed quickly, "I just hope that marshal gets here. He and his men are late....if he ain't here, there won't be no money today." With that he walked away.
Lou gazed at the ground in front of her. So the marshal IS in on it.
On to Chapter Six