By Kirsten Page
Copyright 1999
Cole was beginning to grow extremely anxious. Wayne had made no effort to contact him since this whole ordeal had begun. They were supposed to meet several days ago, but there had been no word. He could only assume that somewhere along the line the plans had been changed.
The first run that he made had been a failure, yet he had not been able to admit that he knew the mochila was empty. As much as he wanted to ring the neck of the man who had pulled that on him, he had to resist. They’re would be plenty of time to plot his revenge later. First he had to fulfill his end of the bargain.
After all, he and his comrades couldn’t begin counterfeiting documents, gold certificates, or bonds without the originals. The Pony Express was a guaranteed source for those items, and even better than that they would have information on Southern sympathizers. How sweet it would be to have wealth and the whereabouts of the slave owners that deserved nothing more than to be ‘removed’ from their positions.
“Teaspoon?” Buck came in quietly, fully respecting the silence that was filling the tiny office. They all just needed some time to recover and space to themselves.
Teaspoon looked up from his desk, and Buck tried not to stare, but he could see the reddened eyes of the older man. It was obvious that tears had resided there not that long ago. “What can I do for you?” He replied, his voice breaking slightly.
Buck began to wonder if perhaps he shouldn’t have come in the first place. Maybe it would be better not to say anything...still, they all needed to know. “I was wondering if you had discovered something about Cole. I’m afraid of what Kid’s going to do to him if he stays around here much longer.”
“We won’t have to worry about that,” he replied solemnly.
“What do you mean?”
Teaspoon took in a deep breath and felt his mouth go dry. “Kid’s leaving next week.”
One couldn’t have missed the bewildered look that formed on his face. Had he really heard him right? “I didn’t know,” he said softly, trying to take it all in.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Teaspoon had not given much thought to Cole working for them. He’d been too distracted to concentrate on the scheme that they had begun. Before Kid left, he needed to find out all that he could about the man that had come into their lives so undesirably.
These thoughts made him feel as if a fog had cleared and his mind was focused once again. He was not going to let their family fall apart like this...not when there hadn’t been any sense of resolution. “Buck, we need to act fast, there isn’t much time. Here’s what I want you to do...”
Lou was grateful when Wayne roughly forced her to sit in one of the chairs. Although it wasn’t her strong desire to be sitting surrounded by hooligan’s, she was pleased to be off of her aching legs. If she studied her surroundings carefully, perhaps she would be able to spot a method of escape.
Wayne went over to the bar to get a drink, and as he did so, he slapped the back of one of the men who was leaning against the counter in a daze. He began joking with him, and it was obvious that the man was quite surprised at his arrival.
Unsure of what was going on, Lou had nothing else to do but sit and observe. She turned in fright as she felt a hand on her shoulder. “What?” Wheeling to face the person who had dared to touch her, she was shocked to see a young girl standing behind her.
“May I talk to you for just a moment?” The girl’s black eye and bruised arm went well with the pale and lifeless tone of Lou’s skin. They both looked like two women who had walked through a horrendous battle and lost miserably.
Not knowing what else to say but ‘yes’ Lou motioned for her to take a seat. She insecurely looked over to see if Wayne was still occupied in conversation. He probably wouldn’t be to thrilled if he found her talking to anyone.
The girl took a seat gratefully, and folded her trembling hands. She tried to speak but her voice shook. Lou, sensing her great distress, leaned forward and tried to speak soothingly. “Is something wrong?”
Maddie looked into her eyes and saw the gentle nature of the woman before her. “I...I don’t know quite how to say this, but you’ve got to get out of here,” she said quickly trying to get rid of the terror flooded her memories at what had happened to her.
Lou couldn’t help but admire the young girl. She knew what it was like to be mistreated by men, and she figured that this young lady had more than likely shared some of that same experience. “I’d like to,” Lou whispered before checking to make sure that her ‘kidnapper’ was still preoccupied. “Do you know a way out?”
She shook her head, “No, but I think I might be able to help you. You really must get out of here before something terrible happens. It looks like you’ve already been hurt pretty bad...miss...?”
“Louise, and what’s your name?”
“Maddie, well actually Madeline, but around here it’s Maddie,” she raised her hand to her eye and wiped away the tear that had been lingering there, “I’d like to escape, so maybe if we work together we can find a way to get out of here.”
“How many times have I told you to stay away from anyone!” Came the horrifying yell of the man that both girls feared more than death. With one lunge, Wayne was across the room tearing the girl from the chair that she was sitting in. He pushed her back and pointed towards the stairs. “Get up there, and don’t ever come back down without my permission!”
Maddie had no choice but to do as instructed. She picked up her skirts, tripping on the first step, and looked once more at Lou. The two women exchanged brief nods, realizing that if they ever wanted to escape this place, they would most certainly have to work together from now on.
On to Chapter Sixteen
