Turning her thoughts away from Honor she once again thought of Morgan, it had been fun, and if she ever indeed were in Carson City again in the near future she would surprise him with another rendezvous. In the end, however, as fine as he was, he was not him. If only he could be him, no matter how crazy, how wrong, how impossible it was, if only he could be him!
Cassie’s raised voice was finally able to penetrate through Lijuan’s thoughts and she gave a start and turned to see Cassie looking at her with a concerned puzzlement.
“Glad you could rejoin me, sister! Where was your mind at? All the way back to China it seemed like!”
Back to China? True she had been born there but, of course, had no memories of it as Whip had whisked her back to America to be raised with her two older siblings from Whip’s first wife, the late Kelly Wilde. Someday she promised herself she would see that far off and mysterious land.
"I'm fine. Just looking at that distant valley wall, wondering if there is a way inside the valley from that end."
“Most likely. Most valleys do have more than one way to get in and out.”
Trying to get reoriented, Lijuan continued by asking, “What were you saying before that I missed?”
Pointing downward Cassandra said, "Take a gander down there to the left of those charred ruins, looks like a woman I see standing out there."
Shielding her eyes from the sun, Lijuan looked down towards what was left of a destroyed homestead on the banks of the Sweetbriar. There indeed appeared to be a figure in a dress, but they were too far away to make out much. Cassandra was just about to pull out the binoculars she traveled with, but Lijuan was already kicking Kong into motion. For an instant she shook her head at her sister’s impulsiveness as she would have preferred to get a closer look before heading down but that was Lijuan for you and she was used to her nature, so she quickly followed.
Their steeds carried them down the rise and in no time at all the pair found themselves at the homestead. It was clear this place had been burned as opposed to dynamited like some other structures they had seen along the way since leaving the Cody Holmes’s farmstead. The thing that was different here was it looked like it was not entirely fresh. Cassandra’s analytical mind took over and suspected why.
“Given how close this place was to the river it was probably the first place Rey Lobo hit when he started his war on the people of this here valley.”
She continued to gaze around, idly noting the homestead had its own well, which she found mildly curious given how close to the creek it was.
Riding around to the back of the house, the two exchanged a laugh to see that their rush was unfounded. The figure turned out to be a dress still hanging on a clothesline, abandoned when the homesteaders were chased off. Next to it hung a bonnet, some stockings, an old blanket, and a woman's petticoat.
“I’m betting this was a lovely place. They would have had a beautiful view of the creek out their windows. What a shame. I really want to know why Lobo is doing this!” her voice was one of bitterness.
“The answer lies across that creek, golden girl. Let’s take a pull on our canteens and then ride hard until we find this place and smoke us out a wolf.”
She nodded, and the two unscrewed the caps of the canteens and took very substantial drinks from them. With that done they guided their horses towards the water's edge. Cassandra looked over at her sister.
“We’ll let Lily and Kong get their fill too since we are about to be pushing them a might hard.”
Arriving at the edge of the creek the pair dismounted and led them into the stream. It was very shallow, just over their ankles in most places.
Patting her trusted mount’s head Cassandra softly cooed, “Drink up Lily girl. You are about to earn your keep.”
Familiar with her master’s requests, the Missouri Trotter bent its muzzle down and had barely taken a drink before jerking her head back away from the water. Lijuan’s horse Kong wouldn’t even put his nose down towards the water and seemed skittish.
“Hey now! What’s the matter with these two?”
“Not sure.” Cassandra frowned as she bent down on her haunches careful not to go too low lest she get her behind soaked by the Sweetbriar and cupped her hands. A moment later she raised it to her mouth. Just as quickly she spit it back out.
“Try it, Lijuan!”
Lijuan turned one side of her mouth up in a crooked smile, “Spitting it out is hardly a ringing endorsement of how good it is.”
Cassandra put her hands on her hips and shot Lijuan a look of command. Lijuan grinned at it, happy that it could amuse her now. There had been a time in her life as children when Cassie had often used that stance to push around the shy, timid child she had once been. A second later she was spitting it out too.
“What the hell, Cassie?!” her face was twisted in outright disgust.
“Sure tastes funny now doesn’t it? Seems to explain why they have their own well … I wonder …"
She didn’t finish her thought but instead took her canteen and emptied it only to replace it with the creek water.
“Why the hell are you doing dumping all your water for this horse piss?”
Cassandra winked at her. "Don't worry. I'll share yours. I want Honor Elizabeth to try it."
Her sister belted out a laugh, “Now look. I know Honor can be a trial at times but making her drink this seems-”
Lijuan's joke never reached its conclusion when the stillness was interrupted by the sound of two vultures cawing at each other. The women's heads snaked downstream, and their eyes fell on something too small to have been seen from the rise.
“Oh, hell, Cass!” she breathed.
Hastily they led the horses to the other side of the stream and tied them to a sapling before racing on foot up the creek where two vultures were fighting and cawing at each other. Both were perched on the shoulders of a beaten and bloody man who had been lashed to a makeshift cross. From around his neck was a crudely written sign.
THIS VALLEY BELONGS TO THE FAMILY
VILLANUEVA. COME FURTHER AND ONLY DEATH
LIES AHEAD. LET THIS SERVE AS YOUR
FINAL WARNING.
LOS REY LOBO
Fighting the bile that rose up in her throat, Cassandra spat, “Those bastards!”
The Wilde sisters were not people who frightened easily, but both gasped when the man they had assumed was dead slowly opened his eyes and made a gurgling sound.
“He’s alive!” Lijuan hollered, her voice traveling far up the length of the Sweetbriar.
Springing into action, she seized her blacksmith's hammer from her belt and tossed it at one of the vultures knocking it from the man's shoulder. The other took flight, squawking its protest. As Lijuan went to retrieve her hammer from the brush, Cassandra was using a small knife to cut the man free. Gently, she eased him to the ground.
“Lijuan! Double time back to Kong and get your canteen!”
Lijuan nodded and raced off as Cassandra turned to the man and used her handkerchief to wipe some of the dried blood away from his face.
“Can you hear me? Nod if you can,” she implored.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the man nodded, his bleary eyes trying to focus in on her face.
“Again, if you’re Bert Stoddard.”
The man shook his head with more vigor. Just then Lijuan arrived with the canteen, and Cassandra gently fed Stoddard the water. He had difficulty getting it past his blistered and cracked lips, but it put a small spark back in his eyes. It wasn’t much, but it was an improvement.
Lijuan leaned in, “Can you talk at all?”
In a voice that was beyond raspy, Stoddard managed to get the word "yes" out.
“Did you find him? Did you find Los Rey Lobo at the old mission?
With more effort, the man croaked out another yes to the sisters.
"Did you find why he's doing this?" Lijuan pressed as the women locked eyes with each other. "That can wait. More importantly, we need to know what we are
facing. Mr. Stoddard, we're going to stop Rey Lobo. How many men does he have on his side?"
Drawing some reserve strength deep within him he fought to grab her collar, "You womenfolk … don't … go … there … at least … ten to fifteen men there … will be double when … she gets back …."
She hated to push him as her heart ached knowing he wasn’t long for this world, but she had to know. “She? Who is she? Back from where?”
Struggling even more than he was before, he still tried to speak. "The count … the … count …” The man’s eyes rolled back in his head, but he forced them to fix on Cassandra’s face one final time. “Don’t go … wind up … like … me …! Or worse …”
With no warning, his head lolled to the side, and grimly Cassandra lowered him to the sand along the Sweetbriar Creek.
“What was he trying to say? Count something?”
Cassandra shook her head. “We may never know. He told us as much as he could.” She reached out touched one of Lijuan’s hands. “We’re going to need that blanket back at the homestead. We’ll pin it down with rocks over the body. Not leaving a brave man like this at the mercy of those vultures.”
A few minutes later the deed was done, and the pair stood over the body solemnly. Slowly Cassie turned and put her hands on Lijuan’s shoulders.
Lijuan looked at her mystified. “Cassandra?”
“Little sister, you aren’t going to like what I’m about to say next.”
“Then don’t say it!”
“Lijuan …”
“What is it?”
There was no point in mincing words, so Cassandra steeled herself for the explosion that was to come.
“I have to go on after Rey Lobo myself.”
Lijuan flung Cassandra's arms away from her shoulders. "Are you out of your mind?! He just said there are ten or more men there, and maybe double that soon. You're good, but you aren't going to hold your own against that many!"
Lijuan did not disappoint. Cassandra sighed, “I’m not going in there with guns blazing. I’m going to infiltrate his compound and position myself as a Trojan horse if you will. I can’t do it with you. I’m sorry, but you will just make them suspicious!”
The already heated Lijuan was boiling over now. “Because I look so out of place? Sorry, I can’t help it if I’m Chinese!”
“I didn’t say it was fair! Of course, it isn’t, but it’s our only play here.”
“If you were always planning on going it alone then why did you even bring me along in the first place?!” Lijuan demanded and Cassandra couldn’t blame her for doing so.
“Because I figured you could create one hell of a distraction of diversion and I could slip into the mission unseen and do a little spying. But after hearing those numbers there’s no need for me to snoop around and try to determine how many we would be up against. Those are bad numbers Lijuan. Bad enough that I must change my approach and go with this Trojan horse plan. I sure as hell still need your help. Lijuan you must hightail it back and get Catalina, Washburn, and his men. We’ll need them to foil Los Rey Lobo if he’s got that many men. I’ll get inside there, and I’ll be in a position to stir up a hornet’s nest that will soften things up for an attack.”
“How are you going to even get in there?” she huffed.
“I’ve already got an idea. You know undercover is natural for me.”
Lijuan paced back and forth at the edge of the creek before she stopped, crossed her arms and jutted her chin in the air. “I can’t believe you are asking me to ride off and leave you alone to face them. I don’t want to come back here and find you staked out!”
She loved her sister so much at that moment, but Cassandra knew she would have to be firm. "You have to get going. Now, this was a half hour ride from Cody's. Ride fast, and from there you can probably make it to Cattie in about an hour. Say it takes a half to mount up and get moving. I don't think this old mission will be too far away. We can have this all wrapped up in about five hours, but you have to go!"
Lijuan resumed pacing back and forth now and Cassandra looked on waiting for her sister to either comply or be the hellcat that she was and continue arguing. Finally, she stopped and yanked out her hammer, slamming it against a nearby tree leaving quite the indentation in the trunk.
“Oh, you bitch! I hate it when you make sense!”
Cassandra laughed and held out her arms and the pair embraced.
"Be careful in there, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do," Lijuan whispered.
“Well, that leaves me a lot of latitude, doesn’t it?” Cassandra said grinning.
Letting go Lijuan looked up into her sister’s face. Their relationship as children had been so strained and complicated; now it was simply one of love.
“I’m serious. You know I want to be right there next to you. You damn well better be careful … you know … I do kind of … love you after all.”
“And I you, Lijuan. Five hours and we’ll have the Wolf King either on his way to jail or a dirt nap. Either one works for me!”
A few minutes ticked by as Cassandra watched Lijuan mount up and ride off. Lijuan had insisted Cassandra take the canteen with the good water in it, as it was not certain how long the way to the mission would be, though Cassandra believed it would be close by. She wasn’t going to argue with Lijuan. She was just relieved she had accepted her plan.
As Lijuan grew smaller, Cassandra looked at her wistfully. She loved that woman so much, and it was her cross to bear that as children she had been horrible to Lijuan.
The jealousy had started the moment their father Judge William Henry "Whip" Wilde, then a lieutenant in the navy had returned to America having been presumed lost at sea off the coast of China. Whip did not come alone. With him was an exotic infant whom he announced to five-year-old Cassandra and three-year-old Dutch as their younger sister.
Cassandra always tried to rationalize that immaturity and a five-year-old went hand in hand, but it didn't change the pain she had caused Lijuan. She refused to believe the girl was really her sister. As the children grew she finally accepted it as fact, but that didn't change. Lijuan craved approval from her older sister, and it had been hers to give, but she had refused. To this day Cassandra was deeply ashamed of the distance and even cruelty she had inflicted on Lijuan.
A day had arrived when Lijuan was twelve, and things came to an explosive head. It, however, had been the start of the healing between the two, and now Cassandra couldn't ever imagine a life without Lijuan in it. She would indeed have loved to have her next to her at the mission, but it just wasn't an option.
Putting past and present regrets aside, she briefly returned to the opposite side of the shore and made her way to the clothesline. She snatched the bonnet off from the line and then looked at the dress. It had been out in the elements for some time and had faded, but she determined it to be wearable.
Quickly she stripped out of her blouse and trousers and wriggled into the dress. Cassandra couldn't help but groan at how tight it was. So snug against her body, it wasn't ideal for the intention to pass herself off as a schoolmarm. Still, there was nothing she could do about it, so she slipped on the stockings, ignoring the underwear, and donned the bonnet. With her own clothes in a saddle bag, she mounted Lily.
In short order, she had found the signs of where the riders who had staked out the brave but unfortunate Bertram Stoddard had entered the river's edge after coming from the hills beyond the Sweetbriar.
However, unknown to her, Cassandra had been under observation even before Lijuan had departed. High up on one of the hills two men had just finished a partial excavation of an outcropping of rock on the orders of Rey Lobo. They had been alerted to the two women’s presence by their shouting upon discovering the gang’s grisly “warning.”
They had watched until the two women separated, one riding off and the other going to the ruins perched above the river bank to inexplicably change into clothes that had hung in what had once been the backyard of the dwell
ing. The two men argued back and forth as to what they should do.
The smaller of the men, Montgomery, had argued that their mission was excavation. Rey Lobo was going to want to know the results of this particular dig and it wasn’t up to them to worry about the trespassers.
Wilkes, a bull of a man wanted in two different territories for murder, was the smarter of the two, and he saw things differently. He argued that Rey Lobo had been adamant that anyone who got close to their hideout needed to be placed six feet under, no exceptions. The warning of the man who had dared to take them on at the mission and had received a beating of the ages should have been enough to deter any more emboldened settlers in the valley from continuing on.
Now, one of them was heading towards their operation. The other one, Wilkes was speculating, was likely heading back to stir up whoever remained in the valley with news of what had become of the man who had been beaten and staked out. It made sense to him, as that was what he would have done. No, this was something that cried out to be dealt with.
Angrily, Montgomery asked him what he wanted to do. Split up perhaps, each of them taking out one of the women. Wilkes shoved a plug of tobacco behind his lip and shook his head. There was no point in going after the one heading for the mission. If she was crazy enough to approach their lair, then it was a one-way ticket. He had little doubt that she would be dealt with once she got there.
Better they pursue the woman who had ridden off before she could make any trouble for them. True, she had a bit of a head start on them, but eventually, they would close the distance.
Leaning the pickax and shovel they had been using in their efforts up against the rock face, the pair were quickly on their horses, making their way down the hill, splashing mightily as they crossed the Sweetbriar. Soon the pair fell into a rhythm as they galloped after the petite brunette woman they had seen. Each was convinced it would be an easy kill. Unknown to them, they had just targeted the deadliest of four very dangerous women.
CHAPTER 8
It had been a long time since Lijuan had ridden Kong as hard as she had been over the miles between the Sweetbriar and the settlement of the Holmes siblings. Using dead reckoning, she guessed she had several miles still to go before she reached it where she would briefly update Honor Elizabeth. Thinking of her sister, Lijuan was confident that she knew Honor probably better than anyone alive.
Into The Lair 0f Los Rey Lobo: Wildes 0f The West (Half Breed Haven Book 9) Page 6
