The Escort

by Gina Robinson

At thirty, Tonio had been practicing the art for eleven years, since learning how to blow up Ethiopian troops while serving in the Italian army. He further perfected his skill dynamiting for the railroad. He was practiced enough to be confident, mature enough to be cautious.

  Tonio left his campsite late Saturday afternoon in time to drop his dirty laundry off with the laundress before she closed. Then he met Charley Nokes for a drink at one of the local bars. Charley kept him apprised of the comings and goings of the town. The news was most often unsettling.

  The Western Federation of Miners had representatives in town stirring up trouble. Tensions mounted daily. Fist fights broke out. The two friends spent hours discussing the situation, each one speculating when new violence would erupt and what could be done that wasn't being done to abate the situation. Both men agreed that this was only the tip of the trouble.

  "The Colonel's got a new girl working at the Fuller." Charley always had news of a new female face around town.

  "I thought with the impending strike business had slowed. Did one of his waitresses quit?" Tonio took another swig of beer.

  "Nope. This girl is helping May in the kitchen, living with her, too. Comely gal. Newly widowed. Foreign—Italian like you. Name sounds like Angel."

  "Angelina?" Tonio nearly dropped his beer.

  "That's it! Sad tale. Came out to meet her husband only to find out that he died of a bad heart a couple of months ago. Lots of hard luck here in the Valley."

  Tonio gave a slight nod. His head spun with the implications. Angelina was free, but was he? He didn't need any connections that would give the thugs in the union a hold on him.

  Nokes made the shape of an hourglass with his hands. "Dark hair and eyes. Fine, a very fine woman. Even though she hides back in the kitchen, she's been attracting all sorts of attention. I've thought about throwing my own hat in the ring." Nokes chuckled. "What would my old man think if I brought home a sensuous, feisty little Italian bride?"

  "You don't have a chance in hell with her, Nokes. That woman is mine."

  Chapter 11

  Franco Allessandro is dead. My husband is dead.

  As Angelina lay in her bed at the Halls', exhausted by a good day's work, the thought reverberated through her mind so loudly it was almost audible.

  Mr. Allessandro had promised her land, a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres near a town called Harrison. He owned it outright, so he had boasted to Papa. Was it hers now? Was her marriage legal enough for her to claim it? Could she sell it, live on it, farm it? Who would know?

  She had to find out, but first she had to see Tonio, ached to see Tonio. Word had gotten round to Al that Tonio was back and holed up at the Hole, working sunup to sundown. What did it mean that he hadn't come to see her? She wondered if he knew that Mr. Allessandro was dead. Probably not. How would he? She would see him. She would tell him and hope for the best.

  The next morning, Angelina convinced Al to let her ride with him in the engine of his train to Burke. He dropped her off in the one-road town where his friend and partner, Gus Preston, took her to the mine. The sun baked the hills made for an unusually warm spring day.

  When they got to the mine, Gus handed Angelina a floppy felt hat. "You'll need to wear this. It'll keep your head dry. It's wet underground."

  Gus surveyed her as she pulled the hat on. He seemed uneasy about a woman going down into the mine. May was a partner but she kept books, Al had told her. She didn't go traipsing down the hole.

  "It's dirty and wet down there," Gus said. "People who aren't used to it feel claustrophobic at first."

  "Claustrophobic?" There were still many words she didn't know.

  "Fearful of small spaces."

  She nodded.

  He continued. "It's cool in the shafts near the surface, but it gets increasingly warmer the deeper you go. For your safety we won't go down far. I've sent Lou ahead to send Tonio up. Are you ready?"

  The mineshaft was exactly as Gus described it. Water dripped off the gray rock walls and echoed down the shafts, bland and unexciting. Nothing spoke of rich deposits of sparkling silver.

  The tunnel was tall enough for her to walk upright through, but smaller tunnels shot off in various directions. Underground, she lost her bearings and was thankful for Gus's guidance. The tunnel floor was uneven and potholed and littered with shafts of rock.

  "Core samples," Gus said. "We drill into the mine wall and pull out rock samples to send to the assayer. He tells us what we've got and if it's worth drilling farther in that direction."

  He stooped and picked one up to show her. "See this one? It's all light-colored stone. You could see better in the daylight." He held it closer to the lamp he held. "Nothing in this sample but layers of stone, no galena. You can see the striation, layers of different kinds of rock and clay. A geologist could tell you exactly how the land was formed from a sample like this."

  He continued walking, leaving Angelina vaguely depressed. Where was the galena Tonio sought?

  "Will you strike it rich, Gus? Will you find your mother lode?"

  He didn't pause for a second. "Absolutely."

  "You sound confident."

  "If I wasn't I wouldn't be in this venture. We'll find it. It's only a matter of time."

  They turned a small bend and descended farther. Angelina spotted Tonio just before Gus pointed. "There he is. Tonio! You have a visitor."

  Her breath caught in her throat. Would he be happy to see her?

  "Angelina," Tonio said.

  She couldn't read his tone. "Tonio."

  "I'll leave you two. I've got business up above. Give the lady a good tour, Tonio. Mrs. Allessandro, it was a pleasure." Gus tipped his hat and disappeared up the tunnel.

  Tonio wiped the sweat from his brow with the tail of his shirt. Another man would have been embarrassed by being caught half-naked and sweating. Not Tonio. "Angelina? What in…what brings you here? I hadn't expected to—"

  "See me again?" She stepped closer to him.

  Even in the dim light of the mineshaft, Angelina could discern the dark, piercing appraisal of his gaze. His shirt hung open, exposing a hard chest. Sweat glistened between the well-defined muscles of his chest and slid off his hard belly, creating a perfect curl of hair at his belly button. As always, she trembled slightly, felt the potent magnetic pull he had on her. Pleasure at the sight of him hummed through her. She could not help liking the disquieting effect he had on her.

  "I came with news." She resisted the urge to touch him, wanting desperately not to cry, longing to throw herself into the comfort of his arms. Yet he remained restrained, cautious, wary of her presence. But then he thought her married. "You aren't curious?"

  "I'm listening."

  Angelina heard water dripping off rock and the thudding of her pulse in her ears. Now at the moment of confession, her mouth went dry. She both needed and feared his reaction. "As it turns out, life has provided another irony. When we first met, I was a bride who had not met her bridegroom. And now it seems that I am a widow who never met her husband. Through an entire marriage, I did not know him, never saw him." She might have laughed. It all seemed so ludicrous, so vaguely funny.

  She didn't know what, exactly, she expected of Tonio's reaction. Certainly not the rock silent, unflinching stance he maintained.

  "How?"

  She wondered that he could speak in such a deep monosyllable, so low it seemed part of the depths where they stood.

  "He died at the mine, of a bad heart. No one knows more than that. The mine manager gave me his last two weeks of pay. And that is it. I am a free woman."

  He appeared unmoved by her presence. "Are we ever really free?" His question seemed rhetorical.

  Inside Angelina felt the panic swell. Had all that they experienced been merely lust? Would he abandon her here in a land where she had freedom but no idea how to exercise it? No support, no family? A cold sweat trickled down her back between her shoulder blades. Underneath Gus's floppy hat, she felt flushed and
fearful and suddenly claustrophobic, as if she had just remembered that she was supposed to be. Or maybe it was only the close proximity to the inscrutable Tonio.

  She touched his damp sleeve. "I need your help. Please." She didn't like to plead, especially not on the verge of tears. "I wouldn't ask but—"

  "Anything, Angel, anything," he said.

  She wanted to collapse in his arms, but his offer seemed to have nothing to do with that. "Mr. Allessandro said that he owned land in a place called Harrison. I need help finding out if this is true and if it is now mine."

  He nodded, thoughtful. "I have a friend, a lawyer, who keeps an office in Harrison part time. I'll give you his address and contact him for you if you like. John will know what to do."

  She nodded, uncertain what to do next, paralyzed by his reticence, determined not to make a further fool out of herself.

  He held out his hand to her. "Come. Let me show you the mine." He took her gently by her elbow. "I'll show you where I'm working today."

  "Gus explained about the galena. Tonio, show me the silver."

  Without speaking, he led her down a small, dark tunnel just off the main one she'd come down. He stopped suddenly near a pile of rock. "Here's our galena." He picked a rock up off the pile.

  She eyed it cautiously. "It doesn't look like anything. It doesn't shine or sparkle. How do you know it's silver?"

  "This isn't a gold mine, Angelina. Silver doesn't shine until it's smelted and polished." He held the rock up sideways to the lamp he carried, revealing a gentle sheen on the rock face. "Do you see the glisten of metal?"

  He didn't wait for an answer but pressed the rock into her hand. "Feel the weight of it—that's our ore." His eyes shone with excitement.

  The rock was heavy in her hand, much heavier than she expected from such a small sample.

  "That isn't a high grade rock. We've got better. Come, see what I've been working on." He led her to the wall and pointed to a small round hole.

  "We're going to blast this tunnel deeper. This is where I'm going to insert the dynamite." He picked up a hand drill, a long corkscrew shaped tool, and pushed it into the hole until it would go no farther. Then he grabbed a sledgehammer.

  "Hold the drill, Angelina. I'll swing the hammer. After each swing, rotate the drill slightly."

  She looked straight into his eyes and saw an intense excitement she'd never seen before. She faltered. "Me? I couldn't."

  "Come on." His voice became smooth and sensual, softly cajoling. "What better way to see how a mine works than to do a bit of the work? We'll drill the hole and set off the blast. I swear, you've never had such fun."

  He guided her hand to the drill, stroking her palm intimately with his finger as he did so. She hung on tremulously. He released her hand, stepped back, and picked up his sledgehammer. "Hold on tight and hold it steady. We don't want our hole to be crooked."

  She gripped the drill tightly, shying away from the swing of the hammer, hoping his aim ran true.

  Evidently seeing her discomfort, he laughed and called out. "Trust me, Angelina. I won't hit you." He cocked the hammer and swung.

  The chink of the hammer hitting the drill reverberated through the tunnel and sent shock waves down her arm.

  "Turn!" he yelled. "Don't look so frightened." He swung again.

  After the first few strokes, she calmed, but her fingers remained white as she clutched the drill. They worked as a fluid team. Swing, strike, turn. She watched in awe as his muscles tensed and rippled with each powerful stroke.

  All too soon he stopped and backed the drill out. "That's deep enough. Now the fun begins."

  She flexed her stiff fingers and stretched her arm, which still pounded with the vibrations of the sledgehammer hitting the drill. Tonio made last minute calculations.

  "What are we going to do next?" She was almost afraid to find out.

  "Set the blast. Get back up the tunnel and wait for me around the first bend." He sounded calm but a sharp edge of excitement tinged his voice.

  She stalled, uncertain. "Is this dangerous?"

  "Not if you know what you're doing." He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and pointed her toward the tunnel. "Now go. Up the tunnel and around the first bend. Flatten yourself against the wall and stay there. Wait for me. Do not under any circumstances move from that spot. I'll join you in a moment. And I guarantee you the biggest rush of your life."

  She did as Tonio bid, and waited for what seemed like an eternity, growing more apprehensive as she waited, listening to water drip off the rock walls. Finally, she determined that something must have gone wrong. She stepped cautiously out into the middle of the tunnel and then headed back in what she hoped was the right direction to find Tonio. "Tonio, is everything all right?"

  She rounded the bend in time to see Tonio detonate the charge. He started as he looked up and saw her standing there. He mouthed a curse as he sprang to his feet and ran toward her. She froze like a startled deer.

  "Run, Angel, run!" he yelled.

  Her feet remained grounded. He ran toward her at a furious pace. Without losing a step, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the ground, covering her with himself and cupping her ears protectively with his hands.

  The next moment everything blurred. A mighty roar reverberated through the tunnel, followed by a cloud of dust. Small pebbles and debris rained from the tunnel ceiling and walls.

  Tonio turned her face to his and in the height of the explosion covered her mouth with his in a deep, lunging kiss. His hands left her ears as he caressed her gently and intimately, fondling her breasts, exploring her curves.

  She felt as though she were exploding. For a moment she thought he was killing them both and this was his way of saying goodbye. Her fear heightened the excitement.

  He was whispering something in her ear. She strained to hear but couldn't in the noise, knowing he spoke by the gentle breath in her ear. The next moment it was over. The dust settled and Tonio pulled away, leaving her breathless and wanting.

  Her ears rang but not as loud as her heart, which soared with the thought that she hadn't lost him after all. She sat on the tunnel floor covered with dust, not caring at all. He stood and dusted himself off before offering her his hand and pulling her roughly to her feet. He spoke loudly, above the din in her ears. "You nearly got us killed, Angelina. I told you to stay in the tunnel."

  The words meant to sting brought only delight. He cared. For some reason he fought to remain aloof but the tenor of his words betrayed the true alignment of his heart.

  But he wasn't through with her. "Don't look at me like I'm some kind of hero. Gus is going to have my head for this. He has a high regard for women and safe mining practices."

  "Who's going to tell him?"

  "Look at yourself. No one has to tell him."

  "I'll tell him I fell and that you saved me. It's the truth, after all."

  He reached over and pulled her close to him so fast it took her by complete surprise. He spoke directly into her face. "You're free now, but I'm not. Not with the Valley being a virtual powder keg on the verge of exploding. Maybe not ever." He took her chin in his hand.

  "I have nothing to offer a wife—no fortune, just hard work and dreams. Not much more than a jaded heart and a life of hard work. I can't ask you to make that sacrifice, Angel. You'd be best off taking what money you have and heading back to New York. Surely there you can find a replacement husband worthy of you."

  She stared at him open mouthed. "At least you have a dream. That's more than I've ever had. I never expected wealth. I was raised to accept a life of hard work." He couldn't be pushing her away. She wouldn't let him.

  "But you should be able to expect your husband to keep you safe, not put you in danger." He spoke cryptically, dancing around the edge of truth.

  "I don't want to go back to New York." She didn't want to leave him. "May says a woman in Idaho can do just about anything that she wants. I have a job with the Colonel at the Fuller House th
at's as good as any that I could get in New York. And in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of men here who are looking for wives." Her hurt forced out the last words. Why couldn't he see that she didn't care for anything but him? She'd face any danger for a life with him.

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her up the tunnel. "The tour's over."

  At surface level, birds chirped and the sun continued to shine despite the sad state of Angelina's heart. Tonio took her to a campsite not far from the opening of the mine.

  "There is something that I want to give you before you go." He rifled through one of his bags.

  Angelina thought that he meant to give her necklace back. She missed it. She wanted it. But she wanted Tonio, too. He was the man of her heart. Why couldn't he see that?

  Tonio pulled out his stiletto, which gleamed in the sunlight. "Ever used a knife?"

  She shuddered, surprised and repulsed. She hated knives, not kitchen knives, only deadly weapon knives. "No, and I don't intend to. Why would I need such a thing?"

  "For protection. If you're going to stay in Wallace for even another day, I'm going to insist that you learn how to protect yourself."

  He grabbed her hand and thrust the stiletto into it. With his hand firmly over hers, he demonstrated a few thrusts into the open air. His nearness distracted her. But the look in his eyes, when she dared to look away from the knife and at him, was deadly, not longing as she'd hoped.

  "Have you ever knifed anyone?" she asked.

  "What do you think? I was a soldier at war, Angelina. I did far worse just to survive."

  "But I am not at war. Why would I need a knife?"

  "Because you don't know how to use a gun and I don't have time to teach you. Anyone can use a knife. You're a beautiful young woman. This is rough country."

  Their hands were still locked together with the knife between them. Angelina did not wish to part. "I don't want this knife."

  "You're damn well going to have it." He handed her a leather pouch. "And the holster, too. Wear it strapped under your bodice or your skirt. Keep it where you can reach it if you should need it."

  "I told you, I don't need it."