The Escort

by Gina Robinson

  "Now? This late in the evening? It can't wait until morning?"

  "No."

  She stared at him. "Tonio, are you in trouble? Please tell me." She reached up and stroked his face. A stiff stubble met her fingertips. She wanted to run her hands over his entire body. "Tonio, please! You can trust me."

  "Women! You like to imagine the worst." He took her chin in his hand. "Angel, I'm fine. I've neglected the Hole and I need to get back to work. That's all."

  His eyes were dark, unreadable. She closed her eyes for a moment and looked down trying to steady her emotions. He was hiding something. When she looked back up he was studying her intently. Without thinking she reached up and kissed him, throwing her arms around him and pressing tightly against him. He kissed her back deeply and fully, but for the first time he was gentlemanly and respectful. His hands didn't wander. He pulled back.

  "Tonio, I—"

  "Angelina, right now you can't afford to be involved with me. I was careless in taking you out in public tonight."

  "I knew it! You're lying! You are involved in something!"

  "Yes, I'm involved in something that you don't understand and the less you know about it the better. It doesn't concern you. I've foolishly put you in danger. I didn't realize how much until tonight. If certain people believe we care for each other—"

  "But I do care for you, Tonio! And you care for me, you must!"

  "Angelina, I want you to go into the house and lock the door behind you. Do you understand me?"

  She nodded.

  "Then go straight to bed. Grab my stiletto and keep it beside you. I should have thought ahead and taught you to shoot."

  She stared at him. "Tonio, what is—"

  "I'm going to Burke immediately to guard the Hole. Damn that weasel Clell! He knows I can't be in two places at once."

  "Tonio?" Tonio's cautious attitude frightened her.

  He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Listen, Angelina, I don't want to leave you, but I have to get back to the Hole and warn Gus to post guards. The union's planning trouble any day now. Baker's mad as hell. He wanted me—" He stopped himself.

  "Clell, Baker's goon, you remember him from the train?"

  She nodded affirmation.

  "He's been following me all day. He showed up while we were at the Fuller tonight and sent a very clear message. He wanted me to know he was there.

  "Clell has a vendetta against me. For too long I was more in Baker's favor than he was. Call it a kind of rivalry.

  "Angelina, I don't want you to go anywhere near that asshole. He's had his eye on you since he first saw you on the train. If I flinch in this game we're playing, he'll have all the excuse he needs to go after you. And believe me, he's dangerous. The ladies at the Lux don't even…"

  Although she tried to look brave, she must have looked scared.

  "I did something this morning that set him off. Now he's forcing me to choose which front I'm going to protect. I'm betting he'll follow me if I head to the Hole. He'll see where he thinks my priority is and leave you alone. You should be safe with May and Al."

  "How long will you be there? When will you be back?"

  "I don't know. Angelina, promise me that until I return you won't go near the mines. Any of them. I don't want you near the railroad either. And no going out after dark. Not unless Al and May are with you." He grabbed her by both arms. "Promise!"

  "I promise."

  He looked relieved. "Truthfully?"

  "Yes. I have no reason to go either place now."

  "Will you consider going back to New York?"

  "No! Tonio, what's going on?"

  "I'm leaving now, Angel." Suddenly he pulled her close, burying his face in the top of her hair. He let her go and opened the door, guiding her in by her arm.

  "Tonio, whatever it is, be careful."

  "Goodnight, Angel."

  Once inside Angelina leaned against the door, shaking uncontrollably. "Tonio, what have you done?" She listened as his footfalls receded into the distance.

  On April 25th, the Western Federation of Miners held a secret session at the heart of its camp in Wardner. At five thirty, the men filed out three abreast. Headed by President Baker, the 400 men formed a winding line nearly 1000 feet long. They wound their way up the hill to the Bunker Hill Mine where they demanded a chance to talk to the workers. Superintendent Burch complied. Cheers resounded each time a Bunker employee walked over to join the union.

  Tensions escalated on the twenty-sixth, and shots were fired. After an all-night initiation session the union leaders decided to meet the Bunker dayshift as they came off duty. Enroute up the hill they stopped a quarter of a mile below the mine at the Last Chance Mill where they encountered a group of nightshift workers on their way to work. Baker encouraged them to join the union, but not one would. Several of the men tried to push through the union crowd but were turned back after members told them that the union did not mean for them to work.

  T.S. Murray, a young smooth-faced union leader, emerged from the crowd. "Walk down this hill inside of four minutes or go down some other way!" He drew his watch and looked at the second hand. President Baker had his hand on a pistol but did not draw it. The men retreated.

  In a futile attempt to defuse the tension, the Bunker Hill management capitulated and agreed to raise wages to union scale, but they held firm in their refusal to recognize the union. The union called a full-fledged strike.

  In retaliation, the Bunker Hill posted no trespassing signs on their property and armed a small contingency of loyal employees as guards. Sheriff Young was summoned from Wallace to Wardner. Local officials hoped that the presence of the local law enforcement would discourage any illegal or violent activity.

  May read aloud from the newspaper as she and Angelina prepared to leave for work.

  "It is absolutely and finally settled that the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Company will never recognize the miner's union, Frederick Burbidge, resident manager of the company, said upon his return from Spokane.

  "Armed union men have even stopped butchers' and grocers' wagons, preventing them from taking supplies for the men and their families. Teams hauling freight have been stopped and those having goods for the Bunker Hill have been turned back by the strikers and ordered out of town. Despite all this we are keeping right at work, and we shall tie up the mine rather than recognize the union."

  "What difference do the Bunker's troubles make to us, May? Everyone is so concerned about them, but the Bunker's miles away. It's not our fight." Angelina tied a scarf over her head to keep her hair in place for the walk to the hotel. May shot her a look that said she didn't know what she didn't know.

  "Miners are miners and they all belong to the same union. You can bet our boys here in Wallace will be involved in helping their brothers out. There'll be trouble and it'll affect us. If it comes to blows, and it will if the Bunker doesn't recognize the union, our economy will be affected as well. The men will strike in the local mines and without money they won't be coming to the Fuller House."

  "The Colonel can weather the tide." Angelina felt confident of the Colonel's business skill. "We're going to be doing a lot of business in Spokane. Anyway, why worry personally, May? Al works for the railroad and Tonio is up at the Hole. You've said it before that it won't affect the Hole, even if our men walk out."

  She wanted reassurance. Tonio had her looking over her shoulder.

  "I wouldn't be too sure."

  "You're worried about Tonio, too." Angelina studied her closely.

  "Maybe, but Tonio can take care of himself."

  "May, what's going on? No one will tell me anything."

  "Maybe that's because you've got no need to know. Now, come on. We'll be late, and the Colonel won't like that. The breakfast crowd will be waiting."

  Angelina grabbed her spring jacket on the way out the door. She was going to find out. They could be sure of that.

  For two days it was quiet in the Silver Valley. Not a single incident of v
iolence erupted. Work at the Bunker went on with a limited crew. Some attributed it to Sheriff Young's presence in Wardner, others thought the union had given up, but the majority believed that it was the calm before the blow up. The union was up to something, something big that took time to plan.

  Angelina felt the uneasiness in town as keenly as anyone. The men who came to the Fuller House were quiet and subdued. They didn't joke and flirt as usual. People were cautious and exceedingly polite, as if a misplaced word would set the violence in motion again. Angelina overheard snatches of conversation on the street and at the hotel. Tonio's name was mentioned in hushed tones. Many times she walked up on a conversation only to have the participants still abruptly and look embarrassed or cover by suddenly being very interested in the weather.

  Finally she could take it no longer. There was trouble coming and Tonio was directly involved. Whatever he was up to, she had to stop him. She had the sinking feeling that it had something to do with blowing something up. More than once she'd heard the men mention explosives. She remembered clearly the excited look in his eyes the day he'd set the charge in the Hole. She could almost still feel his heart thumping as he'd pressed her against him. She had to stop him. She prayed she'd be in time.

  Angelina rose early the morning of the twenty-ninth, pacing and planning. She dressed with care and primped before the mirror. Her heart fluttered. She looked pretty but confident. Like a person to be taken seriously or at least she hoped. She wasn't sure whether to charm Tonio out of his plans with feminine wiles or to try and meet him as an equal and use reason on him. She was at a disadvantage not knowing exactly what his plans were. Should she bluff?

  Al was scheduled to take the train to Burke and she intended to go with him. She would have to think on her feet when she met up with Tonio. May was already at work at the hotel by the time Angelina came downstairs and approached Al. May would never have permitted her to go to Burke, but Al was a soft touch. He readily agreed to take her along.

  "I'm running a passenger car today, Angelina."

  "That's nice, Al."

  "So, you going to see your beau?"

  "Al, you're a sentimental fool," she teased. The quiet man just smiled.

  "May won't like me taking you."

  "I'm worried about him, Al."

  He nodded. "Might be you've got reason. Get your things and let's be gone."

  She grabbed her purse and jacket. "I'm ready now, Al." She was halfway to the door when she stopped and turned back. "One minute. I've forgotten something."

  In the bedroom she opened the bottom bureau drawer and reaching beneath the clothing she pulled out the small leather sheath with a strap. She pulled Tonio's stiletto from its holder and stared at it, shivering. She hated knives. Then she holstered it, and hiking up her skirts, strapped it to her thigh before rejoining Al.

  Angelina fumed as the train steamed toward Burke. Al rode up ahead in the engine. She found herself alone in the passenger car with only a dark sense of foreboding for a companion. The town was too quiet. Why weren't there any other passengers?

  Al's engine toted a passenger car and nine boxcars. Al let loose with his familiar whistle as they steamed past crossings. The trip to Burke should be quick and uneventful. She stared out the window, unseeing. The day outside was clear and beautiful.

  As had been normal for the last few weeks, she felt like an outsider. Something was about to happen, something that she was not privy to. "Hurry, Al, hurry!" she silently willed. "Don't let me be too late!"

  Al and his assistant Joe chatted about nothing as the train chugged along towards Burke. Both were experienced men who had run this route hundreds of times before. On a day like this the worst that could be expected would be that an animal would find its way onto the tracks. The tracks were clear and the day looked fine. As they approached Burke and the head of Canyon Creek, Al blew his distinctive whistle call, warning the local merchants to lift their awnings to let the train by. Their whistle was an unintentional battle call. Suddenly, out of nowhere the tracks ahead streamed with masked men wearing white armbands. Joe threw the brakes. "Shit!" he said.

  "Looks like we're in for trouble," Al replied calmly. "Joe, go back and see to the safety of our passenger."

  In the back Angelina bounced forward as the train lurched to a stop. Before she could grasp the situation, throngs of armed masked men boarded the train. She held back a scream. Everywhere she looked more men scrambled onboard, hundreds of angry unruly men.

  "Al!" She rose, prepared to run for the engine.

  A man from the crowd blocked her path. "What have we got here? Looks like a sweet little piece to me."

  She recognized the insulting voice before she even turned to look at his masked face. Clell! Her hope fell.

  "Of all the luck! Seems our meeting is inevitable, Angel."

  She wanted to slap him for using Tonio's name for her, but he had a gun rammed into her ribs. "I think you'd better come with me."

  Tonio heard Al's whistle and headed toward the depot. He needed to talk to his old friend. He'd been worried about Angelina since the night he'd seen Clell looking at her at the Fuller House. He was sure it had been Clell who had followed them home that night. He was stepping out of the stand of trees on the hill where he'd been waiting when he saw the mob. From his vantage point he could see directly into the engine. They had Al at gunpoint. Tonio untied the Hole's work horse from the tree where he'd left him and took off for Wallace. He knew a shortcut that avoided the railroad. He had to tell May about Al and find some way to help.

  Clell took Angelina to the engine. Relief washed over her when she saw that Al was safe. His eyes conveyed the same. The apparent leaders of the operation were giving Al instructions.

  "You do what we say and no one gets hurt. Not you or the lady. Any sign of resistance and I can't speak for the actions of my men. They're a determined bunch. We've got a mission to accomplish. Are the boxcars empty?"

  "Yes," Al replied.

  "Good, we were counting on that. You're going to take us to Wardner where we're going to take care of a few business matters. But first we'll be making a few stops to pick up reinforcements and supplies. The plan is nice and simple. When I tell you to, you stop. We'll be running past the Frisco to pick up some powder. Now, let's be on our way, shall we?"

  Clell ran the barrel of his pistol along Angelina's cheek in a perverted caress and whispered in her ear. "I don't mind using force to get what I want."

  The leader looked their way. "We should put her off."

  "She's Tonio's," Clell replied. "I guess we can teach him a thing or two about cooperation."

  Tonio took the front steps of the Hall home in one bound. "Angelina! May! Are you home?"

  May met him at the door. "Tonio? What are you doing here? The Colonel sent me home when he heard there was trouble brewing. You need to get out of town before you find yourself deep in it."

  Tonio shook his head. "Too late for that. The union men hijacked Al's train. I came to warn you. They're headed for the Bunker. I'm on my way there now to help Al."

  "How many men, Tonio?" Her face went sheet white.

  "Hundreds."

  "They have Al and his train?" May sank into a chair. "I had no idea."

  "Listen to me. Lock the doors and windows. Stay in the house at all costs." Tonio looked around for Angelina. "Where's Angelina? Angel!" he called to her.

  "Angelina isn't here." May's voice was flat, shocked.

  "Where is she?"

  "With Al. He left me a note. Said he was taking her with him on the train to Burke. She wanted to see you. She was worried."

  Tonio's pulse raced with fear and anger. "Damn that woman! I told her to stay away from the railroad."

  "She went because of you. You should have told her."

  "Close the curtains. Stay put, May. Hear me?" He ran out the door, mounted his horse, and rode hard for the Bunker.

  Al argued calmly with the gang leader. "I can't jump off the OR&N tracks on
to the Northern Pacific's. We don't know what trains are scheduled. We could meet one head on."

  "It's the only way to get to the Bunker. Proceed." His eyes reminded Angelina of steel, hard and unyielding.

  "Ordinarily a cornfield meet is bad enough," Al continued. "But after our little detour to the Frisco we're a rolling powder keg. How much powder did we take on?"

  "Nearly three thousand pounds." The leader laughed.

  "Look I'm responsible for OR&N property and the lives of my crew and passengers. You've loaded me up with upwards of a thousand men."

  They'd made several unscheduled stops and at each one they took on several hundred unpaid male passengers.

  "We meet a train," Al continued, "and they could all go up."

  "We'll chance it." The leader thrust his gun more firmly into Al's ribs. "Take the tracks."

  Clell had Angelina on his lap. She looked straight ahead out the window, silently praying and trying to think of other things to stifle the revulsion that his touch stirred up. He stroked her skin with his fingers and ran the gun barrel along her bustline.

  "How do you like the feel of cold steel? Wouldn't the feel of a man be so much better? It's time to warm up to me, don't you think?"

  She didn't reply. She concentrated on the faces of the people in the streets of the towns they passed. Everywhere she saw looks of horror and shock. Women gathered children and ran screaming for cover. The men onboard the train were angry and menacing, and with their mob mentality, out of control. They yelled and shouted and leered and fired their guns in the air for effect. Other people were hurriedly packing and preparing to leave town. Perhaps to the safety of Spokane or other parts of the Inland Empire.

  Clell unbuttoned the top buttons of her dress and smiled at the sight of the top of her soft cleavage. She didn't try to stop him but steeled herself trying to remember how Tonio wielded his knife. Tonio's warning became all the more clear now. She had no doubt as to Clell's intentions. She wouldn't let this disgusting little man violate her. His hand ran the length of her thigh and she stiffened. He mustn't find the knife. It was her only defense. The leader looked over and admonished him just before he reached it.