“If you are putting together a vigilante party, what about your men? Cannot you add them to your gang?” Honor asked.
“These four men are all I have here. My brother and I had given everyone the day off for the celebration.” He took her hands as if conveying a favor. “Do not worry beautiful lady. I shall rescue your friend!” he stated boldly, but Honor was not convinced he had a clue how to do so. She watched as the men mounted up and left on their mission. The dust cloud from their departure had barely settled before Honor turned to Rosa and the twins who were behind her at the wrecked gate. The cook and her assistant had come out of hiding in the attic, and Rosa put them to work caring for the injured. That left them free to see Francisco and his men off as they rode into the valley on the hunt for a posse. Honor Elizabeth had other plans. Honor looked at Rosa and the twins.
“Okay you three, are you ready?” she asked.
“For what, Señorita Wilde?” Eunice looked like a child with wide, frightened brown eyes.
“To rescue Manuel and Katie,” she told them, and they could not have looked more stunned if Honor had suddenly turned into a white woman.
“Are you mad? Francisco just rode off to bring men of the valley together to do that very thing,” Rosa said in her shock.
"And who knows how long that will take if they are as reluctant as Francisco was when it came to dealing with Don Diego. It is not their family and friend who are prisoners after all. There isn't time!" Honor told them fiercely. She said a silent prayer for Katie that there was some shred of humanity in Don Dante Diego and that Katie wasn't being mercilessly gang-raped at that moment. She had to set her free, and it had to be soon.
“You are loco chica! This is madness I say, madness!” Rosa exclaimed. Honor sighed, completely losing her patience.
“What this is, Rosa is the end of the discussion,” she said with a snarl and pulled her gun, pointing it at Rosa’s forehead as the twins shrieked.
“What are you doing?” Rosa squealed.
"I am a Wilde, and we mean business. Now I surely suggest to you, Rosa, that you do not even attempt to lie to me. I am asking you now to tell me where your brother’s hideout is.” Rosa opened her mouth to protest, but Honor put a finger to her lips. “I said do not attempt any manner of prevarication with me. I know that you know his location. You still love your brother and his son, and I will bet dollars to doughnuts you have been to see him,” Honor pointed out. Rosa stayed silent, and it was all Honor needed to not hear. She holstered her gun.
"I do not wish for you to help me due to threats, but out of the love I saw you have for Manuel. Do you really wish for him to be held by a gang of ruthless bandits? Do you wish to take the chance they might decide to do something to him that Dante might not even be able to stop?" she asked the woman. The brief threat followed by kindness and logic worked for her.
“The old salt mine at the edge of the Rio Vasquez. That is where you will find Dante and his men,” Rosa said wiping a tear away. Honor took her by the arm and began leading her towards the house. She nodded for the twins to follow.
"Come on then. We are going to get some paper, and you are going to sketch every detail of their hideout you can remember. It is the only way I can formulate a plan!" she commanded. She and her sisters had done more with less, and she was not waiting on a bunch of men to decide if they wanted to help or not! Inside, however, she wished she was as confident as she sounded.
It was true she had recently come up with a great plan to defeat the Melendez sisters, but it had only been after she had heard them arguing about switching places that she had had her inspiration. Cassandra Wilde was their leader and not just because she was the oldest. There were many reasons, and one of them was she was a master strategist. Unfortunately, Cassie wasn’t there, and Honor knew it would be up to her to come up with a plan to rescue the hostages or die trying. Death would be preferable to returning to Godspell and telling Quillan she had been unable to save his sister that he held so dear.
CHAPTER 19
JUAREZ CANYON STATION
Canebraro Valley, Mexico
Things were about to get very bad at the Juarez Canyon Station. It was run by the Juarez family as generations of their family had called home the steep rocky canyon with its river flowing through it. The stage line had long ago employed Jorge and his wife Maria as well as their teenage son Miguel. They did a service to all who passed by as a way station for stage coaches, switching out tired horses for fresh ones and getting the stage passengers something to eat.
On this day young Miguel had just finished cleaning the outhouses and went to get some water to clean out the bucket as well as some for him to drink. He couldn’t believe how much he hated working at his parents’ station.
Every day it was the same thing. He cleaned the outhouses, the stench assailing him as he worked and got ready for the mid-morning coach. He had to be on hand to help his father if any assistance was needed. Then he would have to do school work his mother set for him. Later in the afternoon, it was the same routine as the mornings. Back to the outhouses and then waiting to help the evening coach. It was dull, boring, and dispiriting work.
Miguel daydreamed about getting out someday. Maybe as a lawman, or even a stagecoach driver himself, letting others attend to him and his team. At least that way he wouldn’t have to clean up after everyone else, he thought as he rinsed the bucket and then got something to drink around back. He heard some horses approaching and sighed, checking to make sure he was presentable, or his mother would tan his hide. Then he went around the corner as bedlam broke out and he froze in horror.
Gunfire erupted from around the edge of the clearing. His mother screamed, and he heard his father curse. Miguel saw men begin to burst into the clearing firing their guns. His father cursed again, and one of the bandits screamed, clutched his chest, and fell. Turning his head as if in a dream, he watched as his mother collapsed with a whimper, and then his father seemed to blossom blood from his head as he shot backward, dead. Miguel couldn’t move, he knew he should, but he was in a state of terror, and as the bullet hit him in the forehead, sudden darkness came over him, wiping out the sudden, short terror at the end of his life.
The bandits begin ransacking the station for anything valuable. When the stagecoach arrived, its driver and passengers were terrified to find a circle of men pointing their guns at them as opposed to a cordial greeting from the Juarez family promising a hot meal and relief.
***
“I do so enjoy my visits with my father at the Fort. Especially when I am there for one of the dances that are held for the officers, enlisted men, their families, and other civilians at the fort.” Christina said as they rode along in the coach comfortably heading for the canyon country that separated the Canebraro Valley from the badlands and ultimately Arizona that Lijuan loved so much. She would be quite happy to return home and put the events of this trip behind her. It had only been a couple of days since they had survived a siege at the town of Horseshoe which had been their last stop before crossing the border.
After the life and death situation had concluded she had enjoyed a tryst with Ross Tatum, the local hotelier, but she yearned to be back at the ranch. Lijuan would never be able to fully relax until she was at home. More than anything she wished to return there so she would have the opportunity to find her way back into her brother David’s good graces. The ugly scene at her father’s party still haunted her like a ghost at the back of her mind. Trying to force those thoughts away, she made an effort to listen to Christina’s nattering.
“I imagine you have a full dance card at such events, Miss Caine,” Lijuan said with a slight smile. She could easily envision how the men at the fort would be enamored of her—if she kept her mouth shut long enough.
“It would be untruthful to say otherwise. The unattached officers do like to keep me occupied on that dance floor,” she responded with a laugh.
“You know, I recently met an officer from there. Is he one of
the unattached? His name is Captain Vellaneau,” Lijuan asked.
“Vellaneau, Vellaneau, oh yes! Captain Vellaneau. I know of whom you speak. He comes from a wealthy and distinguished Southern family. He’s the son of Senator Baxter Leigh Vellaneau of South Carolina. What a handsome man he is, I must say,” Christina said, fanning herself for emphasis.
“He was at that. Of course, not as handsome as my beloved brother David.” Lijuan said knowingly.
“Oh, that Captain Wilde is a looker all right. You should hear what the single ladies have to say about him,” Christina said with mischief. Lijuan leaned forward for the first time with true interest.
“Go on,” she nudged.
“Lord have mercy, how they fret and moan that they can’t dance with him, or even get him to look their way. It seems he only has eyes for this Bright Feather, I’ve heard so much about,” she told Lijuan who leaned back and crossed her arms as was customary anytime Bright Feather was mentioned.
“Of course, he does,” she said flatly.
“You can see why though. From all that I have heard she’s a lovely woman who is incredibly brave and …” Lijuan interrupted her words by sticking her arm out the window and slamming the side of the coach.
“Blue River! Stop!” she called out to him.
“What is the matter?” Christina asked startled, unaware of the dynamic between Lijuan, Dutch, and Bright Feather.
“Nothing, I am just going to join him. It gets lonely being the driver of a coach. Please excuse me,” she said politely as the coach rolled to a stop and she leaped out. She used the ornate silver-plated handhold to pull herself up to sit up on the bench next to Blue River.
“Is everything alright, Miss Lijuan?” Blue River asked.
“Yes, but Miss Caine was starting to be a bit of a bore,” she answered with a lowered voice.
***
Meanwhile, the bandits who took over the Juarez Canyon Station, led by Lopez, finished their bloody work. The driver and the four passengers were lying dead around the coach. Lopez had ordered three of his men to ride off with the horses from the stage and the station's relief mounts. The remaining men, save one, were busy cleaning out the pockets of the dead. The final man was in the station, tying up a loose end. Javier and Ernesto rode up at that time, and Lopez stepped forward to see what could have brought his brother out from their hideout.
“Looks like another successful raid, eh, Gabriel?” Javier asked, and in return, Lopez held up gold watches and other jewelry, his nicotine-stained teeth showing as he smiled.
“Si, you are damn right it is. Between what we got off these folks from the stage, the money in the station, and the horses we shall have a grand old fiesta this night!Perhaps we will even ride to the next valley to the celebration in San Robeles. The whores will be out in droves, but what are you doing here? I told you men to remain behind at the hideout,” Lopez told him.
“We come bearing news you are gonna want to hear!” Ernesto announced. Four of the five remaining gang members gathered behind Lopez to listen.
“My plan has come to fruition!” Javier said enthusiastically.
“Plan, what plan?” Lopez asked.
“The plan you and Bolivar dismissed months ago, my brother. To plant men amongst the richest haciendas and ranches around San Lupe Pedro so that they can keep their ears open for opportunities,” Javier reminded him. Bolivar, Lopez’s right-hand man, stepped forward then. He was a big man with an ugly scar on his chin from a knife fight.
“Javier! You acted on your own to do this, though your brother told you not to?” the second in command asked surprised.
“Bolivar, the plan has borne fruit,” Javier repeated.
“I am listening,” Lopez said formally.
" Señor Garcia recently has received many heads of cattle from a big ranch in Arizona. The rancher's family has moved to collected payment—a saddle bag of cash earlier today. We are talking thousands of dollars, and the pickings will be easy. For some reason, they sent an Injun and their Chinese servant, a woman no less, to collect the payment,” Javier explained. Suddenly the last bandit came running out of the station holding a burning torch.
“It is done, Lopez,” The bandit with the torch said. Lopez saw Javier’s eyes widen.
“Very good. I told him to torch the place. We have everything of value that it held,” Lopez said.
“Damn it all!” Javier swore.
“What is your problem?” Bolivar asked angrily.
“I was going to suggest we set a trap for when the Arizonans come along. Now they may see the smoke rising out of the canyon and be suspicious,” Javier said.
"We shall do it anyway. They must pass here no matter what. The only way with a wagon north is through this canyon. Then we will be ready for them." Lopez laid his hand on Javier's shoulder. "Good work, little brother. Now you and Ernesto, with the others, load the bodies into the stagecoach. No need to be attracting vultures while we are trying to hide for the ambush." Lopez said reasonably. Javier nodded as he and Ernesto moved off with the others to obey.
“That half-brother of yours, he seeks your place at the head of this gang, you know that. Why shower praise on him like you did just now?” Bolivar asked his boss and friend.
“Like it or not, it seems he had the right idea. I will put him in his place eventually, but we should learn who and where he has his other contacts. Come now, we have an ambush to plan,” Lopez answered as he shoved a plug of tobacco between his lip and his gums.
CHAPTER 20
YBERRA COACHWORKS
Verde Abundante Valley, Mexico
In the dining room that had been the scene of much celebration the previous evening, Honor Elizabeth looked up with a gleam in her eyes. The inspiration she had hoped for had come to her at last. She had just finished studying the layout Rosa had sketched for her as it lay before her on the table. The Rio Vasquez flowed straight until it passed by the old salt mine where it did something of a curve. Looking down on it, Honor could only liken it to the letter C reversed, with the mine in the center. According to Rosa, there was only one approach by a road that ran along the crescent shape. The road, however, ceased to continue far past the mine and out of the natural curve as a landslide had long ago blocked the road from continuing. High cliffs also ran along the length of the semi-circular shape, and that was perfect for her new plan.
She straightened and pushed the sketch aside, looking at Rosa, and the twins. A lot could go wrong, and she knew it. That was always the case when the sisters were called upon for some daring do. Her biggest concern was the trio of women that were looking at her expectantly. Cassandra, Lijuan, and Catalina they were not, but they were all she had, and she would have to make do. She just hoped she could keep them safe at the same time. Honor leaned over the table again with her hands flat on the service. She looked at each of the three Mexican women individually to get their measure.
“Okay, ladies, this is what we are going to do. By the way, Rosa,” she said with a raised brow. “You are going to prove that you were not boasting up a storm last night,” she said before explaining her plan to the incredulous women.
***
Katie Dodge refused to stop struggling. Her hands had been bound and then tied to a post that once had held a bell to summon miners to and from their breaks, what few they got of them anyway. Across from her Manuel was similarly bound but had long ago stopped struggling, content to fix a malevolent stare at Don Diego, a man who had once been a part of his family. Katie knew to struggle was useless, but fear was a great motivation.
She did not like the way the banditos looked at her hungrily, including even the sole female among them. There was little doubt that Don Diego was the only thing standing between her and a living nightmare, and she was sure it was not because he was a generous soul. When they had first arrived, he had warned everyone that she was not to be touched because he would be the first to sample her and that would not happen until she begged him for it. He was clearly
, to her, completely out of his mind.
He was old enough to be her grandfather, and the sight of his rolls of fat hanging over his gun belt sickened her. Katie had no way of knowing in his youth he had been a fit, dashing young man who had relieved many of the local daughters of their virginity. Years of self-abuse with alcohol had taken its toll.
Katie reckoned there would be a ten-foot snow drift in hell before she ever willingly gave herself to the vile man, but she feared his patience would soon evaporate, and it was looking like that may have started happening. He was pacing back and forth to where he had his captives tied while the others all looked on from different points around the semi-circle piece of land in front of the empty mine.
“Okay, señorita, once again I offer you the privilege of my company in the room,” he said nodding at the small ramshackle cabin that had once served as an office for the mine. “Long will you remember the day your ebony body felt the attention of a strong Latin man,” he told her swaying slightly.
“Never! You’re drunk and talking like a fool!” she told him defiantly.
“Katie do not antagonize the don!” Manuel said shortly, fearing for her.
“You should listen to him,” The don said, and then his smile faded. “I shall have you!” He looked at Manuel and pulled out a knife, holding it up to his ear making Katie yelp.
“Stop! What are you doing?” she gasped out in shock, her heart pounding wildly.
"I shall relieve this man of his ear, followed by more until there is nothing left to cut until you beg me to take you,” he said with a returning smile.
The Boot Hill Express: Special Edition HBH Version (Half Breed Haven Book 12) Page 15
