“What?” Blue River returned, surprised.
"Do it, Blue River. The road passes right by where they must be planning to ambush us. Turning around won't help us. We must do something they won't expect. It's our only chance. See how that rocky out cropping up ahead separates the stream from the road. We have to get down there to run alongside it. They’ll have to come all the way back this way to get around it to come after us!" she told him with a hiss. Blue River nodded and cracked the reins getting the coach rolling, and as the horses got up to a reasonable speed, he jerked the straps sending them down the rocky incline heading for the edge of the stream. Jostling about, she called out what she wanted him to do next. Just then the wheel struck a rock, and the coach teetered precariously.
“Careful, don’t flip us!” Lijuan squealed as the coach tilted and then righted itself as they headed down the narrow rocky strip of land between the stream and the outcropping. She could hear the hooves of the bandits on the other side of the rock wall who had become alert to the fact their ambush had failed and had mounted up to double back and give chase. Lijuan stood up and brought the rifle up. Several shots rang out, and Lijuan returned fire as they bounced along the rocky, narrow strip by the river. It was growing narrower and soon it would be too small for the coach’s wheelbase.
“Into the water! Now, Blue River!” she hollered as she put into effect her desperate bid for them to escape. Shaking his head but doing as she asked, a turning of the reins sent their father’s grand carriage into the shallow stream. She was grateful that at least the current wasn’t flowing against them.
"Blue River, you drive like a madman!" Lijuan said with fear sinking into her gut. The woman felt as if she was just shouting to hear herself because this had been the plan she had yelled to him when they had turned down the embankment. Looking back, she saw the outlaws had rounded the outcropping and were charging along the side of the river. She held on as the coach tipped, and then she shot a few more times at the bandits. It looked like there might have been six or seven of them. She thought she saw one get hit, but because of the rocking of the coach and the running horses, it was hard to tell.
From within she could hear Christina yelling in panic, and she couldn't blame her but Lijuan had an idea and hoped it would work. They took a turn around the bend of the river and the bandits temporarily dropped out of sight. She hoped they would remain so with the twists the river was beginning to make. She moved to the side of the bench, preparing to climb down into the coach.
“I’ve got a plan to try and hold them off for a while. It’s going to be up to you to get Miss Caine out of this canyon on horseback,” she told her brother. Blue River nodded and whipped the reins for the horses to move as fast as they could through the water. Lijuan climbed down and entered the coach as Christina opened the door for her.
“What’s happening? Who are those dreadful people after us?” she cried.
“Banditos. We just dodged an ambush. They’re still pursuing us, but Blue River is going to get you to safety on horseback,” she told her and grabbed the case of dynamite and opened the door on the other side of the coach.
“What are you going to do with that?” Christina asked confused.
“I’m going to try and keep them off our back long enough to get you to safety,” she told her. Then she yelled up to Blue River. “Keep going as fast as you can. When the coach won’t go any further mount up and get moving,” she cried.
“Miss Lijuan!” he shouted back, his voice rife with the sound of protest.
"Do as I say!" she returned, unable to take any more time to explain. She leaped through the open door towards the shore of the small river clutching the case of dynamite. Lijuan failed to make it all the way and landed in the water, the box being propelled forward onto dry land. Though soaked she scrambled out of the current, looked back, and saw the bandits were not in sight, but she could hear their approach. Good, she thought, I may still have time.
Yanking her hammer free, she swung it to bust the lid of the box wide open. Instantly she began stuffing as many sticks of TNT and their accompanying blasting caps between her gun belt and her waist as she could, as well as shoving sticks into her pockets, as many as would fit. Thankfully the rifle purposely had a strap on it, as often during his travels in the coach, Whip liked to stop and hunt game to break up the monotony of the long rides, and he preferred to have the ability to sling his weapon over his shoulder. Losing no time, she slipped the rifle on and it slapped against her back.
Running in the direction towards the bandits and away from the coach she halted as her scans of the rocky embankment next to her found just what she was looking for. Lijuan began climbing up the rock face her fingers clawing for the best handholds that she could find. At about fifteen feet up she came to a ledge with boulders around its edge, right above the river. She plucked numerous sticks of the dynamite free and began going to work. It was a wild idea, but she hoped she could block the bandit's advancement by creating a barrier across the stream and as a bonus perhaps take out some of their numbers.
Looking down she counted she still had two sticks in her belt with the caps she would save for later if needed. Using a box of matches all the sisters carried with them in case they had to make campfires along the trail, she lit one of the sticks and shoved it amidst the other ones she had planted underneath the biggest of the boulders overlooking the stream. Then she scrambled back down to the base of the rocks she had just scaled and crossed the water and began running up the rocky shoreline that existed on that side of the stream heading in the direction of the coach. Looking back over her shoulder she saw the gang round a bend, their guns raised in the air, shouting at the top of their lungs. Knowing she had only seconds left, she dodged behind some boulders and smiled thinking there were about three seconds left between the bandits and Armageddon.
It actually proved to be five seconds, but it didn't matter as the explosion rocked the ground where she hid, knocking her onto her back. Gravel fell like rain around her, and the boom echoing through the canyon gave way to screams as the canyon wall collapsed choking the gorge. As the last echo of the explosion died away, and the screams ceased, an eerie silence fell over the chasm.
“Consider that your ticket on the Boot Hill Express!” Lijuan yelled out with a self-satisfied grin plastered all over her face. Turning about feeling confident that the surviving bandits would be disorientated long enough for her to return to Whip’s coach she moved quickly to reunite with her brother.
CHAPTER 23
YBERRA COACHWORKS
Verde Abundante Valley, Mexico
After ditching the canoe and mounting the horses they had waiting for them downstream, Honor Elizabeth’s group had ridden back to the villa at a wild pace. As soon as they entered, under Honor’s orders, the largest coach was pushed into place, blocking the entrance to the estate in lieu of the smashed gates.
The lid to the box of fireworks the Yberras had planned to donate for the evening’s festivities, was sitting on the ground. The contents of the box were then handed up to the walls by the twins, where Honor, Katie, Manuel, and Rosa were placing the largest of the fireworks so that they were aimed, not at the sky, but at the approaches to the villa.
“What I wouldn’t give for a Gatling gun right now! These will have to do,” Honor said.
“Remarkable what you have achieved so far,” Manuel said with some respect.
“If that is your way of thanking me for the rescue, then I accept. Truly surprising what mere women may accomplish, is it not, Manuel?” she asked, unable to resist the dig.
“Si!” he responded.
“Well, I sure wanna thank you, Honor Elizabeth! I was thinkin’ I was never gonna see Quillan or home again,” Katie gushed as Honor was looking out over the landscape in front of the villa.
“We are assuredly not out of this yet, here they come!” Honor Elizabeth shouted in warning. A growing dust cloud materialized into Don Diego and his men charging towards th
e front wall.
“Light them up, people!” Honor Elizabeth called out. The defenders on top of the wall replied to her order with action and began lighting the fuses on the positioned fireworks. It was the rockets that she hoped would do the trick.
One after another they started firing generating a fiery maelstrom of chaos and confusion that made the earlier scene at the salt mine seem like a dress rehearsal. The fireworks made their screeching sounds as they rocketed towards the bandits. Detonating amidst the bad guys made for an orgy of sound and fury. Katie cheered as one of them hit Gonzalez in the chest and exploded at the same time knocking the man off his horse and turning him into a human fireball! To the left of Don Diego, another man was hit and became a flaming near miss for the bandit leader.
The don was looking around in horror at the destruction those women had caused in their defense. He had lost two of his men at the salt mine, and now two more were down, and the barrage continued causing the horses to spook and throw more of his men off until only two remained mounted. One of them was Fiorella, who fell back as the defenders on the wall began shooting down at them. Don Diego, now on foot, ordered his men to return fire as they sought cover behind boulders and a few dead horses, unfortune enough to have been killed in the melee.
On the wall, trying to target the enemies on the ground, became difficult with all the acrid cloud of smoke that hung over the air from the firework blasts. Now that they had taken cover, it was more challenging to find a clean shot. Manuel was able to make out the man on horseback; the last one still mounted not counting the woman, Fiorella, in the back. Manuel aimed carefully, and his finger tightened on the trigger. The gun roared, and the man was pitched off his mare with a gaping wound in his chest.
Fiorella paced about on her horse in the smoky environment, barely able to see anything ahead of her. It all seemed to be falling apart for Dante and his gang. She wondered if she truly wanted to be a part of it anymore. As the two groups exchanged gunfire, she decided no, she indeed wanted no part of it now. She was about to ride off, but in the direction they had come from, she heard a new sound. The thunder of approaching mounted riders!
Out of the dusty, smoky haze burst a figure on horseback. A beautiful young woman, perhaps the prettiest she had ever seen. The woman was twirling a bullwhip over her head. An astonishing second later, the whip was being cracked in her direction. Fiorella gasped at the pain as it struck her across the back and sent her crashing to the ground, stunned.
Catalina Wilde, astride Pretty Feet, the fastest of the Wilde sisters’ horses, went charging past followed quickly by Francisco, Cassie, and the rest of the vigilantes. Dante’s men were not expecting an attack from behind, so most of them were cut down in a hail of bullets. A few managed to get off some shots but to no avail.
Out of ammo Don Diego began to flee in the cloud of slowly dissipating gunpowder from the fireworks. He didn't even notice the burns on his body from the close calls he had with the fireworks that had originally been manufactured to thrill audiences. He stumbled towards the gates of the villa with murder on his mind. He still had his knife, and he intended to get into the compound and slay as many as possible for the humiliating defeat he was being handed. A voice commanded him to stop, and he turned, seeing a stunning blond with icy green eyes flaming with battle lust. She was pointing two silver-plated six-shooters directly at him.
“One more move towards that gate and it’s across the River Styx for you,” she told him was a roguish grin. Don Diego stopped, but both looked up, startled by a voice from above them. It was Honor Elizabeth shouting down from atop the wall.
“Cassie! How the hell are you two here?” she cried out, forgetting her usual moratorium on curse words.
“I think we all are going to have some interesting entries for our journals when this here ball is danced out,” Cassie returned to her beloved sister.
“Don’t let him get away. We are coming down now!” Honor shouted.
As the gunfire died away, Honor Elizabeth and the group removed the wagon and spilled out the gate. Just then Catalina and Francisco arrived behind Cass.
“We’ve got them all. My vigilantes are checking to be sure, but it looks like Dante’s gang is no more,” Francisco said and then turned his eye to Don Diego with a snarl.
“Dante! You disgrace the memory of Carmella. This was her home, and you would attack it? Destroy it and do harm to the people she loved? What have you to say for yourself?” he asked the man.
"Only this, dog. Death to you! You were never good enough for my little angel anyway!" He removed the knife from where he had concealed it. Cassie raised her guns to stop him.
“No, Cassie, he is mine!” Honor shouted as her hand was drawing her own knife. She hurled it with deadly accuracy into the criminal’s back as he was about to strike at Francisco. Dante cried out and slowly collapsed onto the ground with blood pooling quickly around him. Honor Elizabeth walked forward and calmly pulled her knife out of his back.
“He is dealt with now, Francisco, and your promise to your wife has not been violated on this day,” she said with a ghost of a smile on her face.
“Dante! Dante!” Rosa cried out as she rushed forward and knelt next to the downed bandit trying to staunch the flow of blood. “Won’t somebody help him?” she cried in desperation for her brother.
“I know I just got here and all, but isn’t he supposed to be the bad guy?” Catalina asked surprised.
"To us, he is Cat. To her he is family," Honor told her fiery sister. Manuel looked to Francisco who nodded his head and turned back to his people.
"Nuñez, Carrera, take him into the villa, and see what can be done for him," Francisco said, and they moved forward to obey. Honor glided over to Cattie and Cassie.
"I surely do not know what events transpired to put you here at this time and place, but I am most thankful that you are!" Honor told them grinning from ear to ear. They went for a group hug, and as they embraced Honor reached out and pulled Katie who was hovering nearby into it with them. As they clutched together, she vaguely heard some words spoken from their hosts.
“Remarkable women, absolutely remarkable,” Manuel said.
"Si, my brother. Unlike any I have encountered," Francisco answered, and there was murmuring from those around them. With a wink, Catalina boasted with conviction "Some you're not likely to ever see again! That's for dang sure!"
CHAPTER 24
JUAREZ CANYON
Canebraro Valley, Mexico
Lijuan arrived back at the coach just as Blue River finished unhitching the horses and had lifted Christina onto one of them.
“Blue River!” she called.
“Sister! Until I heard that explosion you cannot know how much I feared you had gone to meet with the Great Spirit in death,” he shouted in relief as she got near.
“Alive and well. My date with a pine box and six feet of earth isn’t here yet!” she assured him. Blue River was about to mount up behind Miss Caine when Lijuan grabbed his arm.
“No, get up on the other horse.”
“Miss Lijuan, we can’t take both horses. That will leave nothing for you,” he said surprised.
"I'm not coming with you. Those bandits are out for anything of value. They got all the horses, and God knows what else from the station. They'll probably want Father's coach too. It's one of the best that the Yberras ever put out. Get Miss Caine to the fort and send back help," she told him.
“Leave you behind? Never!” he said forcefully.
“Don’t worry about me. You’re going to need to have speed on your side to get Miss Caine out of here. If you try and ride one horse that’s just going to slow you down. Once you clear the canyon, head straight for the border. It won’t be long before you come to that outpost fort the Army’s got there.”
“Miss Lijuan explain to me how I am supposed to face the judge, Dutch, or any of the others if I told them I left you behind to die?” he asked looking stricken by the very idea.
"With your head held high because you'll have saved the life of Miss Caine here, and that I made you do it. Hell, you can even tell them I threatened you at gunpoint to leave me here. They'll believe that coming from a hellcat like me!" she told him with a grin.
“I do not like this,” Blue River protested, creases running across his forehead.
"I'm not asking you to. Now go! Time is running out until those bandits clear my little avalanche," she said looking back down the river. No survivors were coming yet, but it wouldn't be long. Blue River scowled but didn't move.
“You two need to get moving now!” she repeated, slamming the palm of her hand against the side of the black coach.
“What you are doing is very brave,” Christina said as Lijuan winked at her brother.
“I told you I’m not a villain,” she laughed and held out her arms that Blue River slipped into.
“However cross I may have been earlier, you know I love you, don’t you?” he said.
“Of course, I know. Stop acting like this is the last time you are ever going to see me. No way I’m not coming back! How would you all run Cedar Ledge without me?” she smiled not wishing to think about the real possibility this was the last time she would ever see him.
“I do not like this,” he said again.
“Is there an echo in this canyon? You’ve said that before, now go!” she commanded, her patience at an end. He looked at her a long moment and mounted the horse.
“I love you my sister.”
"I love you too, Blue River," she called up to him, and he nodded, and the two of them galloped away. She thought more of Christina since she had not said anything during her orders. It seemed the woman knew when to keep her chatterbox mouth shut. Down the stream, however, Christina wasn't keeping quiet now.
The Boot Hill Express: Special Edition HBH Version (Half Breed Haven Book 12) Page 17
