Chambers unlocked the door and scooped Larissa into his arms.
“You stink, mister.” She pinched her nose closed. “Put me down.” Her legs kicked out at her captor.
“If you don’t stay still and quiet, I’m gonna kill your mama. Do you want that?”
“No,” she shrieked.
“Shut up. How many out front?” he asked.
“There’s no-one.”
“No-one?” He tried to hide his elation.
Why in hell was there no-one out front in the jail when a dangerous prisoner like me is being held? He almost felt insulted that they didn’t think he was worthy of a couple of guards at least.
“Did you see any horses out front?” he asked.
Larissa nodded. “Spinner. Zac’s horse.”
“Good. Let’s go and find the others.”
Larissa nodded enthusiastically.
Chambers moved quickly. The kid had been telling the truth, no-one was at the desk. He peered through the door. It was like a ghost town outside. It sure was quiet. Perfect for his getaway.
The horse the child had spoken of was tied to the hitching rail. He hurried down the steps, placed Larissa in the saddle, untied the reins and mounted up behind his little partner in crime.
Chambers kicked Spinner and they took off at a gallop.
***
Zac was fastening his belt as he made his way back to his desk from the privy. His horse bolted past him. He squinted his eyes. “Chambers, Larissa? God, no.” He reached for his guns and fired but it was too late. They were too far away. Maybe it was a good thing, he had fired without thinking. What if he’d hit the little girl?
He sprinted towards the Kelly house like the Devil himself was at his heels. The Marshal was going to kill him and leave his body for the buzzards to pick clean. Zac was fond of the child himself but Eric loved that little girl as if she was his own. Zac would never be forgiven if anything happened to her.
He burst through the front door and shouted, “Marshal. Eric.”
Eric appeared immediately, he had heard the shots and was about to head for the jail. He saw the panicked look of alarm on his Deputy’s face and knew something was terribly wrong. “What are you shouting for?”
Zac bent over. His hands rested on his knees as he struggled to regain his breath. “Chambers escaped. He took Spinner. He’s got Larissa.”
“WHAT!” Eric’s thundering shout brought all conversation to a halt. You could have heard a pin drop. “How the hell did he get Larissa?”
“I don’t know. I was in the privy. As I was walking back, Chambers passed me on Spinner. He had Larissa in front of him.”
Penny had come to the front entry to find out what the commotion was about. She screamed and raced outside. “Larissa,” she called frantically. No, no no. Not Larissa. I can’t lose my little girl.
Eric scowled at Zac. “Get a possé together. NOW! Get out there and find that little girl. If anything happens to her I’m gonna kill them and then come looking for you.”
Eric heard men volunteering to help as he rushed outside to find Penny. She was around the side of the house calling for her daughter. He headed in that direction. They collided at the corner. He wrapped the distraught woman in his arms. She struggled to free herself but Eric refused to let her loose.
“Let me go.” Penny screamed. She beat at his chest with her fists.
“Honey. Calm down. Look at me.”
Penny sniffled and turned her tear stained face up.
“We will find her, I promise you. I will bring her back safely. Do you trust me?”
She nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Please bring her home.” She gazed at him with so much pain in her eyes. “Eric, she’s our daughter.”
Eric froze. Had he heard her correctly? “Ours? Mine and yours?” Larissa was his? How? Why hadn’t she told him when he’d come back to town? So many questions but not the right time to ask them.
“Yes. That’s why I married Walt. You’d left and I found out I was pregnant and I had no-one and I didn’t want our child to be branded a bastard.” She clutched at Eric as she blubbered, the words running together. “Please, Eric. Find our little girl.”
“I promise I’ll find her and then we need to talk.” How would he ever face the woman he loved if her daughter was harmed? Their daughter. Larissa was his. No wonder he had always felt such an affinity with the child. She had his blood running through her veins. Flesh of his flesh.
He kissed Penny’s lips gently. “April. Victoria.” The ladies had been standing nearby.
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Take her inside and look after her please. Do not let her out of your sight.”
April held one of Penny’s arms, Victoria the other. “I’ll ask Doc to give her something,” April said. They half carried a trembling Penny inside.
Eric and Zac along with twenty or so other men dashed for the livery. They couldn’t allow any more time to pass. Larissa needed to be found, before Chambers got too far away.
***
Eric and Zac stopped their horses in a clearing at the base of the hills. The other men reined alongside to hear what the Marshal had to say.
“I want you men to split into groups of six. That’ll give us four groups and we’ll be able to cover more ground. I’ll take one group, Zac, you take another and the rest of you split into two groups. There’s a possé of twelve men already out here somewhere so make sure you know who you’re coming up on before you start shooting. If you find the outlaws, move in. When they’re secure fire three shots and we’ll meet back here. Good luck and be careful.”
The men sorted themselves into groups and headed in different directions toward the hills. Eric was worried. They only had a few hours before nightfall. He prayed they would find his little girl quickly. He loved her dearly, deep down had he always known she was his? He wanted to be her father, teach her to ride, teach her to swim, walk with her on the ranch and walk her down the aisle. That would be when she turned forty. Boys, men would be forbidden to come near her before she was at least thirty. He couldn’t bear the thought that something might happen to her when he’d only just found out she was his. He shook his head attempting to clear the bad thoughts from his mind. He signaled for his group to follow him and they set off along a track leading into the hills.
***
Chambers allowed Spinner to pick his way slowly along a rugged, rock covered track which led to a large cavern-like opening. He urged the horse forward into the semi-darkness of the large cave and heard the click of guns being cocked.
“Put ’em away. It’s me.” He dismounted and lifted Larissa down.
“Boss, where ya bin?” Bill asked.
“We looked everywhere for ya,” Shiny added.
“What’s with the kid?” Albert asked. He took Spinner’s reins and led him to the makeshift corral. He listened to Jim speak while he unsaddled the horse.
“I got nabbed when I went out to take care of business. Wandered off too far. Least they didn’t find the hideout so it was lucky.” He patted Larissa’s head. “This purdy little gal helped me get outta jail while everyone in town was at her daddy’s funeral. She wanted to meet the man who killed her daddy.”
“So what do we do with her, boss?” Shiny asked. “I ain’t hurtin’ no kid.”
“Who are you,” Larissa asked.
“I’m Shiny on account of I ain’t got no hair and my head shines in the sun.”
Larissa giggled.
“I’m Albert but you can call me Al.”
“I’m Bill.”
Larissa glared at Bill. “Did you kill my daddy?”
“We don’t know which one of us killed your daddy. There was a lotta shooting going on. It could have been any one of us.” Shiny said.
“Oh. I guess you can take me home now then.” Larissa said. “I’ll tell the Marshal where he can find ya.”
The outlaws exchanged looks before Chambers spoke. “We can’t do th
at. The Marshal would lock me up again. I’ve always wanted a little girl. You’re gonna stay with us now.”
“But, boss….” Albert’s protest was cut off by Chambers’ glare.
“I can’t stay here. My mama will cry,” Larissa said.
“She won’t cry for long. Your mama will soon understand you ain’t coming back,” Chambers said.
“No! Take me home.” Larissa screamed and dashed towards the cave opening. She was swept into Chamber’s arms before going too far. “Put me down,” she screamed and pelted his chest. Leaning forward she sank her teeth into his shoulder.
Chambers roared and reacted, his arms loosed their hold. Larissa crashed to the ground. Her ankle twisted and Shiny heard a loud pop.
Larissa screamed and held her ankle.
“Tie the little hell cat up,” Chambers growled as he rubbed his wounded shoulder. “I ought to put a bullet in her right here and now.”
Shiny found some rope and tied Larissa’s wrists to each other. When he attempted to tie her feet together he noticed the strange angle of her ankle. Larissa screamed in agony when he ran his hands over the injury to check it. “Boss, I think her ankle’s broke.”
“Too bad. Tie her up anyway. Little bitch bit me.” Chambers growled.
Larissa screamed as Shiny tied her ankles together even though he tried to be as gentle as possible. He wasn’t in to hurting kids.
Chambers crossed to where she sat on the floor. He hovered above her. “If you don’t stop that God awful noise, I’ll gag you. Do you want that?”
Larissa screamed again. “You’re a bad man. I hate you. I want my mama.” Tears streamed from her eyes.
“Gag her,” Chambers said as he crossed to where a raging fire crackled and popped.
Shiny hated doing it but followed orders. Chambers was vicious when he lost his temper, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. He often wondered if his boss was loco. He gave the child some water before gagging her with a filthy bandanna. He lay her down on a blanket, she whimpered for hours before sleep finally took her.
***
Eric reined in his horse and reached into his saddle bag for his canteen of water. He took a long swallow before screwing the cap back on and returning it to the bag. His eyes scanned the rocky terrain for any hint of movement. There was nothing. No use checking for tracks, far too many rocks. Nightfall was rapidly approaching. His gut clenched. Where was his little girl? Was she safe? Was she hurt? Was she frightened? Perhaps calling out for him? Too many questions – no answers.
“Eric!” One of the men’s shouts drew him back. “Are we making camp or going back to town?”
“I’m staying out. If we go back to town, we’ll lose time covering the same ground again.” His daughter was out here somewhere and he wasn’t leaving until he found her. Safe and well. Eric dismounted, ground hitched his horse and allowed it to munch on a large patch of green grass.
The other men also dismounted and led their horses to the patch of succulent grass.
Three men gathered firewood, it was already freezing cold. In no time at all a roaring fire lit up the area. Eric and the other men unsaddled the horses. They had selected an area protected from the bitterly cold wind. One where there was actually grass for the horses. The hills cocooned them and it felt safe.
Cans of beans, chunks of bread and beef jerky were pulled from saddle bags. The men settled on their bedrolls close to the fire and ate in silence. They pondered the day.
Eric’s thoughts again wandered. Was Larissa warm and being taken care of? Bad and all as Chambers was, surely he wouldn’t hurt a child. How was Penny? It broke his heart knowing how scared and worried she would be.
***
“Boss, the kid’s shivering and her leg’s real swollen,” Shiny said.
“Bring her near the fire, untie her and cover her with a blanket,” Chambers said. His shoulder had stopped hurting and his compassion for the hurt child had returned.
Shiny untied the rope from Larissa’s ankles and hands and removed the gag. Her skin was chafed. Larissa didn’t make a sound when he examined her swollen leg. That worried him. He lifted her and lay her on a thick blanket by the fire. Covering her with another, he settled beside her.
“What are we gonna do? I think she’s sick,” Shiny said.
“If she’s sick she’ll slow us down. We’ll leave her here.” Chambers’ comment drew objections from the others.
“We can’t do that, boss. Even you can’t be that mean,” Bill said.
“She’ll die if we leave her out here,” Albert said.
“I ain’t leavin’ no kid to die,” Shiny finished.
“Alright, alright. We’ll tie her to the horse and lead it out of the hills toward town. Even a stupid horse would find its way back home,” Chambers said. “Get some sleep. We need to get outta here early in the morning.”
The men settled by the fire and drifted off.
Larissa moaned throughout the night and Shiny tried his best to comfort her. She was drowsy when morning came, drifting in and out of consciousness. Her leg had swollen even more. He was really worried and wanted to stay with her.
Chambers wouldn’t hear of it. “Is she worth hanging for? Get her on the God-damned horse, get some rope and tie her hands to the pommel and her feet to the stirrups. The sooner she’s back in town, the sooner they can fix her.
While Shiny took care of Larissa, the other men saddled their horses and readied themselves to leave. They stepped from the cave into a dark, overcast morning.
“Which way?” Bill asked.
Chambers pointed. “Take her down there.”
“But, boss. She’ll still be in the hills,” Shiny protested.
Chambers snapped. “The horse will find its way out. If not, someone will find her. These hills have to be crawling with men searching for her. We need to get outta here before they catch us.”
Shiny knew there was no point in arguing. He took Spinner’s reins and led the horse and Larissa to the bottom of the hill. He dropped the reins, slapped the horse’s rump and watched as it took off at a run. Satisfied the horse would take the little girl home, he turned his horse and headed back up to join the others.
Once they were together, the four outlaws headed deeper and higher into the mountains.
***
Eric pulled his coat collar up around his ears. The weather had turned freezing and the snow was coming down heavier. He felt despondent. Where could they be? They’d been searching again for hours. He had never in his life felt so desperate.
Three gun shots echoed through the hills. Eric’s heart slammed against his ribs. “Let’s go,” he yelled to the other men. They picked their way back to the clearing, the agreed place to meet.
Eric saw Spinner first then spotted Zac sitting on the ground. A bundle was cradled in his arms. He kicked his horse into a gallop and raced across the ground. Why wasn’t his little girl standing up? Was she alive? He prayed she was okay and they had found her in time. For the first time in his life, he felt the gut wrenching sensation of real fear.
His horse had barely stopped when he leapt off it, and dropped to his haunches beside Zac. Tears welled in his eyes. “Is she?.....”
“She’s alive but unconscious.” Zac drew back the blanket she was wrapped in revealing the badly bruised and swollen leg.
Eric swore. He normally wasn’t a crude man, but he yelled out every foul obscenity he could think of.
***
“I am not staying here while my daughter is out in the wilderness with some mad man. Maybe even a whole gang!” Penny dropped onto the sofa at April’s, where she had stayed the night. Angrily, she brushed away the tears cascading down her cheeks.
“Penny, you can’t go out there by yourself.” April exclaimed in horror. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I know you’re right but I can’t stay here and do nothing. I’ll go out of my mind. That’s my daughter out there. She’s all I’ve got.”
�
��Mitchell, Tom and the others won’t give up searching. You have to be patient. They’ll bring her back as soon as they can.”
“What if they can’t find her? What if the gang take off with her and I never see her again. What if they murder her?” Tears dripped from Penny’s chin.
“Don’t think that way. Eric won’t give up until he finds her especially now he knows she’s his daughter. Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell him before now?”
“I couldn’t. It would have made him miserable knowing he couldn’t live with his daughter.”
“He was miserable any way. Everyone in town knew you two were meant for each other. Did you only marry Walt because you were pregnant?”
Penny sighed. No use in hiding it now. “Yes. I didn’t want Larissa growing up as a bastard and Eric had left town without a word. Of course, I know now he didn’t, but at the time Walt’s offer of marriage was the only way I could see out of the mess.”
April placed her hand on Penny’s. “I’m so sorry. You could have told us. We would have helped.”
“I didn’t want to impose. But I’ve made an even bigger mess of things now. Eric is going to be so angry with me.”
“Eric’s a good man. He’ll understand.”
Penny desperately hoped so.
“Why don’t you go and have a nap. I have a few things to take care of and then I’ll make us some tea.”
Penny nodded her agreement. April left the room.
I can ride as well as any man. Why can’t I go out and look for Larissa? She’s my daughter. I have every right to be out there.
Penny slipped outside the house. She glanced up and down the street, lifted her skirts and dashed for her home. Once inside, she raced upstairs and changed into a pair of Walt’s breeches, flannel shirt and coat. His boots were far too large so she put on her walking boots. A blanket was dragged from her bed and folded over her arms. It was freezing outside and she would need to keep her daughter warm.
In the kitchen, she packed a sack with biscuits, jerky and a few other necessities.
With trembling hands, Penny pulled Walt’s hat down over her ears to conceal her face, glanced around furtively and strode to the livery as fast as she could without drawing attention.
Silver Belles and Stetsons Page 48
