She sat on the padded bench in the dressing room and put on her shoes as she tried to make up her mind which of the items she could buy, and which she had to leave behind. Suddenly she heard an angry voice, muffled, but close.
“....lazy little good for nothin’ freak, that’s what you are.” The voice was muted through the wall, but there was no doubt that it belonged to a man. Saige leaned over and pressed her ear to the wall. “Should have drowned you when you were born you worthless little shit,” the voice continued.
Saige did not have any idea who was speaking, or who he was speaking to, but the words and the tone of his voice made her angry. Nobody deserved to be talked to like that, she thought. She pressed her ear closer to the wall and listened as the man continued haranguing his victim with the same litany, his words punctuated with odd tapping sounds that Saige could not place. Until, after several of the sounds, she began to hear small, muffled whimpers. Then she realized that the man was not just verbally abusing someone, but he was hitting that person as well.
She leapt to her feet, shoved open the dressing room door and ran through the store, zig-zagging her way through the racks and displays dotting the floor between her and the front door.
“Saige?” Faron called from somewhere behind her, but she didn’t slow down or stop. She was furious with herself for sitting there as long as she had, not realizing that those tapping sounds were blows. How many of them had fallen while she did nothing but sit and listen? She would not stop to explain herself now when she knew that for every second of delay, somebody was being beaten.
She shoved through the door, turned right and raced down the sidewalk to the door of the next store. She yanked the door open and hurried inside before pausing a moment to get her bearings. From the rows and rows of shelves and displays filled with tools and materials, Saige guessed it was a hardware store. She made her way toward the back, aiming for the right hand wall, not stopping until she reached a long counter that ran the width of store.
Behind the counter was a wall with a closed door set in the center of it. There was a small woman behind the counter, watching the door with a terrified expression on her face, and Saige knew at once that the woman was aware of what was happening behind that door.
She leapt over the counter since she couldn’t find a way through it and marched straight for the door. The frightened woman put a light hand on her shoulder when she reached for the door knob.
“Don’t,” she said in a shaky whisper. “If you try to help, it will only make it worse. And he’ll hurt you.”
Saige looked at the woman more closely. This time she saw the signs of abuse in a fading bruise, a crooked nose, a missing tooth, but most of all, the eyes. Those faded blue eyes held so much fear and, worse, shame.
“Its all right,” Saige said softly. “I will stop it, and I will prevent it from ever happening again.”
The woman’s eyes lit with hope for a brief moment. Then the sound of a blow, followed by a yelp of pain reached them and the hope died.
Saige jerked the door open, strode into a large storeroom and growled at the scene before her. A small boy with dark hair was standing with his back in the corner, his hands covering his face. A big man stood before him with his fist clenched. “Drop those hands you freak or you’ll get worse,” he warned the boy.
“How about you fight with someone closer to your own size?” Saige said, fighting to keep her voice even.
The man swung around, his beefy face red with fury. “How dare you come in here?” he snapped. “This is private property. Get the hell out, bitch.”
Saige smiled, an expression intended to enrage the man further. “Make me, bastard,” she challenged.
Faron watched in surprise as Saige burst out of the dressing room and raced through the dress shop.
“What is it about your Arimas that sends them running out of my store?” Caitlyn asked as she watched Saige race for the door.
“I do not know, but I think we need to find out,” Faron replied before taking off after her with Dav right behind him.
“Please have the items Saige tried on sent to the ranch,” Ban said quickly as he all but threw his wallet at Caitlyn. “Send that back as well,” he added before turning to follow Dav and Faron out of the store at a run.
By the time they reached the sidewalk there was no sign of Saige. Faron closed his eyes and used his nose, finding her unique scent of lilacs and rain immediately. He followed it to the next store down and entered, already beginning to understand what was happening.
Everyone in town knew about Mrs. Petrie and her son, Chandler. Mr. Petrie had died of a heart attack suddenly the year before, leaving Mrs. Petrie with the hardware store and a lot of bills. Mr. Petrie had been a kind man and a good one, but he had also liked to gamble too much.
Mrs. Petrie had borrowed money from her brother-in-law to help with some of the debts her husband had left behind. And when she had been late on a payment, he’d shown up and taken over the business. As well as her life. Nobody really knew what the man was like because he never socialized, nor did he allow Mrs. Petrie or Chandler to socialize. There were rumors that the man abused them both, but nothing that could be proven. And since Mrs. Petrie never said a word against the man, there didn’t seem to be anything anyone could do about it.
Because of a similar situation the year before with Frith Yanger, Prince Garen had appointed one of his ranch hands to spend time in town and get to know the people there. At Faron’s recommendation, young Billy Tate had been appointed and he took his job seriously. He had reported the situation with the Petries to them, but as there was no outward sign of abuse or violence, there was little that could be done. Unlike Frith Yanger, this man, Jack Petrie, did not threaten his neighbors. He kept his behavior private.
Faron pulled the door open and followed quickly in the wake of Saige’s scent until they reached the back of the store and saw Mrs. Petrie cowering in the open doorway to the storeroom. They leapt over the counter and gently nudged the frightened woman aside so that they could get through the doorway. They were just in time to watch Saige challenge the overgrown bully.
The man roared and took one step toward her, which had Faron, Ban and Dav all growling at once, but Saige was far faster than the overweight, out of shape man. She turned sideways and bent slightly as she raised one foot into the air, her slight turn giving it added momentum as it swung upwards so fast it was a blur by the time it landed hard against the man’s cheek. He staggered back from the blow and shook his head in shock. Saige spun around and, using all of the strength and momentum she could muster, she kicked him square in the crotch. The man let out a long, wheezing yell as he bent over to hold himself with both hands.
Saige considered him for a moment, then glanced at the boy in the corner who was staring in wide-eyed shock at the scene before him. He looked at Saige with a touch of fear in his eyes. Saige winked at him and was relieved when the boy dared a tiny smile in return. She rewarded him with a grin, then turned back to the wheezing man before her.
His face was now an odd purplish color and he was just starting to catch his breath, though he was still bent over. Saige took a step back, spun around and kicked him in the jaw hard enough to make him stand up straight. She started to spin again for an even harder blow when a low voice from behind her said, “Now amada, don’t break his legs or it will be harder for us to get him off the planet. He’s too damn big to carry.”
Saige shrugged, spun around once more anyway, but settled for one more good kick in the face. The man toppled over onto his back like a felled tree.
Satisfied that he was unconscious and could cause no harm for the time being, Saige turned to face her men. Faron, Ban and Dav stood in a row behind her, all wearing grins on their faces.
“That was very nicely done,” Faron said. “I particularly liked that kick to his privates.”
“Well, I wish you hadn’t done it,” the small woman said as she huddled in the corner, her son tucked beh
ind her.
All eyes turned to her and she cowered further beneath them. “I am grateful, and I do appreciate you trying to help us. Really I do. But it only will make things worse.”
“Perhaps you do not mind being a punching bag for this man, but you cannot believe your child enjoys it,” Dav said evenly, none of the contempt that Saige knew he was feeling sounding in his words.
Saige stepped in front of the woman and took up a protective stance, blocking the Lobos’ view of her. “You do not understand,” she said to them. “Please, just wait.” When Faron nodded to her, she turned to face the cowering woman.
“What is your name, please?” she asked, keeping her voice soft and gentle.
“I am Mary, and this is my son Chandler,” the woman said.
“It is nice to meet you Mary. And you as well, Chandler,” Saige said, including the boy even though he was hidden from her view at the moment. “My name is Saige.”
Mary just nodded her head, her eyes going from the prone man on the floor to the Lobos over Saige’s shoulder and back again nervously.
“Mary, if I told you that we could take this man away, make him leave Jasan and never, ever return, what would you say to that?” she asked.
Mary’s eyes widened and again Saige saw a brief light of hope. And again it quickly died. “It wouldn’t matter,” she said wearily. “He owns us. We belong to him now because of my foolishness and nobody can change that.”
“Slavery is illegal on Jasan,” Faron said softly, and Saige knew the words were for her more than Mary.
“Did you hear that Mary? Slavery is illegal here. He cannot own you, or anyone on Jasan.”
“On his world slavery is legal, and he told me that even if he was banished, his world would force Jasan to release us to him as we belong to him.”
“Mary, it is not true,” Saige said. “The High Prince of Jasan would never, ever agree to turn a woman and a child over to be slaves to anyone for any reason. I promise you that.”
The light of hope returned, and this time it stayed. For a few moments.
“That may be true, but this store is now my property, the money in the accounts is my property and the house she and that git of hers live in is my property. There is not a damn thing you can do to change that.”
Saige turned to look at the man who was now sitting up on the floor, his hands still clutching his crotch, his face still purple, but not one bit cowed.
“Shut up,” Saige said. The man’s face reddened so fast Saige thought he might pop like a balloon.
“How dare you speak to me like that you little...,”
Before he had a chance to finish the sentence Ban was kneeling over the man, one hand transformed into a loboenca paw with its wickedly sharp claws, one of which was pressed against the man’s jugular. “Do not finish that sentence or it will be your last,” Ban said softly. The man opened his mouth, looked into Ban’s furious eyes, reconsidered and shut it.
“By the power vested in me by the High Prince Garen of Jasan, and as Lord Protector of the Royal family, Clan Jasani and Citizen Jasani with all of the rights, privileges and duties appertaining thereto, I hereby banish you from Jasan for the remainder of your life,” Faron intoned. “You may take with you one square meter of personal belongings. Your other property, as well as your monies and anything else you may own or think you own, becomes, by virtue of this decree, the property of this woman, Mary Petrie, to do with as she pleases. You have 12 hours to remove yourself from Jasan or you will be sent to the mines for the remainder of your life. Should you return to Jasan, you will die.”
“You can’t do that,” the man sputtered in spite of the claw pressed against his throat. “That’s not legal. I know my rights.”
“It is my understanding that you came here approximately 9 months ago,” Faron said. “Is that so?”
“Yes, so what of it?” the man retorted.
“You are not married, have been here less than a year and therefore, you are not a citizen and have very few rights,” Faron replied.
“Banishment must have a reason,” the man argued. “And you cannot take my property for a petty crime.”
“Banishment does not require a reason for a non-citizen,” Faron said patiently. “And confiscation of property can be for whatever reason I wish. However, I would point out to you that you did not commit a petty crime.”
The man’s expression became smug.
“You committed a crime which, on Jasan, is just short of murder in its seriousness,” Faron finished.
“What? Punishing a child?” the man demanded, the smug look replaced by one of fear.
“No. Abusing a child, and abusing a woman. Jasani law is particularly severe when it comes to the types of crimes you have committed.”
The man opened his mouth to argue further but Faron held up a hand. “I have heard enough,” he said. “Should you continue to argue, I shall amend your banishment and sentence you to life on a hard labor penal planet.”
The man’s eyes grew round with shock, then narrowed in speculation. Faron smiled. “Keep in mind that I am the Lord Protector, second only to the Royal Princes in authority here on Jasan. There is no option for you other than to leave. Either on your own to a destination of your choice, or in chains to a penal planet of my choice.”
Faron turned away from the man, no longer wishing to look upon him. “Dav, call Jackson please and ask him to send a male-set to escort this...person...off-planet as soon as possible. Then give Billy a call and tell him we need some men to keep watch over this man until Bearen’s men arrive to take custody of him.”
“No need for that last part Mr. Lobo,” said a voice from the doorway. Faron had known that several of the townspeople had crowded into the store to watch the scene, but he had not expected any of them to draw attention to themselves by speaking.
Faron turned and looked at the usually kind and happy face of Jessep Rogers, the owner of the feed and grain store at the edge of town. He looked neither kind nor happy at the moment. “There’s enough of us here that we can keep this man in line till the guards arrive for him.”
Faron noticed several more men crowded behind Jessep, all of them with the same expression of determination on their faces.
Jessep looked over at Mary Petrie and his gaze softened. “If you’d a just told us what was happening Mary, we coulda helped you sooner,” he said.
Mary flinched as though struck and Saige growled softly in response. “Its easy enough to tell someone what they should have done or not done after the fact,” she said evenly. “But the truth is, this woman and this child did not believe that they could be helped. They did not believe that anyone could do anything that wouldn’t just make matters worse for them. Mary believed this man literally owned them, owned the power of life and death over them, and she acted in the only way she could to keep herself and her child alive. She lived within the rules and boundaries he laid out for her because she had no choice other than to do so. That was her life as she saw it. So before you judge her, or tell her what she should have done, try to remember that.”
Dav stepped forward and bowed to Mary. “I apologize for my harsh words, Mrs. Petrie. They were not deserved.”
The woman cast a frightened look at Dav, then glanced at Saige. She swallowed hard as though she meant to say something, changed her mind and merely nodded. Dav took that as an acceptance of his apology and stepped back.
“It would perhaps be best if you would escort Mr. Petrie out of here,” Faron suggested to Jessep. “He is allowed to take a small suitcase of clothing and personal belongings with him, as well as a small amount of cash. All bank accounts here on Jasan will be frozen and turned over to Mrs. Petrie so there is no need for him to take anything other than his ident card and a few clothes.”
“This is just wrong,” Jack Petrie muttered as Ban stood up and shifted his hand back to human. “I’m going to file a complaint about this.”
Ban chuckled. “Go ahead, file twenty if you l
ike. Just do it after you leave Jasan.”
Petrie opened his mouth to argue further but the hard faced group of men who now circled him caused him to rethink the wisdom of it. He closed his mouth and rose to his feet reluctantly, casting a look of retribution at Mary Petrie as he hobbled by her. Saige was tempted to give him one last kick, but restrained herself at the last moment.
She was therefore shocked to see a small blur rush by her as the boy, Chandler, ran up to Petrie, turned sideways in a good imitation of Saige and swung out with one leg, landing a good solid blow against the man’s knee.
The child could not have weighed more than 80 or 90 pounds, and the man a good 300, but to hear the man roar the boy had all but broken his leg.
“Are you going to let him just attack me like that?” he demanded angrily. Jessep smacked the man upside the head. “Shut up,” he said. “I think the boy owes you a few more than that, and if you don’t want us to help him catch up, then you best close your yap.”
Saige watched as the townsmen escorted the man out of the storeroom, and out of Mary and Chandler’s lives. She then grinned at the child, noticing that he had a slight limp as he turned and walked back to his mother. She wondered if that was why the man had called him such horrible names, and was disgusted by the thought.
A moment later several women entered the storeroom and immediately began to fuss over Mary and Chandler. Caitlyn hung back and approached Saige, Faron, Dav and Ban.
“We’ve all known something was going on,” she said. “We just couldn’t figure out what, and we couldn’t get a minute to talk to either Mary or the boy without Jack hovering over them. I’m not sure what it was that sent you running over here Miss Taylor, but whatever it was, I thank you for it, as do the rest of the townsfolk.”
“I was glad to help,” Saige said, uncertain what to say. She was better with action than words. She watched the women with Mary for a moment, turning away only when she was certain that they understood the woman better than their men seemed to.
The Lobos' Heart Song: Book 2 of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 24
