by Izzy Hunter
The crowd didn't even have time to settle before the first punch was pulled. Henry had glanced down at the ground. Mona didn't know what was of interest, but it held his focus long enough for Sam to shape his hand into a fist and make contact with Henry's stomach. The audience gasped in unison. Henry looked winded, doubled-up and clutching his stomach. Henry, though, was holding his fist, grimacing.
'Hell, you got some strong stomach muscles there, boy,' Sam grunted.
Serves you right, thought Mona, smugly.
Henry had strong stomach muscles alright, and quick reflexes as he launched himself at the other man. Both fell to the ground, trying to get the upper hand. The dust rose as the two men rolled about, pulling, kicking and thumping one another.
Mona searched the crowd for Matthew and found him standing opposite her on the other side of the circle. He was watching her, ready for the signal. Herbert stood in front of him, too busy watching the fight. She shifted her focus to find the crewmen who were dotted around the circle. Each of them were shifting their gazes between the fight and Mona, ready to draw their guns and help take back the town. She returned her attention to the fight again. Sam had managed to overcome Henry and had his arms pinned between his thighs as his fists pummelled Henry's face. Trent and his men were hollering and egging both fighters on. Now they were occupied, it was time to act. She looked back at Matthew and gave him and Hubert the nod.
On cue, Mona and the men removed their guns and, like planned, Mona shot into the sky. The effect was immediate. The fight came to an abrupt end. The circle broke. Some of the crowd ran for cover. Others cried in alarm and looked around for the source of the shot. By the time the gang knew what was going on, eight loaded weapons were pointing at Trent and his men. Only Trent held his gun in his hand and he was aiming it at Mona, who had thrown off her hat to reveal herself to the gang leader.
'You,' the man said, then spat on the ground before him.
'Me,' said Mona. 'How's the head, by the way?'
'Hellishly sore. Hold up,' he frowned, 'what happened to your voice?'
It was Mona's turn to frown until she realised he still thought she was Sam's whore. She smiled at him, using her native English voice. 'A bit slow on the uptake, aren't we, Trent? I'll be having that badge back after we're done here,' she told him, nodding at the star-shaped badge he still wore on his shirt lapel.
He glanced down, then realisation hit. 'Well-well.' He looked at her again. 'Thought you'd run away.'
'And leave my town to the likes of you? I don't think so.'
'I could just shoot you right now, missy.'
'You certainly could. And then my friends could shoot you and your men.'
'Darling, I've been threatened by a lot worse than you.'
'You know, you're the not the first person to say that to me recently,' Mona told him. 'The first person soon learned his lesson. Didn't you, Hubert?'
'Sure did,' Hubert called back.
Trent caught sight of Hubert and started laughing. 'Jesus Christ! I'm scared now!'
In the silence, someone called out for Mona but she had to stay focused on Trent. Any lapse in her concentration and the plan would fail.
'You know, I could easily shoot you right now,' she said.
'Well, what's stopping you?'
'Shooting you is too easy.' She smiled and then raised her voice even louder. 'I'm talking to Trent's men, now. I'm going to give you a choice. Join us. Join the town. Give up your weapons now and we'll find you a home here. It'll be a clean slate and a new life for you.'
'As if they'd listen to you,' Trent mocked.
'The offer isn't extended to you,' Mona told him sharply. 'So, if any of you want to accept, drop any weapons you have on the ground before you and come stand with me.'
No one moved. Trent looked at his men then laughed again. 'Looks like the deal needed to be sweeter than that.
But Mona wasn't finished. 'You came to No Hope 'cos you heard how prosperous it's become. Well, why not share in that prosperity... legally. I promise I'll find you jobs, you'll have proper meals every day. You can settle here instead of always being on the move, on the run.'
'I'm up for that,' Mona heard Sam say.
'Thank you, Sam. Anyone want to join him?' Mona asked.
There were two soft thuds from her left. Two of Trent's men, including Sam's friend, Willis, had thrown their guns to the ground, and were heading towards her. She tensed up. They could easily be concealing more guns.
'We accept,' Willis told her. The other man nodded and both stood next to her, facing Trent.
Trent looked utterly bewildered at the men's move. 'What the hell are you doing?'
'We're getting too old for all this,' said Willis, though Mona noticed he avoided looking directly at the gang leader.
'Yeah, well, you were never any good, Willis, or you, Buck. I'll be glad to see the back of you. You were just holding the rest of us back.' Trent shot back. 'And as for you,' he looked across at Sam who'd got to his feet. Worryingly, Henry was still lying on the ground, his face a bloody mess. 'I knew you'd turn on me. You use what's between your legs for thinking. Always have done.'
'Well at least I've got a brain somewhere,' Sam replied. 'I mean to say, you were stupid enough to get knocked out by a girl. No offence, Mona.'
'None taken,' replied Mona. Her outstretched arm was beginning to hurt. A little part of her wished Trent and the remaining gang would just go, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy.
'You better shut up,' Trent warned, glaring at Sam. In one move, he swung the arm holding his gun from Mona to his former colleague. 'Or I'll shoot you dead where you stand.'
Mona sought her chance. Lowering her gun a little, she pulled the trigger. Less than a second later, Trent was on the ground, clutching his leg, his trouser leg soaked in blood. The shooting was a catalyst and seemed to wake everyone up. Moments later, the air was heavy with gun shots and screaming. The townsfolk ran this way and that, seeking cover wherever they could. Though Trent was wounded, he still had hold of his gun and was looking around wildly for Mona.
As soon as she had fired the shot, Mona had skidded over to where Henry and Sam were. She looked over Henry. His eyes were shut and he wasn't moving.
'I think I knocked him out,' Sam explained, as the shooting began. In the confusion, the crowd acted as a wall between Mona and Trent. She had only a few seconds. 'Sam, get him out of sight. Somewhere safe.'
Sam nodded and slid his arms underneath Henry's armpits and dragged him out of the way. The tavern was the nearest building and Mona watched as a dozen or so people sought safety inside. Mona knew if she went indoors, she'd be in more danger. Instead, she headed round the back of the building.
Standing hidden at the corner of the building, Mona thought back over the past several days. Life had become so sedate since she'd become Sheriff of the town that she'd almost forgotten that exhilarating feeling of danger and peril, a constant companion back during her days in England. She missed it a little, the action.
'Where is that little bitch?,' Trent's voice was close. Mona tightened her grip on the gun. 'I swear I'm gonna shoot her leg and then I'm gonna give her a slo, painful death.'
Someone else was with him. One of his goons, by the sound of it. 'Maybe we should just get going,' the goon was saying. 'I don't think she's going to give up this place without a fight.'
'You scared of a woman now?' Trent was asking.
'No, but I just don't think this place is worth it.'
'Oh, you don't, do you?'
A shot was fired. It rang out in the quiet town. Finally, someone spoke. It was Trent. 'You think this place ain't worth it?'
An unfamiliar voice answered. Another of his goons. 'I'm sticking with you, Trent,' the man said.
'Good. Now get inside and see if that English bitch is in there.'
'Want me to shoot her if she is?'
'Shoot her and I'll slit your throat. If she's in there, bring her out to me.'
Mon
a heard the saloon doors open with a squeak. Screams arose from inside the building, and Trent's goon started yelling. Hopefully Trent was now alone.
She cautiously peered round the corner. No sign of the ringleader. Just the body of the man Trent had shot dead.
'You really need to choose better hiding places.'
Mona felt the gun press against the back of her neck. She froze.
'I saw you run round the side,' Trent explained, in a low murmur.
'So why didn't you come after me?'
'I wanted to get you alone.'
'I'm flattered.'
'Drop your gun and turn around slowly.'
'Can't do that, Trent.'
He whacked her hand with the butt of his own gun. The weapon fell from her hand as she cried out. 'Bastard,' she hissed.
'Turn round or I'll shoot you in the head.' He swiped her gun from the ground.
Cursing him under her breath, she turned and faced him. She wanted so much to punch that leer off his ugly face.
'Get on your knees.'
She hesitated, wondering if she try and get her gun back, or just run. Then she wondered where Sam, Matthew and the others were. She couldn't hear any gunshots. Were they hiding or, Mona hoped, forming another plan to rid the town of Trent and his men? She thought of Henry. He would be alright. He had to be.
Trent's trouser leg was sodden with blood. Someone had tied a rag around his leg but it was coming loose. Now that Mona looked at him properly, she could see there was a paleness to his weather-worn face.
'What you staring at? I said get on your knees!'
With both guns pointing at her, Mona dropped to the ground. She hoped to hell he wasn't planning to unbutton his trousers and expect her to.... The only thing she'd be doing is biting the thing clean off.
As if reading her mind, Trent spoke. 'Now's not the time for that,' he told her, with a grimace.
'Your leg giving you trouble,' she asked.
'The only thing giving me trouble is you,' he said tersely. 'But now I got you on your own, I can deal with you. And you are on your own. Looks like your friends gave up on you.'
'I can say the same thing about your friends,' Mona replied.
'I don't need them. I can go to any town and get a gang together.'
'Not this town you can't.'
Trent mused on this for a moment. 'Maybe you're right. You seem to have a hold over these people. But I wonder how things will be once you're gone.'
'I hope they hang you from the nearest tree.'
'Yeah? Well, at least I won't have to listen to you yapping. Anyone ever told you you talk too much?'
'Admit it, you just love my accent. You could listen to it all day.'
'See, now you're beginning to annoy me. Time to say goodbye.' Trent pointed the guns at either side of her head.
Mona squeezed her eyes shut and tensed up for the inevitable. She thought of Henry again. She wanted his smile to be the last thing she remembered.
Two shots were fired.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The body lay there, sprawled behind the saloon as the rain started to plummet down. Northam had saw the explosion of Sanders' gadget the day before and had rounded up all the crew and passengers with her. The airship had travelled, on little fuel, until it reached No Hope. Not knowing what they'd find, the ship landed outside the town. It was then that they'd heard gunshots and screaming. Arming everyone with the weapons available, they'd rushed the town finding only two people outdoors, behind the saloon.
Now she stood over the dead body, her entire body shaking. She'd never killed anyone before. The gun was still gripped in her hands. Mona laid a hand on her friend's shoulder and gently took hold of the gun.
'Thank you,' Mona said to the captain, but she doubted the woman was listening.
Later, Mona would discover what happened to Matthew, Hubert and the crewmen. The two remaining gang members had run off, with Matthew and the crewmen giving chase. Both men were captured pretty quickly and put in the jail cells. Hubert had been hiding out in the saloon, slipping in unnoticed, when Trent's goon had walked in, searching for Mona. The diminutive criminal had snuck round to the back of the goon then, with the aid of a bar stool, had whacked the goon with the gun and knocked him unconscious. The goon would wake to find himself sharing a cell with one of his friends.
Sam had stayed with Henry once they'd got to the clockmaker’s' house. In fact, once Sanders had to open up Henry and check the cogs and gears weren’t the cause for the man's non responsiveness, it had been impossible to shift Sam at all.
Mona had also discovered what had happened to Connor. When the gang had initially happened upon the jail, they had locked Connor in one of the cells. Wesley had got been the one to let the man out. Connor had found out what had happened, then went in search of food.
The saloon had thrown its doors open to everyone in No Hope. Men, women and children were invited to help celebrate the removal of the gang. Northam had sent some of her crew to bring the ship into the town, while she had plans to get absolutely drunk. Matthew had encountered his father as Reedus Sr was heading home, and was surprised when his father agreed to share a drink at the saloon with his son. Mrs Fontaine took Hubert back to her bordello for a personal thank-you for his help with the saloon goon.
Sanders, with Wesley's help, had patched up Henry who had only been knocked unconscious. Leaving Henry to rest in Sanders' bed, the clockmaker, his apprentice, Sam and Mona stayed in the sitting room. It had been Wesley who told Mona that Sam now knew Henry's secret, but Sam himself hadn’t said a word about it, so far.
'Right,' said Sanders, slapping his lap before getting to his feet. 'I think we should put in an appearance at the saloon. Who's coming?'
Wesley practically jumped out of his chair. 'I'll come with you,' the boy said, eagerly.
Sanders smiled at his colleague. 'Very good. Mona? Sam?'
'I'll wait until Henry wakes,' Mona replied.
'Same here,' said Sam.
Mona looked at him. 'You don't have to.'
'I don't mind.'
They didn't speak again until Sanders and Wesley had left. After a while, Mona couldn't hold back much longer. She needed to know. 'Are you going to tell anyone about Henry?' She blurted.
Sam frowned in response. 'What about him?'
'You know fine well, Sam. About what you saw when Sanders was tending to him.'
'Oh, that. No, I wasn't planning to.' He said it in such a casual way that Mona was immediately suspicious.
'Why not?' She demanded. 'I mean, he's pretty unique. I'm sure there's people out there that would pay handsomely for him.'
'I'm sure there are, but they're not going to find out from me.'
Mona studied him for a moment. 'Huh,' she said, laying back in her seat.
'What?'
'Oh, nothing. I just thought....' Her voice trailed off.
'You thought I had plans to sell him to the richest person I could find? You still don't trust me, do you?'
'Can you blame me?'
'I suppose not. Anyways, I took you up on your offer, remember? It's a new start for me. A new start for us.'
She shot him a look that he met with a smile. 'Us? What us?'
'I think we got off on the wrong foot. I can see why you were so protective of Henry. I'm sorry for my behaviour in New Moray. I still find you very attractive, but I'm not gonna cause any trouble for you.'
She was touched. ''Well...thank you, Sam.'
'It's my pleasure. But remember, if you need me, I'm here for you.'
Mona didn't reply. She was very tired and was trying not to yawn.
Sam reached out and squeezed her hand briefly. 'I think I'm gonna head to the saloon. You staying here?'
Mona nodded. 'Enjoy yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.'
Sam stood and stretched his arms. 'I'll try and be good.' He winked, then left.
Mona decided to go through and lie with Henry, but first she needed to do something
about her gurgling belly.
The kitchen was in darkness, so she lit one of the wall lanterns to give her some light. There was still a little of the bread left over from breakfast, so she took a knife and hacked herself a slice. Someone appeared at the window and rapped on the glass. Mona cried out, nearly cutting off her fingers. She clutched the knife and tried to make out who it was. All of Trent's men were either dead, in jail, or at the saloon having changed sides.
'Hello, hello. Are you there?' said the familiar voice. 'I thought I saw you come in here earlier. I was waiting until you were alone. Hello? Mona?'
'Come to the front door. I'll let you in.' Mona called out.
