by Lynn Landes
"Mason, I'm ready now," Bronnah said as she climbs up beside him.
"Hi Mason," three women say in unison, and he blushes.
“Mrs. Rivers, this is…”
“Going to be a night you won’t soon forget.” Bronnah snaps and waits for them all to settle in.
Mason pushed his black cap back and looked around him. "This is crazy," Mason muttered and flicked the reigns.
“You used to like crazy,” Sally said with a teasing laugh. The girls laugh along with Mason while Bronnah thinks. How will she find the correct car, and how will she rescue five young women, alone? Maybe she should have thought this through a little more?
Mason points as they come to a crossway just outside of the center of town. On one side of the street are the ports, with docks lining the waterway. On the opposite side is the railroad station. Bronnah can see multiple sets of train tracks coming in and out. It is much larger than she anticipated. "The trains enter and back in to drop cars, or pick up cars depending, and continue on after they are inspected.”
The workers at the port seem to be using kerosene lanterns to work by as they unload grain and lumber. "I see," she murmurs. "Can we watch for a second, please?"
Mason pulls the wagon slowly down a dirt street on the side of a hotel, bumping the girls around until they finally come to a stop in an alley between the hotel and a closed merchant shop.
"Look, here comes one." A train backs in down a track and workers jump down to flip a switch. They quickly guide it and wait for it to stop then disconnect a car before signaling that it is free. "The station agent will give the signal, and the train will move on." As they watch it pulls forward, and two new cars are attached before moving on. The green cars that were dropped are left until it is time to connect them.
“What will happen to those cars that were just dropped?” Bronnah mumbles.
“Some are stored in the sheds behind the station,” Sally answers.
"That's right, they'll be pulled into a storage shed until it is time to connect it to the other train. If it's going to be sent on down the line, it will wait where it is. It must not be here yet. See," Mason points, and they watch as a car is pulled out of the way by a team of horses.
Bronnah sighs and pulls out the cash and hands it out to each of the young women.
"Mason, my sisters, are on a railcar with the initials, NNJR 126, where should I look for the car?"
He stares hard at her, “You’re telling me that they’re inside one of those train cars?”
“Yes, I’m gonna free them, but I need a distraction. I’m about to cause a major fuss. It might seem illegal, but I assure you it isn’t.”
Mason nods, “I’ll help you of course. You said the train was to arrive at six,” he jumps down and snaps at her, “Stay here, I’ll go have a look.” Mason disappears and is only gone for about five minutes.
“I found it. It was dropped an hour ago.” He points, and they talk for a minute before she nods at him.
"Thank you, I don't want you to get in trouble, but…" Bronnah starts to say but is interrupted.
"Look," Sally said, "No offense, Mrs. Rivers but we don't care. You paid for the night, and that's what you have us for. Time is money. Get going, then." Bronnah grins and nods.
“When you see my signal, Mason will drive straight through the center of town be sure to go past the railroad station out front. That’s all I need you to do.”
Bronnah jumps down and stops when one of the girls calls her name. “If I needed a quick getaway, I would consider the hotel. They often leave carriages unattended when the driver is otherwise occupied.” She grins and points at the hotel just across the street from the train station.
“Thank you,” Bronnah calls and slips into the alley behind the building.
“How long before she sends a signal?” One of the girls asked as she runs her hands over Mason’s shoulders.
“I’m not sure, but you ladies hold on.” Mason pulls the wagon down the road to position it for a quick getaway away from the center of town. That should allow Bronnah to make her way into town and find a ride.
The train station is a busy hub of activity with trains coming and going. It's lit with gas lanterns, and people are shuffling about, to and from their destination, but the storage area is quiet. The only light comes from kerosene lanterns hanging on hooks to illuminate the paths.
Bronnah dashes around, and heads as swiftly as she can towards a green railcar. When she gets close enough to see the number on the side of the train, she is giddy with excitement. Now what? She wonders.
Five different cars are sitting, silent. A cold wind blows, and Bronnah hears voices coming towards her. Desperate, she dives behind some stacked crates and listens. "No. We have another hour before the train arrives. They're all awake, but not stupid enough to try anything again. Let's go get a drink."
The two men laugh as they wander away and across the street. Bronnah waits, afraid to move until she realizes that she doesn't need a distraction. She dashes to the car and stares up at the massive door. From a distance, the train car looked small, but up close it's a very different story.
A massive wooden sliding door with a latch and rusty lock greet her. "Damn!" she snarls under her breath. "Find a tool, Bronnah," she mutters. Rushing back to the barrels she drops her bag and looked around. Surely there's a tool somewhere. "Yes!" she spots a crowbar and seizes it.
Rushing back to the door, she looks around and swings, praying the sound of the trains on the tracks will cover the sound of metal on metal. It takes three strikes before the lock breaks and falls off. Bronnah pulls hard, ignoring the pain in her stitches as the door slides open with a metal screech.
The first thing to strike her is the smell, followed by horror. Five young women are chained to the wall like animals. They stare at her, bruised and bloody, but alive.
"Jes suis un ami," I'm a friend, she tells them. Bronnah tosses the crowbar inside of the rail car and climbs in.
“Tu marcher?” Can you walk? Two of the girl’s scramble to their feet crying in relief. Their chains are long enough to reach the bucket in the corner.
With a sob, Bronnah glances around the filthy car. In one corner is a bucket for drinking and another has the bucket for the bathroom. “Dear Lord,” Bronnah gasps.
When she starts to swing the crowbar, it's seized from behind. "Need some help?" Chase growls from behind her. Bronnah nearly screams before spinning to face him.
“Chase?” she whispers. Elated to see him she throws herself into his arms. “Oh, Thank God.”
Chase closes his eyes in relief for a moment, and when he opens them, he recognizes the look of the hunted in the women before him. They back away from him terrified that he's one of their captors.
“Il est à mois!” He’s mine. “Il est à moi!” He’s mine! She repeats. They seem to calm when he begins looking at the chains.
"Guard the door," Chase orders. Bronnah does as ordered and turns back to the women when one says, "Nous devons pâtir!" We must go! Bronnah translates.
“Use the key,” a rusty voice said. Chase and Bronnah freeze and stare at the youngest of the girls in the corner. She looks to be about fourteen. “They leave a key just to torment us.” She points to the wall, where a key is hanging on a hook in the corner.
"Bastards," Chase snarls. When he takes a step towards the first girl, she backs away with a sob.
“I’ll do it, you guard,” Bronnah takes the key and avoids looking at him. She isn’t sure she could take the disappointment or anger she’s bound to see in his eyes. With trembling hands, she unlocks them quickly, stopping on the final girl. Her skin is gray and cold to the touch.
“No,” Bronnah moans.
“She died this morning,” the youngest explains. No one moves for a moment as the severity of this situation strikes them. “What now?” one of the girls asks.
Chase leaps down and snaps, “Now, we get you to freedom.” Bronnah translates and urges them to follo
w Chase. He helps them down and slides the door shut behind them and kicks the lock underneath. Bronnah dashes behind the crates to grab her bag as Chase says quietly, "With any luck, they won't realize you're gone…"
“What the hell!” A male voice calls out. Three men round the corner of the car and all draw their weapons.
Chase has only his single colt, and the five women cower behind him. Bronnah draws the gun quietly out of her bag and glances around her desperately looking for something to distract the men. Grabbing onto the wood of the crate she realizes what she's hiding behind. Crates of whiskey waiting to be loaded on the next train. Bronnah grabs three bottles, stuffing one into her bag.
“Hands up!” One of the men orders Chase.
Bronnah hooks her bag over her shoulder and pops the cork on one of the bottles. She pours the entire contents of the bottle over the inside of one of the lowest crates. As quietly as a mouse she slips away down the road around the corner of a building and grabs a kerosene lantern off the wall.
It dawns on her that she will only get one chance, she just prays that Chase will see what she's trying to do. The girls are cowering behind Chase, and the men are ordering them back into the train car when Bronnah steps into the light holding the lantern.
Chase has to struggle not to laugh when she calls out to them. "I seem ta be a wee bit lost?" All three guns swing to her, and the moment they turn Chase attacks. He moves so fast Bronnah doesn't have to do anything but stare in awe.
Bronnah blanches when Chase kicks out, and one of the pistols goes off. It explodes a few inches to the right of her. With a crack of bone, Chase punches one man, and he falls to the ground unconscious.
One of the girls pulls open the train car door and grabs the crowbar to fight back. When a gunman reaches out to catch her, she yells in pain and swings with all her strength, breaking his hand and dropping him to the ground. The girl beats at him, swinging wildly while he tries to protect himself against her onslaught. Chase leaps to stop the bludgeoning only to turn when Bronnah screams.
The third gunmen runs straight at Bronnah and Chase can only watch in horror as she runs from him. They disappear for a moment inside one of the sheds used to house railcars. A few minutes later a gunshot sounds out. "Bronnah!" Chase yells, running after them. All four girls follow and find her standing over the dead man, holding Chase's missing pistol in one hand and the lantern in the other. It is trembling in her hands.
“We should go now,” Chase takes the gun, tucking it in his holster and grabs her hand pulling her to his chest. She buries her face savoring the scent of him before looking up at him.
“Are you gonna arrest me now, Marshall?” she quips.
“Not just yet,” he snaps and pulls her along behind him.
The gunshot has people scurrying for cover out front. Whistles begin to blow, and Mason takes that as a sign. He pulls the wagon down the street, and they glance back, just as men come pouring out of the saloon at a run for the train yard. Two men skid to a stop as a wagon races away from the train yard with what looked like painted ladies!
“It’s not possible!” He runs for the train car, while the other goes after horses.
“We should go,” Chase suggests as they pass the three stacked whiskey crates.
"Yes, I have a plan," Bronnah said.
“Of course you do,” Chase snaps sarcastically.
“Stop!” A man stumbles behind them holding his bleeding nose and has a gun trained on them. They all freeze.
“Hands up!” he screams, and Chase immediately obeys. Bronnah whispers in French, “Courir!” Run! She pushes them in the direction of the alley just as she tosses the lantern into the crates.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion, the gun goes off just as Chase throws his body over top of Bronnah’s and they slide into the alley on the ground. The lantern lands on top of the broken whiskey bottles and ignites with a whoosh.
The explosion rocks the train yard and throws the man into the side of a train car with a sickening crunch. Bronnah groans beneath Chase, “Jaysus, you way a ton!”
Chase starts laughing as he pushes up on his hands and knees to look down at her. “I’m so sorry, are you hurt?” Bronnah sits up on her elbows and takes a deep breath, taking stock of her body.
“Only my bum,” Chase smile turns to one of desire as he leans down and takes her mouth in a searing kiss. The moment his mouth touches hers Bronnah becomes oblivious to everything around them.
She takes from him, clasping her arms around his head as he ravishes her mouth and lifts her from the ground in one swift movement. “Chase!” she gasps when he pushes her back into the wall and releases her mouth for a moment.
“Right.” Chase smirks as he lets her go, “Looks like I’ve found a way to close that dirty little mouth of yours.” Bronnah blushes bright red as he laughs and pulls her along the alley towards the front of the hotel. They find the girls cowering a few feet away.
"This hotel has a carriage waiting out front. I will distract the driver, and you can load the girls inside," Bronnah suggests.
Chase holds up a finger to the girls and turns on Bronnah. He cages her in against the brick wall and growls at her. “For the last time, hear my words, Bronnah you are under my care. From this moment on you will do as I say. I will not have you risking your life anymore.”
Bronnah stares into his eyes and nods in acquiesce. “Yes, Chase,” she murmurs softly.
He stares at her for a moment, “I will have your word on it, Bronnah,” he demands. Leaning closer to her mouth he waits for the soft inhale of breath and smiles before kissing her softly on the lips.
Her eyes are clouded with desire when he breaks away and demands once more, “Give me the words, Bronnah!”
“I promise,” he presses a hard kiss to her mouth and turns back around.
"I will distract the driver," he snaps, "and you load the girls in quickly. We have to go."
Chase disappears, and Bronnah points to the carriage, explaining to the girls what to expect. Chase climbs up into the front seat and pulls the carriage out without incident. Circling around he pulls up, and they quickly load in. As they are pulling away from the hotel, they watch a rider on horseback ride furiously in the opposite direction.
Slowly, Chase drives through town careful not to cause any undue attention. As soon as he reaches the edge of town, he flicks the reigns, and they fly. It is a twenty-minute ride at breakneck speed. They need to be away as quickly as possible.
“Who are you?” The youngest girls asked in English.
Bronnah lifts her wrist and they all gasp. “I’m just a girl like you with hopes and dreams," Bronnah tells them her story as the girls listen transfixed.
“So many?” An older girl sobs and pulls the younger one to her side.
“No more,” Bronnah promises.
“Merci, ma Soeur,” Thank you, my sister, another one sobs, swiping away a tear. Bronnah smiles.
“Where are you taking us?” The youngest girl asked.
"A la liberte," To freedom, Bronnh promises, and her eyes meet Chase’s through the front window.
Chapter 22
"Come on Evie!" Jonas slaps her cheek, and she opens her eyes groaning as the pain hits her.
"Oh, my head!" She lifts her hand only to find that she can't move it. Eve tries the other hand, and it too is strapped down. Panic sets in and her eyes fly open wide when she tries to move and discovers that her feet are bound as well.
"Jonas! Release me!" Eve struggles not to vomit. The pain from her head is unbearable, and she knows that she's in serious trouble. His hand strokes her leg as he speaks.
"I need you to listen, my beauty. Mr. Chen is not happy. It seems you have lost him seven assets and one is running around causing a great deal of trouble. How could you let her get the drop on you?" He sighs and pushes her hair back gently from her forehead. "I was ordered to clean up this mess." Leaning down to consider her almond eyes he murmurs.
“I wish thi
ngs could have been different, you were special to me.”
"Wait! Jonas, I thought we were in this together!" she glances around the room frantically as his hands slide the silk dress up to her thighs.
“We were, but Mr. Chen made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I have been offered a partnership, here in New York. Ten percent of the profits of the girls and the drugs.” He leans down and presses a kiss to her thigh.
"Why settle for ten percent, Jonas, when you could have it all! Listen to me. He's a fool. I'm not the only one scheming against him," she snarls. Jonas presses his nose in between her thighs, smelling the intoxicating scent of Evie.
"God, I will miss you. You have no clue how deep this goes, but I promise you, I will think of you often." He holds up a new vial is it darker than the opium, and he shakes it before he twists the lid off.
“Look at this, Evie. It’s my newest creation. It’s one of the reasons Mr. Chen made his offer. Let me show you.”
Jonas slides the needle into her vein ignoring the screaming and kicking as he injects the drug into her bloodstream. He watches closely, rubbing her hair back from her face, gently stroking her forehead and cheeks with the back of his hand. “I haven’t had time to perfect it yet. Don’t cry love,” he smiles as it washes through her tiny body and she slurs her words.
"Let it take you, don't fight it. I can't understand you, Evie," he said gently kissing her mouth. Eve's mouth falls slack. Her pupils are huge making her eyes look solid black. Drool pools down her mouth and into her hair, and she is no longer aware.
“Excellent. With your help, I will be able to perfect my new treat. Enjoy the ride, Evie.” He writes into a small notebook and pushes his glasses back into place. Stepping out of the bedroom, he snaps out orders in Chinese to the two young women waiting for him.
“Come get me when she becomes lucid.” They close the door behind them. Three Chen warriors are waiting. “Have you found the boy yet?” he asked.
