Dust And Dreams (The Rivers Brothers Book 1)

by Lynn Landes

  DUST

  And

  DREAMS

  Lynn Landes

  By:

  Lynn Landes

  Published by:

  Landes Publishing

  Edited by:

  Shane Landes

  Cover art by:

  http://amdesignstudios.net/

  This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Lynn Landes

  http://followlynnsthread.wordpress.com/

  All rights reserved.

  Other titles by Lynn Landes:

  The Angels Covenant

  Covenant Breakers

  Blood Covenant

  Fae Queen

  Shadow King

  Kiss of the Herald

  Serenity’s Song

  Arctic Moon

  Secret Friends

  Dust and Dreams

  Perilous Dreams

  Stolen Dreams

  Mercy's Promise

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Cassandra waits in silence for death to claim her. She can hear them outside laughing and carrying on while waiting for her fear to consume her. Her body jumps when she feels the concussion of the door being kicked in. No help would come tonight.

  As she listens to the voices of the men, she recognizes many of them from her father’s funeral. Oh, they all came to pay their respects, but their shame kept them from meeting her eyes.

  “Such a tragedy,” Mr. Daniel's had taunted, “Forty-eight is a young age to die.” Eustace Daniels owns the hotel in town.

  The minute he touched her hand with his clammy, smooth appendage Cassie had to force her body not to react and jerk away. The vile images flowed into her mind from his, and she closed her mind tight, blocking him.

  Her light amber colored eyes met his, and she allowed his thoughts to seep in, being careful not to let the graphic images through.

  Cassandra's beauty was renowned, and he had made no attempt to hide his interest in her. He wanted her in his bed and under his thumb. After multiple attempts to win her hand he'd given up, or so she thought. Looking deeper she hears his inner dialogue as his hand sickeningly stroked hers.

  ‘In five days, you will be begging and crying for mercy, Cassandra. Your land will be mine as well as your body. When I am through with you, I will give whatever is left of you to my boy, Aiden. Enjoy what freedom you have left!’

  Through the haze of his vile thoughts, she heard him, saying, “If there's anything I can do, please call on me, Cassandra.” Cassie gave a small nod and pulled her shawl tighter around her black day dress.

  “A stampede trampled him to death…” she heard the murmurs floating through the crowd, but she knows the truth. They’d killed him, and she was next. The rest of the mourners had passed through, all offering their condolences. Some brought food, others offered to pray for her.

  Pastor Smith tried to reach her talking about God’s will, but she was silent in her misery. When it was finally over, Cassie had looked at her Father's body, one last time before closing the casket. She stood alone when they lowered him into the ground and jumped as the first shovel full of dirt landed on the lid of the black coffin, but she did not cry.

  At twenty-one, she had learned that this life only helps those who help themselves. She glanced at the tombstones lining her family plot. Her Father, Mother, her husband and a small stone for her baby.

  “They will pay for this. I am through playing by other people's rules. Now it's my turn.” A brisk wind blows, and she ignores the stray strands of her long hair that whip free. Cassie wipes a stray tear and walks slowly through the cold, fall morning back to the main house, remembering.

  When her mother drowned in the river on the property, no one could understand what she was doing near the water. She couldn’t swim and had a terrible fear of drowning. Her body was destroyed and bloated when it was discovered further downstream. The sheriff had ruled it an accident, but Cassie knew better.

  Cassie was sixteen when she married, nineteen-year-old Jim. They had three years living together, laughing and planning their life. He built a small cabin close to the main house and had worked the land with her Father.

  When his body was found broken at the bottom of a ravine, the sheriff ruled it another accident. He had claimed that a tragic rock slide crushed Jim. But Cassie knew the truth, they were killing them off one, by, one, for the land.

  Gold. It was a plague that washed across the land claiming everyone. No one was immune to the sickness. The moment it was known that her family found a gold vein running through the property, it began.

  She tried to warn her father, but he had believed in the town and the people. He thought if he shared in the abundance, the town would prosper. He paid others to work the mine, even giving them a share of the profits. But greed, envy, and a lust for more was a black cloud that hung over everyone.

  Cassie was gifted or cursed. It is a treasured secret that she inherited from her German Grandmother, her ability to see images and hear people’s thoughts. Her mother and grandmother had taught her how to control it and hide it. Not even her sweet Jim knew the truth.

  “No more,” Cassie had thought. This time she will use it to stop the evil here. The setting sun reminds her of his threat. Five days. Time to prepare.

  “Cassandra, come out and play!” Eustace Daniels calls out, dragging her back from her past. She moves silently through the darkness. The plan is to draw them deeper into the house, so she makes some noise crying out as though afraid. The resulting laughter and sound of heavy footsteps overhead gives her the desired results.

  Cassie turns quietly and runs. She quickly passes through the tunnel she had spent two years constructing beneath the house. After she lost the baby, she started to plan. They were waiting on her Father to die, to come for her. If only he had listened. Cassie shakes herself and continues running. The tunnel ends beneath the barn, where she has a horse and bag waiting.

  The scent of sulfur fills her nose as she strikes the match and tosses it inside the tunnel. Her eyes follow the amber glow of the match before she turns and mounts her horse.

  Cassie had released the horses earlier from the barn, leaving it void of life. The ranch workers were all given money, paid in gold dust to leave. She would make sure no more innocents died on this land.

  When the hiss of the gunpowder ignites a fiery trail, a slow smile spreads on her beautiful face. One dimple flashes when the first explosion detonates cavi
ng in the floor inside the house, into the tunnels below.

  “Wait for it...” she whispers as the screaming begins.

  “Easy girl,” she soothes her mare, and she trots out of the barn.

  The floor of the tunnel is lined with gunpowder, which leads to the fuses for the explosives she planted on the roof of the tunnel. She planned to cause the floor to cave in, dropping them below, then a second bundle would detonate when Cassie lit it.

  She ties the horse to a tree and walks towards the rubble where her family home once stood. The first body, she sees is Eustace. He’s crawling amongst the ruins, burned, bloody and bruised, he attempts to claw his way up the sides of the hole to safety.

  “Eustace, do you still want to play?” Cassandra taunts him. The shocked look from his blood-filled eyes causes her to laugh out loud. Color blooms across her pale cheeks and when he reaches up a bloody hand, Cassie's smile fades away replaced by hatred.

  “Is that how my Jim looked when you killed him, Eustace? Or my Mother? What about my Father?” She screams at him.

  “You will rot in hell you bloated pig, but first you will suffer! Suffer like my Jim did, and my baby!”

  At her husband's funeral, she didn't try to block the images; instead she let them flow. Eustace's touch had broken Cassie.

  With no filter, she watched as they raped her mother and drowned her in the river. She saw him crush Jim and laugh as he struggled to escape the rocks.

  The doctor had said her collapse was due to grief, but the truth was much worse. The resulting trauma caused her to lose the baby she carried and shattered the remains of her soul. Revenge became her reason for living. Her father wouldn't listen to reason, he thought she was just grieving. All of her warnings fell on deaf ears. He needed to believe in the goodness of the people in this town.

  They would kill them both if she didn't act. She hatched a plan and paid workers to begin digging beneath the house in secret. Cassie started to save her share of gold dust. When her husband and mother had died, she was given each of their shares in the mine as well.

  With her Father's approval, she began saving it. Over the last few years, she managed to save six bags, roughly sixty pounds of gold dust. She would never need to worry about money again. Instead of trading it at Eustace's bank, she portioned it, keeping two bags with her and the remaining was taken someplace safe. She hoped to talk her father into going to San Francisco, but she was too late to save him.

  The first batch of explosives ran from the barn to the house, the second ran from the mine to the house. Cassie spins and runs back to her horse. She trots to the next detonation spot at the entrance of the shaft and groans when she sees another horse tied nearby.

  “Damn claim jumpers,” she mumbles pulling a stick of dynamite from her bag. She lights it with a match, tossing it as far away as she can. The resulting concussion rocks the ground, and Cassie waits for the jumpers to leave. Only one man comes running, cussing, and stumbling. Then jumps on his horse and rides hard for the trees.

  As soon as he leaves, she strikes another match and tosses the lit stick of dynamite inside the entrance where the gunpowder lies snaking its way back into the mine. The entrance collapses in a roar of collapsed rock and debris. The powder ignites leading to multiple fuses for a string of dynamite bundles scattered around the mine and leading back to the house.

  “Time to go, Sasha!” She urges the young horse into a run and gallops away to freedom. Cassandra rides to her future and never looks back.

  The explosions rock the mine and her family home, lighting up the valley. Cassie turns and rides away feeling free for the first time.

  Chapter 2

  San Francisco

  Rough, bawdy, and dangerous. Those are the words her husband had used to describe this rough town.

  Sundays, which should be a day of worship and rest, are just disgraceful. Those who do take the day off, drink, gamble and visit the brothels. The boarding houses offer no privacy or safety for single women. Crime is rampant, and woman of good virtue are few and far between.

  Twenty-one-year-old Cassandra walks down the muddy street, dodging wagons and people who all rush from place to place. She is once again thankful she was smart enough to wear boots today. Foreign languages float on the air, and people yell and call out to each other. Cassie knows where she’s going, the shop she is looking for has the supplies needed for her trip.

  San Francisco has changed since the gold rush began. The side streets used to be lined with wooden buildings, tents, and shack-like houses, but since the banks started moving in things have changed. Substantial houses, stands, and shops are set up with living quarters over the top. Allowing people to live above their businesses. This is to encourage them to build close communities and invest in the city where they live. It's hard to imagine the types of changes that will occur, but it still isn't safe for a single woman.

  Cassandra knows that a woman alone on the streets will draw unwanted attention, so she's careful to avoid eye contact and hurries to her destination.

  The hotel clerk told her that this was the best general store and at first glance, it isn't much more than a two-story wooden building. Inside, she's delighted to find a clean, organized shop with wood floors, a testament to the owner's pride in his shop. Careful to stomp her boots before entering she stands in awe for a moment at the glory of the silky material she spies.

  Mr. Chou, the Chinese proprietor, greets her upon entry. “Welcome!”

  Turning to greet him she can't help but smile. He's an older gentleman, with a long white beard and soft wrinkles around his eyes. He is wearing denim jeans and boots with an Asian wrapped shirt. A unique combination to be sure.

  “Your shop is lovely and so well kept. Perhaps you could help me with my list?” She asks him.

  “Thank you, thank you. I am Mr. Chou, you like some tea first?” he asks, watching the young woman carefully.

  “No, thank you. My husband is waiting for me. I really just need to arrange to have my purchases taken to the St. Francis Hotel.” She glances around eagerly taking in all the beautiful goods. Dry goods are on one side, while household items are arranged carefully in the center, but it's the right side of the shop that draws Cassie's eye. Chinese tea sets, in beautiful arrangements, silks, and more call to her. She knows she needs to be careful not to flash her money around, but she is hoping to take some unique pieces with her.

  “No problem. You tell me your list, and I will have it sent over directly, no problem.”

  “Mr. Chou, that is very kind of you.” Quickly she states her needs for some dry goods and with his assistance picks out a beautiful bolt of indigo blue silk for a new dress. “Would you happen to have a tea set? I have my heart set on one with a trunk?”

  “I have just the one for you. Come, come.” He says growing excited. Mr. Chou leads the way down an aisle and into a back room.

  Cassie has to force herself not to dawdle. Everything is so exquisite. On the ground is a medium size trunk, custom painted in mahogany finish with a Japanese cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Its pink leaves trailing across the sides as though blown by an unseen wind.

  Cassie is speechless for a moment, then quickly stammers, “It's stunning!” She knows she is going to take it even before he tells her the price, but what he does next has her heart jumping with anticipation.

  “Special, Now watch closely.” He opens the trunk and inside is a custom tray with compartments for a full tea set, cups, saucers, and silverware. Carefully, he lifts it out and sets it down, then shows her the room inside for another tray with multiple tins for loose tea and other items. He puts it all back inside, then looks at her with his crinkled eyes and says, “Look here,” gesturing at the side of the trunk.

  Cassie looks confused until he pushes up and slides the wooden side up, revealing a hidden compartment.

  “Oh, wonderful!” she says delightedly. “It's perfect, how did you know?” Excitedly she claps her hands together. Now her money would be
safe for the trip. She still needs to buy her train ticket and arrange for her things to be loaded. From what she has been hearing it's difficult to find room on the train with the number of people in this city.

  With a shrug of his ancient shoulder, he calls to his wife who quickly joins them. After agreeing on a price, Mrs. Chou goes to cut the yards of material she ordered.

  “The last thing on my list is a carpet bag,” she murmurs walking through the aisle. After she finds a bag good enough to travel with a glimmer catches her attention. A silver hand-held mirror. Gently she lifts it and stares at the intricate vine etched around the handle of the mirror and across the back.

  Shock flickers across her face when she sees her reflection. Her hair looks the same, long, wavy, hair pulled up, but her eyes look haunted. Haunted by the death of her family and her hope. A finger traces her reflection only to jump at a voice from behind her.

  “Ladies always love the pretty things, don’t they, Boomer?” a man’s gravelly voice asks from behind her.

  Carefully placing the mirror down on the wooden shelf, she steels herself before turning around. Crime is rampant in this city, and single women are scarce. Cassie knew she was taking a chance by coming to the store. She faced the two men careful to keep her facial expression blank.

  Two men around her age, possibly miners or train workers block her path. The taller one, called Boomer moves into her physical space, causing Cassie to back up, while the other moves to the right. They stink of desperation, sweat, and smoke.

  “Yep, they sure do. One as lovely as yer' self should have lots of shiny things.” He leers at her with lust in his eyes. When he smiles his black teeth cause a shudder of revulsion to ripple over her body.