The Emperor's Bride (Belles & Bullets Book 6)

by Caylen McQueen

  Jun timidly sampled the contents of her dish. Her eyes swelled at the sudden burst of chill and flavor. “Oh wow! It's so cold!”

  Nicky chuckled at her reaction. “Well, it is called ice cream, sweetheart.”

  “Is all Columbigan food so sweet?”

  “Only the best kinds!” As he shoveled the ice cream into his mouth, Nicky's moans continued. If they had actually been having sex, he couldn't have been any noisier. “Ice cream has always been my favorite thing in the world, but my mom wouldn't let me have it, so I made a vow. When I became an adult, I promised myself I'd have ice cream almost every day, simply because I could.”

  While Nicky was busy cooing about his ice cream, Jun eyed the holster at his hip. Naturally, Nicky Gunn had a gun. She briefly considered stealing it and using it to escape the saloon, but he had been so nice to her, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

  “Do you like it?” Nicky's brown eyes were wide and hopeful, kind of like a puppy's. “The ice cream?”

  “Oh, yes! It's very good!” Jun exclaimed, even though Nicky's favorite dish wasn't doing much to curb her hunger.

  “You know, you're real beautiful,” Nicky suddenly blurted the compliment, making his own cheeks blush. “You're probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, to tell you the truth. Spending that money was worth it. I've never spent time with a woman as pretty as you.”

  “Thank you. That's very sweet of you, Mr. Gunn.”

  When he finished his ice cream, he laid down in bed and patted the space beside him. “You can lay down with me, if you want.”

  “Really?” Jun's nose wrinkled at the thought. “Wouldn't that be a bit... improper?”

  “Nah. In Columbigo, guys and gals lay side-by-side all the time, and it's totally platonic. It's expected, even.” Nicky felt like a bit of a rogue for lying to her, but he desperately wanted her next to him.

  And he succeeded. A moment later, Jun was beside him on the bed. He thought about wrapping an arm around her, but he didn't want to push his luck. Her long black hair looked so soft and shiny, he was tempted to touch it, but he decided against that too. Nicky didn't want to do anything that could potentially frighten her away from him.

  “Thanks for being so nice to me, Mr. Gunn. I really appreciate it,” Jun said. “You're really very sweet.”

  “Aww. You don't have to keep thanking me, Junebug. It's been my pleasure.” His brother wouldn't have been too happy with him, though. With eighty-three dollars, Patrick would have been a lot closer to getting out of jail.

  “I feel so exhausted.” Jun erupted with a perfectly timed yawn.

  “Well... feel free to close your eyes and sleep. I won't let anything bad happen to you.”

  “Thanks.” It was awkward to have him so close to her, so Jun rolled away from him. While facing the wall, she said, “I do feel safer with you, Nicky. I haven't felt this safe in days.”

  “Well... y'know... I am pretty tough,” he lied again. Despite several lessons from the Cole brothers, and despite the gun-inspired moniker he gave to himself, Nicky Gunn was never that good with guns.

  “I'm scared,” Jun confessed. “I'm scared for what tomorrow might bring. I... I wish I could stay with you.”

  “Well... you can!” Nicky exclaimed.

  “No. I can't.” Jun sniffled as she crushed her cheek against her pillow. “I really can't.”

  Thanks to the contract she had been forced to sign, she wasn't going anywhere. She was trapped.

  Several sniffles later, Nicky couldn't ignore her sorrow, so he finally said, “If there's anything else I can do to help you, you just let me know. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Well... almost nothing.”

  Jun was quiet.

  “If you were with me, we could have ice cream every day. I could protect you from the world. I would protect you from the world. As long as you were with Nicky Gunn, you'd be untouchable. Uh huh.”

  When she didn't reply, Nicky peered over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of her face. Her eyelids were closed, the worry line on her brow had smoothed, and her breaths were deep and peaceful.

  Nicky smiled. He hoped she would have a serene dream that would temporarily ease her troubled heart.

  Eleven

  Flynn and Josiah Cole trotted into Busybee around noon the next day. Carol was riding on the back of Flynn's horse because the younger brother lost a secret coin toss earlier that morning. She was squeezing so tightly, Flynn was sure she would break one of his ribs before he got her off of him.

  “Aww, this town's kind of quaint!” Almost as soon as Carol's observation flew from her lips, she heard the sound of distant gunfire. “Or... yeah. Maybe not.”

  “Busybee can be dangerous if you're caught on the wrong part of town,” Josiah warned her as he hopped down from his mare. “And speaking of the wrong part of town... Flynn, you better check on Nicky. If he's really down at The Hole, I wouldn't be surprised if he's lost a limb or two by now.”

  “Yeah, I'll check on him.” As he answered his brother, Flynn slid from his saddle and offered a hand to Carol, who practically jumped into his arms.

  “Oops. Sorry, Flynn. I didn't mean to land on you like that.” Carol wrapped her arms around Flynn's waist and squeezed. “Ahh, this feels nice. Doesn't it feel nice? Mmm! You smell kind of good for a cowboy. Why do you smell sooo goooood?”

  “My aftershave, maybe,” Flynn answered with a shrug. As Carol clung to him, he sent a nervous glance in his brother's direction.

  “Oh yeah! I'm liking this! You smell like warm apple pie and baby hair.” Carol tightened her grip on him. “Yeah, I could stay like this all day, to tell you the truth. Mmm-mmmm!”

  Josiah spoke up on Flynn's behalf. “Hey. Lady. I'm sorry to interrupt your magic moment with my brother, but Flynn's got to go look for our friend. Do you think you can let go of him for a bit?”

  "Oh, I guess so,” Carol conceded with a sigh. As soon as she released him, Flynn grabbed his horse's reins and hurried toward the livery stable.

  “So... first things first. We need to get you a new hat,” Josiah said, gesturing toward the peacock-feathered monstrosity on top of Carol's pigtailed head. “They sell hats at Walt's General Store. Actually, I think it might be the only place in Busybee where you can find a decent hat. Let's go.”

  “Aww!” Carol cooed as she chased after him. “As soon as we get here, you want to buy me a gift? That's sweet.”

  “I'm not being sweet,” he coldly replied. “I just don't want to be caught dead with a woman in a hat like that. If you're going to be traveling with me, we'll need to do something about your entire wardrobe. But for now, let's start with a hat.”

  “What's wrong with my wardrobe?”

  As he studied her in the corner of his eye, Josiah's nostrils flared. “Is that a serious question?” In his opinion, Carol looked even more ridiculous than before. Her floral pattern trousers looked like they had been fashioned out of curtain material. Her denim vest wouldn't have been too terrible, if not for the fact that there was a giant cartoon chicken on the back of it. She certainly wasn't a match for Josiah, whose brown coat, brown breeches and slick black vest made him look every inch the consummate cowboy.

  “Alright, maybe my clothes are unique, but that doesn't make them bad!” Carol complained as she followed him. “What's the point of dressing like everybody else? Seriously, where's the fun in that?”

  “Maybe most people would rather not stick out like a sore thumb.” When they reached Walt's, Josiah paused by the door. “Hey, uh... I'd rather go into the hat shop by myself. Do you think you could wait out here?”

  Carol pouted. “Are you embarrassed of me?”

  “Pfft! No!” Josiah crossed his arms. “I don't get embarrassed by anything.”

  “You're not going to give me the slip, are you?”

  “Not at all,” he lied. Of course, his plan was to evade her as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, Walt's didn't have a back door. There was no escapi
ng her.

  “Well then... I guess I'll just wait out here,” Carol capitulated with a shrug. “Maybe I'd like to visit the General Store too, and maybe I'll be out here sulking about it, but if you're too embarrassed to be seen with me, I won't--” Josiah was gone before she could finish guilting him into letting her tag along.

  “Josiah Cole.” Carol snorted his name as she kicked a pebble in the road. Her black leather boots had such a tall, spiky heel, she nearly toppled over in mid-kick. “Josiah Cole is such a meanie, I swear. It must be difficult to be so unpleasant all the time. He must really have to work at it! He must--”

  Carol's rant trailed off when she heard an eagle screeching overhead. She wasn't sure it didn't want to eat her, so she ducked, covered her head, and waited for the huge bird to pass.

  “This cowboy stuff,” Carol whispered to herself, “maybe it's not so great after all. West Columbigo is so... dangerous and dirty.” She peeked into the General Store and made sure Josiah hadn't abandoned her. He was still there. He had a bottle of liquor tucked under his arm, and he was browsing a rack of hats.

  “I don't care what you say, you shit! If you owe us money, we're getting it out of you!”

  “No, please! Let go of me! I'll get you the money soon enough, I swear!”

  When she heard the arising altercation behind her, Carol slowly turned around. Two meaty, mustached thugs were harassing a bespectacled old man. She winced when one of their fists connected with his stomach.

  “Soon ain't good enough!” screamed one of the thugs. “You get us the money today, just like you promised, or you'll be pissing blood for the rest of your life.”

  “I think he's already gone and shat himself,” the second thug spoke up. “Maybe you hit him too hard.”

  “And I'll hit him again if he doesn't cough up what he owes us!” He plowed a fist directly into the old man's lungs, knocking the wind out of him.

  “Hey!” shrilled Carol, who stomped toward the scene with a pistol in her hand. Deep down, she knew it was foolish to involve herself, but she couldn't stand aside and watch them beat an old man in broad daylight. As she crossed the dirt road, one of her spiky heels hit a dip in the ground, making her wobble. Both thugs chuckled when they saw her flail.

  “You got something to say to us, honey?” One of the thugs asked, spitting in her direction. His spittle, darkened by tobacco, nearly landed on Carol's boots.

  “Oh yeah! I've got something to say alright!” Carol simultaneously raised her chin and lifted her gun. If she looked even half as heroic as she felt, she would have considered it a success. “Why don't you let the old guy go? I'd rather not put a bullet in anybody's head today.”

  “Shit, Gus, look at this!” one of the thugs exclaimed, doubling over with laughter as he stared at Carol and her gun. “This girl thinks we should be scared of her?”

  “Well, I sure as shit ain't scared,” said the man named Gus. “Look, girl, this man owes us money. We won it, fair and square.”

  “So you're going to beat up on him?” Carol whined. “That's not nice! He's old!”

  “I'm not that old, actually!” the bespectacled man spoke up, sounding a bit offended.

  “Really?” Carol cocked her head and studied his face, which was lined with deep and unmistakable wrinkles. His hair was completely gray. He certainly looked old. “You serious?”

  “I'm fifty-four.”

  “Err...” Carol shrugged and clenched her teeth. “You know, I guess that's not that old. But seriously... what's your deal, buddy? Are you trying to talk me out of helping you? Do you want them to beat up on you until you pee blood for the rest of your life or what? Because that didn't sound very nice.”

  The man readjusted his glasses and straightened his back. “Oh, not especially. I just don't want you to get into trouble on my behaaaaa--”

  Before he could finish speaking, Gus' fist landed in the bespectacled man's gut. “We'll just carry on now, if you don't mind.”

  “Uh... hello? Have you listened to anything I've said? I do mind!” Carol wagged her pistol at the brutes.

  But they didn't listen. They both punched at the same time, bringing their victim to his knees.

  “Shoot me, then!” Gus thrust a finger at his forehead as he taunted Carol. “Shoot me, lady. Shoot me right between my eyes! Because if you really want to stop me, that's what you're gonna have to do!”

  Of course, Carol wasn't a killer. She couldn't bring herself to press the trigger, even when their beating continued. With a sigh, she unzipped her bag and pulled out Gogobot. In a loud, clear voice, she commanded, “Gogobot... on! Gogobot... stab!”

  As he waddled over to the thugs, a long, sharp knife shot out of one of Gogobot's block-like fists. He made a swipe for Gus' ankles, but the knife didn't connect. In fact, he missed by several inches. With a roar of laughter, Gus kicked Carol's robot and sent him flying into the sky. When Gogobot landed on his back, he shrieked, “gogogogogogogo!”

  While Gus' partner continued to beat up the “old” man, Gus turned his attention to Carol, who took a step backward. “Look, girl, I'm getting real tired of you!” he growled. As he advanced on Carol, he raised a fist. “But I can't bring myself to punch your pretty face. Where would you like me to hit you instead?”

  “Uh... nowhere?” Carol chuckled nervously. “Is there any chance I can get you to--”

  When his fist pummeled her rib cage two times, Carol doubled over with a gasp. Then he brought his elbow down on her head, sending her into the dirt.

  “Hey!”

  As soon as she heard Josiah shout, Carol breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped he could handle the situation a bit better than she did.

  “You'd hit a woman?” Josiah yelled. Gus tried to run, but when Josiah caught up to him, he seized him by the hair and smashed his face into a lamppost. “You hit ladies? Huh? Do you enjoy hitting women, you piece of shit?” Josiah slammed Gus' face into the metal a second time, shattering his nose.

  “B-b-b-but... she was pickin' on us, sir!” declared the second thug, who cowered as Josiah closed in on him.

  “Aww? Was she picking on you? Well, now I just feel sorry for you!” Josiah chuckled loudly. “Hell, I didn't realize you were afraid of her! This changes everything!”

  “We didn't know she was your friend, Mr. Cole, sir! Honest! We didn't!”

  As soon as Josiah charged forward, the man bolted. And Gus, who cradled a bloody nose, staggered away before Josiah could turn his attention back to him. Even the bespectacled man fled the scene. The fire in Josiah Cole's mad blue eyes would have frightened anyone.

  “You alright, Carol?” Josiah asked as he lifted her from the ground.

  “Yeah. I think so.”

  As soon as she was back on her feet, Josiah went to retrieve his bag, which he had tossed aside when he realized Carol was under attack. “What were you thinking, Miss Cassady? Why'd you get involved? You could've gotten yourself killed!”

  “Well... I don't know...” Josiah's lecture made Carol's head shrink between her shoulders. “I guess I just thought I could do some good. I thought they were attacking an old man... who turned out to be not as old as I thought... but once I was in the thick of it, I couldn't really back out. A cowboy can't back down from a fight, right?”

  “You're not a cowboy. You're not an outlaw. Stop playing silly games.”

  Carol stood behind him, frowning. “It's not a game to me, though!”

  “Of course it's a game! You got it in your head that you wanted to be a cowboy, even though you know nothing about cowboys, and then you force your company where it's not wanted. Everything you do and say is nonsense, Miss Cassady! And then you're reckless, so I get stuck cleaning up your mess!”

  “But I really do want to help people! Do you have to be so cruel? I'm glad you saved me, and I appreciate your help, but you really hurt my feelings sometimes!”

  Apart from a sigh, he didn't have a reply for her.

  “I mean... maybe I'm a little ridiculous an
d maybe I'm a little new at this, but I have good intentions!” When Carol collected her flailing Gogobot and returned him to her bag, there were tears in her eyes. “You don't have to keep being mean to me!”

  Josiah still didn't say anything. He just glared at her.

  “Do you just want me to...” Carol's lips quivered as she spoke, “go away? I can leave you alone, if that's really what you want. I know I'm a burden on you. And it's not like I can turn you over to the authorities anymore, so you're free to go. You can just leave me behind if you want. I'll try not to be too upset.”

  All of a sudden, Josiah swiped the teal hat from Carol's head and replaced it with a sharp black bowler hat.

  “There,” said Josiah, whose lips were tugged by the slightest of smiles. “Now you look like you mean business.”

  “Really?” Carol turned, trying to get a glimpse of her reflection in the glass of a store window. “You know, I was really impressed when they ran away as soon as they saw you. I guess you weren't lying when you said you had a reputation.”

  “Nope. I wasn't lying.” Josiah laid a hand against Carol's back and gently pushed her in the direction of The Hole. “Now... let's go find my brother so we can start planning our next move.”

  Twelve

  “Nicky!” Jun hissed her bedfellow's name. When he didn't wake, she grabbed his sleeve and shook his arm. “Nicky, wake up!”

  “No mom,” Nicky murmured, while still in the throes of an amazingly pleasant dream. “I don't wanna. Not yet. I want to eat my pie first. And more whipped cream, please.”

  “Nicky!” Jun shrieked a bit louder. “Nicky, you need to get up! I need your help again!” When he opened one eye, she pointed at the door. “Sasha was knocking a moment ago. Didn't you hear it?”

  “Uh... nope,” replied a very groggy Nicky Gunn, who sat up in bed with a stretch.

  “You slept through that? Really? But she was pounding so hard!”

  “Yeah. As long as I've got a comfy bed, I'm a good sleeper. So... whaddaya need?” His question was followed with a cavernous yawn.