Come home, Sterling.
“I’m coming, Chimera,” he answered, and leaned low over Gus’s neck. “Coming home.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Everett was pleased with the twenty men standing in his office. They were all strong and capable, and they’d come with their own horses, weapons, and ammunition. A band of cutthroats was what they were, and that suited Everett just fine. He wanted the long-haired girl and her four children dead, and the men crowded around his desk had not a single qualm about committing murder.
Of course he could handle one wisp of a girl and four brats alone, but with the damnable luck the bitch always seemed to have, he didn’t dare take any risks. The group of ruffians Willard had brought were his insurance that her luck would run out today.
Yes, Willard had done a fine job rounding them up. He’d been quite useful. Even now he was out saddling the horse he’d found for Everett. Willard, without question, had done everything Everett had told him to do.
But what Willard didn’t know, Everett mused, was that such obedience had given him away. Everett knew without a doubt that Willard planned to steal all the silver for himself.
He smiled at the men crowded around his desk. “Men, I’m going to have a victory party when we return here with the silver. There’ll be food and drink for all. I’m sure you’ve already smelled the stew cooking downstairs. I made it myself this morning, and we’ll eat it tonight. I’ve got a case of good whiskey too. After we eat, I’ll give you your share of the silver. And not only that, but I’ll divide any deceased wife’s jewels among you too. They’re hidden right now, but after supper tonight, I’ll retrieve them for you. I don’t have another woman to give them to, and what with all the silver I’ll have...hell, I guess I can afford to be generous with the men who help me get it. Sound good?”
They all nodded, and he saw greed in their eyes. He almost laughed. He knew exactly what they were all thinking. They, like Willard, would try and steal the treasure for him. But now, knowing about the hidden jewels, each man in the room would wait for the gems to appear before trying for the silver. That’s the way greed worked, Everett knew, and he’d take full advantage of its powers. He almost laughed again. Hazel hadn’t had any jewels, and he wouldn’t share the silver with anyone—no one would be alive to take it from him. The stew simmering downstairs had more than beef and vegetables in it.
It had strychnine in it, too.
No one who knew of the silver could be left alive. He’d hide it and then hire a new gang of men to help him rebuild the ranch.
His plan would work. Everett knew it would. Life was looking up for him. Soon his fantasy of being the richest man in the territory would come true.
He smiled at the men again. “One more thing, boys. There’s no need to fear the law. The Apache have been raiding all around here. That bastard Cochise and his band of bloodthirsty savages will get the blame for all the murders. Now, let’s go get rich, shall we?”
“Boys, take your horses out to the paddock,” Chimera said, and walked to the huge stack of dead branches Sterling had never cleared away. “They’ve been stuck in their stalls all day, and if you aren’t going to ride them, then the very least you can do for them is allow them to ran around in the paddock.”
“Aw, Chimera,” Snig whined. “When they’re in there, we can’t ever catch ’em when it’s time to put ’em back in the barn.”
“Yeah,” Snag agreed. “They run away from us, and we—”
“Do as I said,” Chimera ordered in her sternest voice. “If you don’t, I won’t let you ride them ever again. I’ll sell them,” she lied.
“Ain’t nobody around to buy ’em,” Snug said smugly.
Chimera arched her brow. “Then I’ll give them to the Apache. They always need good horses.”
The boy couldn’t argue with the truth of her statement, and unwillingly put their horses out in the paddock. Medusa, however, they left in the barn. The alabaster mare was as mean as her namesake, and she fought with the other horses when she was out in the paddock with them.
“Archibald,” Chimera called to him. “Will you please feed and water Medusa? Since she can’t go to the paddock, she can eat instead.”
Archibald slid his pistol into the waistband of his orange trousers and hobbled to the barn. Medusa stuck her head out of the stall and watched him. “I don’t know why Chimera keeps you,” Archibald muttered to the mare. “Nobody even rides you. All you do is eat and act mean. It’s all I can do to keep you from lulling me when I try and take care of you.” He sighed and threw a pile of hay over the door of her stall, stepping away when she laid back her ears.
Outside the barn, Chimera looked at the stack of branches in the middle of the yard again. How many times had Sterling promised to clear them away? She tried to remember. There were so many! Even with the triplets’ help, it would take a whole week to drag them out of the yard. No wonder Sterling had procrastinated so long over the dreary chore.
Sterling. She turned and looked at the chimney. The sight of it always made her sad, but she couldn’t keep herself from looking at it. Ever since she’d found his name carved in it several weeks ago, she’d stared at it whenever she thought of him. “Sterling,” she whispered, and caressed the ring on her finger. The ring he’d made. “Come home, Sterling. Sweet heaven, come home.”
A sound distracted her thoughts. It had come from within the dark shadows of the woods behind her. “Antonio?” she called, turning. “Antonio, is that you?”
When no one answered, she tried to relax. It was probably only some woodland animal. She kicked at the branch pile.
If Sterling didn’t come back to move them, then there they would stay, she vowed angrily, and turned her back to them.
The triplets were sitting on the porch rail, swinging their legs and sticking their tongues out at her. Behind them, hundreds of dry leaves lay scattered on the porch she’d only just swept clean. She knew they’d put them there. “Boys, I can’t believe you did that!” Infuriated, she flounced toward them, but stopped when all three of them jumped off the rail.
“Chimera, look!” Snag screamed shrilly.
She turned to where he pointed and saw what looked to be some twenty mounted men. One of them, his face half-hidden by a red kerchief, urged his horse forward. “Afternoon, neighbor,” he said to her.
She heard nothing neighborly at all in his deep voice. Fear crawled through her. “What do you want?”
“Well, let me introduce myself first,” he said, and dismounted. “We’ve never met face-to-face, but I think you know me.” He reached up and pulled down his kerchief. “I’m Everett Sprague.”
At the sight of the horrible scars on his face, Chimera staggered backward. The man she’d thought was dead was alive! “No,” she whispered. “No.”
Everett laughed. “I’ve come back from the dead, little lady. You want to know what I’ve come back for?”
Chimera raced to the porch, gathering the triplets closely to her. “I’ve told your men before, Everett, that I won’t sell my land. Now get off of it!”
“Brave words coming from a girl who has no means of backing them up, don’t you think? I, on the other hand, have many means of backing up my own demands.” He turned and gestured for his men to join him. “Take the kids. The girl is mine.”
“Run!” Chimera shouted at the triplets, and urged them off the porch. “Sweet heaven, run!”
They did, but they stood no chance of escape. The thugs caught them easily, dragged them back to Everett, and gagged them. The boys fought wildly, but could not free themselves from their captors.
“Let them go!” Chimera screamed, and ran toward them.
Everett grabbed her hair, and, with one vicious yank, jerked her to the ground. “I want the silver, bitch. You can tell me where it is, if you’re so inclined, but even if you don’t, I assure you I’ll find it.”
He watched her eyes widen, saw her face pale, and he began to laugh. The excitement he fel
t over his sure victory so thrilled him, that he could not control himself. He laughed loud and long, and several of his men joined him in his merriment.
From a crack in the barn door, Archibald watched the scene, paralyzed with fear. He whimpered when he saw Everett pull Chimera’s hair.
Pull Chimera’s hair. That other man had done that to her, and he couldn’t do anything then, either. He gasped for breath. He had to help Chimera and his brothers this time! But what could he do? He’d already used all his bullets, and he was only one boy against twenty armed men. He felt lightheaded with panic but fought to remain standing. He couldn’t fail Chimera and the triplets. They had no one but him to save them.
He was going to have to go for help, he realized. But where could he find enough men to defeat Everett and his band of criminals? There were no neighbors around, and he couldn’t even remember where the nearest settlement was. Who could he find to help? Who would—
His eyes widened. Cochise! The chief would come, and he’d bring his warriors with him! Archibald didn’t know how long it would take to find him, nor was he sure exactly where to look, but he’d go through the mountains screaming for the Chiricahua as loud as he possibly could. Someone from the tribe would hear him. Someone just had to!
His decision made, he turned and hobbled toward the back door of the barn. No one would see him leave, and he’d escape without notice.
But as he reached the door, he stopped. He looked down at his twisted leg. Tears of frustration filled his eyes. He couldn’t go on foot. Even if his leg were whole and undamaged, he couldn’t go on foot. There was simply not enough time.
He would have to ride.
Fear clogged his throat when he looked out and saw the triplets’ horses in the paddock. He’d never be able to catch them in time. And their running from him would attract Everett’s attention. And he couldn’t ride Pegasus either. The camel was too slow. There was only one other available mount.
He turned and looked at Medusa. Nausea made him sway. Something dripped down his neck, and he realized his face was sweating profusely. It was one thing to teed and lead the mare around, it was another thing altogether to ride her. “No,” he whispered. “I...can’t. I’m afraid.”
You can do it, Archibald.
Archibald closed his eyes. He could hear Sterling talking softly to him, assuring him, teaching him. He tried to shut the words out. His fear made him resist them.
You’re going to ride, son.
He opened his eyes and looked at Medusa again.
You’re going to get on this horse and ride!
He saw a bridle hanging by her stall. He stared at it, then took it off the nail.
You can ride, son. The day you get over your fear, you’ll get on a horse, and you’ll ride. Conquer the fear. You’ll ride one day, Archibald. I have every faith you will.
He clenched his teeth. Reaching for the stall door, he flung the door open and stepped inside. He took hold of Medusa’s forelock and yanked her head down. She opened her mouth to bite him, just as he knew she would, and he took the opportunity to slip the bit inside it. Before she could get it out, he jerked the top of the bridle over her ears and buckled the straps tightly. Squeezing the reins, he pulled her into the open barn over to where the special saddle Sterling had made was lying.
It took all his strength to lift it. When it was on her back, Medusa bucked it off. He placed it on her again and quickly tightened the girth around her. She danced and pawed the ground. He took hold of her muzzle and squeezed it. “I’m riding you, understand?” he hissed at her.
He mounted from a hay bale. Medusa pranced sideways and kicked slightly. Horrible fear returned to Archibald.
Find your balance, son. Move your body to the rhythm of her gait. Just press in with your knees, and she’ll go.
Medusa reared. Archibald laid low over her neck and hung onto her long mane. “I’m riding you. I’m riding you. I’m riding you!”
He tightened the reins and turned her toward the back entrance of the barn. He felt himself slipping off and grabbed the saddle wildly. His leg hurt terribly, but he pressed it and his good leg into Medusa’s sides anyway.
She circled once, bucked again, snorted fiercely, and left the barn at a full gallop.
“Someone’s here, boss!” one of Everett’s men exclaimed at the sound of hoofbeats.
Everett looked in the direction from where the sound came, but the barn was in his way. “Go see!”
Fear almost gagged Chimera when she remembered Archibald was in the barn. She prayed he was hidden.
The man ran to the other side of the barn and saw Blackbeard, Delilah, and Silver Pickles. The three horses were running circles in the paddock. “It’s only horses in a paddock!” he called to Everett.
Everett smiled down at Chimera. “For a minute there, I thought it was that damn Mexican marksman you used to have around here. A real shame your knight in shining armor isn’t here to save you now, isn’t it, girl? What the hell happened to him anyway?”
Chimera had never known such fear existed. It so overwhelmed her, she could not even answer him.
“I see you’re not in much of a talking mood,” Everett sneered. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
“No,” Chimera whispered shakily. “Dear God, please.”
“Not even God can help you now,” Everett taunted. “I gave you chance after chance to sell me this land, and you refused each of my offers. I tried scaring you off, and you still wouldn’t leave. You should have done as I wanted, little lady. No one refuses Everett Sprague.”
He yanked her to her feet, her hair wrapped around his fist. “You’re going to suffer as I’ve suffered. It’s your fault I’ve got this scarred body. That I lost my ranch. That—”
“N-no!” she screamed. “I—”
“Your bodyguard, the night he blew up my ammunition room, left a spell and a lock of your hair tacked up to one of my barns. It scared almost all my men away! That’s why I wasn’t able to defend the Diamond when the Apaches attacked, bitch! I didn’t have enough men! I had no arms! You! It’s your fault!”
She clawed at him furiously, her nails digging at the tender scar tissue on the left side of his face. It sickened her to see the skin come away from beneath her fingers, but she would not give up.
Everett screamed and dealt her a vicious blow. She fell hard, and felt her breath rush from her lungs. Stunned, she looked up, and saw Everett storming toward the cabin. She tried to stand, but one of his men kicked her back down.
Bitter defeat crashed through her as she hit the ground again. As desperately as she tried to hang onto it, her faith failed her. She was going to die. The children would die. They had no one to help them, save them. They were going to die!
Everett marched straight to the porch and saw all the leaves the triplets had piled there. He turned and smiled at Chimera. “Suffer, bitch.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a cheroot and lit it. He took a few long puffs on it before throwing it onto the brittle leaves. They began to smolder immediately and soon caught fire.
Chimera let out a scream so loud it rattled her teeth. Shaking violently, she tried again to stand, but the man beside her stepped on her hair. She could only lie there in the dirt and watch her home, the cabin Sterling built for her, go up in flames.
Everett stepped off the porch and watched the blazes lick at the low-hanging roof. He saw them flicker up the front wall, snake up the door, and sneak around to the sides of the cabin. He laughed.
Chimera’s terror gave way to anger. The sight of the flames destroying the home Sterling had worked so hard to built for her lifted her anger to the highest heights of rage. She couldn’t let Everett get away with this!
Returned faith came spinning into her fury, filling her with the determination to defeat him. She raised her arms to the sky. “Spirit of heaven, spirit yon, deliver me I beg you from the devil’s spawn,” she whispered, glaring at Everett. “Spirit of heaven!” she yelled as loudly as
she could. “Spirit yon! Deliver me I beg you from the devil’s spawn! Spirit of heaven, spirit yon! Deliver me—”
“Shut up, dammit!” Everett screamed, and raced toward her. Upon reaching her, he pulled her up, slid his dagger from his belt, and held it to her neck.
“No!” she hissed furiously. “Spirit of heaven, spirit yon! Deliver—”
“I said shut up!” He slid the knife across her throat.
She felt a sting and knew he’d cut her. But for some reason, her faith grew stronger. It overcame all her fear. “Someone...from somewhere...someone is going to stop you from doing this! Spirit of heaven, spirit—”
“Die!” Everett screeched, his face red with his fury. “The, bitch!” He raised his blade high above his head. “Die!” He plunged the dagger toward her.
Gunfire exploded. Everett screamed in shock and pain as the knife flew out of his hand. He watched it twist in the air. Chimera, too, watched it before turning her face toward where the gunshot had come. What she saw sent her mind spinning. She fell to her knees.
A gray stallion came charging into the yard, his hooves tearing up the ground, dirt clods flying all about him.
And astride the magnificent steed, his midnight hair flying behind him, his silver eyes narrowed, was Sterling.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Dammit, shoot the son of a bitch!” Everett screeched.
His men were already yanking out their guns. They spun toward the sound of the hoofbeats behind them. But all they saw was the gray stallion and an empty saddle. Frantically, they searched for someone to shoot.
Everett stared at the horse running toward him. Where...what had happened to the rider? He tried to understand. Only a second ago he’d seen the dark-skinned man sitting directly upon the saddle, and now he was gone. The man had disappeared! A horrible sense of foreboding smothered him. He gasped for air.
His breath escaped with his scream when the crack of more gunfire split the air. He heard three successive shots, then watched three of his men fall.
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