Rexes & Robbers

by Kendra Moreno

  “You’re making a mistake,” King murmured to Ro, his eyes glittering dangerously. When he smiled, his teeth were extra sharp. “If you leave now, we can pretend it never happened. No one will be the wiser.”

  “Shut up,” Theo snarled, holding the vault door open. Danny stood to the side, eyeing King.

  “Last chance.” King’s voice had a lyrical quality to it, like he was amused by the situation.

  “Stop,” Ro ordered, her hand starting to shake, and in her distress, she completely forgot the growl.

  King didn’t look surprised. If anything, his eyes just glittered more. He dropped his hands and stepped forward. “You can still leave.” He tilted his head. “You can turn around and go right now.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  “Stop talking to him!” Theo growled, panic in his eyes. He must have sensed everything going wrong just as Ro did.

  “I think I do,” King continued as if Theo had never spoke. His eyes grew feral and scales crawled up the sides of his neck. “I think I know you very well.” He took another step forward and Ro tensed.

  “Clem,” Ro whispered. Her partner turned where she stood just inside the vault. “Clem, go.”

  “What?”

  “Danny.” That’s all Ro had to say. Danny took one look into her eyes and took control.

  “Everyone out,” he growled. “Now.”

  “Too late,” King growled, and then the hell they’d been attempting to avoid broke loose.

  Her crew leaped toward the door, dropping everything they’d been attempting to grab. Danny was outside first, and Ro heard his bones popping at the same time that King’s began to snap. The way Ro had moved to the side in order to keep her gun trained on King was her mistake.

  While her small crew slipped through the door, she moved to follow them, but King was changing far too quickly, and before she’d taken three steps, a massive tail blocked her path. The door to the vault slammed closed as King’s large, reptilian body slammed into it, and as he grew larger, the roof shattered around them, raining down beams and wood. Ro yelled as a beam barely missed her. Danny roared outside, shifted. Clem screamed for her, others shouted, and an alarm went up in the town.

  “Go!” Ro screamed. “Run!”

  She tried to dive over King’s tail as he stood above her fully shifted, but the large appendage caught her right in the chest and threw her back against the barely standing wall. Her breath whooshed out of her at the impact, her head snapping back.

  King roared above her, standing in the shattered remains of the bank, the vault the only thing still intact.

  “Ro!” Clem screamed, her voice hysterical, but it was growing softer. Thank god, it was growing softer.

  Ro looked up at the large, brown Rex above her, his scars peppering his skin with small slashes and bites.

  “Hello, Red,” he purred inside her mind, even as his tail held her fast against the wall.

  Ro growled and the fucker smiled. The Rex was laughing at her, as if he hadn’t just destroyed his bank, as if this was a normal day. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Boone came slamming through the door as pissed off as a bull.

  “What in the hell is going on?” he shouted, then his eyes went right to Ro, and his face twisted into a snarl. “What the fuck happened to you?”

  Before her eyes, King’s bones started to pop and he shifted back to human, his eyes blazing, his suit just as pristine as before. His hair was a little out of place and Ro was tempted to tease him for it. He rolled his shoulders.

  Ro considered making a break for it. The doorway was blocked by Boone and King. The windows were all barred. But the walls were weak, so she might be able to break through if she hit them hard enough.

  “It appears our little troublemaker is actually a criminal,” King commented, studying Ro.

  Instead of denying it, Ro tugged the bandana around her neck and raised her chin. “I didn’t steal anything.”

  King laughed. “Only because I shifted and scared your friends away.”

  Ro’s eyes danced over to Boone’s, the fury in their depths making her flinch. “It isn’t what it seems.”

  “So you weren’t trying to rob the bank?” Boone asked, his jaw clenching hard. “Why didn’t you just shoot him before he shifted? You could have already been gone.”

  King lifted his brow, waiting for her answer. It was a good question, one that she wasn’t sure she should answer, so she kept her lips sealed.

  Boone sighed and stepped forward. Ro lifted her pistol, her revolver somewhere in the rubble. Boone shook his head. “If you didn’t shoot that idiot, you ain’t gonna shoot me.”

  “Says who?” Ro queried, glancing between them. “You could just let me go.”

  “Now where would be the fun in that?” King grinned, his smile full of teeth again, but Ro wasn’t afraid. Her chances of settling down in Embertown were shot, and she might have just ruined the one thing she’d been hoping to save during the hit, but she still refused to bow her head. They may be predators, but she was a predator too. She’d survived far worse than two Rexes.

  “You know,” Boone began, studying her clothing, “I think I prefer you in pants.”

  “Fuck off,” Ro grumbled, before lowering her pistol with a sigh. “You gonna arrest me now, sheriff? See me hanged?”

  Boone glanced at King and they shared a look. “Haven’t decided yet,” he answered.

  “I won’t tell you shit.”

  “You don’t have to, Rowena ‘The Ghost’ Wickham,” Boone growled, and Ro’s mouth snapped shut. She clenched her jaw tightly.

  “I don’t prefer that name.”

  “I bet you don’t. You gonna come calmly to the jail or do I gotta drag you, Ghost?”

  “I said, don’t call me that name,” she snarled.

  “Then you shouldn’t have been a fucking outlaw!” Boone yelled.

  King stared at Boone in shock, his eyebrow raised in surprise. “Well, now that that’s settled, I’d just like to say, even though you tried to steal from me, I’m open to forgiving you,” King purred.

  “What?” both Boone and Ro said at the same time.

  King shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not scared of bad girls.”

  And even though Ro was in trouble, about to be thrown in jail, and her dream of owning land obliterated, she cracked a smile.

  Twenty

  SIX YEARS AGO

  Ro watched Les move around the camp with a cup of steaming broth cradled in her hands. This winter had turned the desert frigid, and the nights were far worse than the day. It was manageable when the sun was out, like now, but when the moon rose, it was easy to succumb to hypothermia.

  Les was determined to land a hit, and the fact that they’d been missing them lately was starting to mess with his calm facade. Ro had saved people from ten different planned hits, each one warned before they could travel into Les’ path. At the last city, Les had been met with its inhabitants protecting the entry with big guns, with a few dinos in their midst. Oddly enough, Les had deemed it too risky and turned away. He never gave up, so why had he that time?

  Taking a sip of the warm broth, it heated her from the inside out, even as she grew cold with worry. Les was starting to figure out that someone was tipping off the hits, and he knew it had to be someone with the information. Not all members of the Band of Misfits were given every detail. There were six total, including herself. How long before he started eliminating them?

  It was time to make her own plans and escape before she got herself killed.

  “Gather ‘round!” Les gestured toward the center of the camp. He wasn’t loud, but everyone knew if you didn’t hear him and didn’t come, you wouldn’t have to worry about being on time anymore. No, you’d only have to worry about the desert wildlife. “I’ve gotten word that there’s an airship that’s gonna be flying over Coon’s Pass heavy with gold. It’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “We headin’ out, boss?” someone asked.

  Les
nodded. “Get ready. We move in ten minutes.”

  The camp turned into a buzz of activity, but Ro only had one thing on her mind—warning the airship to choose a different pass. Ro waited until Les turned away and busied himself with checking his weapons before she snuck away with her mug of hot broth. She looked around quickly and slipped inside the wagon that was used for intercepting telegraphs. Softly, she clicked out her message.

  “No airships to Coon’s Pass. Band of Misfits.”

  No one gave her any trouble when she crept from the wagon, and she went about checking her weapons like normal. She gave nothing away, pretending as if she wasn’t secretly undermining Les, pretending like she couldn’t be shot any moment.

  She was so focused on checking her revolver that when Les appeared in front of her, she nearly jumped out of her boots.

  “Whoa there, Rowena. You best be careful.”

  “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was goin’.”

  Les smiled, tilting his head to the side to study her better. “You gonna be alright for this haul?”

  “I’m fine.” Ro always liked to be there when Les realized the hit wasn’t coming. While his anger was terrifying, he never directed it at her. It helped her brain think there was some good in him, even if she knew it wasn’t true.

  “Come,” Les ordered, rolling his shoulders to prepare for the shift. “It’s time to go.”

  Coon’s Pass was a mile-long stretch of canyon, large enough that an airship could fly within the walls without being detected. Many airships used to pass to avoid bandits, but if they were attacked, they were practically defenseless. Some airships had taken to flying over the canyon because no one could get directly under them. That’s what Ro expected when she climbed onto Les’ back and held on to his sail. She hoped someone got her telegram in time.

  Coon’s Pass was to the east, so, when they turned to the west, Ro wrinkled her brow. “Uh, Les. Coon’s Pass is the other way.”

  “I know,” was his only answer, serene as ever. “We ain’t going to Coon’s Pass.”

  “I thought you said—”

  “I know what I said.” Piercing eyes turned to look at Ro and she froze. “It appears we have a snake in our midst.”

  Ro’s heart kicked hard in her chest as Les started to move again, going farther and farther away from the destination Ro had planned for. Les knew someone had been leaking their information. Ro hoped against all odds that he didn’t know it was her, at least not yet. She had to escape first before he found out. Jiminy was on standby, ready to leave when she was, and a few others were planning on leaving with them. Normally, the only way out of the Band of Misfits was by a bullet to the head.

  “There she is,” Les whispered in her mind as they crested a canyon.

  Ro gasped when she saw the large airship and her hands clenched hard onto Les’ scales. “That’s not a gold ship.”

  There were different kinds of airships in the West. One was always guaranteed to have gold aboard—the bank ships. Some were personal airships and only had room for a few people. Others were intended as passenger ships, used to carry people from one side of the country to the other. The ship in front of them was of the latter kind, filled with nothing but traveling people, and the majority of them wouldn’t be aristocrats. The rich always took the train.

  “What is this?” Ro asked, sliding from Les’ back.

  With a crunch of popping bone and grunts, Les stood in front of her again with that smile still on his face. “Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

  Ro’s heart stopped and she took a step backwards. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I had someone monitor the telegraph. Guess who came stumbling out of the wagon after I gave the orders for Coon’s Pass?” His eyes glittered dangerously. “Guess who sent the wrong information?”

  “What does that have to do with the passenger ship?”

  Les pulled his large revolver from his holster and spun the barrel. “See, normally, I’d just kill whoever wronged me, but I don’t think I could shoot you, Rowena.” She tensed. There were other things worse than death. “I love you, after all.” She didn’t doubt the honesty behind those words. In Les’ own twisted way, he really did love her, but it was a caged love. “Instead, I’m gonna teach you a lesson. This is what happens when you mess with my plans, Rowena.”

  Les shifted without warning. The fast shift was a drain on his energy, but before Ro could run, he’d scooped her up within his claws and started to sprint. The rest of the crew followed behind as Ro screamed in outrage. She attempted to free herself, but Les’ hold was too strong, and with the way he held her, she couldn’t even reach her guns.

  “Calm down, Rowena. I’m not gonna hurt you,” Les said.

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” she growled and fought harder.

  The airship was easy to overtake, easy to climb up on, all because it wasn’t used to being robbed by outlaws. Most ignored the flying sweat tanks for other revenues, because there was little to nothing to be gained from taking one. Unless they were stealing the airship itself, there was no need. So when the Band of Misfits shimmied up to the top deck, they were met with only stares and confusion. Les had thrown Ro over his shoulder to climb, but he set her on her feet once they reached the deck. Ro considered leaping from the edge and making a break for it, but Les would catch up to her in the desert in no time, especially when she didn’t have a steed. Frantically, Ro looked at the other crew. Only one met her eyes, Theo, she thought his name was. He was a Triceratops, and her only escape, but he’d never shown any signs of leaving. It was too risky to ask now. If she made it out of this alive, she’d talk Jiminy into accepting him within their fold.

  Passenger airships were free of guns. The risk was too high with the highly combustible balloon. Besides, they weren’t expecting any bandits, so there was really no need for guns. That was their downfall now.

  “Hello,” Les called, opening his arms as if he was some sort of god. “I’m afraid I’m here to ruin y’alls day.”

  “We don’t have any money,” a woman called. “You picked the wrong ship for that.”

  “See, I’m not trying to get any money. This is a lesson to my lady over there.” He pointed to Ro to make sure everyone saw. Tears pricked her eyes when she saw how many people were on this ship, how many families. “She thought to betray me, but I love the fool, so here we are.”

  “Les, don’t,” Ro implored, reaching forward to grab his forearm. “Please.”

  He looked into her eyes and Ro saw the coldness there, the otherness, and knew he would never stop. No matter what happened, Les Chambers would never change.

  “This is all because Rowena here thought she could save every person, because she thought she was clever, so because of her mistake, y’all will pay.”

  “No!” Ro cried.

  Les met her eyes again. He didn’t look away as he addressed the crowd this time. “Make sure you remember that Rowena ‘The Ghost’ Wickham brought this upon you.” Her face grew pale at his words and she stumbled away.

  The Ghost. He’d given her an outlaw name, and it was one that would haunt her forever.

  “The Ghost who always tried to help, but no one can see her,” Les growled, his eyes swirling. “No one can hear her.” He took a step after her just as the other crew members prepared to fire. “And she’s already dead.”

  Les dove forward, wrapped his arms around Ro, and they tumbled over the edge of the airship. She screamed as they plummeted before Les grabbed one of the ropes and slowed their descent. She fought to climb back aboard, even as some of the others followed them. And then the shooting started, and the big boom followed. Theo was the only person who showed remorse when he landed, but he made sure to hide it well from Les. Good, he knew better.

  “What have you done?” Ro asked, her voice rough with emotion.

  “I’m reminding you that you’re the bad guy, Rowena. You always will be. Don’t mess with my plans again.�
� He leaned close and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”

  The airship crashed down a little ways away in a fiery explosion, and burned brightly even in the desert. Ro watched the fire grow smaller in the distance as they rode away, her panic threatening to make her pass out. It was clear that she needed to leave sooner rather than later. It was time to prepare for the worst.

  When they stopped in a town for some whiskey, Ro saw the story on the front paper, and her heart sunk.

  DEADLY AIRSHIP CRASH. 100 PASSENGERS. NO SURVIVORS.

  ROWENA “THE GHOST” WICKHAM TO BLAME.

  Twenty-One

  Ro stared at the sheriff as he sat at his desk with his feet on top of the wood. He appeared so relaxed, she thought he might have forgotten she was there. It wouldn’t surprise her. Ro could easily push things from her mind that she didn’t want to think about, like the fact that she was sitting in a jail much the same way she’d been seven years ago, and if Les came looking, he’d find her. Years of running would go down the drain.

  The jail had two holding cells. One seemed to always be occupied by the town drunk. The other was always empty. In his anger, Boone had thrown Ro into the same cell as old, stinky Earl. The cell smelled like piss and stale alcohol, and Ro had to frequently cover her nose to fight the odor.

  “Can’t you do something about the stink?” she growled at Boone.

  King had waited until she’d been safely locked away before he left to go check the damage to his bank. Ro had pointed out that the only damage to the bank was because of him. His eyes had flashed brightly, as if he was tempted to teach her a lesson, but he’d still turned and left Ro with Boone.

  “Outlaws don’t get to make demands,” he mumbled, reading the paper. Ro could just make out a story about the Band of Misfits and what to expect when they arrived in the town. Ro could have told them that. Expect a massacre and hope he leaves quickly.

  In the years since Ro left Les Chambers behind, she’d heard he’d grown his crew. It seemed that even though he killed them far too quickly, there was always another waiting to take to take their place.