Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Twenty

"Where is my wife?" he ground out.

"With Yancy." Tig replied with a tilt of his head. "Or I guess you want to know where they're going." Chase shook him violently and Tig cried out in pain.

"Where?!" he yelled.

"Tobias's camp!" Tig exclaimed as he blinked both rain and blood from his eyes. "We didn't want to double cross you, Chase, but Tobias pays real good and he'd already killed Louisa so we figured we was next...."

"Where?" Chase growled, uninterested in hearing these backstabbing bastards reasons.

"Northeast. The camp is northeast of here. Down in a gully, beside a river..."

"How far?"

"A day or so." Tig replied. "I'll go with you, Chase. I'll help ya, I will." Tig promised with a hearty nod. Chase shook his head and pulled his knife.

"I don't think you will. I'm only sorry I can't kill you twice." Chase slid his knife across Tig's throat and the man's eyes widened before he smiled one last time and slid lifeless to the ground. His blood poured from him and mixed with the puddles of water already forming from the downpour.

"Shit." Chance mumbled and Chase stood straight. He wiped his knife on his pants and slid it back in it's sheath.

"You just murdered that man... he was defenseless." Paul stated accusingly, rain pouring from the brim of his hat. Chase rose to his full height and stared the man down.

"I trusted him and he turned on me. He caused Leah to be taken not once but twice and while I had begun to consider him a friend he clearly had other loyalties. He deserved what he got and if I could spill his blood again I would." Chase grabbed Blaze's saddle horn and swung himself onto the beasts back.

"Are we going after Leah?" Chance asked and Chase nodded.

"I'm coming too." Paul stated and Chance shook his head uncertainly.

"Maybe you should stay with mama." he warned as he glanced at Chase and Paul snorted.

"I aint' scared of that savage and that's my daughter they have!"

"You may come but know this." Chase said as he brought Blaze close to Paul's horse and the stallion nipped at his geldings side. "I am boss here and my one goal is to get Leah. If you question me and I feel as if you are in the way I will remove you from my way. Are we understood?" Paul's green eyes flashed with temper.

"Are you threatening me?!"

"No." Chase stated as his black eyes glowed with cold anger in the moonlight. "I am simply telling you how it will be."

"Pa, don't argue. We just need to get Leah." Chance cut in and Paul huffed but fell silent and nodded.

"We might as well go to the house and wait until morning." Chance said with a sigh. "We can't track in both darkness and rain." As badly as Chase wanted to argue he knew it was pointless. He would do nothing but get turned around and possibly lose all hopes of finding Leah if he tried to head out in this weather.

"What if they kill her tonight?" Paul demanded.

"They will not. They need her alive to use as bait for me." Chase replied, feeling the pain of that deep down in his heart. It was his fault that Leah was now facing a fate worse than death. He had no doubts as to what Tobias would do to her. And Chase would make sure that once he got his hands on the man that Tobias was begging for death before his torture was over.

"I have one more thing to say." Paul stated as they started back toward the house. Chase looked at the older man and raised his brow. "All of this is your fault, Chase, and if my daughter dies then I will kill you." Silence reigned for several long seconds as the rain continue to pour down on them.