His to Protect

His to Protect >Chapter 8

His to Protect 

Chapter 8 

Jake could not believe his eyes when he saw his long lost brother lying there on the ground. All Jake could think was "Holy shit! My long lost brother!  

Mark stepped over to where the man laid on the ground cupping his balls as he moaning as he rocking back and forth. 

Mark reaches down grabbing the man by his shirt hoisted to his feet. Mark let out a growl that sounded more like a mad animal than man. Mark was furious with himself, for letting his wife come on this trip and not protecting her as he promised he would do, he stated for all to hear him. "You will not look at my wife, or touch her again, over my dead body and live another day."  

Then he brought his fist back letting his fist fly striking him in his jaw. Then he stated as the man went flying backward. "You better be glad she did not cut your balls off when she had the chance. She does like anyone touching her but me." 

The man tumbles backwards a few feet away until he caught in balance. He shakes his head, trying to clear his head, before charging forward like a bull with his head bend down, as he was charges forward as Mark quickly moves out of his way. Everyone was watching as he tumbles going straight down landing on face. His face striking the ground so hard you could almost hear the bones in his nose breaking, from the full force of the fall, and, being so drunk, he was knocked out cold. 

As the men stood around just a few feet away, laughing and watching wondering what was going to happen next. Because they knew, this fight it was not over a long shot. They felt the same way, no one touches one of their women and get away with it. 

Jake was standing there a few feet away just watching as the whole thing played out. He wondered how everything would go down when they finally found out his secret. Right now, all he could think about not letting any of them know this man was his long lost brother. Because if they really took their time checking out this man they would see the familiar in the two men, because they both have, blond hair, about the same height, close to the same built with grayest blue eyes.  

Nevertheless, that was somewhat hard to do with his brother wearing a long harsh looking beard, also he smelt as if he had not taken a bath in months. Thanked God for that, they did not look anything alike, because of that.  

However, he would like to know how he gotten mixed up with this group of men in the first place. The time he saw his brother was when he was being dragged off the street for a crime he did not do and thrown into prison. Could it be they took him because they looked so much alike, if so why didn't his brother stand up for him and say something when he had the opportunity to do so. 

Because of him, he spent five years in that hell hold, picturing his brother standing there just watching as it all went down. Now his brother was in front of him and he could not ask him why he let it happen. If it was the last thing he did, he would find out why one way or another, that's for hell sure. 

Of a sudden, Mark crouches down beside the man and said to him, "I know you are wake, so stop benign a stupid ass and stand up like a man, I am not through with you yet."  

Henry stepped up to Mark's side and started talking to him. "Son I know you are upset with what happen with your wife, but she took care of herself, just fine didn't she? Don't you think we need to go after those horses before it starts getting dark? On the other hand, are you going to let your anger get the best of you? That's not the man you are." 

Mark was still bent down beside the man on the ground when he asked Henry, "What in the hell do you think I should do with this man? Do we leave him here or take him with us?" 

Henry was rubbing his chin as he thought, knowing they needed the answers of why they had gotten hold of Running Feet in the first place. Why was Running Feet so far away from his tribe? With so many unanswered questions with only one man who could answers them since Running Feet was not here to answer those question for himself, they needed this man to answer them whether he liked it or not. 

Henry turn his head looking over to where his men were now standing only a foot away seeing the same kind questions on their faces. They were also worried about Running Feet because they had no idea how long he had been hanging there and benign torture. The other question they needed to know why was he so far from his tribe. 

Henry turned back toward Mark before saying to him, "Son the only answer I have for you is to bring him with us. Then later on maybe we can find out what is going on and how they gotten hold of Running Feet." 

"I guess you are right," said Mark. "But what in the hell are we going to do with him while we are chasing and rounding up those horses? We haven't even seen the place where we are taken them. Henry and you know we don't have enough men to spare to stand guard over him either." 

Henry patted Mark on his back as he said, "We can worry about that later on after Billy shows us the canyon he found. Come man let's get him tired down on a horse so we can get out of here. We are wasting time here, those horses could be anywhere by now." 

Within couple, hours of hard riding over jagged rocky and soft sandy terrain, also beginning carefully where there horses placed their footing, until they finally came to box canyon where Billy had found for them to use.  

At first just looking at box canyon they rode in, you would have thought what a perfect place for an ambush with only one way in or out. The sides of the canyon were rocky with great places for anyone who wanted to hide and you would have no idea if they were there or not. There were patches of green grass where the horses could graze while they were held here for the time being. As they were checking out the area, Billy showed them a small watering hole where water ran down felling the hole with fresh water. 

So that is where they sat up camp for the night close by the watering hole. 

Jake walked over to where Mark and Henry were talking he stood there for a couple of minutes just listening to what they were talking about. 

Mark turned around seeing Jake standing there before he said to him, "Jake Henry and I were just talking about you. We were just saying that you would not mind staying behind with our prisoner. Now if you would whether go with us instead of staying here, I can understand that. But I really need someone I can trust, not saying I don't trust the other guys here, because I do. But these guys have heard me talking about building a horse ranch for so long, it just would not be fair to leave them behind. So what do you say, Jake?" 

As Jake heard what Mark was asking of him, he could hardly believe his ears, now maybe he could get the answers he had wanted for so long. 

Jake looked around at the other guys as they were getting ready to ride out again after getting something to eat. Then he glance back toward Mark as he said, "That's fine by me Mark. I will keep watch over our prisoner plus making sure, we have a corral built for the horses when you all get back. I can tell you this he will not be getting away from me. Go herd up those horses because we have a horse ranch to build, but if you keep standing here talking, that will never happen. You know what I mean." 

Henry patted Jake on the back and said to him, "I knew we could count on you, Jake. Hopefully we will be back before night fall or just after dark." 

Mark walked over to where Jake was standing and patted him the back also, before saying to him. "While you are at it, see if you can find out how they got whole of that Indian brave, would you. You see we know that Indian brave and his people. Also, we are worried that something could have happen to them, but we could not ask him that with the condition he was in." 

"Like I told Henry there, don't you worry about kind thing, I got it covered, Mark." Jake replied before walking away. 

It wasn't long before the men were galloping off out of the canyon leaving Jake with his brother James.

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