His to Protect

His to Protect >Chapter 9

His to Protect 

Chapter 9 

Jake stood there viewing the terrain surrounding him, wondering if anyone was out there watching him from behind one of those boulders that some of the guys were calling rocks. Everywhere, he turned he was seeing more rocks, more yellowest white sand with only small patches desert needle grasses (Stipa speciosa), with prickly pear cactus and Spanish dagger, here and there. Looking a little closer seeing couple of whiptail lizards running under creosote brushes about twenty some feet away.  

God how he missed North Carolina tall pines, maple trees, and beautiful colorfully flowers of all kinds whether they were wild flowers in the fields as far your eyes could see.  

Where a person could take off their shoes and walking in soft patches tall grasses, along the riverbanks, or spend the day fishing as the cool breezes would cool you off. 

Oh my God, the most beautiful sunrises of a morning coming over the trees tops after it had rained during the night. The air would smell so fresh in morning, the birds would be singing in the trees just outside your window when you open your eyes the first thing of a morning. Also, seeing prettiest blue sky during the day where sometime you would not seeing a cloud in the sky. Then seating on the front porch watching the sun setting as it went behind the trees into the west.  

God that was the good old days when he was young kid with not a care in the world. All he had to do was only help his pa and his mom in the fields. Now they were all gone. God he was homesick, he finally decided and nothing he could do about, but go on with his life. 

However he did have his brother, who is now tired up like an animal. Where did we go wrong in our lives that we do not know each other anymore?  

Jake takes his hat off his head and beats it against his leg, determined what went wrong and how they gotten here like this. Because as of right now his brother was no friend of his, and that has to change. He needed answers of why his brother let him go to prison knowing he did not rob that bank. Plus, he has to tell Mark that he rested the wrong man all those years old, before Mark puts two and two together and it not adding to four as it should. 

Jake starts walking over to where his brother was lying on the ground, although he acted as if he was asleep, but he could tell he was wide-awake just waiting so he could make his escape.  

Jake stood there watching his brother feeling all the anger inside his soul. Somehow, some of that anger disappearing. However, the hurt feelings were still there, just longer the anger, just more regrets than anything else.  

James looked up from where he lying on the ground toward his brother before he finally decided to talk, "What the hell are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a man tied up before? Well untie me so I can make my get away. Don't just stand there looking at me like you don't know me. You know they will be back soon and I don't have all day to lay here. You know me baby brother help me out here." 

"I don't see it that way at all James." Jake replied as he crouched down beside him on the ground.  

"The way I see it, you have some explaining to do first." Jake replied eyeing his brother seeing the distrust, knowing he could not trust him the way he used too when they were boys. 

James surprises Jake by laughing as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. When he finally stopped laughing, he answered with sneer in his voice. "I owe you nothing little brother. You were at the wrong place and time. What can I say, better you than me?" 

"What happen to the brother I used to know." yelled Jake.  

"You want to know what happen to me." James yelling right back, "Well since you asked me so nicely, I am going to tell you. You probably won't like it. But I met some really good guys out there when I was traveling, but we ran out of money so we started robbing banks and even some trains. The most fun I have ever had in my life. Do you know how good it feels to have money in your pockets and you can buy whatever you need? When people start taken notice of you because you have money to burn? Well it felt great. I did not have go hungry anymore and I had a roof over my head whenever I wanted one. I could have a beautiful girl any night of the week when we were in town if I wanted one. I felt like someone not some dirty farmer like our old man, working every day and showing nothing for it. I did not want that life for me." 

"So it was you and your gang that rubbed that bank that day wasn't it. You let me take the fall for you. Is that it?" Jake yelling right back. "You left me rotting in that hell hole of a prison for five long years, so you could ride off into the sunset. But why me, your own brother?" Jake hung his head down shaking his head back and forth in disgust and not understanding any of it really. 

"Now untie me you got your answer," replied James.  

"Not yet big brother. I still have more questions for you that you need to solve." Jake spoke up when he glanced over to where his brother was laying.  

"When was it that your gang of out-laws take that young Indian brave?" Jake questioned him. 

James begins laughing although he had a disgusting look on his face. Then the look was gone from his face like it was never there, before he replied. "That was so easy you would not believe it. He was just setting there in a deep thought maybe praying or doing whatever they do, That dumb Indian brave did not hear us coming up behind him until it was to last, we were that quiet. I guess. We just wanted to play and scarce with him a little. You see we were so bored out of our minds, we had ran out of money from our last bank robber so we had nothing else to do. Oh, he put up a good fight I can tell you that, but he could not fight all of us at once." 

"Can you tell me this, how many days did your gang have him and where did you fine at?" Jake questioned. 

"Well let me think," said James. "We rode hard for about two days or so before we made camp. Then we started drinking and the games started right after that." 

"I see, so as long as you're all were having fun harming someone else that was fine by your book. Is that right big brother?" Jake stated as he stood up, disgusted with at what he heard coming from his own brother's mouth. Jake was so glad his pa and mom could not be hearing this coming from their son's mouth. They would have been so disappointed in how their oldest son had been living since there death. 

Jake jerked his head around and began talking to his brother. "I am really sorry to tell you this, but you are not the brother I once knew. I am washing my hands of you. Whatever happens to you when they get back here is now out of my hands. I am working with a good family here and you are not messing that up for me. But you want to know what the funny thing about all of this is. The man I am working for is the man who a rested me and not you. Well when he gets back, I am going to tell him the whole story of what really happen that you were the one who rubbed that bank and not me. My secret will be out of the bag for good. Thanks to you, I will finally have a clear conscience to tell him the truth." 

James starts jerking trying to get loose of his ropes, turning this way and that, when he hears the riders coming back to camp.

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