The saddle horn digging into her ribs was going to make her sick. The horse was weaving in and out of the trees at a good trot. Her stomach was being pummeled with ever beat of its hooves on the ground. They had been riding for what she figured was about an hour. If she didn't change positions soon her breakfast was going to be all over Harlan's leg. That might be an improvement, she thought as the rancid smell of his filth encrusted pant leg filled her nostrils, adding further to her urge to puke. Just as she was about to voice her extreme discomfort to her captor, he pulled rein and shoved her off the horse into a sprawling heap on the ground. Her backside took the brunt of this fall. Another bruise to add to my collection, she thought. When he jumped down from the horse she expected him to try and finish what he had started back at the camp, but she was relieved when he paid her absolutely no mind and started rummaging through the saddlebags on Joshua's horse. Maybe I should make a run for it. She rose to her feet too quickly and a wave of nausea hit her like a ton of bricks and the pounding in her head made her dizzy. She was grabbing the nearest tree trunk for support when her bonds were tugged and she stumbled forward toward the horse.
"You ain't goin' nowhere, Missy, " he responded to her unspoken intentions. He tied her bonds to the saddle horn and continued his pilfering. Several items fell unheeded to the ground.
She laid her head against Rusty's powerful neck, finding some comfort in the closeness of the gentle giant she and Joshua had become so fond of. Joshua. Lord, please let him be alright. She had no idea how badly he was hurt or if he would even be able to ride after her, but she did know that while there was breath in his body he was either behind them or he would send Thaddeus after them. She felt that in her spirit as sure as she felt her heart beating. Be careful, boys, please, be careful.
A string of obscenities from Harlan's foul mouth startled her. He must not have found what he was looking for. Food probably. "If it's food you wanted you should have stolen the mule. That's where all the supplies were, you dummy." The last two words she mumbled under her breath, but he heard her anyway.
He rewarded her insults by grabbing her roughly by her upper arm and jerking her painfully around to face him. "Git up there on that horse, girl," he growled as he shoved her, waving his knife in the air. He was going to let her mount first? Maybe she could spur Rusty into a run and get away! "And don't try taking off on that horse neither. I can aim and throw this blade better than your friend can aim a gun." Her shoulders dropped at little, knowing he had anticipated and thwarted her plan.
She did as she was told relieved that she at least wouldn't have to go any further with the saddle horn gouging her stomach. When he mounted the horse behind her she almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity and irony of them riding double just like she and Joshua had. Only this time, she was being abducted, not rescued. And she was dreading the contact of his body behind her, where she had welcomed Joshua's reassuring closeness. She leaned forward as far as she could to minimize the contact between her and her captor. But she had eagerly anticipated leaning back against the refuge of Joshua's chest. As Rusty galloped further southward, she closed her eyes and held tightly to the memory of the feel of Joshua's warm, solid body enclosing her in safety and peace.
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He was sure making it easy to follow his trail. The boys knew that meant only one of two things. When an outlaw being trailed didn't attempt in any way to hide his trail or zigzag around to confuse the ones on his tail, he was either headed straight for a hideout where he had backup and he wanted you to follow, or he was severely underestimating the trackers. The boys figured it was a combination of both. Mathis was probably headed to where his cohorts were holed up, and he figured no one would be on his tail this soon. The boys couldn't wait to show him how wrong he was. They could both track with the best of them and they were prepared for whatever awaited when they caught up to him.
"They stopped here. And somebody was on the ground here." Kid squatted to better observe the tell tale signs. Kid was doing the close inspections of the ground so Heyes could avoid mounting and dismounting too much. His head still hurt and dizziness loomed with any sudden movement. When Kid found several familiar items from Heyes saddlebags among the undergrowth on the forest floor, they called out Evie's name just to make sure she wasn't somewhere nearby. Birds chirping, insects buzzing, and leaves rustling in the wind were the only response. “He must have been looking for food,” Kid pondered out loud.
They rode on.
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"I need to stop." Those were the only words that had been spoken since they had last stopped almost three hours ago. She was trying to gage the time by the position of sun. She figured it was between noon and one p.m. Her bladder was going to explode if she didn't relief it of its burden soon.
"I ain't got time to stop." Harlan craned his neck around in all directions checking for any signs that they were being followed. " And I sure ain't giving you no opportunities to get away."
"Fine, then, I'll just pee all over you. I'm sure you won't be able to tell the difference. In fact it might improve the smell of your clothes."
The swift sharp blow to the side of her head made her ears ring. Evie tried to bring her hands up to cradle her accosted ear, but her hands were tethered short to the saddle horn. Tears burned the back of her eyelids. He slid from the saddle and loosened her bonds from the saddle. "I've had just about enough of your sass you little bitch. You can take a piss miss high and mighty, but I'm gonna have my eyes on you the whole time. And if you try anything I'll box your other ear, you got it?"
The scathing look she shot him as she slid to the ground only made him laugh his obnoxious girlie laugh. "Yep, you're a real firecracker, ain't ya. Them Mexican banditos are sure gonna have a good time putting your fire out. A few weeks of taking on one horny buck after another and you won't be so high and mighty, gal. Well, whadda you waitin' for. Thought you had to go."
"I can't very well go with my hands tied together, now can I?"
"Oh that's alright, I'll have to help you get your bloomers down, won’t I.”
He moved toward her and she instinctively backed up until she bumped into the horse. He stood in front of her pinning her there. She defensively put her bound hands up to her chest to shield herself from him. "You keep your hands off me. I can manage just fine by myself."
"Suit yourself." He turned slightly and began to unbotton the fly of his trousers. Then he exposed his flaccid manhood and began to urinate near her feet. Evie turned her face in embarrassment. He was the most foul and disgusting human being she had ever encountered in her entire life. Once he was finished, he remained where he was, only inches from her. "If you ain't gonna go then get back on the horse!" he yelled.
Obviously he had no intentions of giving her any privacy or any space. She was tempted to just forget it and pee in her pants, but she didn't want to be in the saddle with wet pants on rubbing her raw. She began to fumble with the row of buttons closing her pants. It was impossible with her hands bound like they were. He laughed again at her difficulty. "Looks like miss high and mighty needs a little help after all. And I'm more than happy to oblige."
His hands went for the fly of her pants. She instinctively blocked his hands with hers. He took his knife out and held it to her cheek. She froze. With his free hand he unbottoned her pants. Then he shoved them roughly down over her hips, letting his none too gentle hands linger longer than was necessary on her creamy skin. Her pants and bloomers fell to her ankles. Thankfully the tails of her shirt were long enough to cover her most private parts. But her legs were completely exposed. She wanted desperately to show no signs of fear to this heartless villain. But in spite of her best efforts she trembled slightly with fear when he took a few steps back to get a better view of her naked flesh. He licked his lips as he fondled her with his eyes. Then quick as a whip he was back in front of her with the knife to her cheek. "Now squat and do your business."
She thought of the sweet, nurturing way Joshua had taken care of her for the last week. How he had given her the privacy she needed while still staying close at hand in case she needed him. But this pervert wanted to humiliate her and take his own perverted pleasure while doing so. Then she remembered what this lecherous beast had done to her family and to Joshua this morning, and her fear changed to angry hatred. If he wanted her to squat and do her business she most certainly would. She turned so her back was to him, squatted over his left foot and soaked his boot with the contents of her bladder. She expected another ear splitting blow to the head any second, but it would be worth it. When it didn't come, she rose quickly and spun around. Her attempt to humiliate him had left her bare bottom exposed to his lascivious gaze. She immediately regretted her smart alec actions. He would probably rape her now. But instead he reached down and grabbed her pants in both hands and pulled then slowly up her legs, again lingering longer than necessary on her smooth thighs and her rounded hips. Her muscles flexed as if the motion could keep his touch from reaching her skin. "If I didn't know them murdering asshole friends of yours was on my tail, I'd show you just what a man can do between legs like yours." He refastened her buttons then tethered her bonds to the saddle horn once again. As they continued the journey southward, she took comfort in his words. So he knew that Joshua and Thaddeus were on his tail. Good, that made two of them. She knew it too and she could hardly wait until they caught up.
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"Looks like they stopped here to relieve themselves." Kid used his boot to scatter the leaves that had been matted down by the evidence of his discovery.
"Looks like they were awful close to each other when they did it too." Heyes tone was very quiet and subdued. Kid knew what his partner was implying and it made him uneasy as well.
"Least we know she's still alive, Heyes." Kid tried to ease his friend's mind.
Heyes didn't respond. Knowing that she was still alive deadened most of the fear that had been growing inside of him. Now something different had taken seed and was beginning to grow. It was an emotion Hannibal Heyes rarely felt. But when he did feel it, it was intense and explosive. That emotion was anger.
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It was late afternoon when Harlan finally stopped and allowed the tired horse to drink from the creek branch that snaked through the woods. Evangeline knealed beside the steed to drink herself. Harlan was again scouring through the contents of Joshua's bags. Evie stayed close to Rusty, rubbing his quivering withers. If he hadn't been such a strong animal he would have fallen over by now. The animal must have sensed her unease, and she felt tears sting her eyes when he lowered his big head and nudged her arm with his nose. She gave a weak smile and buried her face in his flowing mane. "He'll find us, Rusty, I know he will," she whispered. But as the sun got closer to the mountaintops in the west she was beginning to doubt her own words. It would be dark soon. Then tracking them would become almost impossible. And this maniac was not going to stop until he reached his destination or until he killed Rusty in the effort to get there. And even is she managed to get away from Harlan, how could she possibly find her way in the darkness of this vast forest. Her only hope was that the darkness would force him to stop, giving Joshua and Thaddeus more time to catch up.
"Time for you to get changed in to something a little more lady like, missy."
She was startled from her thoughts when one of her dresses, pilfered from the saddlebags, was thrown into her face.
"Get them boy clothes off and put that on. I want you looking like a girl when I get you there. They ain't gonna pay top dollar for no tomboy."
"In case you didn't learn anything from last time, I can't do that with my hands tied."
"I'll untie you, but you better not try nothing funny. You might run, but you won't get far. I can run like a deer, and when I catch up to you, I won't think twice about taking off your face one hunk at a time, gal."
Once she was loosed she stood there waiting for him to at least turn his back. "I'm not undressing in front of you."
"Oh, you ain't? Well, I'll just undress you myself then." He was on her before the words had completely left his mouth. He put the huge knife blade into her shirt collar and sliced it clean in half from top to bottom.
"Alright! I'll do it!" she screamed in outrage.
She glared at him as she removed the ruined shirt, wadded it into a ball and angrily heaved it several feet away. She kicked her shoes off and stepped out of her britches giving them a fling with her foot as she did so. She may as well have been naked as she stood there in her thin camisole and bloomers. His perverted gaze raking her up and down. She very hurriedly pulled the dress over her head. It was a beautiful dress her mother had made for her last summer. The pale blue tiered skirt was made of light cotton and the white lace trimmed bodice was made to fall off the shoulder in a cascade of ruffles. The airy garment left her shoulders and her arms exposed and the lightweight fabric allowed the chille