Chapter Forty-Six:
Hoss scratched at his bearded chin and shook his head. "Well I'll be a son of a bitch....."
"I've always thought so." Colt agreed.
"Never thought you'd have the nerve to show yourself to me again after what you took from me." Hoss growled as he moved his horse away from the ladies and toward Colt. That still left five men standing guard over them however.
"I just took my share." Colt replied with a shrug.
"Your share!" Hoss shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You took a bit more than that I'm afraid. You snuck in our camp and took every damn dime we had in those saddlebags."
"You're leaving out that little bit about you leaving me for dead just days before that, Hoss. It's funny how your memory always seems to block out any knowledge of how the bad things that happen to you are a direct result of what a screw up you are."
"You're just has fool-headed and cocky as you've ever been." Hoss grumbled. Colt was surprised by how quiet everyone else in the gang was being. Most were staring at him with shock and it caused him to wonder if they'd even known he was alive.
"Being cocky is only fool-headed if you can't back it up, Hoss, and I reckon I've proven I can sure as hell back it up." Colt looked at the other men. "What's the matter, boys? Didn't your boss tell ya I was alive? I left him a note when I took my share."
"Your share my ass!" Jackal spoke up for the first time. Colt had always liked Jackal... well until Jackal and the men had left him lying in a pool of his own blood with no horse and a posse of lawmen closing in. "You took every damn bit of it!"
Colt shrugged, trying hard to ignore the searing pain in his shoulder. Showing weakness was a death sentence when dealing with men like these. Colt knew that because he was one of them—or had been not too long ago. "I took my share plus a little extra for my pain and suffering."
"You're right, Colt. I knew it was you that robbed us and I could have come after you—"
Colt laughed loudly. "You're so full of shit, Hoss, that I'm gonna have to go get my wading boots if you keep talking."
"You think I didn't keep up with you?" Hoss asked with a smile. "I happen to know that you ran solo for a couple years after robbing us and then you took a bullet to the chest and damn near died."
"Were you concerned for me, Hoss?" Colt inquired with a grin as he let his eyes quickly fall upon Katherine, Rachel and Susette. The three of them were huddled together with men on all sides. Colt knew that Katherine had a gun but he was glad she didn't pull it. None of the men standing over them would hesitate before putting a bullet through her head. Colt also knew that nobody would be able to start firing shots at the men on horseback without risking hitting the ladies. All the bodies were too close together down here.
"Of course." Hoss laughed. "I heard that after you took that bullet and came back from the edge of death you were a changed man. I even heard you got yourself a pretty little wife and a baby. You got them holed up in that hotel too?"
Colt snorted and cleared his throat. Hoss had always enjoyed mind games and playing dirty.
"Oh I see.. the biters got 'em didn't they?" Hoss asked, when Colt didn't respond. "Guess they learned about you the hard way, huh Colt? You never do come through for those that need you."
It seemed that Hoss had gotten good at getting in people's heads in the last seven years. Right about now Colt was mad enough to strangle the bastard with his bare hands, but he wasn't going to let Hoss know that. Colt kept his posture relaxed as he spit into the dirt and rubbed his cheek.
"Odd that you say that, Hoss, since I seem to remember saving every one of your asses at least once a piece while we all ran together." Hoss seemed a bit put in his place as the other men looked back and forth at one another, obviously remembering the times Colt had been there for them. Hoss wasn't the only one who knew how to get in someone's head.
Hoss slid from his horse and approached Colt, stopping less than ten feet from the other man. He put his thumbs through his belt loops and looked Colt up and down. "You seem to have sprung a leak there, Colt." Hoss stated, tipping his head toward Colt's throbbing left shoulder.
Colt could feel the blood soaking his shirt and dripping down his chest. Coming down the ladder had obviously pulled some stitches out. "Don't you worry yourself about me none, Hoss. I reckon I'll be alright."
Hoss chuckled and spit at Colt's boots. "You reckon, huh?" Colt nodded. "Well then, what exactly is it you folks want and where is Clay?"
"We want the town." Colt replied, his gaze flickering to Red. Red was Clay's brother and if it had indeed been Clay that Comanche had killed then this was not going to go over well. The brothers from Mississippi were well known for being extremely close and protective over one another. "You know we have women and children with us and we need the safety here a bit more than you all do."
"You have your train...." Hoss began.
"It don't have enough coal to get us more than a couple of miles. I'll be generous and let you take it if that'll make losing the town a bit easier to cope with."
"Dammit, Hoss!" Red spoke up angrily. "Colt, where is my goddamn brother?"
Colt shrugged, his grip on the rifle tensing slightly. "He took a shot at me, Red." At least that made sense now. Colt had wondered why a man would just start shooting at newcomers with no provocation. If Clay had recognized Colt then it made sense the man would want to kill him.. Clay had been the one to obey Hoss's order and shoot him in the leg seven years prior, and the other man would have known that Colt would want his blood.
Red's face reddened as he yanked off his hat and threw it. "You killed my brother?!"
"He shot at me, Red." Colt replied again, trying to keep his eyes on everyone at once. "Now why don't you men just ride on outta here. I've got enough guns trained on you to end your lives with just a snap of my fingers—" Colt glanced at Hoss. "Don't make me snap my fingers."
"I'll snap your goddamn fingers!" Red shouted and Colt saw him go for his gun. Before Red could clear leather, or Colt could shoulder his own weapon, an arrow embedded itself deep in Red's temple and the man fell from the saddle. His body thudded loudly as it hit the ground and Susette screamed.
Colt attempted to shoulder his gun but Hoss lunged forward and grabbed the rifle, slamming into Colt's injured shoulder and driving him to the ground. Gunshots filled the air.
Colt grabbed Hoss's boot just before it made contact with his face and tossed the other man back.
"No! Miss Kate!" Ox yelled.
Colt pushed through his pain and got to his feet. He found himself staring at Hoss's revolver. Colt dove to the side hitting the ground with a thud that jarred his shoulder and caused nausea to twist his gut. A shot rang out and a bullet slammed through Hoss's leg. The other man bellowed in pain, turned and ran.
Colt drew his revolver and fired off two shots, dropping Franklin as he ran along behind Hoss. He couldn't shoot at Timmons or Jackal as they used Katherine, Rachel and Susette has human shields and followed Hoss into the house across the road from the hotel and secured the door behind them.
A rifle barrel stuck out the window of the house and Colt half crawled and half ran across the dirt to the hotel, jumping through the door and closing the door behind him as bullets continued to fill the air.
"Colt!" Evangeline all but screamed as she rushed to him and threw herself into his chest. Colt wrapped his good arm around her tightly and kissed her hair. He took several long seconds to simply breathe her in, thankful beyond words that she had stayed in the hotel.
"Thank you for staying inside." He said as he pulled away.
"Yes, well, you have Frankie to thank for that. I tried to run out and she held me in here at gunpoint. You should really talk to her about that."
Colt walked a few short steps to Frankie and held out his hand in an offer of thanks. Frankie shook it. "Thank you for keeping her safe."
"No problem." Frankie replied with a nod.
A terrible thudding filled the air just before Ox barreled into the room. "We've gotta go get her, Colt! They got Miss Kate."
"Ox, I know... Who's on the roof?" Colt asked as Silas stepped into the room as well with Charlotte pressed tight to his side.
"Jedidiah." Comanche replied, coming down the steps next. "I took the ladder back up."
"We need to keep someone on the roof to make sure no one comes out the back of that house."
Colt stated. He grumbled with irritation when Evangeline began to undo his shirt, fussing over his shoulder with every breath. He tried to smack her hands away but she simply glared at him and continued, causing him to give up the fight.
"We've gotta go over there, Colt!" Ox insisted, heading for the door. Colt shook his head and Comanche stepped in the bigger man's way.
"Ox if you go storming over there, they'll shoot you just as soon as you step outside."
"Help me!" A pain filled voice called from outside. Colt glanced through a gap in the wooden boards on the window and saw Hargas bloody and shot on the dirt road. It was clear the man was going to die. The wound was through the middle of his gut, he wasn't going to make it. It would be a slow, painful death as he waited to bleed out in the harsh sunlight.
"Damn." Colt grimaced. He had always liked Hargas.
"We should bring him in here. Then we'll have something to trade. One of theirs for one of ours." Frankie stated.
Colt shook his head and then growled with pain when Silas poked at his reopened wound. "Leave it be, Silas!"
"You need to be stitched back up and keep your sling on this time." Silas argued.
Colt wanted to tell the man no but the look on Evangeline's face told him it would be a pointless argument. Instead he turned to Frankie. "That wouldn't do any good. These men have no loyalty to one another unless someone is of use to them. Clay, the man Comanche killed, shot me in the leg seven years ago after I fell off my horse and busted my arm up. I wasn't any good to them with a busted arm but with a posse closing in on us I was of big use as a distraction. They don't care that Hargas is out there suffering."
Hargas let out another pain-filled wail. "Colt! Help me, Colt! You know I didn't have anything to do with shooting you back then! I was against it!"
Colt took a deep breath, grabbed a rifle from beside the door, ensured it was loaded and then threw the door open. He shouldered the gun, let out the breath he was holding and squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet into Hargas's head and ending his pain.
He also realized that Hargas, Red and Franklin weren't the only people lying in the street. That woman that the gang had brought in with them was lying out there as well. She was unconscious but didn't appear to have been shot. There was nothing Colt could do for her just now.
As he stepped back in and closed the door he found everyone staring at him with shock. He cast a nervous glance at Evangeline, knowing how odd the woman could be about killing. "He was going to die. That bullet tore through his gut. Instead of hours of agonizing pain, I ended him quick." Colt informed the room.
Evangeline had paled considerably and appeared sickened but she swallowed hard and remained by his side. Colt figured that was a good sign.
"Colt, they got Miss Kate and they got Aunt Rachel!" Ox spoke up again, tears in his eyes as he squeezed his hat in his hands. "We gotta do something."
"They have Susette too." Charlotte whispered.
"Why the hell were they outside?" Colt demanded but no one seemed to have an answer. "We can't do anything until nightfall. If we step out there, they'll shoot us. We need the cover of darkness. No one is to fire any shots toward that building. We don't know where they're keeping our people."
"Colt come on upstairs and get that sewed up." Silas urged, pointing toward Colt's blood soaked shoulder.
"Frankie can you get up to the roof with that ankle?" Colt asked.
"I reckon."
"Alright then. I want you, Comanche and Jedidiah up there. If there's any movement, any gunshots, any reason for you to think something is happening over there, you come get me."
Comanche and Frankie nodded in understanding and left the room. Colt put his hand on Ox's arm. "I'll do everything I can to get her back, Ox."
Ox had tears slipping down his cheeks but he sniffed and nodded. "I did what you told me, Colt.... Why did Miss Kate have to run outside like that? I couldn't save her cuz I was afraid I would shoot her."
Evangeline went to her brother and hugged him tightly. "It's going to be okay, Ox." She turned to Colt. "Do you need me while Silas patches you up?"
Colt smiled with understanding and shook his head. "Not my first time getting sewed back together, sweetheart. You go be with your brother."
Colt watched Evangeline lead Ox toward the kitchen.
"Colt, do you honestly think they'll be okay over there?" Charlotte asked.
Colt let out a long breath, wanting to lie but suddenly not having enough energy to. "No. No I'm not sure at all."
***
Hoss slammed his fist into the wall of the house and glared at the huddled up women in the corner.
Jackal and Timmons had disarmed them all and bound their wrists and ankles while Hoss had tied a strip of curtain around his bleeding leg. That had been two long hours ago according to Hoss's rants.
"We gotta get out of this town, Hoss." Jackal spoke up. "Colt and his people done wiped out half our gang. Clay, Red, Franklin and Hargas..... What's left of us just ain't no match for them."
"And how we gonna do that, Jackal?' Hoss demanded. "I should have killed Colt while I had the chance to."
"And why didn't you?" Timmon's inquired. "You know if you had then none of this would be happening."
"You knew he was alive too, Timmon's. Why didn't you kill him?" Hoss spat back.
"Because I figured he deserved the money he took from us after what you and Clay did to him and as long as he was getting on with his life I was gonna get on with mine as well."
Hoss let out a humorless chuckle. "Well there's your answer then I reckon."
Katherine watched the men having their back and forth spats and wondered what they were going to do. She knew that Colt and the others couldn't just storm the building. They didn't know where Katherine, Susette and Rachel were and wouldn't risk their lives.
Katherine wondered about Ox. She felt tears fill her eyes as she thought about how he must be worrying and she quickly blinked them back. Tears would not help them now.
"We have their women here." Jackal spoke up. "Maybe we can use them somehow to get out of here."
"Let's go somewhere a bit more private and talk about this." Hoss agreed with a nod as he glanced at Katherine.
Hoss and his friends left the tiny room they had tied Katherine, Rachel and Susette up in and closed the door behind them.
"I'm scared..." Susette whispered, her voice trembling.
"You very well should be." Rachel scolded. "If you hadn't run outside and forced us to chase you—"
"Don't you dare blame this on her." Katherine warned. "You are the one who has her head so far up her own ass that she can't trust a man who has done nothing but keep those around him safe for months!"
"Oh yes and what a positive influence he has had. If not for Colt's past none of this would be happening." Rachel sneered.
"Yes it would." Katherine countered. "These are bad men, not the kinds that would have just let a group of intruders go calmly. And if not for Colt I would probably have been raped and murdered months ago. He saved my life."
"Was this while you were working as a whore?" Rachel wondered.
Katherine saw Susette's eyes widen. Katherine glared at Rachel and wondered how such a hate-filled woman could possibly be aunt to a kind and gentle soul like Ox. "Yes it was."
"If we get out of this alive I want you to stay away from my nephew. He is too ignorant and soft headed to see what I can so clearly see when I look at you."
"And what is that?" Katherine demanded, her hands itching to be let loose from the ropes binding them so she could strangle the very life from Rachel with them.
"A used up whore looking for a strong man to protect her, and latching onto Ox because he is too stupid to know any better."
"Stop fighting!" Susette pleaded with a sob. "This is all my fault but I had a dream and I knew that if Colt was gone we would all die! We have to have Colt."
It's going to be fine, Susette. Everything's going to be fine." Katherine comforted the girl, scooting across the floor and kissing her head gently. She had no idea if she was being truthful with the girl or not but she figured if the situation was reversed, she would want to be told that everything would be okay.
***
It had been hours since Katherine, Rachel and Susette had been taken and Evangeline knew the group was losing hope. The tension in the air was nearly thick enough to be cut with a knife. Evangeline had only been on the roof with the others a short time after leaving Ox in the kitchen with Charlotte, who was attempting to cook them all something to eat and keep Ox's mind off of Katherine.
"Colt, we have rabid moving in." Silas said from the edge of the roof.
Colt stayed low and moved closer. "Yes we do."
Evangeline joined him at the side of the roof and saw the group of rabid jerking and stumbling toward town. It wasn't a giant herd but there were at least a few dozen.
"The gunshots and the blood must have drawn them in." Comanche stated. "Those three dead men on the street have filled the air with the scent of blood."
"Colt, that woman down there might be alive." Evangeline whispered and as if on cue there was a soft moan from the road below them and the woman shifted slightly, her first movement in hours.
"Goddammit." Colt growled, rubbing his face roughly.
"Those rabid will tear her apart." Silas whispered.
"We have plenty of ammunition downstairs. Should we take them out?" Frankie asked and Colt shook his head.
"We start firing shots, they might think we're attacking next door and they could kill their hostages. That and shooting will only bring in more rabid."
"So will that blood." Comanche countered.
"Yeah well there ain't a goddamn thing I can do about the blood is there?!" Colt demanded angrily.
The rooftop fell silent and Evangeline laid a gentle hand on Colt's shoulder. "I'll go get her."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Colt demanded.
"I'll go help the woman inside. Those rabid are far enough away down the street that I have plenty of time and those men won't shoot me. They won't see me as a threat."
Colt's dark blue eyes narrowed and looked into hers. "No, they'll see you as something else."
"I want to do this, Colt. If they see any of you men step out, they'll shoot you on sight and Frankie's ankle is too swollen for her to move fast enough."
"I won't allow it." Colt argued stubbornly.
Evangeline saw the rabid getting closer every second they wasted up here arguing.
"I'm not asking for permission, Colt."
"And what will I tell Ox if something happens to his sister?" Colt questioned, his voice strained. Evangeline knew he was working hard to hide and fight back his emotions in front of so many witnesses. "They already have his woman, he can't lose his sister too."
"He won't." Evangeline promised. She kissed Colt's cheek and went to the ladder. "Could someone go open the door downstairs so it's ready for me?"
With that Evangeline headed down the ladder. She glanced up once or twice to see Colt's face looking down at her full of worry and a touch of anger. Evangeline was sure she'd be hearing about this later but she had to do what she had to do.
She would not let this woman be torn apart by rabid. No one deserved a fate as terrible as that.
Her nerves nearly got the better of her as she jumped off the ladder but Evangeline forced her feet to keep moving.
She ran onto the street, knowing that at any moment a bullet could very well slam into her. She saw a man watching her from a window of the house. It wasn't Hoss, but another man. He was tall and skinny and when he saw her approaching the awakening woman he tensed and raised his gun. Evangeline pointed down the street and surprisingly the man looked that way, his eyes widening at the sight of the rabid. When his gaze came back to Evangeline he nodded and his gun lowered.
"Ma'am?" Evangeline called out as she crouched beside the woman and shook her shoulder gently. She was young, probably Evangeline's age or perhaps younger. There was a welt oozing blood on the woman's forehead and Evangeline knew that's why she'd been unconscious. Someone had hit her—hard.
The moaning, shuffling sound of the rabid was growing closer but Evangeline didn't glance that way again. Her heart was already pounding hard and her stomach was clenching with fear, she did not need to see the sight of those rotting monsters coming closer to her.
"Hurry up, Evangeline." Colt's voice came from behind her. She glanced at the hotel and saw him in the doorway.
Evangeline turned back to the woman just as her light blue eyes flew open. "You have to get up now." Evangeline urged.
The woman sat up, wincing and touching her fingers to her forehead. Her gaze went down the street and her ear piercing scream filled the air. Evangeline looked that way as well and saw that the rabid were almost on them, their clawed hands reaching out, grasping for the warm flesh of the women's bodies.
"I do not want to die for you!" Evangeline yelled as she shook the woman roughly. "Now get up off the ground and let's go!"
"Evangeline!" Colt yelled and then gunshots filled the air. Evangeline instantly feared she was being shot at but there was still only that one man looking out at her from the other house and he didn't have his gun raised.
She glanced behind her and saw Colt running into the street, shooting his revolver and Comanche and Frankie were firing shots from the roof. The sound of bullets sinking into rabid flesh had Evangeline's stomach turning. Tired of waiting, she grabbed the woman's arm and yanked her up.
"We have to go!" Evangeline yelled. She dragged the woman who still seemed to be a bit out of sorts, probably from the hard hit she'd taken to the head. Colt was suddenly at her side. He pulled his second gun, handed it to Evangeline and tossed the woman over his good shoulder.
Evangeline provided cover fire and the three of them made it back into the hotel. Evangeline shut and locked the door just as the rabid reached the building and began thudding against the wood, clawing at the boards and moaning with desperation.
Colt tossed the injured woman quite unceremoniously to the floor and then grabbed Evangeline by the arm, shaking her roughly. "You won't ever do something like that again, understood?!" he yelled. "You won't risk your life for anyone. No one is worth that, Evangeline!"
"Colt—" Evangeline tried to speak, as the room filled with people, however if Colt noticed everyone else it didn't show. And he didn't appear ready to give her time to speak.
"Don't argue with me, dammit! I can't lose you too. I've lost too much, Evangeline, and if I lost you it would kill me. Do you understand that? It would kill me. Don't do that to me—" Evangeline cut off his rant by pressing her lips to his quickly.
"I'm just fine." She whispered, barely moving her lips from his as she spoke.
"I'll take a look at the woman." Silas said as he knelt down beside the woman still lying on the floor and staring at everyone with fear.
"What just happened?" Ox demanded, stepping into the room.
"I think we should get away from the walls." Charlotte spoke up, as the rabid continued to moan and beat against the wood.
Silas lifted the woman into his arms and the group headed toward the kitchens.
"Evie, did you go outside?" Ox demanded again.
"Yes, Ox. I had to save the woman." Evangeline replied, from where she was being held firmly against Colt's side.
"Shit, Evie, don' t you do that again!"
Evangeline spoke her mouth to respond but Colt beat her to it. "She won't." he stated assuredly as his grip on her tightened.
"Maybe with the rabid here, they'll be more open to reason." Charlotte said hopefully.
"They did not shoot Evangeline." Comanche added.
"No, Timmons didn't shoot Evangeline." Colt countered. "Timmons is a decent man. Not good but decent. Chances are he would have shot her if not for the rabid. Jackal and Hoss would not have been quite so nice."
"Shit, Colt...... Am I ever gonna see Miss Kate again?"
"I don't know." Colt replied and Evangeline could hear the desperation in his voice.
She took Colt by the hand and pulled him back into the hall. "Colt--?" she began.
Colt cut her off as he yanked his hat off and shoved his hand through his hair. "Hell, Evangeline, there's a good chance I'm not gonna get them out of there alive. I can keep us alive that ain't no problem, but I don't see how I'm gonna...."
"Colt, you have to stop." Evangeline warned.
"Your brother is counting on me, Evangeline. I always let down folks who count on me."
"We're going to get through this, Colt. Katherine is smart and she'll figure something out... and if she doesn't then you will. We just have to wait until an opening."
"I wish I had as much faith as you do." Colt admitted, laying his forehead against' hers.
Evangeline smiled and laid her hand upon his cheek. "No matter what happens, Colt, you have me and that won't change."