Chapter Twenty
Chase topped over the hill and scanned the darkness for Leah and Yancy but they were not where he had left them. Chase felt his heart fall into his feet and desperation tear at his soul.
His mood only darkened further when the raindrops began to pour from the heavens as if someone had burst a dam in a raging river. Because of the dark and the rain he would be lucky if he could track Yancy to get his wife back.
Chance rode over the hill as well with Paul beside him and they looked at Chase. The tall Indian was sitting as still as stone in the saddle of that big black horse as the rain quickly soaked his clothing and hair, plastering both to him. His hat had fallen off in his mad dash from the house and Chance tried to hand it to him but Chase acted as if he didn't notice anyone else was there.
His face was pale in the moonlight and his eyes flashed with a strange mix of sadness and anger.
"Where the hell is my daughter?!" Paul demanded.
"Where is Tig?" Chase growled, his voice barely more than a whisper. Suddenly Chance realized that the strange man was no longer with them. He looked over the plains and saw his shadow moving under the moonlight.
"There." he stated, pointing at the bobbing figure in the distance. Paul pulled his rifle from the saddle holster and Chase growled and jerked it from his hands.
"I want him alive." he hissed as he tossed the gun aside and then without another word he set off after Tig.
Chase knew that Tig's brown mare was no match for Blaze in speed or endurance. As Tig's retreating back got closer and closer Chase thought about the giant mistake he had made. What was wrong with him? To be taking such risks and trusting others? All his life he had trusted no one and it had served him well. Putting his trust in Yancy and Tig had clearly been a mistake and one that might just cost Chase everything that he cared about.
If he lost Leah..... He shook his head and hardened his heart against the thought. Now was not the time to think, now was the time to act and get her back. Chase pulled his own rifle from his saddle holster and held it by the barrel. He came up alongside Tig and released his hold on Blaze's reins.
Tig glanced over at him with panic and his scared eyes widened just before Chase brought the butt of the rifle across his head and sent the skinny man flying from his saddle and down onto the muddy ground.
Chase grabbed Blazes reins and drew back on them bringing the stallion to a quick stop before jumping off and making his way slowly toward Tig. He barely noticed Paul and Chance riding up as he stood over the other man.
"My heads a poundin!" Tig complained loudly as he twisted back and forth on the ground and covered his bloody and mud covered blond hair with his hands.
"Where has Yancy taken Leah?" Chase growled, staring down at the loathsome man at his feet. His hair fell over his face and he could feel the rain gathering on his face and dripping from his nose and chin.
"You hit me so hard I can't remember, nope I can't!" Tig said with a high pitched laugh as he propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at Chase. Chase felt rage coiling in his stomach. It was like a living creature, hot and twisting inside of him. Never had he been this angry. Never had he felt this out of control and helpless.
His rage took over and he swung out and caught Tig hard in the jaw sending the man sprawling on his back. Tig looked up at him from the ground and smiled through his bloody teeth. That smile sent Chase even further over the edge. He crouched over Tigs body and yanked the man up by his shirt so he could look him in the eye.
"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.
"Paul, if my wife dies because of mistakes I made..." Chase stopped speaking and his jaw tightened. "Then I will let you."
***
The first thing Leah was aware of was pain. A lot of pain. Her neck was throbbing and her throat felt as if she had swallowed fire. Her body was aching and her wrists were burning terribly. She assumed the ropes binding them together behind her back were too tight and breaking through the skin and the liquid she could feel dripping down her hands supported that theory.
Her head was hurting and she cracked one eyelid to look at her surroundings. She was sitting in a dark corner of a dirty one room cabin. There was bright sunlight pouring through an uncovered window illuminating the dust motes floating in the air.
She could hear sounds that made her believe she was back in some sort of camp. Men laughing and talking. Pots and pans clanking together and horses snorting. She heard Yancy's laughter and felt hatred burn in her gut.
She hoped that that man would die and she had no doubts that if Chase had his say in things, he would. Thoughts of Chase had Leah wondering where he was. She knew that he would tear through this place like a twister and she only prayed that he would be able to do so without getting himself hurt.
And what of her family?! She still had no idea if they were okay.. Or had Chase walked right into a trap when he'd topped over that hill? Had Tig been in on it? Chase could be hurt or dead while she was tied up here waiting for him. Leah felt her panic rising and she fought against the bind on her wrists only to cry in pain and relax her arms when the ropes dug deeper into her skin.
She felt tears gathering behind her eyes but quickly blinked them back when she heard boots walking up steps outside the cabin door. Metal spurs clinked as the footsteps stopped outside the cabin and Leah waited with fear and anticipation to see who was going to be walking through that scarred wooden door.
The door was slowly pushed open and the sudden light flooding the room had her squeezing her eyes closed and wincing.
"Nice to see you finally awake, sweetheart." A friendly, calming voice stated as the boots moved closer and the door was closed with a soft click. Leah opened her eyes and stared at the man with shock.
He was handsome and he was clearly an Indian. He was shorter than Chase and more heavily muscled to the point of being stocky. His face was sharply angled just the same as Chases but his hair was cut shorter to his head in a more 'white man' hairstyle.
He had a thin white scar on his cheek and his lips were thin. But it was his eyes that truly set him apart from her husband. His eyes were cold and nearly lifeless. They were like holes in his face that led into nothing and Leah felt her fear grow.
"My name is Tobias, Leah. I would say that you are awfully thirsty aren't you?" Leah blinked several times as she stared at him. That voice was soothing, comforting and kind but those eyes..... Those eyes were scary and she realized in that moment that his voice was a cover and this man was soulless and evil.
"Not much of a talker I see." he said as he uncorked a canteen and held it out to her. "That's okay, sweetheart, I've been told before that I talk enough for several people." Leah jerked her head back when he pressed the canteen to her lips and he chuckled.
"Might as well get ya a drink. We have some talking to do." Leah wanted to be stubborn but she needed a drink and she needed to keep her strength up so she could aid in her own escape when Chase arrived... If Chase arrived.
She parted her lips and Tobias laid the canteen against them. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look into his and took several long, deep drinks. Tobias pulled the canteen away and Leah's eyes widened when he ran his finger along her lip to dry the droplets of water lingering there.
Leah reacted on instinct alone and bit him. Hard.
Tobias cursed and jerked his hand away, shaking it roughly. Leah could tell by the way he glared at her that he wanted to hit her but strangely enough he pulled away from her and stood up.
Leah wondered why he had refrained from hitting her. According to Tig and Yancy he had just beaten a woman to death so hitting her should have been easy.
"You have spirit. I like that in a woman. You're a bit bigger boned than I like my women but then again a few weeks in those ropes should fix that problem."
"I won't be here for weeks you bastard. As soon as my husband gets here you're going to die."
"Name calling really isn't necessary. My parents may not have been married but you know my father. Or knew him I should say....."
"Yes I knew him. As I recall my husband slit his throat." Leah saw anger now flashing in Tobias's eyes. She supposed she should pull back and stop needling him but she was angry and tired of being a victim. If Tobias was going to kill her then so be it but he was going to hear every damn thing she had to say until then.
"You would be wise to hold your tongue." Tobias warned.
"First I don't talk enough and now I should hold my tongue. You seem to be contradicting yourself." Leah gasped and bit her tongue to keep from crying out when Tobias's hand landed sharply across her cheek.
"I am not your husband and I do not find you amusing. I would hate to stain that pretty white dress with blood so do as I say and hold your tongue."
Leah's moment of spunkiness was gone. She hurt. Her head hurt. Her neck hurt. Her throat hurt. Her heart hurt.... Everything in her body hurt and she just wanted it to end. Sassing Tobias would only serve to cause her more pain.
"That's better. Now let's talk." Tobias grabbed a small wooden chair from across the room and scooted it across the floor to her. He sat down and propped his head in his hands.
"Why are you doing this? Is it just for vengeance for your father? I can promise you that he was beaten fair and square."
"Chase will die for killing my father the way he did but first he's gonna suffer. You see I never even got a chance to know my pa before he took him away. Did Chase tell you about his family? His mother?" Leah nodded and Tobias smiled, though the smile did nothing to take away the deadness of his eyes.
"Yes well my mother came from the same tribe. My father was jealous of Chase's father and stole my mother away just the same. My father quickly realized what an animal he had saddled himself with and left her. When I was born my mother abandoned me so she could go back to her tribe."
"So what, you're jealous of Chase because his mother and father loved him?" Leah demanded, trying to understand what was going on and why.
Tobias's smile grew broader, his white teeth flashing in the shadows and those eyes boring into her soul and causing her to shift restlessly where she sat on the dirty wooden floor.
"Jealous? Perhaps a little. He had my father when I didn't. And when I finally found my father I also find that Chase has killed him. I never even got to know the man because that savage who chooses to live like a savage took him away from me both in life and in death!" Leah snorted with disbelief.
"Your father killed his mother!" she exclaimed. Tobias gave an uninterested shrug and stood up, rocking back on his heels.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Leah just stared at him blankly and he laughed. "I hunted my animal whore of a mother down and killed her myself so I am not the person to offer sympathy over the death of a mother. Though I do apologize for the death of yours."
Leah's heart stammered to a stop. Her eyes misted over and bile rose in the back of her throat. Her mother was dead? Her breathing became deeper as she fought back tears. Waves of desperation and sorrow washed over her and she pushed herself against the wall, turning her head away from Tobias's cold gaze.
"Go away." she whispered. Tobias's silver spurs clinked as he went to the door.
"Get some rest, sweetheart. I'll be back shortly and expect you to be more welcoming."
The door opened and this time Leah didn't wince at the sudden onslaught of light. The door closed with a click and Leah collapsed against the wall with broken sobs. Her mother was dead. Chase might be dead.... Suddenly it all became too much and Leah turned to the side and vomited violently on the wooden floor.
The door was thrown open again and boots quickly crossed the room toward her. She threw back the hair that had fallen loose from her chignon and looked up to see Yancy walking toward her. He gave her a sympathetic look and pulled his bandana from his pocket.
As he neared her, Leah gathered up all the remaining strength she had and swung her foot out, catching Yancy in the jaw and sending him stumbling back.
"Shit, squaw!" Yancy exclaimed as he rubbed his bearded cheek and eyed her warily. "I was just gonna clean your damn face."
"Go to hell you backstabbing bastard." Leah spat. Yancy shook his head and started toward her again, keeping one hand out to guard himself from her feet.
"I know you're mad at me but look at it from my point of view. Louisa had ratted out me and Tig and Tobias gave us a choice. Help him and earn some good pay and keep breathing or swear our allegiance to the chief and wind up dead with no money. It was kind of a no brainer from where we were standing."
Leah felt her hopes fade. Tig had been in on it too which meant Chase....
"Tig turned on Chase too?" she asked quietly. Yancy began to wipe at her face with his stiff black bandana and Leah glared at him but allowed the movements. She was too frightened to hear about Chase's fait to worry about what Yancy was doing to her.
"Don't worry about the chief, I'm sure he's just fine and on his way to get you. Tig is probably dead. He was supposed to kill Chase but Tig is no idiot. He knows, or knew, that he wouldn't stand any chance against the chief. You can't sneak up on that man or shoot him in the back and Tig knew there wasn't no way he'd be able to take him face to face. Tig told me he was going to make a run for it and if I know the chief that means Tig is dead. Ain't no way he'd let Tig go and I'm sure he got the answers he wanted before he killed him."
Leah felt hopes rise within her again and she looked at Yancy as he stood and pulled off his hat, wiping his sleeve across his sweaty brow before flopping the stained black leather back on his messy hair.
"He'll kill you too you know." she informed the man and he gave her a broken toothed grin.
"Yep, I know. That's why I have every intention of taking my money I made from delivering you and getting the hell outta Dodge, or Wyoming I guess I should say. I just wanted to stop in and let you know that I'm sure he's coming and if he's not...." Yancy looked at her regretfully and shook his head. "If he's not then you're gonna be in a bit of a spot, squaw. Best bet is to give Tobias what he wants and maybe, just maybe, he'll let you live and be his woman."
"I'd rather die." Yancy shrugged.
"You'd be surprised at the things you'll do to keep yourself alive." he stated. "It won't be so bad. Tobias ain't too hard on the eyes, at least that's what the women around camp say, and you seem to like them injuns don't ya?"
"Just as soon as Chase is done dealing with Tobias, he'll find you, Yancy, and you'll reap what you've sown." Yancy seemed unconcerned as he shrugged and headed for the door.
"Probably." he replied. He winked at her and opened the door, letting the sunlight once again pour into the cabin. "Keep your head down when the bullet's start to flying."