Chapter Twenty-Two
"They got guards set up." Chance whispered as he, Paul and Chase lay on their stomachs on the same ridge they'd viewed the camp from before. Chase nodded as he scanned the lookouts. There seemed to be three of them. One on a ridge to the left and two on a ridge to the right. The two on the right were standing less than fifty feet apart.
"You are both too green to be of much help in the middle of all the fighting." Chase stated and both Paul and Chance glared at him and puffed up with pride.
"I am twice your age, you damn injun and I ain't green at all." Paul assured him.
"Yeah me neither." Chance added with indignation.
"Your pride is both useless and unneeded. What I need is stealth and silence and neither of you are any good at that."
"Am too." Paul argued. He shifted his weight and winced when a twig snapped beneath him.
"Quiet as a shadow there, pa." Chance said with a roll of his eyes. Chase was thinking about pistol whipping them both and doing this on his own. But then again it might cause some tension between he and Leah when her father and brother showed up with bumps on their heads and addled brains. Chase looked at Paul.
"You say you're good with a rifle." he said and Paul patted his Sharps rifle proudly.
"Damn good." he replied.
"Good. Then you can stay up here and provide me cover fire. But do not shoot unless I'm found out. Then shoot anyone that makes a move toward Leah."
"What about if they make a move toward you?" Paul asked and Chase shrugged.
"I can take care of myself." he assured the man. "Chance, you are good with a revolver?"
"Pretty good." Chance replied. "Of course the only things I've ever really shot with it are glass bottles and tree stumps." Chase sighed and rubbed his face roughly.
"That's fine. Just pretend these men are big, ugly tree stumps." he replied. "You'll come down there with me but you'll find something to take cover behind and stay there. Just like what I told your pa, don't shoot unless I'm found out."
"Got it, chief." Chase bristled.
"Don't call me chief." he growled and Chance shrugged.
"Okay, boss." Chase bristled more.
"Don't call me that either."
"What should I call you?" Chance asked and Chase rolled his eyes.
"Chase oughta do it." he replied. "Now let's get going. It's nearly hard dark and I would like to be done with this and get a little sleep before daybreak."
***
Leah waited in the darkness of the cabin for Tobias. She had no doubts that he would be coming and her heart was racing and her mind whirring as she thought about what she would have to do to him. Leah had never killed anyone and the thought of spilling someone's blood and taking their life made her nauseous and yet she would do what she had to do to save herself.
She clutched her necklace from Chase firmly in her hand and listened to the sounds around her. Camp was fairly silent. She could hear the guard posted outside her cabin pacing back and forth across the porch, his boots scraping on the splintery wood as he drug them.
She assumed most of the men had long since gone to sleep since they no longer believed Chase was coming. She had heard Tobias talking not long ago and even he seemed to now believe that Tig had either done his job correctly or the other Indian simply wasn't going to risk his life just for Leah.
Leah didn't believe that. If Chase was alive then he was coming and deep down inside Leah believed that Chase was alive. He had to be. The clinking of spurs signaled Tobias's approach and Leah stayed in the corner with her hands in front of her still within the ropes. She wished Chase would come! She wasn't sure how she could possibly manage to kill Tobias and get away from all these other men by herself.
The door opened and Tobias entered the cabin with a lantern lighting the darkness.
"Well hello, sweetheart." he cooed, sounding almost loving. Leah knew he was trying to get her off her guard but it wasn't going to work. She had seen the evilness in his eyes and knew that his kind words were nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"I was just about to go to sleep." Leah whispered as she scooted further into the dark corner. Tobias shook his head and sat his lantern on the rickety table in the center of the room.
"No you're not." he replied with a grin. "You and I are fixing to get to know each other just a little better."
"I don't want to know anything about you." Leah countered and Tobias feigned hurt as he covered his heart.
"Sure you do. I'm told you like us injuns pretty good."
"My injun will kill you slower if you touch me."
"Your injun won't get close enough to kill me. Your injun will be all alone and I have a camp full of men loyal to me."
"No you don't. You have a camp full of men you pulled out of saloons so you could look tough and have quick protection. Chase has been taking care of men like you since he learned to hold a knife. He'll make short work of you." Tobias grinned coldly.
"You sure are a mouthy one. Ignorant cockiness is what I call that. You are a pampered little brat and you truly have no idea about all the ways I can and will teach you your place." Leah swallowed hard, fighting back her fear and met his gaze full force.
"You will try but you will fail." she hissed and Tobias laughed loudly.
"This is going to be fun." he vowed. He stepped toward Leah and she scooted herself further into the corner.
"Don't touch me." she exclaimed and he chuckled coldly. He moved like a predator as he crossed the floor toward her and slid off his gun belt. Leah turned her head as he slipped out of his boots, pants and shirt and stood there wearing nothing but a red bandana around his neck and his hat on his head.
"Look at me, sweetheart." he purred out in the lantern lit darkness. Leah didn't want to but knew that she had to. She had to watch him to see what he was doing in order to know when to let loose her hands and pull the knife Jane had given her.
Tobias was impressive though he didn't arouse her. Instead he nearly paralyzed her with fear. His body was shorter and thicker than Chases. Less lithe and deadly and more solid and heavily muscled. He had a dusting of hair across his tanned chest and scars on his stomach. Her gaze drifted lower and Leah swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat at the sight of his throbbing arousal.
Panic filled her. It was pure and animalistic and she lost all pretenses of bravery or toughness when he grabbed a chunk of her hair in his fist and tossed her backward. Instantly her hands came loose and she threw them up in an effort to keep him from lowering his body over hers.
"I'm glad your hands got free. I love it when they fight me." he growled as he grabbed her wrists roughly in one hand, causing her to cry out with pain as his fingers dug into the sores the rope had caused.
"Please don't do this." Leah begged.
"I'm doing it." Tobias countered and then his mouth crushed down against hers hard.
Leah fought against him but he was much too strong. He pinned both of her legs with one of his and then used his other knee to spread her thighs apart. Leah couldn't catch her breath as his mouth ground against hers. She felt his hand come up and grab the neckline of her dress. Leah's sobs choked her and she cried out against Tobias's mouth as the sound of shredding fabric reached her ears.
She could taste the last chew of tobacco he'd had as he shoved his tongue roughly into her mouth and toward her throat. Leah bit down hard and Tobias cried out with pain as he pulled away just enough to slap her across her face.
Leah used that opportunity to draw a deep breath and scream as loudly as she could.
"Chase!!!" she cried out.
"He's not coming, sweetheart." Tobias promised mockingly as he grinned and she could see blood on his teeth. She felt a moment of triumph in knowing that she had drawn first blood. Then as his hand shoved up her skirts, Leah felt all her hope fading. Tobias stilled and chuckled when he felt the knife in her pocket. He pulled it and opened the blade letting it glint in the glowing lantern light. In that moment Leah was certain she was going to die.
***
Chase crouched in waiting less than ten feet behind one of the guards to the right of where he'd left Paul on the ridge. He kept his eyes glued to the single guard that had been to the left.
The plan was for Chance to silently take down that guard first and then Chase would quickly silence the remaining two before any alarm could be raised. Chase saw the grasses move just slightly right behind the oblivious guard. Chase's trained eyes caught the movement but anyone else wouldn't have noticed.
Suddenly a hand clamped over the guards mouth from behind and took him down. Chase saw the guard just in front of him take notice and he quickly leapt forward and slid his knife across the mans throat and then just before the third guard could yell out, Chase threw his knife in an arc and it sailed the fifty feet between he and the other guard and sunk up to the hilt in his chest.
Chase let out a hoot, the sound undistinguishable from that of a barn owl which was the signal that he and Chance had agreed upon to let the other man know the threat was gone. Chase crouched and ran to the third guard. He pulled his knife from his chest with the thick wet sound of releasing suction and wiped it on his pants before sticking it back on his leg.
He took the dead mans revolver and stuck it in the waistband of his pants and then took the mans knife as well. It wasn't as well balanced or as sharp as his own but it would do in a rough spot. Chance closed the distance between them and was soon behind Chase.
"You breath more loudly than a rutting buffalo and you walk as loudly as an entire herd." Chase complained and Chance snorted.
"Snuck up on that guard didn't I?" he countered and Chase shrugged one shoulder.
"He was asleep while standing. I could hear him snoring from over here."
"Yeah. Yeah. Let's get down there." Chance grumbled.
Chase fought back a grin and then began leading the way down the boulder covered hillside, using what little light the moon offered to keep himself from breaking his leg, or worse, his neck.
Chase stopped behind a large boulder just outside the glow of firelight from the center fire in the camp. He tilted his head at Chance.
"You'll stay here." he whispered. Chance nodded.
"You get in there and save my sister." Chase's jaw hardened and then he slid around the rock, leaving Chance behind him. Camp was quiet. Tobias must not be too worried about him and that would be Tobias's downfall.
Chance could see a man standing guard outside of the building he knew that Leah was in. Calling on every 'savage' instinct he had, Chase moved as silently as the wind through the dark shadows. Suddenly the calm night was shattered by the sound of Leah screaming his name in terror.
Suddenly Chase forgot all about sneaking. He was pissed now and that rage was enough to convince him that he wanted all of these men to die. He jumped to his full height and his long legs carried him quickly across the distance still separating him from his wife.
The guard saw him but before he had time to realize what was happening Chase threw his stolen knife through the air and as it lodged in the guards throat the man was silenced forever. As Chase ran onto the porch he heard what he assumed to be Tobias's mocking voice.
"Was this little knife supposed to kill me sweetheart?" Chase growled and threw the door open. The rage he was feeling reached a boiling point and he went nearly blind with it when he saw the naked man turn to look over his shoulder at him from where he lay atop his wife. Leah's eyes were wide, her face bruised, her dress ripped. Chase felt himself vibrating with anger.
"No," Chase replied to the question the man had posed to Leah. "This one is." he pulled his own knife and lunged.
Tobias rolled to the side, dodging Chase. Chase growled and positioned his body between Leah and Tobias. Chase realized that Tobias was unarmed other than the small pocketknife with the three inch blade he held in his hand.
"I'll bet you were thinking this would be harder weren't you?" Tobias asked with a lopsided grin and Chase tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly Tobias lunged at Chase but Chase was much too fast. He turned to the side and swung his knife catching the other man across the side.
Blood splattered across the wooden floor and Tobias realized he'd made a mistake. He had underestimated Chase. How had the man gotten past four guards, three up high and one right outside this building to make it in here to he and Leah? How had the man done all of that without a single gunshot or a single person seeing or hearing him?
Forgetting all about killing Chase himself, Tobias turned and ran from the cabin, still naked and unarmed.
Chase turned to Leah. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear and shining with tears. She had one hand held against her chest to hold up her tattered dress and Chase saw the bandages around her dainty wrists.
Without a word he went to her and dropped to his knees. He wrapped his arms tight around her and she sobbed into his chest but then quickly pulled away.
"You have to go after him!" she exclaimed. "If you don't then he'll just keep coming for you...." Before she could finish a cry rang out.
"We ain't alone boys!" Tobias's voice rang out in the night. Leah heard shouts and yells and then the gunshots began. Nearby revolvers and the report of a rifle firing from off in the distance followed by the sounds of men grunting as bullets met with flesh.
"Chase, what are we going to do?" Leah gasped as Chase pulled her to her feet and looked down at her, reassurance shining in his black eyes.
"We're going to get out of here and go home to our valley." he promised.
"I love you." Leah whispered and Chase kissed her quickly with a mix of passion and what Leah feared was desperation.
A goodbye kiss.
Leah didn't want this to be goodbye and she refused to let it be. She and Chase had been through too many hardships to have it end this way. They deserved happily ever after. Leah bent down and grabbed Tobias's shirt from the floor even as bullets thudded against the thick wooden walls of the building she was in. Luckily this building had been made to hold up against gunfire and be fairly safe.
She was pulling on the shirt when a mans head and gun popped up into the window and before Leah had time to scream Chase pulled his gun and fired a single shot, sending blood splattering and causing the man to slide back down the outside wall. It was clear that he would no longer be a threat to anyone.
Leah swallowed down the bile that wanted to rise. This was the way of life she had chosen when she had chosen Chase and she just had to get used to it.
She buttoned up Tobias's shirt to hide her tattered bodice and then grabbed his loaded revolver from the ground. She checked to ensure it was loaded and then looked up at Chase who was watching her with his brow raised.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Let's get the hell out of here."