Chapter Thirty-Two
"You are quite unpleasant," Audrey stated bluntly as she curled her nose at the man currently keeping an eye on her... not that anyone needed to keep an eye on her. She was chained to a wooden support beam, down in a dark cellar somewhere in a giant stone fort. It wasn't as if she could go anywhere.
The man keeping watch sneered in the glowing lantern light as he chewed at his filthy fingernail with his crusty teeth. He winked one pale gray eye at her and grinned. "I've got something filthy for you, you little bitch."
Audrey rolled her eyes. "If you think for one moment I would let you shove your dirt crusted friend inside me, you are sadly mistaken."
"And just how would you stop me?" he asked as he stepped closer. Audrey could smell his stench and it turned her stomach but she remained standing tall and looked him straight in the eyes.
"By taking my knee and sending the favorite part of your anatomy on a crash course into your stomach."
He paled a bit and he raised his clenched fist. "Why you little..." Audrey knew he was going to hit her and she closed her eyes only to hear the door open and Barnaby's voice fill the air.
"Don't you dare put a mark on her, Gus," he warned.
"Didn't you hear her mouth?" Gus spat. "She needs to be taught a lesson about respecting men and learning her place as a woman."
"I respect those who earn my respect," Audrey assured him. "I fail to see a single man in this room. I see nothing but little boys who are angry because they lost their toy and now want to fight with the other children because of it."
"You are a mouthy one, aren't you?" Barnaby laughed with amusement, causing his large belly to shake beneath the red jacket he wore. He rubbed at his graying mustache and tilted his head. "After Ance makes his appearance and I kill that thieving bastard, I believe I might end up keeping you instead of selling you to the savages." Barnaby clicked his tongue and turned his attention to Gus. "But just in case I do decide to sell her, don't bruise her. The savages like them better without bruises."
"How thoughtful," Audrey muttered.
Barnaby grabbed her chin and pulled her face toward him. "I would have preferred to have you and that little brat but you hid her good, didn't you? Oh well, if there's any good luck left in the world, you hid her so good no one was able to find her and she's already dead from thirst."
Audrey's heart fell to her feet as her legs trembled. She sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. She had hid Penelope under that floor in a desperate attempt to save her life--all she could hope for was that Ance would have realized Barnaby was in the territories and came back in time to get Penelope back out.
Hiding away her emotions while these two men looked on, Audrey simply tossed her matted hair over her shoulder. "My daughter will live a long and happy life in spite of the best efforts of you and Rodger York. And you are a fool, Barnaby, if you believe that Ance is coming for me."
"And why is that?" Barnaby questioned as he released his hold on her face and folded his hands on his belly.
"Ansel Adams is a selfish, mean, brooding, angry man who cares about nothing but himself. He is more than likely rejoicing with whiskey and cheap women now that he's been relieved of his burden."
Barnaby shook his head. "Don't insult my intelligence. I know Ance, my dear. Ance is a man who, in the past, lived only for himself and did not care about anyone else. Then he stole the girl from me and he killed to protect you both. He left you with that crazy recluse so he that he could come hunt me down and that alone tells me that you and that little girl mean something to him. You have changed something deep within the man and he will come for you."
Audrey stood straight, wishing she had use of her arms which wrapped around the post behind her and chained together. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
Barnaby headed toward the door, motioning for Gus to go out ahead of him. The skinny, dirty man leered a moment at Audrey before heading out of sight. "You had better change your way of speaking to me, woman," Barnaby warned. "I am all that stands between you and Gus, and all the other men here like him, that would like nothing more than to shove themselves inside of you until you're left bloody, broken and used up upon the ground. They'll kill your soul and leave behind nothing but the shell of the feisty woman you once were. Trust me, Audrey, you would much rather have me as your ally than your enemy. Just ask, Ance. He's going to learn that the hard way."
Barnaby left the dank cellar and Audrey found herself alone for the first time since she'd been brought here. She had no idea exactly how long it had been since there were no windows and no way to measure the passing of time.... Audrey knew it had to have been days and days that she had been down among the must and mold trying hard to keep a brave face on in front of her captors.
Now, finally alone with no prying eyes leering in her direction, Audrey slid down the post and fell upon her backside to the ground as hot, angry, sad, desperate tears streamed down her face.
Was her daughter alive? She had no way of knowing. Was Ance coming or was he out hunting Barnaby somewhere else? She had no way of knowing that either. Audrey hoped and prayed he'd gone back to Old Man Thompson's and found Penelope. She didn't care if he came for her, as a matter of fact, she hoped he wouldn't. She didn't want to see Ance die for her--she simply wanted him to take care of Penelope.
Audrey sniffed and wiped the side of her face on her shoulder. Her body was cramped and stiff from being tied up to this post and her wrists were raw and sore. She'd only been given a bit of bread now and then to eat upon and her stomach ached with hunger. The sips of water she'd had did nothing to combat her terrible thirst or the dryness of her mouth.
These men were the worst sort and the threats and leers were getting harder and harder to combat. She was finding that her strength was failing and she no longer found it easy to feign toughness and fearlessness. In truth, she was feeling anything but tough and she very very afraid.
Every time she closed her eyes, Audrey heard the gunshots and saw the blood. The screams filled her senses and the sight of Old Man Thompson looking into her eyes as those bullets had torn through him was seared into her memory. The man had died protecting her and her daughter and that was a bigger burden of guilt than Audrey knew how to carry. If Ance did the same.....
Audrey trembled and let her chin fall into her chest. She only had hope. Hope that Ance had found Penelope and that he and her daughter were safe, sound and staying far away from any kind of trouble. If Penelope was dead than Audrey figured she might as well be too.
***
Ance lay on his stomach atop the hill and gazed down at the jail in the moonlight. This town, if it could be called that, was nothing but a few dilapidated wood buildings, a muddy street and this stone jail sitting about a hundred yards from what he guessed was a general store.
Now Ance just had to figure out how he was going to bust Irish out. He knew the man was there because that god awful cart advertising his product was parked behind the building.
He only had one horse which wouldn't be strong enough to break out the metal bars of the window... Ance's mind went to his saddlebags and the dynamite that was stored there. He supposed that would probably break a wall.
There were less destructive ways to bust a person out of jail but Ance didn't have a lot of time for elaborate plans. He had to get Irish, cash in on all the favors the bastard owed him and go after Audrey. He had to save that woman. Failure simply wasn't an option.
Working hard to ignore the exhaustion in his bones and the ache in his head, Ance shoved himself to his feet. He tied a bandana around his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. He pulled two sticks of dynamite from the saddlebags and ensured his pack of matches was still in his pocket. Ance whistled quietly to encourage his mare to follow him and, keeping a low profile, he made his way through the darkness to the back wall of the jail. He climbed upon a crate and peered into the barred window.
"Irish?" he whispered, his gaze falling on the Irishman sound asleep on a cot with his red hair a mess and his mouth hanging open as his breath whistled through the gap in his front teeth.
He was alone in the cell and for that Ance was grateful. He didn't want to have to worry about other witnesses fleeing the jail with them. Ance didn't have a bounty on his head and he wasn't looking to get one now... he had to be around to protect his ladies.
"Irish?" he hissed a bit louder.
Irish snorted as he jerked awake and glanced around the dark cell. The only light came from a flickering kerosene lantern beside a wooden door that no doubt led to the sheriff's office. "I'm over here, you thieving bastard."
"Ansel!" Irish's green eyes lit up and Ance growled.
"Don't say my damn name. Where's the sheriff?"
"Asleep in the office would be my best guess," Irish replied. He yawned loudly. "Most normal lads and lasses are sleepin' at this hour"
"You better be glad I'm not," Ance growled. "Now take cover under your bed."
Irish frowned. "What?"
Ance held up the dynamite sticks. "Take cover."
Irish let out a gasp and dove under his bed as Ance struck a match and lit the fuse on each stick. He sat the sticks beside the wall and then took off running for cover, pulling his mare with him.
The blast that followed moments later, ricocheted through the tiny, nearly abandoned town. Stone, dust and wood shattered in the night and was sent sailing up toward the starry sky, raining back down as Ance covered his head with his hands.
As the noise faded, Ance took off at a run toward the jail, ignoring the debris still falling all around him. He leapt over the crumbled wall and found Irish cowering beneath the cot.
"We gotta go!" Ance growled as he heard yells and shouts begin to ring out from nearby.
Ance grabbed Irish by the arm and gave him a hard yank. "I'm comin', ya crazy bastard!" Irish cried. "I think ya just about blew my head off!"
"You're welcome!" Ance grumbled as he hopped on his mare and Irish hopped on behind him. They galloped off into the darkness while everyone in the town was still scrambling around attempting to figure out what in the world had just happened.