Chapter Thirty-Three
"While I appreciate ya savin' my arse back there, I'm forced to wonder the why of it since ya don't usually take to bustin' me out of jail in the middle of the night," Irish stated breaking the silence as the two men sat beside a small fire just after daybreak.
Ance rubbed at his tired face. Damn, he was tired. He glanced at Irish and sighed. "I need your help."
Irish's green eyes widened and he shook his head roughly before shoving his finger in his ear and rubbing. He frowned as he tilted his head and stared at Ance. "Either my hearin' is failin' me or you've been in the damn sun too long and aren't feelin' yerself at all. Did ya truly just ask me for help?"
Ance rolled his eyes but he was too wore down and raw to engage in the usual back and forth banter with Irish. "Yeah, I did."
Irish's amusement was replaced with concern. "What's the matter then, Ansel?"
"They took her, Irish..."
"Took who?" Irish demanded. "Wee Penelope?"
"No...They took Audrey."
"So ya did as I said then and went after the lasses. Who is it that took Audrey and where is Penelope? I know ya wouldn't leave the lass unprotected."
Ance peered off into the sunlight and shook his head. "Penny is safe. I left her with your mama..."
"My dear sweet mama. Tell me, did she chat your ear off about how much she loves her favorite son?"
Ance rubbed at his bearded cheek. "Something like that."
"I'm glad to hear the lass is safe," Irish admitted. "Who is it that took Audrey, then, Ansel?"
"Barnaby," Ance growled.
Irish hissed in a breath. "I don't like the thought of that kind and carin' woman bein' in the hands of a man like that one."
Ance's fists clenched in the dirt and small rocks beside him and Ance let out a roar before throwing a handful of those rocks through the air. "For once in our lives we agree on something."
Irish scooted back away a bit and a faint smile curved his lips. "It would seem I was right about the lass and her mama. You're in love, aren't ya, Ansel?"
Ance just stared at the ground. He couldn't talk about emotions just now. His were far too raw. Irish sighed. "Why would he take your woman, Ansel? Is he that angry with ya?"
"Of course he is. I hurt the bastard's pride. He killed Old Man Thompson, took Audrey and he would have taken Penelope too if her mama hadn't hidden her and kept her safe." Ance swallowed hard. "I have to get her back, Irish."
Irish patted Ance on the back and for the first time Ance didn't threaten the man's life for the contact. Truth was he needed the support just now. "O'course ya do, Ansel! I'm gonna help ya. What do ya need me to do?"
Ance rubbed at his tired face and sighed. "Help come up with a plan to get into that fort Barnaby's got himself holed up in. I'm not much of a planner."
Irish's face lit up. "Ya just leave this to me, Ansel! If there's one thing this Irishman knows a bit about, it's makin' a plan to get exactly what it is he's wantin'."
"I'm gonna catch a bit of sleep while you think things through," Ance mumbled, before stretching out on the hard ground and resting his head on his arm.
His exhaustion outmatched his worry and Ance was quickly snoring. When he woke it was a little after noon and Irish hopped into his line of vision nearly instantly. "Ansel! I have it!"
"What do you have, Irish?" Ance grumbled.
Irish laughed. "The idea, Ansel! I know how we can get into that fort! But first I need somethin' to help the plan come together just right."
Ance didn't like the sheepish glow in Irish's eyes. "What do you need?"
"It could prove to be difficult to get since ya went and blew the town up the way ya did, Ansel, but in order to provide a good distraction and get ya into that fort, I'm gonna be needin' my cart and the supplies it's loaded with."
"Please, tell me you're not serious..."
"I'm serious, Ansel," Irish insisted with a nod. "I can dazzle them with tales of my two dollar cure-all elixir and ya can hide in the back until it's time for ya to make yourself known."
Ance rubbed at his neck as he pushed himself to his feet. He had asked for Irish's help and if this was the plan then Ance would go with it. Barnaby and Irish had never met one another face to face and so Barnaby wouldn't know the man when he came pulling up.
If Irish could get himself invited in and keep everyone busy, Ance could slip from the wagon and search the fort for Audrey--hopefully finding her safe and sound somewhere inside. Finding her would be priority number one--killing Barnaby and every single son of a bitch working for him, would come second. However, one thing was for sure... Ance wouldn't leave that fort until it was covered in blood and not a single one of those bastards were left breathing.
"Well let's get going then, Irish. I'm sure the sheriff will welcome us with open arms."
***
Audrey had lost all track of time and had no way of knowing how long she'd been locked up. She was hungry, she was tired, she was constantly thirsty and the whirling in her mind was becoming more chaotic. How long could a person go with only minimal food and water, locked in darkness and tied to a post before they lost every ounce of their sanity?
Audrey knew she must be getting close.
At least she no longer had a guard posted in the tiny cellar with her, watching her every moment and leering from the shadows. And it wasn't as if she were truly alone... she had the rats for company.
They scurried around her, and she cringed each time they brushed against her legs and arms. Audrey could only hope that they didn't decide they were as hungry as she was and begin to munch on her flesh....
Audrey couldn't help but wonder what was going to become of her. How long would Barnaby hold her here before he got tired of waiting and either let those other men have her or sell her to the Indians she kept hearing so much about whenever Barnaby came around. Apparently Audrey would be worth quite a decent amount of money to a brave looking for a wife.
Nearly every thought Audrey had was consumed with Penelope. Was she okay? Had Ance found her? Was her daughter even alive or had the hiding place that Audrey had so carefully tucked her into become her grave?
Audrey heard footsteps approaching outside the wooden door. She lacked the strength to lift her head completely, couldn't even toss her tangled hair back, instead she simply sat there in the dirt with her head down and her shoulders slumped waiting to discover who was coming and what they wanted.
She hoped it was someone with a meal--even though her meals consisted of nothing but bread crusts and tiny sips of water. At this point her stomach would be happy with whatever slop was tossed down in front of her. The door opened and Audrey saw the shiny tips of Barnaby's boots as the man approached her and the lantern he must carry illuminated the darkness.
"Good evening, Audrey," he stated jovially as if he were a warm and gracious host and she his guest. "How are you?"
Audrey didn't respond. Her throat was raw from lack of water and her tongue felt swollen. She certainly wasn't in any mood to be clever or have any kind of debate with the man.
"I have some news for you today," Barnaby continued. Audrey slowly raised her head and watched him sat the lantern he had brought in with him on the small table as he leaned against a support post. "I had hoped to keep you with me and use you to lure Ance to me, however I simply don't think the man is coming. It's been a good solid week and he hasn't shown up. Your daughter is no doubt dead, Ance, while I believe he will come, isn't coming quickly enough, and I can't pass up the opportunity I've been presented with."
Audrey's brow rose as she wondered what opportunity Barnaby was referring to. He had such a smug expression on his wide, wrinkled face that Audrey knew it couldn't possibly be anything that would be good news for her.
Barnaby rested his hands on his oversized belly. "I'll be taking a shipment of goods to a group of savages tomorrow and among them is a man quite interested in having a pale skinned woman for his fourth wife. He's willing to pay me quite a pretty price for you and, as a businessman, I just can't pass it up."
Audrey felt her heart dropped. While she had known that eventually this would come, she found that the thought of it still filled her with fear. If only she knew that Penelope was safe.. If she knew her daughter were safe, Audrey could face absolutely anything! However, this not knowing, this constant worry gnawing at her gut, along with the knowledge of what lay ahead for her, was taking one hell of a toll on her.
"You have nothing to say?" Barnaby asked, seeming quite disappointed. He snorted when she only remained silent and let her head fall back down. He took a breath, preparing to speak, but was silenced when a new set of footsteps walked through the door.
"Boss?" Gus's voice filled the tiny cellar room.
"You had better have a good reason for interrupting me," Barnaby warned.
"There's a cart outside, sir. It's a merchant. He says he has an elixir he'd like to tell us about as well as a few other wares."
"An elixir?" Barnaby questioned with confusion. "What kind of elixir and why would I be interested in it?"
"Hell boss, he says it can cure anything wrong with you and he only wants two dollars a bottle. The men are bored and restless so I figure it couldn't hurt to let him in and give them a bit of entertainment."
Audrey's heart began to pound against her ribs. Hope blossomed to life inside of her even as she desperately attempted to tamper it down. A cure all elixir for only two bottles a bottle? Dare she let herself believe that it could be.....Irish?