Little Sharpshooter Chap 26

After two days of uncomfortable silence, the town of Monticello loomed on the horizon.

“I think I’d rather watch you two hand hold and make eyes at each other than put up with this. I can’t get a whiskey fast enough.” Bronson wiped the sweat from his brow.

“It’s her fault,” Trevor said.

“It was John’s fault and yours for not even botherin’ to ask me what happened. What you didn’t see was John steppin’ on my foot and takin’ hold of my hand to steal a kiss just as you walked in. If I didn’t know better, I’m pretty sure upsetting you was his plan.” She kicked Al’s sides and headed into town alone. They had been through the routine plenty, she didn’t need them.

They didn’t come back together until they went to dinner. Bronson glared at them when the tension didn’t let up. When he stood up, he thrust his chair back, scraping the chair legs across the floor. The sound echoed off the walls and everyone looked at them. Bronson threw a few bills on the table.

“Time for that whiskey. I might even have a whole bottle in one drink.” Bronson shook his head as he left.

Randy pushed her food around her plate. When she did catch Trevor looking at her, he glanced away and chewed on his lip.

“I don’t understand why you’re still so upset.” She decided to leave before she embarrassed herself with tears falling down her face in front of everyone. Randy went to check on Al before she went back to the boarding house. Once she reached her room, Trevor was leaving his.

Randy pressed her fingers under her eyes hoping they didn’t look very puffy. She had to clear her throat before she could speak. “I hope you …” She didn’t dare say another word. It was going to sound bossy.

“Don’t worry,” Trevor said softening his face when he looked at her. “I’m goin’ to the saloon but it’s not to drink. I’m keepin’ an eye on Bronson so he doesn’t get carried away. I stopped a fight last time. I don’t wanna see him stirrin’ up trouble.” He rubbed the top of his head, messing up his hair. It always made Randy smile. She couldn’t help it.

“What?”

“I don’t know. Somethin’ about how you mess up your hair like that makes me like you more.” Randy’s face burned as she opened the door.

He smiled at the floor on his way down the stairs.

Randy crossed the room and rested her head on the window frame to watch him head for the saloon. Randy backed away when he glanced up at the window. Trevor turned his attention to a girl. After they spoke to each other for a few minutes he glanced up at the window one more time before they proceeded to walk off together.

Randy’s chest tightened. But she wouldn’t let herself get upset about it the way he did. She flung herself back on the bed and closed her eyes. Music played from the saloon and she could barely make out the melody. It wasn’t a waltz or any dance she had learned from Trevor. But she imagined he was there dancing with her, leading her around the room. Randy closed her hand over his imaginary one. She could almost feel him touch her back lightly with his face near hers. His breath warmed her cheek when they were close like that.

At breakfast the next morning Randy watched Trevor closely. Trevor was shifty and never looked directly at Randy.

“I can’t believe you two. You’re making me lose my appetite and drivin’ me to drink. No wonder I don’t have a woman. Too much trouble.” Bronson left the table in a huff throwing money at them before he left.

“I saw you with that girl last night. Is that why you won’t look at me this mornin’?”

“It was nothin’. She said she didn’t feel safe and asked me to walk her home.”

“So she just walked up to a complete stranger and said that?” Randy squinted at him.

He hung his head and messed up his hair with both hands. “I didn’t think of that. I was just bein’ nice. Somehow I knew you’d find out.”

“Well you are real good at bein’ nice.” Randy took another bite and then narrowed her eyes before she went on. “That is until you covet someone else’s nice lookin’ horse.”

“That was your fault. Well, it didn’t help that you was all dressed up like a boy. I probably woulda been much nicer had ya looked like a girl.” He rubbed his face hard.

“Geez. I was just teasin’ ya. You’re a chore to be around.” Randy got up and left.

She spent the rest of her morning with Al. She tried to stop thinking about Trevor with the girl but his shiftiness bothered her. He behaved like he had done something wrong. What bothered her even more was she had no idea when he or Bronson even came back to the boarding house that night.

She left the livery stable to head for the general store to buy candy and dried fruit when she spotted Trevor headed down the boardwalk almost right for her. But he turned into the store before she got there. Randy stopped and leaned against the wall to wait for him to leave. She didn’t expect him to leave so soon. He came out of the store with the girl. The girl tried to wrap her hands around his arm but he pulled it away casually so he could scratch it.

Randy had to follow. Near the edge of town, the girl with bouncy blonde curls, wearing a crisp country dress, pointed to the door of a building that appeared abandoned with windows covered in aging brown paper.

That was when Trevor stopped short. Randy backed up to hide in between two buildings. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Good thing she did. Trevor looked behind him right where Randy had been. His expression alarmed Randy. She glanced back down the boardwalk. A couple of men were approaching fast with their eyes fixed on Trevor. Someone else stepped out a doorway across the way and two more crossed the street. They had Trevor surrounded.

Randy reached for her hip and clenched her jaw. She left her guns at the boarding house. The ones on the street reached Trevor first. Each one rested a hand on a gun and motioned for him to head for the abandoned building.

The bouncy girl was handed something. She squeezed Trevor’s arm whispering in his ear before she ran to the boardwalk headed right for Randy. She was able to grab the girl and pull her out of sight. The girl was about to scream. But Randy held her against the wall, covered her mouth, and motioned for her to be quiet. Tears ran down the girl’s face.

“Did you set that trap?” Randy asked, pressing her arm against the girl’s chest close to her throat. She really wanted to strangle the girl.

“They said I wouldn’t get hurt.”  She shook her head with her blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders with wide eyes. “I thought they just wanted to talk to him. I didn’t know they wanted him like that.”

“Did they pay you?” Randy shoved her harder. She whimpered and nodded. Randy grabbed her arm and squeezed tight. She looked around the corner just in time to see them force Trevor into the building. “You’re comin’ with me.” Randy practically dragged the girl down the street looking for Bronson as fast as her limp would let her.

“Don’t hurt me. I didn’t know.” The girl sobbed.

“Shut it. I’m not gonna hurt you. We need to help Trevor. I’m sure they’re gonna wanna kill him.” The girl fell silent doing her best to keep up with Randy. She finally found Bronson walking down the street talking to another man.

“Bronson! We have a problem.” Randy hopped, limped, hopped to him as fast as she could.

“Now what are you gonna do with Trevor’s new girlfriend?” Bronson’s hands went right to his hips. “You best not leave your mark on that girl’s pretty face.”

“She’s not his girlfriend. She was paid to lead him into a trap. A whole gang surrounded him and they have him in a building at the end of town.”

Bronson’s eyes widened and he grabbed the girl by her other arm. “Who paid ya?”

“I don’t know their names. There was one that spoke to me in the beginning. He said they were friends. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time and he wanted to surprise him. I didn’t know they were gonna do that.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I just wanted the money to buy my ma something nice for her birthday.”

“The little sniveler is no help at all.” Bronson wrinkled up his nose at the girl and let her go. “Come on.”

Bronson and Randy headed down the street. “The sheriff here doesn’t like gambling and wasn’t keen on you bringin’ trouble with ya. I couldn’t make any reward money arrangements. He said if there was trouble when we did our show, there would be hell to pay. We can’t go to him yet.” Bronson had his hand on the grip of his gun as they ran down the street dodging wagons and horses with riders as they went.

“Bronson, I saw at least six of them. I don’t think we can overtake them. I left my guns in the boarding house.”

“What makes you think I’m lettin’ you in there?” He asked. They stopped when they could see the building.

“You can’t go alone against six of them.”

“They aren’t expectin it.”

“Expectin’ what?” An all too familiar voice said behind them.

Randy’s heart about jumped out of her body.

“We was expectin’ ya.” Clyde’s face spread into the ugliest smile Randy had ever seen. The three men with him rested their hands on the grips of their pistols. “I think the girl knows right where to go. Don’t ya, Miranda?” He motioned his head for them to move along.

Bronson laid his arm protectively around her shoulders to pull her into his side as they headed into the building.

Across from the front door was a store counter covered in desert dust. They walked past it when they were led into the back into a large open space that reeked of death. Must have been a butcher’s shop judging by the hooks on the overhead beams and the large sections of blackened wood on the floor.

When Randy’s eyes adjusted to the dark room that was barely lit by filtered sunlight she could see two men holding Trevor. Hands gripped her arms from behind and pulled her from Bronson. He was shoved to the other side of the room. Bronson locked eyes on hers for a moment and he raised his eyebrows. She tried to size up Clyde and the other man that held her. The other man was as big as Clyde but she could take them on. Bronson’s men were bigger than him but he could handle them. But the question was whether or not Trevor could take care of the two who had him. He should if he remembered anything she taught him.

Randy jerked her arms so she could see Trevor. He was terrified. Trevor’s captors would be an easy match if he wasn’t too scared to fight. One of them she wasn’t even sure was a guy even though they wore trousers and had short hair. Her eyes met Trevor’s as she drew her foot up. Bronson was already free and throwing punches. Randy stomped on a foot that wasn’t Clyde’s and threw her elbow up. It connected with a chest or nose. Whatever she hit hurt him enough to loosen his grip. She wrenched her arm from his grasp and turned on Clyde kicking him in the shin. He swung a fist at her. Randy blocked his hit and punched his gut. Clyde doubled over and she disarmed him. She spun around pointing the guns at Clyde and the man with a bloody nose. Bronson still fought his two captors.

“Trevor!” Randy yelled wanting him to fight. He stayed put and shook his head slightly. A gun was pointed at his head.

Clyde smiled maliciously at Randy. She backed away from him and pointed one of her guns at the person that held the gun to Trevor’s head. Randy still couldn’t tell if they were male or female. The room fell silent. Bronson wasn’t fighting anymore.

“Put down your gun,” Randy demanded.

“I don’t think so. I wanna keep him for myself.” The one with the gun was a girl.

“I’m a good shot. Don’t mess with me.” Randy stepped closer with her gun aimed at the girl’s head.

“Randy, don’t.” Trevor trembled. His back was pressed against the wall and the other man held his wrist.

Randy stepped forward again.  The girl engaged the gun preparing to shoot. Randy stopped.

“Don’t hurt him.” Unwavering, Randy held her gun perfectly still, pointed at the girl.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. Even if you hit her hand or the gun, the possibility of it still going off is high.” Clyde sneered and moved closer to Randy. She pointed the other gun at him and watched them both.

“If you want him to live, you better put your guns down,” the girl said.

“You put yours down when I do.” Randy blinked several times, not looking directly at Trevor again. She tuned out his pleading for her to stop. She didn’t like the game they were playing. The stakes were too high.

Randy lowered the gun aimed at the girl. But she didn’t stop pointing a gun at Clyde. “You leave me be,” she said through clenched teeth and narrowed her eyes. He held his hands up and nodded making sure the other man next to him stayed back. She turned her head to the side for a moment wondering why he would be so agreeable.

The girl leaned closer to Trevor not moving the gun she held to his head. She looked up longingly at him and smiled.

“I like this boy. I can’t wait to turn him into an outlaw just like me.” She gripped his jaw and kissed his cheek, watching for Randy’s reaction. When Randy’s mouth tightened, she kissed his mouth. Trevor struggled to pull away.

Randy raised her gun at the girl again.

“Oh. I started a fire in ya. Well, I still have this gun pointed at his head.” She engaged it again.

Randy lowered her pistol and just as she did the woman pulled the trigger. Trevor jumped. Randy’s heart almost exploded from the painful shock as she took several steps forward. It only clicked, nothing more. There was no bullet.

Everyone in the room that wasn’t Randy, Trevor or Bronson began to laugh hysterically. Randy flew at the girl in a rage and yanked her away from Trevor slamming her against the wall. The girl swung at Randy’s head trying to pistol whip her. Randy ducked. It grazed her cheek. The girl wasn’t as tall as Randy but she was broader. She used her weight to throw Randy back. Randy staggered and nearly fell with her messed up leg tripping her up. She hopped a couple times before she lunged for the girl again.

The girl thrust a punch into Randy’s gut. Randy bent over and took a second to regroup before she threw a punch at the girl’s side. The girl blocked another hit from Randy which left her unguarded.  Randy’s fist nailed her in the nose. The girl staggered back holding her nose and blood covered her face. Randy grabbed the girl’s duster, slid her foot behind the girl’s leg, and shoved her back. She fell hard to the ground. Randy straddled her, ready to punch her in the mouth but then it was too late to do anymore damage. Randy cried out when one of the men grabbed a handful of Randy’s hair close to her scalp and pulled her off.

Clyde laughed in her face when she was forced to face him by the one that held her hair.

“Ernie said you were a wildcat and he was right.” Clyde ran his finger down the side of her face. “Your little boyfriend belongs to us now. He won’t be so saintly when we get done with him.”

“Besides me shootin’ you, why do you hate me so much? You got your revenge on my pa. I have a constant reminder of what you did to me. Why can’t you leave me be?” Randy didn’t hold back the tears.

“Your pa cost me my girl. I was gonna marry her. Ernie’s girl died with her. Your pa hauled us in. When we came back, they were dead.”

“He didn’t kill em. You made your own choices and had to pay for it.”

“We weren’t supposed to get caught for cattle rustlin’. We were told if we did, we had to take the fall for the whole gang, and that our girls would be as good as dead. We begged him to help them. But your pa did what he was paid to do and nothin’ more. The law in Lincoln City made sure we spent two years in prison for a bunch of other crimes we didn’t commit. The gang kept their word. Our girls were killed because of your pa.”

“It’s  not my pa’s fault they died. You still broke the law.”

“Yeah, but nothin’ we did was as big as what they tried us for. The Texas Rangers had decided to clean house so to speak and brought anyone in that had done anythin’ wrong. Except for the cattlemen paid everyone off. There was no trace of any wrong doin’ by them. They are still raisin’ cattle. Never paid the price for nothin’. There wouldn’t have been a market for cattle rustlin’ if it weren’t for them. Your pa preferred to stay ignorant of the truth. I hated him. I hated him for losin’ two years of my life. And I hated him for costin’ me my girl. I swore any blood of James Carter’s would pay just as Josephine and Ella paid with their lives for lovin’ us.” Clyde pressed his finger in her chest. “Now you can know what it feels like. We’re leavin’ you two behind. If anyone ever finds ya, it won't be in time. Good luck findin’ the Robbers Roost. I guarantee ya that no lawman from anywhere around here will help ya find us. They’re all too scared. Just like they’re scared of ya bringin’ out the baddies with your little show. Before we go, we’re gonna make him a wanted man. He’ll have no choice but to stay with us then. That is if he lives.” Clyde laughed so loud it echoed off the walls.