Chapter 21

(Chapter song ‘You Found Me’ by The Fray, ‘Heist' by Lindsay Sterling)

JESSE I sit on my knees in the pebble beach, looking out to the water where my cold, dark heart found the light. She filled the hole in me and I couldn’t tell her. She made me whole.

‘He knows…’

My eyes heat as I scrub my face. My throat tightens like I’ve been lassoed. I stare out to the river questioning if I have this strength.

‘I’ve seen your future, Jesse…’

Tears well as I hear Caliels words in my head. Her gorgeous face sits in front.

‘He kills her because of you. Because of what you hold inside…’

I huff a cry as I fall to my hands in the stones. My fingers claw the rocks as I fight it. My back and lungs squeeze the pain. I slam my eyes shut.

‘Your secret will end her and your sisters die. Artemis helps the devil. He destroys the world. You need to take your secret to the grave…’

I sit up and look to the sky.

‘End it…Break the bond…’

“Why?” I ask the sky. “Why ask me to do this?”

I lose myself and suck in a shaky breath. “WHAT DID I DO?!” I scream, thump my chest hard and fall to my hands. “What did I do? Why?” I whine to the rocks. My chest feels like it’s being stomped on by an angry bull. I shake my head as I think about what I’ll have to put Penelope through. What I have to put myself through.

My body shakes at thought of how I’m to deny myself the love I’ve searched for my whole life. The one person on this damn planet who could make everything I’ve gone through alright again. The beautiful angel tamed my demons and I have to smash her to pieces to save the world.

I sit up and run a hand down my face. I swallow my pain and try to calm my heart. “I'll do it, Caliel, but I ain’t leaving her until I’m ready, ya hear me? I won’t. You can’t make me. She needs me. You won’t deny me this.” I grit as a tear falls. “I need her. I won’t let you take her away from me.”

“And that…will be your downfall.”

My head whips to a stranger on the beach in a black suit. His blonde hair is perfectly cut his dark eyes look like hell. He stands tall with his hands behind his back.

I stand quick, my hands fly to my holsters as my face falls. He puts a hand up and nods. “No need. I’m not here to start a fight.”

“Mister, you got one if ya don’t tell me who you are.” I pull my irons and cock the triggers at my sides. I tilt my head forward as my lip threatens to curl.

“The names Dagin. I’m kind of the yang to Caliel.” He smirks.

“What’s that mean?” I eye him.

He scratches his temple and puts his hands in his pockets. “Right. Forgot what time I was in.” His shiny city slicker shoes walk across the pebbles. “I’m a demon.”

My guns instantly raise and I aim them at his head. “You come to the wrong outlaw.” I growl. My eyes flare as my mouth goes small.

“Jesse. You can’t kill me.” He flicks his finger and my guns fly into the water. I watch them splash and get swallowed up by the current.

I tilt my head and throw my hand to the river. “I just bought those. Damn it!”

He sighs. “I’ll get you more…Jesse!”

I turn back to him.

He steps closer. “I have a proposition.”

“A what?” I ask.

“A deal. One that I don’t think you will turn down.” He locks with my eyes.

“You wanna deal?” I narrow my eyes and put my hands on my hips.

He nods slowly. “Devil to devil…you could say.”

“What kinda deal?” I’m not one to believe in making deals with demons, but I’ll at least hear ‘em out before I kill ‘em.

“One where I get what I want and you keep your sweet Penelope.” The corner of his lip ticks up as he folds his arms.

I mirror his position. “I’m listenin’.”

“The train. There’s something on it I need.” He says.

“Alright. What?”

“A cross. An iron cross. It looks like this.” He steps to me and pulls out a funny looking mechanical thing. It’s rectangular and there’s a picture in life’s color on it.

I lift it and look under it. It’s shiny and black underneath. “What is that?”

“Nothing that concerns you. It’s this…” He points to a picture of a black decorative cross. It has rubies on it and a green stone in the center of it. My eyes see loads of cash for that.

“You want me to fetch ya this…Why?” I raise my eye to him and look him over suspiciously.

“It belongs to some friends of mine.” He pockets the picture box and raises his chin. “It’s on the train in the last car. Being carried by an Entity of the Holy Church. I need you to relieve him of it and bring it to me.”

I step up to him. “Why can’t you do it? Seein’ as how you’re a demon.”

“The car is protected. They kind of know we’re around so they put everything under a…spiritual lock and key. You can get past that protection. Bring me the cross and I’ll make sure you and Penelope live happily ever after.” His face never falters. He’s serious and from what I read off his card face, he means what he says.

“You can stop it?” I say low as I consider his offer.

“Yes.”

Now, if I know my hell books and dealing with guys who have one foot in the hellfire, there’s always something else. “What’s the catch?”

He smirks. “No catch. Not really. Just when the time comes, really think about who’s side you want to be on.”

“What do you mean? Who’s side?” I question.

“Get the cross. Everything will be revealed soon. Oh…Don’t mention this to the angel. He’s too emotional about this stuff.” He gives a little wave and just disappears.

My eyes widen and I look around.

I rub my forehead. “I need to quit drinkin'.” I throw my hand to the beach and head back to the cabin.

****

The train whistles and clouds of steam come from the wheels and stack. The area clouds over as it rumbles and chugs fast down the iron track.

Horses pant, grunt and chuff as 15 men ride next to it. We can barely see in the white fog but we know what we’re doing.

The hooves thunder. The black No. 1 steam engine roars and the sound cracking reins adds the noise of it all.

“GIT GOING! HA!”

“GIT! GIT!”

“HOO-AH!!”

Men shout at the beasts to run faster. We gotta get ahead of this train. It’s moving fast, but not as fast as a quarter horse.

I’m surrounded by men, all with hats and bandanas. Our horses whinny and fight the fear of it. They’re used to being shot at. This close to a train is a different story.

“GO! I GOT THE ENGINE!!” I turn to the men behind me.

They spur the animals and their dust clouds rise as the shoes of the horses kick up the dirt. I watch them run ahead and I move my steed closer.

I gotta jump this bad boy in order to take it over. I’ve never done this before, but of all of us, I’m the only one to survive should something go wrong.

I hope it doesn’t go wrong. Surviving's a bitch.

“HA! GIT!” I whip my reins to get this bronc moving.

The steam pours out all around me and the sound from the engine is deafening. I can feel the quake of it in my chest.

As we ride up past the coal car, I make my move.

The train whistle blows and my horse jolts as I bounce up and plant my boots on the saddle. His buck almost makes me lose my balance and I shove a boot on his ass.

“Don’t you dare, boy! I’ll make a coat outta ya, I swear!!” I yell to him. I see his ears fold back and he shakes his head. I shake my own. “Asshole.” I grumble.

The train continues to thunder as I prepare for the jump. The ladder to the roof is right there. I keep time with the movement of the horse and the flow of our speed.

As I blow out a breath, I see the engineer stick his head out the window. He’s aiming the business end of his gun at me. He fires and I duck. My hat flies off and I look back. “Goddamn.” I turn back and he fires again.

I drop the reins and jump. My arms flail through the air and I hit the side. The difference in wind direction has me almost lose my grip.

“Oh shit!” I manage to miss the one rung but grab the second.

A bullet hits the ladder just at my hand and I let go. My eyes meet the engineers. “You die today, boy!” He yells.

“I ain’t that lucky!” I yell back and scramble up the ladder to the roof.

I adjust my body to the rocking of the train and make my way to the window. I turn my back to the desert, grab the small railing and jump down through the window, slamming my boot into the engineer.

He stumbles back and hits the other side. I pull my gun just as he pulls his.

“I wouldn’t. Just sayin’.” I smirk. “Strip.”

“What?” He looks at me confused.

“Take off yer damn clothes. Now!” I demand.

“I will not!” He scowls.

I rush him. “Ya strip those garments off or I take them off yer dead corpse. Which do ya want?” He eyes my gun and looks at me.

After he’s tied to the train, I melt into his likeness. He looks like he’d seen a ghost. Technically he did.

I fix myself up and look out the window. I don’t see much which means I still have time. I pull out the pocket watch to confirm.

I look to him. “Sit tight. This’ll be over before ya know it.” I give his dark, shaggy hair a shake and flip back out the window onto the roof.

I need to get to the gold car.

I jump into the coal car. Mounds of coal rocks slide under my feet as I climb to the back of it. Once to the black wall, I lift a leg and throw it over. Once straddling it I look down to the speeding ground between the cars.

Don’t go wrong.

I jump to the next ladder and climb the car.

Now to do something I don’t normally do. Enhance my powers with that of animals. It never feels right to not shift. So I kind of feel unsatisfied, but sometimes it’s necessary for the plan.

I need speed and jumping skills. My eyes glow yellow and I feel it in my body.

I sprint across the roofs and jump the gaps of the train. I can’t be long because no one's driving this thing and the station comes fast.

When I get to the forth car, I call up my strength to break the roof lock. I open the hatch and take a peak. There’s 4 guys with shotguns in there.

“It’s me! I’m coming down!” I yell in the engineers voice.

One guy looks up. “Who the hells driving the train?”

I tick my head. “I am."

He scrunches his brow. “What?”

I throw my legs into the hole, land on my feet and raise my head to them. My eyes glowing. “Howdy.” I look around at the boxes and bags of greenbacks, coin and gold. I melt to my true form.

“What the hell?”

“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.” I smirk.

They raise their weapons and I leap into the air as they fire.

I land grab the barrel of one gun, pull the guy too me and hit my elbow off his nose. I cock the shotgun and fire into the stomach of another guy. His body slams into a stack of crates and they smash, covering his guts gaping hole in paper money.

Another wraps his shotgun around me and I flip him with a loud gorilla growl. I spin around, rip the shotgun out of his hand and I aim it to his chest. I blow him away without a second thought.

The two left try to rush me and I jump for the hatch. Swinging, I hit one in the head and fall on the other one. I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I look into his eyes as I purposely snap his neck.

I toss the dead body aside and stand.

The boy of 25 or so stands, aiming his shotgun.

I smirk at him. “You ain’t got the guts.”

“I don’t?” He growls.

He fires and the buck shot hits me, the impact pushes me to the floor. The lead hits the floor as my angry eyes rise and meet his. “You have the guts, but now yer outta shot and I’m pissed off.”

I snarl my lip, growl loud and my eyes brighten the dark car.

He screams as I smash into him. I punch him in the head, grab his jacket and drag him to the car door. I pull the handle hard, breaking the outside lock and sliding it to the side.

The rushing wind pounds us as I hang on. The noise of the train threatens my ear drums.

I place his back to the open door as he panic and grabs at me.

“Bye!” I kick him out the door and I hear him hit the solid dirt desert. His body rolls across the ground and stops. He doesn’t get up.

I stick my head out and look up the track. In the faint hint of the horizon I see the station.

“Shit.”

I shut the door and jump up through the hatch. Standing on the roof I look to the back of the train.

It’ll be close.

I jump and dash to the caboose as fast I can. I climb down to the door. I grab the handle and smash it in with my shoulder.

The priest is sitting on a bench with a box beside him. He looks at me with shock. “What’s the meaning of this?!”

“That!” I point to the box. “Is that the cross?”

“I’m not telling you!”

I take big steps and grab his holy man dress. “I ain’t killed a man of faith.” I eye him up and down. “But there’s a first for anything, isn’t there.” I snarl in his face.

He swallows. “Y…Yes. It’s in the box.”

I shove him to his seat, grab the box and bow. “Much obliged.” I smirk and run back out the door. Once on the roof, I open the box. It’s about ten inches and scrolled in iron.

I touch it and it burns. “Ah, fuck!” I say, shaking my fingers. I wrap it in the silk it’s laying in and throw the box away. I hold it in my hand. The green jewel seems to glow in my eyes.

I glance up and see the station ahead. “Damn. Outta time.” I wrap it up and stick it in my pants.

Sprinting, I run to the engine.

I throw myself back through the window and pull my gun. I break the engineers ropes and pick him up. Holding him by his neck, I lean to his ear. “Stop this train real normal like.” I growl. I cock my trigger and put the barrel to his neck as he pulls the brake and blows the whistle. The steam shoots from everywhere. I feel the train slow and our bodies are pushed forward as brakes are engaged.

I see my men standing on the platform with dead posse boys around them.

“Time to reap the spoils.” I smile.

Once the trains stopped, I tie his hands and get dressed. I shove him out onto the platform.

“GIT THAT CAR EMPTY! YA GOT TEN MINUTES!” I yell to them.

The men descend on the car. They hoot and holler as the door is thrown open and they start throwing out the loot. Boxes are broken open and bags are stuffed.

The priest is brought to the platform and sat down.

“You don’t know what you’re doing?” He says.

I look at him. “And you do? Seems to me, this thing shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands. Especially yours.”

“It has a power to destroy worlds. You can’t take it. Please.” He begs.

I walk to him and squat. “Father. If you knew who wanted this thing. You’d thank me for taking it. Don’t worry. I think the church does a fine job, but leave the evil son of bitches to me.” I slap his cheek. “Have a nice day.” I wink to the engineer and stand.

“MOVE ‘EM OUT!” I say as I throw my hand in the air and get to my horse. I take the cross out and hold it a minute. I know what I’m gonna do. I shove it in my saddle bag and with whistles and spurs, we made off with 500,000 in the end. Split 15 ways, that’s a nice comfort we just made.

I’m gonna do just that. Make my Sweat Pea the most comfortable woman I can.

While I still can.