The Gem: The Malloy Family, Book 12 Page 15

  Bug looked miserable and seemed to shrink with each piece of the puzzle he offered up. “All I got is a dress and a hat. Ain’t got nothing else.”

  “You and your partner took all our gear. Now unless you want us to mete out our own justice on thievery, I suggest you help us.” She stuck the knife in the ground beside Bug. “Where can we get something else to wear?”

  Bug licked his lips. “You got money?”

  “Maybe. Ain’t much.” Eli shrugged. Charlie knew it was hard for him to admit he had little money. It didn’t matter to her. “But we can barter.”

  “Ayup, folks’ll barter for stuff.” Bug scrambled to his feet, away from Charlie’s sharp knife.

  “Gunther, you start hunting around for the horses while Charlie and me go with Bug. If you’re visible, then Volner won’t expect us to be elsewhere. We can surprise him.” Eli watched as the big man lumbered off with a nod of his head.

  “Good idea.” Charlie slid her weapon back in its scabbard. “Now let’s go barter some disguises.”

  He put one hand on her arm. “Let’s start right here. You and Bug can swap a few things, and we can swap hats.”

  “Another good idea. I married a smart man.” She pulled off her hat and held it out to him. He did the same and they both donned each other’s hat. The effect already made a difference. “If someone is expecting you to wear what you rode in with, especially a hat and jacket, they won’t see you as readily in something different.”

  “Where’s the dress you were wearing?” Eli looked at Bug.

  Charlie didn’t like that particular question. “I’m not wearing a dress. Not a chance.”

  “It’s too small for me.” Eli, damn his logic, didn’t smile, for which she was grateful. “Volner won’t be expecting you to wear a dress.”

  “He’ll think I’m one of the whores.” She looked apologetically at Bug.

  “Then he won’t pay any attention to you.” Eli sounded so sure of himself.

  “Why not?” She always garnered attention, since she was usually the loud-mouthed one with a knife.

  “Volner doesn’t like girl whores,” Bug offered.

  At first she didn’t understand, then she thought through it. Volner liked men, and likely some of the other men did too. After all, Bug couldn’t sell his body if no one was buying.

  “How long do I have to wear it?” She was not looking forward to her disguise.

  “As long as we need to stay hidden. I expect after we find Volner, we can find some way to end this.” Eli turned to Bug. “Start spreading the rumor that Volner is a deserter. Oxley too. And that the Army is on their way.”

  “I thought I was staying with your wife.”

  “You are, and both of you are going to spread the rumor.” Eli took off his jacket, turned it inside out and put it back on.

  “That’s not much of a disguise.” She made a face at him. “I have to wear a dress.”

  Eli shook his head. “It’s not a contest, honey. I’m going to smear mud all over me—”

  “Not my hat.” She liked it too much to ruin it with this thick mud.

  “Not the hat, but my face, trousers and shirt. I need to blend in.” He kissed her hard. “Go with Bug and put that dress on.”

  “Where are we going to meet, and when?” She didn’t want to be without him. Funny how she’d wanted to be alone a few weeks ago. Now she couldn’t imagine not being with him.

  “At Volner’s tent in an hour. I’ll find it.” He narrowed his gaze at Bug. “If anything happens to her, I will find you, no matter what hole you crawl into, and I will kill you.”

  “Ain’t my fault if she gets herself hurt.” Bug was more like a weasel, squirming away from any difficult situations.

  “Enough. It’s time to get moving. The longer we stand here, the more attention we’re gonna get.” Eli pulled her close for a hug, then turned and walked away.

  She wanted to tell him she loved him, to be careful, to kiss him. She did none of that though. Instead she just watched him walk away. Her heart pinched. She shook off the melancholy and straightened her shoulders.

  “Let’s go, Bug.”

  Eli did his best to smear himself with mud, including his hair and face. He stumbled around as though he’d been sucking on a bottle of whiskey. He managed to appear drunk and smell like he’d shat his pants. No one paid him any attention other than to try to kick him if he got too close. He spent his time meandering around the camps observing people.

  Life had taken a hard right turn for him to end up where he was, doing what he was doing. He was as far from that boy Fixit as he could possibly be. No longer bound by what others thought of him, he was now the man he hoped his mother could be proud of. Now was the time to show the world who he was. He would succeed at defeating Volner. No matter what it took.

  After Eli made a circuit of the camp, Rosie was nowhere to be found, unfortunately. The horses weren’t either. It was like the old woman took three horses, loaded with gear, and disappeared. Where the hell was she? They wouldn’t get far without something to ride, even in the summer when the weather was seasonable. It was two hundred miles back to Fort Laramie. Fort Smith was a little closer, but the Mormons would not help Gentiles. That left them little choice but to find their mounts.

  While Charlie could have insisted they pan for gold to make enough money to replace what they lost, she hadn’t. Their situation was dire and she must have realized it. Eli didn’t want to be separated from her, but if they were to find Volner, they had to do what they had to do.

  He made his way toward the largest, loudest tent, suspecting it was Volner’s, given Bug’s description. Two camp whores fluttered around, but no one was taking them up on their offers. The girls avoided him, which he considered lucky.

  Eli had never done anything like this in his life. Leaving his home and marrying the woman he loved had opened up a hidden part of him. One that was fierce, strong and smart. He damn well liked it too. Instead of hiding from Volner or ignoring him as Eli had done in the past, he was hunting the sergeant.

  He lay on the ground and proceeded to snore. Loudly. People stepped over or around him, a few stepped on him, but he ignored the pain and kept snoring. With a hat down low, no one could see his face. He blended into the scenery.

  “Where the hell are they? I offered to pay that goddamn whore to steal their shit. So where are they?” Volner’s voice rang out above all others.

  Eli told himself to be calm. This was what he’d come to do. He couldn’t spoil their plan by letting his anger overtake him. Breathe in. Breathe out.

  “I don’t know.” Oxley had a whine in his voice that never seemed to go away. “The old woman disappeared.”

  “Old crotchety hags can’t piss without soiling their drawers. They don’t disappear.” A bang, and Volner cursed. “Why do I keep you around? You’re a fucking idiot.”

  “I, uh, heard something from one of the whores.” Oxley cleared his throat.

  “What did you hear?” A slap sounded. “Tell me or I swear I’ll rip your goddamn cock off and shove it down your throat.”

  The man was completely out of control. Eli knew Volner had lost his mind when he threatened to rape and hurt Charlie. Thank God Gunther had stopped him.

  “Sh-she said you was a deserter and the Army was coming to get you.” The words spilled out of Oxley in a rush.

  Silence followed. Eli held his breath, waiting.

  “Who? Who said that?”

  “I don’t know. One of them whores. They all look alike.”

  “Was it Bug?”

  “No, I ain’t seen him.”

  “Fuck!” Volner exploded out of the tent right into Eli’s line of sight. He cracked his eyes open to watch. The sergeant stood with his hands on his hips. “Who said I was a deserter? Who?” He grabbed one of the women and shook her like a rag do
ll.

  “No! I don’t know nothing.” She squirmed to pull from his hands.

  He threw her aside and grabbed for the other woman. She darted out of his grasp and ran like a deer. Volner bellowed and turned to Oxley.

  “What whore was it?” Volner screamed, veins standing out in his neck and face.

  A shadow crossed over Eli, but he lay still, poised to leap to his feet behind the other man and tie his hands. To his horror, before he could do anything, Charlie’s voice washed over him.

  “It was me, you jackass. I’m ready for you this time. And now everyone can see what you are. A deserter, a thief, an idiot and a piece of shit trash that I need to scrape off my boot.”

  Eli rolled to his feet to find his wife facing off with Volner, knife in her hand, fury on her face, wearing a dress that showed off her bosom. It was the strangest, scariest sight of his life. He couldn’t distract her or it could cost her her life. He had to stand there and do nothing, waiting for the other man to move. Oxley eyed him but skittered away when Eli made a move toward him.

  “Slut. Whore. I know what you used to do. I heard you like to suck cock and lick pussy.” Volner was mad, completely mad. “I have a big one for you to practice on.”

  “Ha! I doubt it’s bigger than an inchworm.” She lifted her knife and widened her stance. “C’mon, big boy, I’m just a woman. Can’t you beat me?”

  Volner growled and started toward her. Too late, Eli missed Oxley coming up beside her with a gun in his hand. That must be how they’d trapped her in the woods.

  “Charlie!” Eli shouted so hard his throat hurt. He tried to get to her, desperately slogging through the mud, his clothes laden with all of the mud he’d smeared on himself. Eli could not, would not, lose her now.

  Charlie turned and the world slowed down. Eli threw himself toward Oxley, knowing he was not close enough to stop the bullet from killing her. She would die in front of his eyes.

  In a blur of motion, the gun went off, Oxley was on the ground with Gunther on top of him. Charlie jumped back, her face ashen. An unnatural silence followed, only broken by the sound of the river.

  “Ox?” Volner stared at the men tangled in a heap. He walked over and dropped to his knees, then pushed the big man off the corporal. It was clear Oxley’s neck was broken. A red stain blossomed on Gunther’s chest.

  Charlie pressed a hand to her mouth and made a sound like a wounded animal. Eli finally got to her side and put his arm around her. She shook so hard, his teeth chattered.

  “He died for me,” she spoke in a broken whisper.

  Gunther had, indeed, given his life for Charlie. He made the ultimate sacrifice in order for her to live. Eli would be forever grateful to him, but for now, he had his wife and Volner to deal with.

  Horses sounded nearby, coming in fast, but he couldn’t stop to look. Eli stepped back a few steps while Volner knelt in the mud, staring at Oxley’s body. The sergeant’s expression was utterly blank, as though the other man’s death had switched off the mad anger that had been burbling minutes earlier. It was eerie.

  “Mr. Sylvester!”

  Eli turned his head to find Captain Hamilton and a dozen blue coats riding toward them. It was a relief and a disappointment. He hadn’t protected her—Gunther had. The captain had. She had. Eli had lain in the mud and waited.

  He wanted to turn back the clock two minutes and get to his feet a few moments sooner. Because of his inaction, Gunther was dead and Charlie could have died.

  “Captain, glad to hear you listened to us. Volner had set up quite a business here in a short time.” Eli tried to sound calm, but his voice was raw, as were his emotions.

  Volner got to his feet and spat at the captain. “The only way I go back is belly down over a horse. You’ll have to fucking kill me, you sniveling coward.”

  “I’m well within my rights to do so.” The captain had his pistol in his hand, but he did not raise it.

  “You talk so goddamn fancy. Don’t you know the men hate you?” Volner’s face was florid with anger and a maniacal shine. Spittle flew from his lips as his voice grew louder with each word. “They fucking hate you! Half of them have already planned on how to kill you.”

  The other soldiers looked uncomfortable, either at the truth in Volner’s words or the fact one of their own had slipped into madness. Nobody said anything, and the silence stretched on until every second was agony.

  “Corporal Prescott, please restrain the prisoner.” The captain kept his gaze on Volner, seemingly calm. Eli saw how tense Hamilton’s muscles were, poised to act if he needed to.

  Prescott, an affable man with half his right ear missing, dismounted with a miserable expression. He carried a pair of shackles. “Are you going to fight me?”

  “No.” Volner grinned. “But I might kill you.”

  The sergeant moved fast, but Prescott was faster. He got one shackle on before Volner bucked him off. Two more of the soldiers jump in the fray. Charlie started to lunge toward the grappling men, but Eli held her back. He didn’t need her to be hurt again.

  Finally, four men were able to restrain Volner, shackling his hands and feet. Still he fought, like a worm on a hook. Eli turned and pulled Charlie away. Bug stood behind them, his eyes wide with shock and dismay. Perhaps the little man had more invested with Volner than they imagined. Or maybe he was afraid the soldiers would take him too.

  “Do you know where Rosie is?” Eli spoke over the din of the curses and grunts from behind them. “We need our gear back.”

  Bug blinked and then nodded. “She’s out by the shallows, waiting for me.”

  “Then let’s get moving. We don’t have anything to do with the soldiers.” Eli wanted an end to the day, to the torment of Volner and Oxley.

  He just wanted to forget.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Charlie wanted to puke. The day had gone from bad to worse to a nightmare. And to make things more challenging, Gunther had given his life for hers. He’d died so she could live. She could hardly accept the thought. This man had been part of the darkest part of her life and now he’d given her a gift few would have.

  Eli was troubled by something, his jaw taut and his entire body tight as a bowstring. He kept a light touch on her, though, guiding her back through the camp as they followed Bug. The smaller man could be leading them to an ambush. It couldn’t be any worse than the rest of the day, including wearing a dress. It smelled, itched and made her tits cold.

  They tromped west through an uninhabited scrubby area until they emerged at a small creek. It appeared to be an offshoot of the larger Cherry Creek. The water was a light brown, the midday sun sparkling off the surface. A few small fish darted into sight now and then. It was peaceful, a sharp contrast to the chaos of the mining operations a mere fifty feet away.

  The old woman, Rosie, sat at the edge of the water while the horses all grazed on the sweet grass around her. To Charlie’s surprise, she was not nearly as old as she expected. She’d washed off the dirt and muck to reveal a woman not much older than Eli’s mother Harriet. Rosie was hiding in plain sight.

  “Is your name even Rosie?” Charlie sat down, her legs still shaky from the violence.

  “It’s whatever I want it to be. Today, Rosie.” She smiled, revealing teeth that had also been scrubbed free from the yellowish stains. Charlie was startled to discover Rosie was almost pretty. Her ability to hide her true nature was impressive. “What happened to Volner?” She spoke to Bug, who had flopped down beside her.

  “Army came and took him. It was the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.” Bug shook his head. “The big man cracked Oxley’s neck.”

  “Well then, the game changes again.” Rosie twirled a piece of grass in her fingers. “The field is open for someone else to make a run at being a boss.”

  Charlie had the impression that person would be Rosie. “We’re taking our gear and th
e horses. You and Bug helped us when you could have left us with nothing.” She didn’t want to forget what they’d done, good or bad. Perhaps, though, Gunther’s sacrifice would give these two wayward souls a chance to start over. “If you want it, you can have Gunther’s horse.”

  “Fair enough. He’ll fetch a good price if we sell him.” Rosie was far more cunning than any of the men at the camp. At that moment, she reminded Charlie of Camille, which sent a shiver of dread down her spine. “I mean you no harm, you or your man. I was just protecting Bug.”

  Charlie stared at the two of them. “He’s your son?”

  A flash of pain moved through the older woman’s expression. “Most folks don’t see that.”

  “He has your eyes.” Charlie wrapped her arms around her knees. “I understand about mothers protecting their children.”

  “I’ve done what I did to survive. I tried to keep him safe, but the world can be cruel.” Rosie took Bug’s hand and squeezed it. “We take care of each other now.”

  Charlie’s discomfort began to fade. Perhaps Rosie wasn’t really like Camille. She seemed genuine, but she’d also seemed genuine when she was acting like a crone. Trusting people was tricky business.

  Eli had watched without speaking for a few minutes. “My mother did what she had to. We would have starved or died that first winter if she hadn’t gotten a job at the fort.” He had experiences unlike Charlie’s and was very close to Harriet. The parallel between the mothers was unmistakable.

  What would her mother have done to protect Charlie or her sisters? Anything, including giving her life, which in the end, she did. An ache began in Charlie’s heart and she missed Maman so hard, her eyes pricked with tears. She buried her face in her arms and swallowed several times.

  A light touch on her hand made her raise her head. Rosie looked at her with sympathy. “Thank you for not revealing Bug to everyone. He is everything to me.”

  Eli tipped Charlie’s chin up until she met his gaze. “Ah, tamia, je t’aime.” It was awkward French and she could tell he’d been practicing. Isabelle or Mason probably taught him. For her.