"Of course not…he's just in shock." Teaspoon agreed, not believing for a moment that Kid would refuse to hand Frank over to his brother if it meant saving Lou's life. "Besides, Jesse wouldn't hurt Lou."
"You didn't see his face Teaspoon…he's changed. He'll kill her." Jimmy returned.
"You really believe that son?" Teaspoon asked.
"Yes."
"Well, we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." Teaspoon whispered.
"What are we gonna do Teaspoon?" Cody asked worriedly.
"I know I ain't just gonna sit around waitin' to get word. I'm ridin' out." Jimmy said hotly as he turned to exit the office.
"Now hold on a minute son…you don't even know where they're headed."
"The tracks lead south…I'll be able to catch up with them."
"And what will you do when you find 'em? You can't go in there shootin'. Lou might get caught in the crossfire. 'Sides, you'd only be one against how many?"
"Five."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't take those odds Jimmy. Best to wait and see what we're supposed to do…then we can come up with a plan."
"We don't need to come up with no plan…just give Jesse what he wants, and we'll get what we want." Jimmy replied.
"It ain't that simple Jimmy…Frank's supposed to stand trial in Laramie. We can't just let him go." Cody said quietly.
"Are you so caught up in the army that you'd be willin' to sacrifice Lou's life?"
"I don't like it anymore than you do Jimmy, but I got a duty. We'll figure somethin' out."
"Duty? What about your duty to Lou, huh? Jesse will kill her Cody…none of you seem to understand that! He's not the same boy who you knew…he's all grown up now."
"Boys! I've heard enough of this! We ain't gonna get nowhere arguin' with each other. I suggest you go for a walk to cool down Jimmy."
Jimmy looked like he was about to argue, but instead he turned around and stormed out of the office, knocking over the water pale in his anger. Cody and Teaspoon knew his temper well enough to know that he needed time to be alone. The older man and young army officer exchanged glances, but said nothing.
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Lou shivered as the cool night breeze blew across her shoulders. She looked longingly to where a small fire burned in the middle of the clearing. She wanted to sit in front of the flames and warm herself, but she knew they wouldn't allow that. They hadn't even offered her any of the food they had prepared. She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stay as warm as possible. She knew it was going to be a cold night.
Her felt tears spring to her eyes, but she refused to let her captors see any sign of weakness. She buried her face into her skirt and tried to ignore the raucous laughter coming from the men around the fire. Soon she felt herself drifting off into a fitful sleep.
"Lou! Lou, wake up." A gentle voice called.
Lou's head snapped up and she found Jesse crouched in front of her, his blue eyes soft in the dark. She looked around and saw that the men were all asleep, except for Miguel who had just taken a seat before the fire.
"You hungry?"
Lou looked at him angrily and narrowed her eyes. She merely shook her head and Jesse sighed in frustration. "Well, I brought you a blanket. It's getting cold out here." He continued as he placed the thin blanket around her shoulders.
"I don't want anything from you." Lou said harshly as she shrugged the cover off.
"Look, this ain't personal. I'm just tryin' to get my brother back."
"I don't care Jesse…just leave me alone." Lou spat, turning her head away from him.
"Have it your way then Lou." Jesse said angrily as he rose to his feet. "Just to let you know, Miguel and I are ridin' ahead in a few minutes. Jake's goin' to ride back and deliver instructions to Kid…if he doesn't come back…well, you better hope he does." Jesse said cryptically as he stalked off and signaled to Miguel.
Meanwhile a tall older man was walking towards her. He had a kind face and she wondered why he was riding with Jesse. His brown eyes looked at her in sympathy, but he quickly averted them so she couldn't see. She looked back to where Jesse was mounting along with Miguel and another man she took to be Jake. Once the riders were gone, Lou looked back to the campfire where the Collier was snoring loudly. She didn't have a very good feeling about being left alone with him, but then, she had no choice.
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Kid walked into the dark house and sighed. He clumsily fumbled into the living room where he lit the lamp. He jumped in surprise when he noticed the silent figure sitting in the large chair in the corner. Kid put his hands on his hips, preparing himself for the inevitable fight.
"Where you been Kid?" Jimmy drawled slowly. Kid looked at him closely and could tell he'd been drinking heavily.
"Out." Kid replied simply.
"Out…I'd expect that from you Kid." Jimmy said sarcastically as he stood up.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kid asked angrily even though he knew Jimmy was just trying to bait him.
"Nothin' Kid, nothin' at all."
Kid watched as Jimmy stumbled out of the living room to stand on the front porch. The rational part of Kid warned him not to follow his friend out, but the other part of him wanted a fight.
"You don't know anything that happens around here Jimmy, so just stay out of it."
"I know that Lou's unhappy…and maybe if you were home every once and a while, you'd know that too."
"You don't know nothin' about Lou! She's my wife, not yours. You still can't get over the fact that she chose me over you!"
"A choice I know she regrets!" Jimmy bellowed.
Before either of them knew what was happening, Kid was flying towards Jimmy, all his frustrations bubbling to the service. Jimmy caught him as they fell down the stairs into the yard. The alcohol had dulled Jimmy's perception and slowed his motor functions so that he found himself on the receiving end of Kid's fury. Kid swung blindly, not seeming to care where his punches landed.
Jimmy could feel the blood pouring from his nose, but his brain couldn't make his hands move fast enough to block Kid's attack, nor retaliate. He lay there dumbly as Kid continued to punch him mercilessly. I've gone too far this time, he's going to kill me Jimmy thought idly.
He hadn't realized that Kid had stopped his assault until he heard the young man sobbing. He was still poised over Jimmy, but his face was buried in his bloodied hands. Jimmy wasn't sure of what to do. He knew he should be angry, but the sight of his best friend heaving with sobs was too much.
Before Jimmy could do anything however, Kid stood up and stalked back into the house, slamming the door so hard Jimmy wondered how it stayed on the hinges. He sat up slowly, wincing as his hand traveled over his swollen face. He knew he must look terrible. He jumped in surprise as he heard loud crashes inside the house.
Just as he stood on his feet, he heard a gutteral, almost animal sound, which he knew came from Kid. It was then that Jimmy understood just how much turmoil the Kid was in. He waited until the sound of shattering glass subsided before he opened the door. He was taken aback at the chaos that greeted him. Broken shards of porcelain and glass from plates and vases crushed even further beneath his booted feet. In the middle of the floor, clutching a picture frame in his bleeding hand, was Kid.
"Kid, you all right?" Jimmy asked. It seemed a ludicrous question given the scene before him, but he didn't know what else to say.
Kid didn't answer him. He didn't even seem to know that Jimmy was there. He continued to stare blindly at the picture in his hand, hardly breathing. Jimmy walked closer to his friend and crouched down, looking over his shoulder.
He wasn't surprised to find Lou staring back at him. Her dark eyes were shining brightly and her teeth flashed brilliantly. He sighed as he placed his hand on Kid's shoulder. "We're gonna get her back Kid." Jimmy said simply.
The Kid finally looked at him, tears standing in his blue eyes. He nodded half-heatedly before standing up and surveying the damage. He had lost all sense of reason, tearing through the house like a madman. He saw Jimmy staring at him in a mixture of anxiety and amusement.
"I guess I'd better clean this up." Kid finally said, smiling wryly.
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Lou felt a rough prodding in her side as she opened her eyes. She craned her neck up and found herself staring into the cold eyes of Collier. Her whole body was stiff and sore, not only from the hard ride the day before but also from sleeping in a cramped position the entire night.
"Rise and shine Missy…it's time to get a move on."
Lou was hungry and thirsty, but she knew the brutal man had no intention of feeding her. As he bent down to untie the rope binding her legs she almost sighed in relief. She could see the ugly marks surrounding her ankles and knew that her wrists must look the same. He pulled her rudely to her feet and Lou started to stretch her limbs.
"Well come on, we ain't got all day." Collier said harshly as he pushed her to his horse. She saw the other man that had guarded her last night saddling his mount. She knew that she might have a chance playing on his sympathy.
"Please, can I have something to eat?" She asked him, her voice sounding rough even to her own ears.
"Sorry…we ate it all." Collier laughed, cutting off the other man's reply.
"Pig." Muttered Lou under breath.
"What did you say?" Collier asked.
Lou knew it would be wise to keep her mouth shut, but she was angry at being treated less than animal. Collier was a dangerous man to mess with, but at that point she just didn't care.
"I said, you are a pig! A fat, greedy pig!" Lou shouted.
She knew from the way the other man winced at her words that she had made a mistake. She definitely knew she had made a serious error when Collier's fist slammed into her jaw, sending her sprawling to the ground. She looked at him through narrowed eyes and then swept her feet under his so that he was knocked to the ground beside her. She clamored to her feet, trying to escape his wrath, but before she even took a step, he had an iron grip on her arm.
"Oh, you are going to pay for that!" Collier said darkly as he struck her face again, leaving her dazed.
TO BE CONTINUED….CHAPTER 7
