Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" TV series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
Home | Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Epilogue
Buck Wilmington arrived in Purgatory some time in the dead of night and found the shantytown alive with activity as always. Purgatory never slept, the way one might imagine Hell was incapable of doing so. Some of the more righteous citizens of Four Corners described the place as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Buck had no idea where either of those places were, but if it was anything like Purgatory it could not be all that terrible.
Purgatory was located in the depths of a canyon, surrounded by high walls of rock on either side, with only one way in or out of the place. Its history was checkered, and Buck remembered hearing about its existence as far back as the war. Somehow it had always been there, and who or why the first operator of liquor and women had set up here still remained a mystery. Over the years, it became an infamous part of the Territory, a monument if you would to the lawlessness that ran rife throughout the new West and precipitated the coming of the lawmen.
It attracted the worst of men, and was home to working girls and moonshine distillers who wanted the freedom to trade without the inconvenience of bible bashing matrons screaming their dogma of evil and hell. The men who came here had little fear of God and the only creed they died to defend was the law of the gun. In the two years since Buck Wilmington and his friends had put down roots in Four Corners, they had chanced to visit the principality of Purgatory, mostly for the female company that could be paid for. Despite Chris' reluctance to admit it, the gunslinger had taken company with one of the more seasoned working girls named Lydia. Of course now that Chris and Mary were openly courting, the man stayed as far away from here as possible. Buck wondered if Mary had any idea about Lydia, and decided that it was probably best that she had no idea.
Buck on the other hand, knew just about every woman in the place, even if he did not personally bed them all. He was seldom in need of paid female company, and indulged in it only when he was in the area. They liked him, which was hardly surprising, because women in general found Buck quite pleasing, both as a lover and as a person, and the working girls' treatment of him reflected their affection. On this particular night, he did indulge himself a little, even though after the fact he felt somewhat guilty since he should be working. However, the news about Julia Pemberton bothered him to no end, especially that she had offered Ezra her favors.
Buck was really starting to wonder if his animal magnetism had abandoned him.
Nevertheless, he had spent the evening with a charming young lady who went by the name of Gillian. After the encounter, Buck found himself a stool and took watch in an unobtrusive corner of one of the many saloons that gave him a clear view of Elisa's tent so that he could keep watch on her customers. The weather was still bad, with rain sprinkling down on the tents and makeshift shelters housing the bulk of Purgatory's business. Elisa's place of business was little more than a canvas tent, but it kept the rain out and Buck knew personally that a little water would be small hindrance to any man wishing to satisfy his natural urges. Elisa had indicated to him that she would be willing to letting him know when the horse trader departed. After all, she needed to make a living.
Buck was never one for surveillance and soon found his mind wandering to the situation in Four Corners. He was still incensed by Ezra getting to Julia Pemberton first. However, he had to admit he had never guessed that under her prim and proper exterior was such a forward young lady. He had heard of some city women who behaved that way, but had never seen it for himself. As it was, Buck often wondered how far Ezra had gotten with the lovely Doctor Styles? Of course Ezra was to much of the gentlemen to tell anyone if he had or not, but judging by the way he had reacted about Julia, it seemed to Buck that Miss Pemberton's feelings towards Ezra may not be so one sided at all.
Buck glanced at the tent where Elisa conducted business and saw a man emerge. She said her farewells to him with a lingering kiss before the man tipped his hat in her direction and went on his way. As he departed, she glanced in Buck's direction and shook her head to inform him that her latest customer was not the man he sought. Buck frowned and returned his attention to his drink, disliking the waiting more than anything else. It left him too much time with his thoughts, and thinking too hard made his head hurt. He would rather be visiting some of the young women in Purgatory, who would no doubt enjoy his company after the sorry bunch he had seen moving through this place today.
He wondered if Vin had been this similarly bored during the young tracker's time in Purgatory. He doubted it since Vin had perfected the art of sitting quiet and watching. It was all he ever seemed to do these days and it saddened Buck to know that his friend was still pining for Charlotte. Buck hoped Vin did not get into any trouble out there since he had enough grief playing escort to Alex. The two of them were probably ready tear each other's throats out by now.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a man entering the flap that Elisa was holding open for him as he slipped into her tent. Her eyes raised long enough to meet Buck's before she nodded slowly. Buck immediately acknowledged her response before watching her disappear. He drained the rest of his glass before striding towards the counter where he paid for his drink. He kept a close eye on the tent as the time passed, remembering the promise he had made to Elisa not to barge in on her and her customer. Considering the value of the information he would be receiving in return, he did not mind honoring that agreement.
Buck lingered inside the saloon for the next twenty minutes, trying to look inconspicuous while waiting patiently for the man to conclude his 'business' with Elisa. Finally, when Buck's patience was starting to wane, the man emerged from the tent flap again, the smile on his face clearly indicating he had received his money's worth. Elisa glanced in Buck's direction again, a silent indicator that he was free to proceed.
Buck waited until the man had put a little distance between them, but not enough so that he would lose sight of him. Not that he could easily blend into the crowd anyway. The man looked like an undertaker and Buck wondered if Elisa might have been mistaken about his being a horse breeder. As Buck followed the man through the rain, he wondered if all undertakers looked thin and weedy. Must be the effect of the formaldehyde, he supposed.
Predictably, the man had only come to Purgatory for one reason, and now that Elisa had properly satisfied him, was heading for his horse to return to his more respectable life. He did not notice Buck in pursuit because he was more intent on reaching his horse and limiting his time spent in this inhospitable weather. Buck waited until he had reached his horse and was preparing to mount the animal when Buck appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his leg with a vicious pull.
He lost his footing and tumbled off the horse, landing on the muddy ground with a slight splash on impact. As he scrambled to his feet, his face was clearly enraged and he prepared to protest the point when he found himself staring at Buck's gun, aimed right between his eyes.
"Howdy partner" Buck said politely. "I didn't mean to be rude but I wanted your attention."
"What the hell do you want?" The man demanded angrily, trying to clean the mud off his dark suit with little success.
"You've been selling horses" Buck said, cocking the gun so that the man knew he meant business. "Five of them as a matter of fact, to men who pay you in cash."
Recognition filled his eyes, despite his best attempts to hide it, and Buck knew that their hunch had been right. He did know something. The question was, did this man know something about the robberies? "Are you the law?" the man asked suspiciously, unable to decide from the look of him if Buck was or not.
"Close enough" Buck said taking a step forward. "I want to know everything you do about these men who see fit to gun down unarmed men, with their wives and children." Buck glared at him, showing it in his voice in no uncertain terms what would happen if he dared to refuse.
"I can't tell you!" he said desperately, backing away as if he was preparing to run. Buck tightened his finger around the trigger of his gun to persuade him otherwise. The man's eyes widened as he saw the intent in his eyes and guessed that Buck's threat was not an idle one.
"They'll kill me" he cried out, trying to make Buck understand his situation.
Except Buck had seen the bodies of the dead close up and anything this coward had to say in the face of all that carnage was mild in comparison. "I'm ain't hearing what I want to know Mister." He took a step forward and jammed the barrel right against the man's throat. "Start talking."
The man nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously as he spoke. "I don't know much except that they bought more horses from me yesterday" he said, quivering at the feel of metal against his skin. His eyes kept darting from Buck's dark eyes to the gun at his neck. "They said they were for a job today. Apparently the last one cause they weren't going be needing me after this."
"Where?" Buck pressed, shoving the barrel deeper into the man's throat until Buck could feel the tissue of larynx providing an obstruction.
"Bitter Creek to Four Corners" he replied finally, letting the words slip out of his mouth as if he was exhaling a breath held too long.
"You better not be lying to me." Buck nodded, stepping away. Relief noticeably flooded the man's eyes when Buck withdrew the gun from his neck. "You ain't that hard to find, and the law is just looking for someone to hang over those murders. You gave those men their horses, that makes you an accomplice. Just think on that."
With that, Buck gestured towards the man's horse and he understood. Without wasting any time, he climbed onto the animal quickly, desperate to put some distance between himself and the lawman. Buck watched him ride out of the narrow mountain pass that would take him out of Purgatory and did not turn his back on the sniveling coward until Buck was sure he was gone. The man struck him as one who would find little difficulty in putting a bullet into him.
Once he was gone, Buck made an immediate beeline to his own horse because he had to reach Four Corners fast and round up the others. As far as he knew, the stage from Bitter Creek was due in town late this afternoon and if they could catch it before it left town, then they might be able to provide a secret escort when the outlaws attacked.
They had one chance left at it and Buck did not intend to waste it.
"No luck?" Mary asked Chris as she met him outside the Clarion after his long right with Josiah searching for Vin and Alex. The preacher had taken himself into the saloon for a well-deserved drink after the hard ride and Chris was looking forward to a hot meal himself.
"No." Chris shook his head unhappily. "I'd like to have gone all the way to the Doherty place but with this lead that Buck may have found at Purgatory, I don't want to be too far away when he gets back."
Mary nodded her head in understanding. "I know" she sighed, feeling the same apprehension for the friends who were absent. "Maybe they decided to stay on, what with the weather and everything." She glanced at the grey sky. The rain was no longer pounding but was still teeming around them.
"I sure hope not." Chris confessed and Mary saw that his concern was not just about their welfare. It was deeper than that. Something was bothering him, something he did not want to speak out. After Julia's remarks regarding the nature of Vin and Alex's relationship, Chris found himself unable to stop thinking about it until a few observations of his own came to surface and put light to a potentially explosive situation.
"What is it?" she urged because there were no secrets between them.
"I seen how he looks at her, Mary." Chris finally replied. "He cares about her a lot. Enough to make me worried about how it could end up." Chris hated interfering with Vin's relationships, in anyone's for that matter, but he was aware how hot passions could run between even good friends for the hand of a lady. He did not want to see that happen between Vin and Ezra.
"Vin would not do anything." Mary replied but looked clearly disturbed at the possibility. It had never occurred to her that Vin could feel anything for Alex, he rarely spoke to her and went out of his way to stay away from the doctor, even when he was injured and sorely in need of help. "Alex is with Ezra." Mary pointed out.
"That didn't stop Vin from running off with Charlotte" Chris pointed out.
"That's not fair," she spoke in the tracker's defense. "Charlotte practically threw herself at him. Vin doesn't have much experience with women. Of course he's going to be overwhelmed when someone like Charlotte pays any attention to him. Alex is different. She knows better and she's really in love with Ezra."
Chris frowned wishing he could let this uneasy feeling in his stomach dissipate. Since when had his world become about this? Suddenly, he felt like he was the head of a large family and it was falling in his lap to keep everyone in line. "I hope you're right" he said with a sigh.
Suddenly, they heard the thunder of hoofbeats tearing through town and both Chris and Mary turned to see Buck Wilmington riding hard towards the saloon, probably in anticipation of finding his friends. The couple crossed the road and hurried to the establishment as Buck dismounted his horse and hastily tethered it to the hitching post.
"Buck!" Chris called out as the tall cowboy strode towards the saloon.
Buck whirled around as he saw them and paused mid stride. "Chris, I got the lead. They're going to hit the stage that leaves Bitter Creek this afternoon. If we can get there first...."
"We can give the stage an escort and catch these bastards" Chris finished off seeing where he was going with this. "Okay, you find Nathan. I think he's at the infirmary" Chris instructed.
"I saw JD getting ready to ride," Mary announced. "He's going up to the house to relieve Ezra."
"We don't have time to get Ezra." Chris said abruptly. "We'll be hard pressed making it to Bitter Creek as it is. Mary, go get JD and tell him to meet us here. We've got a stage to meet."
Where the hell was JD?
Ezra paced up and down the floor of the Travis place feeling more trapped than he had ever felt in his entire life. Julia merely watched him from her chair, reading a book that Mary had lent her earlier today, seemingly oblivious to his plight, even though she was the cause of it all. After the exchange with Buck in the saloon, Ezra had ridden back to the farm thinking to himself how wrong everyone was. Julia was merely infatuated with him. What could she possibly see in him anyway, other than a gambler and a rogue?
The answer frightened him.
Julia saw nothing else but that, and still wanted him. He had been with enough women in his time to know that what she was after was not conquest, even though it had begun that way. In the days since he had been guarding her, he had noticed a genuine attempt to get to know him. She questioned where he was from, was impatient with him when he tried to brush the seedier sides of his life past her notice and most of all, she liked what he was and felt a thrill of excitement at the life he led. Strangely enough, she also understood the need to settle here. They were all misfits in some way who had found a home in Four Corners, Julia was trying to build the same security for herself and saw through the façade of profit he wore over his reason clearly.
There was no need to hide what he had been with Julia because they both had their secrets and felt no immediate hurry to disclose them to each other. He thought about how he hid aspects of himself from Alexandra because she was frightfully honest and deception just was not in her vocabulary. He found himself being drawn to Julia, even though he knew he would never trust her completely, but was that really required?
"Mr. Standish?" Julia finally spoke becoming weary just watching him. "Is there something wrong?"
Ezra turned to face her, looking as if nothing had been driving him to distraction at all. "Why do you ask?"
"You seem a little preoccupied" she remarked, and then returned to her book.
"I am concerned about Alexandra" he pointed out.
"I'm sure you are" Julia replied, not looking at him as her attention was focused on her book.
"I am" he insisted. "Why do you sound so skeptical?"
"I'm not" she laughed, wondering what was running through his mind all of a sudden. For the past two days she had used every trick to seduce him and none of it had worked. She had listened to what Josiah had told her during their periods together and realized that perhaps she was going about this the wrong way. Julia knew she had penetrated the wall of Ezra's resistance, but he was still holding fast in honor of the doctor he cherished, but she was almost certain, he did not love.
"I will not give Alexandra up for you" he stated firmly as if needing to hear it for himself.
"I never asked you to." She put down her book and stood up. "Ezra I want you" she said, deciding some time ago that the best way to reach him was to be sincere. "I won't lie that you are the most exciting man that I have ever met, or that I am supremely attracted to you, because you see through my flaws and know exactly what I am. You don't judge me and you treat me like a person for the first time in my life," she smiled in that bittersweet realization. "You're probably the only one who ever has and I won't deny that if your doctor wasn't in your life, I would chase you down like a bloodhound because you're too good to let slip by. But the fact is, you do have her in your life and I'm not prepared to bear the guilt if you throw her away for me."
"That choice is mine" Ezra found himself saying, knowing without doubt that this was no performance on her part. He had seen a thousand cons and dozen speeches like this whose ability to move was far more effective, but he knew with a sixth sense that she was not lying to him. "I would never make you feel that way. I care for Alexandra and no doubt, I would bear the brunt of much guilt if I chose to abandon her, but I would never make you pay for my decision."
"I guess we will never know" Julia said sadly and turned away.
Ezra would never know what made the moment so clear for him, but that clarity of mind would never return after this. He covered the space between them in two easy strides and closed his fingers around her arm. Startled, she dropped the book, letting it fall on its face as Ezra drew her to him. There was a second after he grabbed her arm when he found himself standing on the edge of the abyss, where he could have still turned around and walked away, but once he looked into the depths of those emerald eyes, Ezra Standish knew he was lost.
He had been avoiding her touch since her arrival into town. Dreading it almost because he knew that once he slipped over the edge there would be no going back. Ezra wondered whether the choice was ever really his. From the moment he had seen Julia Pemberton, if that was truly her name, he recognized the danger she represented. He cared about Alexandra, admired her and even wanted her, but he knew he had never loved her and now he understood why.
He wanted someone like Julia, who knew him better than anyone possibly could, because they were one and the same. She was self-serving, arrogant and devious. How could he ever believe he could resist her when all he saw was the only woman in the world whom he had ever been able to understand with complete confidence.
When he kissed her for the first time, it was like kissing fire. The rage of his passion drove both of them against the wall, knocking over a chair as her back met the obstacle of wood. His mouth dug deep into her, exploring, tasting and feeding off her desire for him. Ezra felt her mouth open beneath his and he hungrily slipped his tongue between her teeth and met hers in a fiery dance. He was vaguely aware that she making some effort to gain mastery of this, but Ezra brushed those attempts aside. This was the one time Julia would have to play by his rules.
His mouth slid away from her lips, leaving her gasping as he slid down that cream colored neck, biting down on soft flesh whenever the fancy took him. The action drew a sharp response from her, he heard Julia moaning in a mixture of pleasure and pain. She ran her fingers through his hair, exhilarating in the feel of him, which was so much better than she had imagined, and digging in, when the sensations that gripped her became too much to bear.
With one fierce tug, Julia felt the buttons holding her dress together pop as Ezra roughly pulled it apart and around her shoulders, exposing her bare arms and the lace undergarments beneath. His blue eyes seemed almost dark as he delighted in the perfection of her curves and the supple creaminess of her flesh. He met her eyes once when the faint hint of smile crossed his lips. Then, without delay, buried his mouth in the firmness of a breast, letting his lips slide across her white skin while trailing hungry kisses before reaching the erect flesh where he breathed in deeply.
He was half-aware of her crying out as her back arched, forcing more than a taste into his mouth. Ezra nibbled and sucked the erect nipple, thrilling in the soft cries she made as his free hand cupped the other and caressed it with equal determination. After a while, he dropped it and proceeded to tug at the rest of her clothing, forcing the layers of skirt, petticoat and other undergarments into an unruly heap around her ankles.
Ezra could feel himself stiffening at the sight of her nakedness as he delighted in the perfection of her body. He had never wanted to fall into her trap so perfectly, and had resisted the urge since the moment he laid eyes on her. However, as he felt her fingers tearing at the collar of his shirt, vocal in her delight at everything he was doing to her, this never felt more right.
Sweeping her off her feet, his mouth returned to hers as he carried her into the room where no doubt Billy Travis had probably been conceived in the same manner. He dropped her onto the soft bed, allowing that shimmery copper colored hair to frame her face in a wave of red. Ezra stood poised over her for a moment, admiring the beauty of her, wondering if any man had ever actually paused to look, instead of greedily rushing to possess, which they could never do. He loved her. He knew that now. Ezra had no idea how it had happened, and there was a small part of him that hated that it happened, but it was the truth.
Julia felt self-conscious as she saw his eyes studying her while her hands helped with the buttons on his waistcoat. The way he looked at her made Julia feel odd somehow because men were always so eager to enjoy her body that this was probably the first time anyone had stopped long enough to know what it is they were trying to conquer. It filled her with a warmth she had never guessed to be so fulfilling when she saw the love in his eyes, not just for her body, but for her. She was not prone to being sentimental, sex had never been more than a tool for her, but it meant so much that he was making love to a person, not just a face.
When he was free of his shirt and waistcoat, Julia ran her hands over his lithe chest, delighting in the feel of taut sinewy flesh under her palms. Ezra smiled at her lovingly and took one hand in his before running kisses down its length as he lowered himself on top of her. Finding his way to her breasts again, Ezra sucked her nipple past his teeth and swirled his tongue around the erect nub. The sensations were next to exquisite and she began moaning softly, as her legs parted in order to allow him a more comfortable position between them. One of his hands snaked past her stomach until his fingers glided over the hair of her mound, poised and ready to touch her in that most secret of places. She arched her back languidly as she felt him beginning to gently probe her.
He paused for a moment, allowing a smile to slip past his face that hid none of mischief she saw present. Then he lowered himself down on her, sliding between her legs so he could really taste her. When his mouth made contact with the sensitive folds, Julia let out a gasp of pure pleasure. Her fingers dug into the crisp sheets beneath her as the powerful sensations gripped her for the first time in her life. His tongue teased her erect center while the stubble on his chin caressed her outer folds, causing her to groan louder and with more abandon. She felt his tongue pushing its way into the deepest crevices of her. Her legs had wrapped themselves around his back now, even though she was completely unaware of it.
Ezra's hands were holding down her hips, forcing her to remain still even though she was squirming in mindless ecstasy. He delighted in pulling the tiny node of flesh into his mouth with hard suction, knowing that it would only force her closer to the edge. Her incoherent cries told him she was enjoying this too much to bear him stopping. Ezra had suspected the reason for her casual regard towards sex. She had treated it as a tool to get what she wanted, and somehow Ezra knew that she had no idea that it was something to be enjoyed. She only enjoyed it because of the power it gave her over the opposite sex. Her exultation came from the knowledge that her lovers would do anything for her, not because she had personally enjoyed the experience. Ezra had no intention of being just another man she could possess, he wanted her to love him. He strongly suspected that she already did, but not to the extent that would satisfy him.
She had descended into groans of mindless pleasure, so he knew how close she was to reaching her peak. He felt the muscles of her thighs contract and felt himself aroused further by her anticipated climax. She arched in taut pleasure and uttered a loud cry as the full flow of her orgasm gripped her body. Ezra delighted in the sounds of her moaning and incoherent pleas. Just the taste of her had hardened him to such a point that he knew he could wait no longer for her. With urgency, he slid back up her body as he fumbled at his pants. Julia was still recovering but after a moment, she had composed herself enough to help him.
Ezra let out a soft groan as he was released from his confining clothes and shuddered when he felt her fingers sliding over his erect manhood. Julia was beaming at him in a smile he knew would always be just for him. "Show me, Mr. Standish" she purred. "Show me."
Ezra grinned and kissed her mouth tenderly before his kisses became more fervent and his tongue slid down her throat. Julia's hands ran over his smooth back and through his hair, her body feeling soft and wonderful beneath him. He placed his hands on her thighs and drew them apart wider, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. When Julia met his gaze, her eyes burning, Ezra knew she wanted to be taken. Now.
He was so hard and throbbing that when he finally pulled her against him, he entered her forcefully, impaling her with his full length. Julia cried out softly when he penetrated, oblivious to anything but how he felt inside of her. He rammed into her with all the force he could muster, until he was buried so deeply inside that he could enter no more. He ground his teeth from crying out himself, from becoming overwhelmed by the strong grip of her muscles, grabbing and teasing him as he started to thrust into her.
God, she was heavenly. Those were the only words that made any sense to him as his mouth melted over hers as he began moving in long steady strokes. Each pulse was pure pleasure. Ezra felt his insides ignite with the heat of so much arousal that he could barely think straight. He had become so hard that he was almost sorry for the muscles inside her and what they were enduring. He pushed faster and harder, feeling her thighs tighten around his waist, until she was biting down on a knuckle for the force of him. He started to grunt softly, but as the constant rhythm of his manhood tore through her wet, oh so wet folds, he started gasping himself or else he would have exploded.
Julia had known making love to Ezra would be exceptional, but she had never foreseen anything like this. All those times, those sweaty, embarrassing encounters where she would hear them call her name in ecstasy, engendered nothing but her contempt because she had never imagined it could be so good for her too. How could she do without him after this?
"Ezra, don't stop. Please don't stop!" she whimpered.
The plea almost sent him over the edge, and it required all his control to keep him from reaching climax too quickly. Ezra had wanted her to know what it was like to be completely lost in thrall of desire, to know that sex was not simply a means to an end. He had wanted to teach her a lesson, but had no idea that in her pleasure, she could be a teacher too. The heat of their raw sexual power burned together like a raging inferno as he pounded into her, harder and harder, until he could not think for the sheer pleasure of their mutual surrender.
With an exhausted, almost guttural groan of pleasure, he finally felt himself slip over the edge and exulted in the journey they took together. He emptied himself into the deepest center of her being and felt as if his entire life and soul had escaped when he allowed the release. Her body tensed and then shuddered beneath him, he felt her nails sink deeper into his back as Julia crested the wave they were both riding. He relished the sounds when he heard her cries became kittenish purrs of delight and felt her warmth wash over him.
No matter how much control Ezra had sought to maintain, he knew he was just as lost to her as any of those men she had manipulated over the years. However, as he looked into her eyes and saw the smile of complete love on her face, he knew that it was a sincere interpretation of how she felt.
They were both fools trapped in the same cage.
The stagecoach rumbled out of Bitter Creek on schedule, under the watchful gaze of numerous men with differing reasons for their attention. According the passenger manifest, the carriage carried only three travelers and on this occasion, this state of affairs suited all parties well enough. As the stage departed Bitter Creek, Chris Larabee and the lawmen at his side followed in close proximity, careful to keep the carriage in sight while remaining at a discreet distance to keep their pursuit concealed.
"I sure hope you're right about this Buck." Chris remarked as they traveled in the wake of the stage, following the fresh tracks in the wet mud while keeping a close eye on the surrounding landscape, poised to act at the first sign of trouble. They were only an hour out of Bitter Creek and Chris did not expect company so soon, however, he had the gut instinct that danger was close and he relied on the feeling enough to know that it was seldom wrong, despite his admission to Buck. So far, nothing had appeared could be considered trouble, but Chris hoped this would change. For once he welcomed the danger because it would put an end to this spree of murder that had terrified travelers throughout the area. The citizenry needed to feel safe while travelling through the Territory, and until these outlaws were caught, an important line of transport was effectively severed.
On a personal level, he wanted to catch these bastards before they had a chance to disappear and start this entire cycle in a new place, where more lives would undoubtedly be lost. Men who killed like this would invariably get a taste for it, and such addictions were difficult to discard.
"He was too scared to lie," Buck said firmly as he kept pace alongside the gunslinger, taking no offence at Chris' doubt. It would be a cold day in hell when Chris did not question anyone except himself. Buck sometimes wondered what it was like to be that good, to be so confident. "Besides, I kind of think he never expected the victims to be women and children."
"But he didn't have any trouble taking their money" Chris said automatically, remembering the assassin who had told him how killing Sarah and Adam had been 'just a job'. Chris had no sympathy for those who profited from the death of others. Men were born with the ability to choose because it was a God given right. The only person to blame when things went wrong was oneself, not the circumstances.
"I suppose" Buck tended not to agree, but he was not going to argue the point. He had seen the look in Chris' eyes when they had found the victims of the first robbery, had almost felt the same despair seeing that dead child. Buck had remembered seeing the same look in his friend's eyes on that morning after returning from Mexico. Buck had never forgotten the intense sorrow when Chris found Adam, his small body charred and broken. He had never wanted to see that kind of pain again and knew no words could ever justify anything these outlaws or the men who helped them had done.
"Hey Buck," Chris said suddenly, feeling a need to speak because he had felt a little guilty over the past few days regarding his treatment of his old friend.
"Yeah Chris" Buck asked, watching the road ahead intently, studying the tracks before them.
"She was just using you, you know" he replied suddenly.
Buck turned to Chris, unable to fathom what the gunslinger meant by that remark. "Excuse me?"
"I think she was using you to make Ezra jealous" Chris replied, understanding the beautiful Miss Pemberton's behavior once Josiah had made the statement that she had only eyes for Ezra.
Buck frowned, hating to think he was being used but unable to deny that it was probably true. Chris didn't miss such things. Actually it was a small miracle that he even bothered to notice. Then again, Mary had a great effect on him. He was starting to mellow again, shifting from that dark place he had remained for so long after Sarah and Adam's death back into some semblance of a human being. He wondered if Chris knew how accessible he was these days with Mary in his life.
"I wouldn't be surprised" Buck said with a sigh. "My animal magnetism ain't what it used to be."
Chris chuckled softly. Good ol' Buck, never one to bear a grudge. It was one of the reasons why they had been friends for so long, because through Buck, Chris had always been able to share in some part of the light in his sunny disposition. Had it not been for the good-natured cowboy, Chris feared the condition he would have been in, following Sarah and Adam's deaths. There had been moments of such darkness that Chris had actually considered eating a bullet. Only Buck had been able to pull him out of that pit and give him the chance to find some kind of happiness with Mary.
"I wouldn't worry about it" Chris answered. "There are women, and then there are man-eaters. I get the impression she's a man-eater."
"Stop it pardner," Buck grinned. "You're getting me all depressed again. You know nothing fires me up more than a challenge."
"You don't need that much of a challenge" he laughed. Suddenly he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye and the humor drained from his face immediately. In the distance, just emerging from the horizon was a group of riders. They were still far enough in the distance to have not seen either Buck or Chris, however that would not last
"Buck hold up." Chris ordered, pulling the reins to his gelding and bringing the animal to an abrupt halt. Chris motioned Buck to the cover of some trees nearby where they could examine the approach of the riders unseen.
"You think it's them?" Buck asked as they moved behind the safety of a large shrub that effectively hid them from view as they continued their observation.
Chris did not answer until the riders became more visible. They were making rapid progress across the plains, and their direction seemed to indicate that they were on an intercept course for the stage rumbling on the trail up ahead. The light drizzle of rain made it difficult to see their faces clearly, but what Chris was able to see left no trace of doubt in his mind.
They were all wearing bandanas over their faces.
"Let's go" Buck urged.
"Not yet" Chris said watching them intently. There were four riders taking up the same route recently traversed by the stage. Chris wondered at this because he had been led to understand that there were five men instead of four. His eyes scanned the surrounding area for the missing man but saw nothing to indicate that he would arrive, since the others were intent on reaching the stage. Chris let them disappear out of sight before turning to Buck.
"Now."
The two lawmen lunged out of their hiding place, their horses surging forward in a full gallop. This was the closest that either of them had come to catching the men who had wrought terror over the area with their brutal crimes. The horses crossed the terrain quickly, splattering mud in all directions as they thundered forward in close pursuit of the would be hunters. Up ahead, the stagecoach had no idea what was coming their way but for once Chris was unconcerned.
It was time to bring an end to this.
The stagecoach continued up the weathered track that left deep indentations in the grounds as it traveled towards Four Corners. The stage driver kept his senses alert and took note of everything that might be taking place on the quiet landscape around him. The lessons of the past three robberies were etched into his mind, and with so many already dead, he was taking no chances in permitting a repeat performance from the outlaws who had no hesitation in gunning down innocent civilians to mask their identities.
Despite the rain teeming down, the icy chill in the weather was making the horses move faster. The cold air sent a surge of exhilarating through their enormous lungs as they galloped ahead through the mud while navigating the trail as if born to do nothing else. He saw little reason to assert control over the reins and hung on just enough to let them know that he was still in charge. He trusted the animals' instinct to find the best route over the slippery track, since they knew better than he ever could just what sort of terrain they were best able to traverse.
When a man was accustomed to living the life he had, it became easy to distinguish the sounds made by every horse. It took years to master the skill where one could differentiate between one set of hoof beat and another but it was a skill he possessed. The first signs of trouble emerged when he heard sounds that did not come from his team of stage horses. He could tell by the uneven break in their approach that this was not a group riding in tandem but individual riders, all with a differing pace. Glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the new arrivals, he saw the figures in the distance approaching rapidly across the soaked golden fields. Four of them, he quickly counted. Wasn't the number of the outlaws terrorizing these hills meant to be five? He pondered that question momentarily but decided not to take any chances. Four or five, they were still riding hard after the stage. Reaching for his gun, he kept the weapon in his hands while still holding court over the horses before him.
For a moment, he entertained the notion that the riders might simply be fellow travelers on the same track, journeying to some destination of their own. They were still far enough away to support that illusion of safety, and so the driver kept his gun close by while maintaining a watchful gaze. His eyes alternated from the road ahead to the one traveled recently and the distance between the wooden coach and the men that was dwindling swiftly. He could see the bobbing heads of their horses as the animals galloped forward, their powerful and sinewy muscles surging ahead under a veneer of dark silk.
He knew they would overtake him eventually, for the coach was slow and cumbersome and the animals behind were sleek and fast. It would not take very long before that space between horses and coach narrowed until there was no separation at all. Inevitably, they would diminish the slim lead that the stagecoach had somehow managed to achieve. As the seconds started ticking on the final minutes of the pursuit, the driver was treated to the sight of their hidden faces beneath the wide brimmed hats. Using an assortment of bandannas, their concealed visages only confirmed their identity to the stagecoach driver in the only description that mattered.
"They're coming!" the driver yelled out to the passengers inside the carriage.
Looking over his shoulder after alerting the passengers inside the carriage, he found that they had narrowed the lead yet again. The time in which they would reach the coach had now dwindled to a matter of minutes only. Reluctant in his realization that force was now necessary, the driver cocked his gun kept in reach for easy access and sighed in disappointment at the impending gunfight he would soon be forced to engage in. He hesitated in firing first for he was never a believer in violence, but understood that it was a necessary evil to which all men must some times take cause. Furthermore, he was uncertain if the timing was correct for such action.
When he saw the horse only inches away from the back wheels of the coach, he knew the time had come to fight. The bandits determined to reach the stage had given him little choice to do otherwise.
Until now he had achieved some measure of success in his attempts to keep in front of them since the gap still remained, even though it was no more than a hair's breadth. However, the accomplishment drew a hail of bullets as his pursuers chose to open fire. He ducked as they whizzed past him, hearing one of the projectiles as it passed by his ear and shuddering at how close it had truly been. He glanced at the road ahead, knowing that it was imperative that the stagecoach remain on the given track and not let the distraction of pursuit lead it off the road into the shrub, but he needed to defend himself as well. He squeezed off a series of shots, discharging half the load inside the chambers, and noted with some satisfaction when a bullet dismounted one of the riders. The man tumbled from his saddle, rolling across the muddy track before disappearing into the grass on the side of the road.
The driver watched long enough to see the fallen man slip from view before returning his attention to the team of horses pulling the coach forward. The sounds of gunfire had frightened them and now they were surging ahead, too gripped by fear to take note of where they were headed. Taking advantage of their fear, he snapped the reins forward, spurring them on to a faster pace, taking advantage of this sudden burst of speed for however long it lasted. It was not indefinite because the crushing weight they were pulling would eventually weigh them down in exhaustion.
The bullets came again, this time in shorter spaces of time. Some impacted on the wood of the coach, causing splinters that were quickly swept away by the rush of wind and speed. The driver ducked and wove, all the while maintaining control of the horses who were now starting to falter at such a relentless pace. It was almost with a sigh of relief that when he saw two other riders, even father behind the outlaws closing in at their own heady pace.
The driver heard an explosion of sound that was too close and suddenly, there was a flare of white-hot pain as one of the outlaws' bullets struck flesh. He grunted in pain as his muscles reacted involuntarily, forcing him to drop the gun. It skittered across the ceiling before coming to rest, wedged between the wood and a railing but clearly out of reach. He would have tried to retrieve it except that he was now driving the stage with one hand. Blood had started to pulse from the wound with every flex of muscle, even though the bullet had passed through it and avoided bone.
The team was too large to control with one arm but he made a valiant effort to try nevertheless. However, his handicap had broken the back of acceleration that he had been trying to set and with a sinking feeling, he realized the temporary gap he had bought earlier would now be swallowed up by his struggle to keep control. The outlaws had continued firing, picking up the proverbial scent of blood in the water. Being in no position to return fire, the driver kept his head down and concentrated on keeping the stage on the wet trail.
The constant rain over the past few days had made the track treacherously slick, and at the speeds they were currently travelling, disaster was being courted and the driver knew it. It would not take much for the stage to lose a wheel or worse yet, run off the road. None of which seemed quite as bad as what would happen when the outlaws caught up with them if they followed their standard pattern of behavior. Unfortunately, capture seemed somewhat inevitable now. The horses were gaining quickly and carried two riders alongside the stage with a proximity that was dangerous to everyone involved. Although the firing had ceased, for there was no reason to with their gun barrels only inches away from the passenger windows and aimed firmly in his direction.
"Pull up!" one of them ordered, waving the gun in his face.
The driver ignored the instruction, struggling to keep the pace up but the pain was starting to wear him down. He could feel the warm ooze of blood running down his arm, creating a stain that soaked the material of his shirt. He saw the lawmen in the distance, narrowing the distance between the stage and outlaws and felt gratified that his defeat would only be temporary.
Suddenly another shot rang out as the outlaw who had shouted the order, fired a bullet near the wooden seat to solidify his point. Tiny splinters of wood dug into his skin and elicited a small curse under his breath at the realization that he would be forced to comply. He pulled the reins gently and the group of horses, feeling the pressure in the bit and requiring the relaxed pace after their exhaustive run, began their gradual halt. It did not take long before the stage had stopped completely at the side of the muddy track.
The driver watched the short-lived triumph of the bandits upon the realization that they themselves had been pursued. Their reaction if anything, was predictable. The driver saw the moment of confusion as they sought the answers in each other's eyes. Initially, baser instinct told them to run, but the lure of the last job was simply too strong to resist. He could see them come to the decision that they might be able to take the two men coming toward them with guns drawn. The odds were three to two and there were still the hostages in the stagecoach. He knew what they were going to do as surely as he had heard the thought echo in their minds.
Unfortunately for them, he knew something they didn't.
"Now!" Josiah Sanchez shouted and rolled off the side of the stage before the men on horseback could shoot him. He dropped heavily to the ground as the outlaws prepared to fire. However, the bulk of the stage provided ample protection from the gunfire. He landed in the mud and remained where he was, hiding the agony in his arm.
Inside the carriage, Nathan Jackson and JD Dunne appeared through the window, where they had remained silent for this moment only. In both their hands were guns aimed squarely at the outlaws whose murderous spree was now at an end.
"Move and we'll kill ya!" JD barked angrily, not seeming like the boy he was at that moment. Both barrels stared the gunmen in the face and they had only to look in his eyes to know that he would not hesitate to shoot them down. The bodies he had seen had tempered JD and his eyes reflected the burning hatred he felt over the loss of those innocents. These men had callously gunned down unarmed men, women and children whose only crime had been being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The leader of the pack, a man whose features were concealed behind the blood red bandana he wore reacted swiftly, surprising Nathan and JD because despite their foresight in replacing the actual passengers of the stage, being inside the carriage had left them in a decidedly disadvantaged position. The plan had required Josiah to be present once the outlaws had been ambushed, to cover them from above until Chris and Buck arrived. Unfortunately, they had not counted on Josiah being shot and had lost that precious asset. However, no plan was truly foolproof, as they were soon to discover.
The leader was close enough to one of the stage horses to strike it hard on the rump. The animal snorted in surprise and was startled into galloping forwards. Its instinct to run was quickly taken up by the other animals in the team, even those who did not scare easily but were unable to keep from moving forward since they were all tethered to the same harness. The stage rumbled forward, taking JD and Nathan with it while Josiah scrambled in the dirt, clutching his bleeding arm, without a gun.
The leader's eyes crinkled and Josiah knew he was smiling behind his mask as he raised his gun to fire when suddenly his chest erupted in a flare of blood. The others looked in the direction of where the bullet had come frin and were astonished because Josiah had no gun. They went for their weapons but were no faster than their comrades with the eruption of new gunshots. Josiah hit the ground once more, keeping his head down to avoid being caught in any crossfire. While he remained on his knees, he looked up long enough to see the other two men dispatched just as quickly before joining him on the dirt in slightly worse condition.
Josiah stood up shakily when the proverbial dust had settled and the bodies moved no further as Chris and Buck came riding up to him. Chris was holstering his gun while Buck was sliding his rifle into its place on his saddle. Both dismounted their animals and hurried towards the preacher.
"You don't look so good Josiah." Buck commented with concern at the sight of the blood on Josiah's fingers as he attempted to stem the flow of blood on his injured arm.
"Josiah?" Chris asked quietly, examining the arm as he approached. "How bad are you hit?" the leader inquired.
"I'm okay." Josiah reassured him, glancing at the wound with a slight wince. It was still pulsating fresh blood each time he moved it, and he decided that it would help if he stopped doing that. "Bullet passed clean through."
Behind them, they heard the rumble of the coach returning with JD at the reins and Nathan at his side. The young man had no trouble directing the animals to his friends, and Chris noted this as just one of those amazing skills that JD seemed to possess but never knew existed before this moment. Nathan on the other hand, searched the group for signs of injury and immediately rested his gaze on Josiah. The healer was jumping off the stage before the vehicle had even come to a complete halt and was striding towards Josiah to examine the wound he had noticed. "Let me have a look at that." Nathan instructed as he came towards the big man. His tone of voice indicated that he wanted no arguments on the matter. The others had known the healer long enough to realize that Nathan was ferocious when it came to their medical welfare.
"Well that does it then." JD said looking distastefully at the bodies who would not require any kind of medical attention, ever again. The outlaws were exactly where they had fallen and did not seem so formidable as they lay on the ground covered in blood and drying mud. "We stopped them." There was almost pride in his voice as he said that, and Chris supposed that ending the threat of these varmints was something to be proud of. However, the leader of the seven could see very little pride to be had in all the deaths they had cause and did not show his elation in any way.
"Yeah." Buck grinned just as equally gratified. Buck found it difficult to think of the dead and preferred to focus on the victory they had just won even if the price had been too high by Chris' reckoning. "This calls for a night of solid drinking and anything else that might come along." There was no need to elaborate on what 'anything else' might be.
Chris however, was more concerned on how Josiah was faring under Nathan's insistent ministrations. Despite Josiah's claim that he had not been injured badly, Chris would not rest easy about the preacher's welfare until Nathan said he was all right. The healer was the only one among them who was qualified to say for certain how well Josiah was doing, and that included Josiah himself.
"How is he?" Chris asked Nathan, ignoring JD and Buck as the two men planned the evening debauch they would no doubt enjoy upon their return to Four Corners. He strode over to the healer, who by now had torn open Josiah's bloody shirt and was taking a closer look at the injury. From where Chris was, he could see the small dark circle of ruined flesh that was covered in blood.
"It's a flesh wound" Nathan confirmed Josiah's earlier allegation. "It looks worse than it is, but the bullet passed clean through."
"I'm glad you think so" Josiah grumbled, flinching a bit when Nathan made a temporary bandage to stem the bleeding until they returned to Four Corners where he could treat the preacher inside the confines of his infirmary where better instruments and medical aids were present.
"You're tough" Chris smiled faintly. "We'll get back to town and buy you a drink to wash down the pain, or better," he glanced at Buck and JD, "if those two have their way."
"Well I guess it's over then" Josiah said studying the dead bodies around him. The outlaws looked no different than any other they had run into since becoming the law in Four Corners. Strange how that resemblance never seemed stronger than after they had paid with their lives and were strewn across some forgotten place with their life oozing into the sand. Suddenly, Josiah became aware of Chris studying the bodies with unfathomable look in his eyes that did not seem so convinced.
"What happened to the fifth man?" Chris found himself asking although he did not expect an answer.
"You don't think he went after Miss Pemberton do you?" Nathan asked, hoping that they would not return to the Travis Place to find a nasty surprise waiting for them. The healer had a great deal of respect for Ezra Standish and knew the gambler was more than capable of protecting the lady from one man. However, they knew almost nothing about this gang of bandits that had held the stagecoach trail hostage. Who was to say that the gang of outlaws was not larger than originally perceived?
"I don't think so" Chris responded, unable to say how he knew that so perfectly. "Still, we ought to get back to town anyway."
Although he did not voice it, Josiah knew why Chris was impatient to get back to Four Corners. Now that this problem with the outlaws seemed more or less concluded, he knew what was next on Chris Larabee's agenda.
Finding Vin Tanner and Alexandra Styles.
Ezra breathed in the scent of her hair and felt strangely exhilarated by the scent of wild flowers. A part of him could never believe he could have succumbed to the charms of this little schemer, but since the moment he saw her, Ezra had come to realize that his surrender had always been inevitable. It was not just that she was beautiful, for beauty was the least of the things that charmed him so much. If such things held any sway for him, he would never have strayed from Alex for anything in the world. Although he was wise enough not to voice it, Alexandra's natural beauty would always be more compelling than the devastating seduction that exuded from every pore of Julia Pemberton's being.
No, he was in love with this little wanton because in her eyes there was no deception he had not tried already, no trick he had not learnt years before, and best of all, no con that she could play that he could not beat. He saw all things in her that challenged his baser instincts and it was gamble so wild that Ezra could not walk away for all the Alexandras in the world. He knew he was a fool to let the good doctor go, but he was starting to believe that it might be a kindness to her as well. Besides, he knew inwardly that the stability that Alex wanted was something he could never give her, no matter how much he might force himself to aspire to it. Nevertheless, he did feel some measure of guilt for what he would do when she returned to Four Corners. The least Ezra could do was tell her face to face.
"You are quite exceptional, Mr. Standish." Julia smiled, rolling on top of him as they lay spooned together on the bed after their intense love making. "I shall have to keep you close at hand always."
"You may try Miss Pemberton," he replied, letting his hands caress her thighs as she straddled him. "However, you will find that I am not so enthralled as you think."
"How so?" she pouted while twirling a lock of red hair falling across her face.
"I have not thrown away the love of a good woman so that I can be a cuckold to anyone who captures your momentary interest" he said firmly. "Never play that game with me, Julia. I care about you, but you are not so charming that I will not leave should such intelligence reach me."
"You think I would do that?" she looked at him, realizing that he was serious.
"I know that you would if the opportunity arose. Restraint is not in your vocabulary is it?" he said, running his fingers along her lower back and watching her shudder slightly at the feathery touch against her skin. "This may come as a shock to you, and believe me, it came as a bigger shock to me first, that I find that myself in love with you and expect the same kind of consideration should you wish to be a part of my life."
Her temper flared a moment at the suggestion, and then realized that he was absolutely right. She had given him no reason to believe she was capable of staying faithful to him and now that she had won him over, Julia knew she did not want him gone. He had made love to her the way no man had ever done, and for a heart that had long believed itself incapable of feeling anything real for any man, the discovery that she loved him was a welcome one. She wanted to be good for him, she wanted to be all the things that made her father worship her dead mother so devotedly even after death. She looked at Ezra and saw a thousand adventures with him that only required her loyalty to enjoy.
"That's a fair enough request" she said quietly, understanding the need she saw in his eyes. He wanted her to be a part of his life, but he was not about to sacrifice his self esteem for her, and that impressed Julia because no one had actually made the request of her. Most of the men she had known previously had expected it as if it were their right and she belonged to them like some object. At the time, it had served her purpose for them to believe that she did. However, she had come to Four Corners because she wanted more than to be someone's wife or mistress, or both, considering what her attention span had been before.
It was different with Ezra and she knew it.
She saw a kindred spirit, someone who loved her for every devious bone in her body and wished nothing more than a similar commitment to him. There was no need to hide herself behind an alluring smile, because Ezra could see straight through her. The freedom to simply be was something Julia had never been allowed to experience. She was always something to someone. To her father, she had been the wife he lost, and he lavished his love so completely upon her that never once did it occur to him to get to know the daughter. To men like Packard, she was a beautiful thing to adorn their homes and their social standing, she had no more substance than an expensive painting. The only thing she had ever wanted in her life was to be seen as more than just a face.
"I love you, Julia" Ezra responded with a softer tone knowing that he had been harsh with her but she had to know the rules from the beginning if she wanted to play. "I have not felt this way towards any woman in my life. I thought I did about Alexandra but I cannot deny that it was an attraction to her purity rather her personality. I did her a great wrong, and for that and I will have to live with the consequences, but it will never affect how I feel for you. I could not stand the thought of sharing you with someone else."
Julia let the happiness steal across her face and nodded in understanding. "I don't think I can stand the thought of you being with anyone else" she said honestly. "I love you too, Ezra, and God help us, I don't know which of us is the bigger fool."
"I'd rather leave that question open for the moment" he grinned and then slapped her hard on the rump.
"Hey!" she grumbled. "That hurt."
"Not as much as your reputation will if the others come back and find us like this" Ezra retorted as he climbed out of bed. "Besides, if you intend to be a business woman in this locality, you must act the part. I am certain you can manage to put your impressive skills as a thespian to work."
Julia gave him an imperious look as she walked out of the room towards the heap of discarded clothes outside. "Mr. Standish," she said with a perfectly wicked gleam in her eye, "after your request, I am afraid that my best performances are going to be for you only."
The town was a flurry of excitement when the bodies of the outlaws were brought into town. After the somber arrival of the stagecoach previously, this was markedly different from the previous occasion when the seven had returned the bodies of the victims. The rain had more or less stopped, with only a scattering of grey clouds in attendance, trying hard to sprinkle some drizzle on the drying landscape.
Chris had sent JD to the Travis place to tell Ezra to escort Julia Pemberton into town so that she could take on the task of identifying the man she had seen. Although one of the outlaws was missing, the town was nonetheless elated at the deaths of the remaining four since it saw an end to the siege they had been enduring these past two weeks.
Mary seemed to be the only person who did not look uncomfortable at being present at the undertaker's gloomy offices. As a journalist, she had covered numerous stories about outlaws and thieves, not to mention obituaries. Her vocation brought her in contact with the mortician several times, and her familiarity with the place had allowed her to visit its premises without any lasting effects. She was present now because this was news and would be featured in the Clarion News in the next edition. As a journalist, she wanted to be close at hand to get her facts of the situation.
"They don't look so dangerous now" Mary said to Chris as he and Buck assisted the mortician with the bodies.
"Dead men seldom are" Chris remarked as Buck helped with the loading of last corpse on to the wooden table for treatment. It was hard to believe that the men who had caused so much grief at Four Corners, Bitter Creek, Sweetwater and Eagle Bend should end up so ignominiously after creating such a wave of terror.
"How's Josiah?" Mary inquired, having seen the preacher being led away by Nathan to his infirmary. She could only guess that he had been injured. Fortunately, he had been walking when they had departed so she assumed his injuries were not too severe.
"He's okay" Chris answered shortly, watching the mortician cover the bloody bodies with a white cloth that quickly absorbed the blood and left vibrant stains across its surface. Even though the rain had driven away most of the summer heat these past few days, the inside of the room felt icy cold and there was a smell to it that made his skin crawl. He did so hope that Ezra arrived with Julia Pemberton soon.
"Chris," Buck said coming up to both of them, looking even more ill at ease than Chris himself if that was possible. "If you don't need me, I'm going to get a drink." He cast a distasteful glimpse around his surroundings before meeting Chris' gaze again. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Go on," Chris gestured towards the door. "Mary and I will wait for Miss Pemberton to arrive."
Buck frowned, reminded once again that Ezra had made the conquest before he did. "You had to remind me." He glared at Chris good naturedly before sweeping out the door.
"What's that about?" Mary looked at Chris in question.
Chris had no intention of voicing such indiscreet behavior about Julia Pemberton to Mary, especially in this place, so he merely shrugged in a non-committal way. He was almost grateful when Julia and Ezra chose to enter the premises at that moment, followed closely by JD who was eager to be a part of the drama that would soon unfold when Julia identified the man who had tried to rape her.
"Are those the men?" Julia asked, looking at the bodies underneath the sheets a little daunted.
"That's right," Chris nodded. "Do you think you can identify the man you saw?" he inquired, knowing how delicate the dispositions of some women could be. Thank God the woman in his life did not know the meaning of the word.
Julia cast an uncertain look at Ezra, who nodded at her in some secret gesture of support that neither Chris nor Mary missed. Neither said a word at the time allowing the implications to slip past in light of the present situation. "I am certain you are up to the task Miss Pemberton."
Julia swallowed hard and took a slow step forward. The mortician stepped aside as she lifted the veil on all the dead faces lying in wait for her. To her credit, she held up well, even though her horror at seeing the corpses bloodied and broken was all too apparent in her wide green eyes. Ezra was always close at hand, ready to come to her aid, if aid was required. A few minutes seemed to stretch into eternity as Julia made her grisly inspection. When she reached the last body and gazed into its dead face, she let out a sigh of relief, grateful that the chore was now over.
She took a deep breath and came back to the group, forcing the revulsion from her face as she tried to forget the images of the faces she had seen, and knowing with certainty that it would not be dispelled for some time.
"Well?" JD asked first, as expected he would since he was the only one who still possessed the impetuousness of youth. "Was he there?"
She met Ezra's gaze wishing she could tell him what they wanted to know, but found herself compelled to tell the truth because those were the rules that Ezra had demanded of her and this was her first trial to prove that she could honor his love. Turning to Chris, she shook her head slowly.
"I'm sorry Mr. Larabee, the man I saw is not among the dead."
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