Echoes of the Heart (30 page)

           
Crying
out in pain she stumbled beside him through the open doorway, a foot caught her
dress ripping it from the waist.
 
He
reached down, tore the loose fabric, letting her skirt fall to the floor.
 
He covered her mouth and she bit him again.
 
With the back of his hand, he struck her full
force across the face then stuck a gag in her mouth and tied her hands in back
with a kerchief.
 
The other man brought
their horses to the rail.

           
They
mounted then he pulled Raeden across the saddle stomach side down knocking the
air out of her lungs.
 
She continued to
struggle while they made their retreat toward the stockyards then loping into
the grasslands.
 
To Raeden’s dismay, no
one followed allowing them to escape unnoticed.
 
Fear welled inside at the enormity of her predicament while tears formed
from the searing pain in her shoulders when they pulled back further as he
tightened his grip on her coupled wrists.

***

Cash and John
trailed the men until their hard driven mounts required rest.
 
They halted, allowing the animals to catch
their breath and drank from canteens.
 
Cash walked the area searching for sign on the rocky ground.
 

           
“We
should be close, Cash.
 
They didn’t get
much of a head start.”

           
Cash
kicked up dust with his boot.
 
“They’ve
been riding hard, too.
 
They will have to
stop soon.
 
Let’s pace ourselves.
 
We should catch up just after nightfall.”

           
The
stony ground appeared to cover their sign but Cash had no difficulty following
their trail.
 
When it neared dark, he
dismounted and squatted down forearms on knees.
 
Twirling the ends of the reins in his fingers, he studied the trail then
stood.

           
“Their
horses are beat.
 
It won’t take long
now.”
 
He pulled the revolver from its
holster, spinning the cylinder, to check the loads.
 
“We’ll just wait here ‘til dark.”

           
John
threw his right leg up over his horse’s neck and slid to the ground.
 
“I’m sure glad you know where you’re
going.
 
How can you track in the dark?”

           
A
hint of amusement curved his mouth.
 
“Just takes practice, I guess.”

           
The
horses picked their way across unsteady terrain at a slower pace due to the
darkness.
 
Cash halted the filly and
dismounted, signaling John to keep quiet then approached him and whispered.
 
“We will walk in from here.”

           
“Walk
where?
 
I don’t hear anything.”

           
“You
will.
 
Follow me.”

           
Only
a barely glowing sliver of moon hung amongst the stars, peering through the
darkness to aid their approach.
 
Cash led
the way and not long after the sound of voices cut through the dense night air.

           
When
the sounds grew louder, both men pulled their weapons, quietly dropped to their
bellies and elbows to creep the remaining distance between them and the
thieves.

           
The
glint of a bottle flashed when it passed between them, each guzzling a deep
chug.
 
They spoke in low voices holding
up the satchels.
  
Cash whispered to
John.
 
“It’s your call, buddy, whenever
you’re ready.”
 
Cash had plans for John’s
future and wanted him to take over while he watched his back.
 
The glimmer of white teeth flashed from
John’s smile.

           
Guns
at the ready, both men stood.
  
John
called to the group.
 
“You’re under
arrest, boys.
 
Just take it easy and no
one will get hurt.”
 
They scrambled to
their feet in surprise, one man almost stumbling, attempting to maintain his
balance.

           
John
stepped closer, eyes trained on their faces.
 
“We don’t want any trouble; just toss your guns slow and easy.”

           
Two
of the men using only a thumb and one finger slowly eased their guns from their
holsters then tossed them aside and stood looking dumfounded with their hands
in the air.

The last man,
apparently the leader, hesitated.
 
“I
don’t know if I want to, Marshal.”
 
In
the blink of an eye, his gun cleared leather, John and Cash both fired into his
chest.
 
He fell with a thud, his body
convulsing in the throws of death while the other two men stared with wide-open
eyes.

Cautiously, John
approached the fallen man while Cash kept his gun trained on the others, kicked
the gun from his hand and checked his pulse.
 
“He’s dead.”

Cash’s stare never
left the men’s eyes.
 
His voice held a
proud note.
 
“Looks like you got yourself
some bank robbers, John.”

They rode behind
the men who walked at gunpoint back to their horses. With their wrists
handcuffed behind them in the saddle, they went back for the dead man’s corpse
and tied him securely across the remaining animal’s back.

With their catch
in tow, Cash and John rode through the night.
 
It would near dawn before they arrived in Chamberlain.
 
Neither wanted to stop and make camp, increasing
the risk something unforeseen might come about during the night.

***

Dangling over the
horse’s neck, Raeden had managed to loosen the ties around her raw wrists.
 
Tortured from the ride, her body ached all over
and the lather from the horse soaked through her dress.
 
The odious smell of the man mixed with wet
horseflesh finally made her heave.

           
The
rider pulled to an abrupt stop and jumped to the ground.
 
Raeden’s petticoat billowed upward when he
yanked her, but steady feet held while she stood, hands still working the
restraints.
 
She didn’t want to show
fear, but felt horrified at the thought of what they might do and hopelessness
crept in clouding her mind.

           
“Jesus
Christ, Horace, she spewed all over me.”
 
Horace folded over laughing.

           
He
grabbed her shoulders in a vice-like grip.
 
Carrion breath washed into her nostrils while she faced her attacker,
making her nauseous.
 
A driving blow from
her bare foot connected at his groin.
 
She shoved him backward dropping the restraint where he once stood.
 
Raeden spun, bolting through stones, piercing
the flesh of her feet as she ran, fearing nothing in the night as much as the
two men holding her captive.

           
Not
looking back, panic ran rampant in her veins at the sound of boots jogging
behind.
 
Her head snapped back when a
hand yanked her hair nearly pulling her down.
 
She gnashed his hand breaking through to tendons and gouged his eyes
with her nails.
 
The blunt force of a
blow to her face knocked her to the ground.
 
Her head struck a boulder and miniscule stars
blinked across her eyelids.
 
The warm
sensation of blood streamed from a gash on her head.

           
Horace
laughed at his partner while wiping blood from his face with the sleeve of his
filthy shirt.
 
Horace held out a bottle
of cloudy brown liquid after sucking down a portion.
 
They both rolled with laughter, ogling Raeden
with lecherous glares.

           
Another
swig sent fluid running from the sides of his mouth, dripping down his unshaven
face.
 
Snarled oily hair stuck from
Horace’s hat.
 
His villainous stare raked
over Raeden as she struggled to her feet and fell back unable to stand.
 
“Looks like she ain’t goin’ to be fightin’ us
no more.”

           
“She’s
only slowin’ us down.”
 
Lester’s face
contorted with anger.
 
“My horse ain’t
doin’ too good with two of us ridin’.
 
Mehbe we should just teach her a lesson and leave her here.
 
She’ll make a nice meal for some poor hungry
critter.”
 
His mouth spread in an evil
curve showing teeth missing then spit tobacco juice on the ground.

           
Raeden
came to her senses and tried again to stand but fell on her hands and knees
then attempted to crawl, anything to get away.
 
“It sounds like a good plan.”
 
Lester pounced on her back smashing her to the ground.
 
She heard a bone snap in her arm and screamed
in agony as he tore off her remaining clothing leaving her completely exposed.

           
Raeden
screamed out her protests.
 
“Get off of
me.
 
You’ll be sorry for this.”

           
Both
men laughed while Lester grabbed her broken arm to flip her over. She yelled
out and began kicking again, swearing obscenities.
 
Another blow to her face split the skin over
her brow bone.
 
Horace moved in to hold
her while the disgusting vermin dropped his trousers.
 
Her cries reached no one on the vast prairie.

           
He
dropped his knees on her chest breaking ribs.
 
She could barely breathe.
 
He held
her good arm over her head while Horace spread her legs allowing easy
access.
 
His hardness drove into her dry
unyielding recess, tearing soft flesh as he ravaged her body and soul.

           
Breaths
came in short gasps.
 
She nearly fainted
while he kept pumping harder and faster until finally spent.
 
Revolted and sick, she turned her face to
breathe avoiding the odious scent from his body, her mind still on escape.

           
Horace,
apparently aroused by the rape, took his place.
 
Too weak to fight any longer, she quit struggling and lay quiet while he
had his way.
 
Worse than the first, he
plunged deep, determined to hurt.
 
She
could see into his hate-filled eyes as he pawed at her flesh.

           
He
slapped her then squeezed her throat so tightly she nearly fainted before he
released his grip.
 
When he stood, a
shooting pain ran through her abdomen doubling her into a fetal position.
 
Her arms curled around her middle and
uncontrollable sobs intensified the pain in her chest.

           
The
men continued to chuckle.
 
Horace kicked
her back with his boot.
 
When she cried
out, their faces contorted with laughter.
 
They drank more whiskey then took her again before they sped off leaving
her helpless on the freezing cold ground. She prayed for death.

Thirty-seven

           
Diane
woke with a start, sensing something wrong, jumped from her bed and ran
barefoot down the hall.
 
She found
Raeden’s room empty, the bed not slept in.
 
She scurried downstairs, hoping her asleep on the divan.
 
When she could find no sign of Raeden, she
tore back upstairs calling for Mike.

“Wake up,
Mike.
 
Raeden’s not back.
 
We need to go check the store.”

He jumped out of
bed, they dressed in a hurry, saddled horses and rode as fast as the darkness
would allow.
  

The lights shining
from the windows at the store brought instant relief until they found the door
wide open and the mess inside.
 
Diane
darted through the store calling for Raeden, returned to see Mike, his face
scored with panic, holding the shreds of her dress.
 
She grasped a lantern.
 
They both hurried outside and found signs of
two horses and a struggle.
 

Diane snatched a
rifle and charged to her horse, swung into the saddle and the horse moved out
before her feet reached the stirrups.
 
She yelled back to Mike.
 
“I’m
going for Chad;
we can all go out and search.”

She barreled the
short distance to the jailhouse and noticed a rider in the distance.
 
It’s
Cash
.
 
Speeding past the marshal’s
office, she continued through town waving the rifle over her head, calling out
Cash’s name.

***