T'on Ma (29 page)

Lana didn't want to reopen the previous night's discussion, so she went into the kitchen to start breakfast. Her hands shook as she tried to measure out the coffee beans. They spilled across the counter and bounced along the floor. Frowning, she reached for the broom to sweep them up, but Liam came over and took it from her hands.

"I'll get this. You go ahead with the coffee."

"All right." Her second attempt was successful, and coffee soon boiled on the stove. Breakfast was a quiet time at the table, but noisy in the compound. Lana felt that the sawing and hammering would drive her crazy.

After breakfast, Liam rose to go to work. He kissed Lana's cheek rather than her lips. "I'll be home for lunch," he told her as he left.

Ignoring the dirty dishes, Lana walked to the window and looked out. Soldiers scrambled around, many without shirts, carrying lumber and saws and ropes and planes. A distraction. She needed a distraction to get her through the day. But what?

Perhaps she could go foraging like she did at home. She picked up a basket and a knife and went to tell Liam where she was going. After that, she walked away from the fort and out into the wilderness, looking for rosehip bushes or wild onions or anything she could find. It didn't matter what she gathered, as long as she was away from that noise!

To some extent, her plan worked, but she had to be back to fix Liam's lunch. That meal was as strained has breakfast had been, with neither of them saying anything of importance. After Liam returned to work, she tried sewing and then reading and then making pies from some berries she had gathered. Keeping busy helped, and she could almost tune out the workmen's noise. But, late that afternoon, a new noise took the place of hammering - a noise that sent a deadly chill down her spine - the noise of the gallows' trap floor being tested.

That did it! She had to do
something
to save Two Hawks! She
had
to! Biting her lip, she wondered what one woman could do among so many watchful soldiers. Lana wandered from the kitchen to the living room and the bedroom, looking for an idea, any idea. She walked to the front window and then to the back, searching. Then a light came to her eyes. Maybe. Just maybe she had a plan, but it relied on luck as much as anything else.

Stepping outside, she strolled across the compound toward the gallows. As she walked, she inspected the ground. In a few minutes, she found what she was looking for - a bent nail. Smiling secretively, she put it in her apron pocket and hurried home.

After dinner and after sundown, Lana told Liam that she had a headache from all the noise throughout the day and that she wanted to turn in early.

"I understand," Liam sympathized. "I'll try and be quiet so you can rest."

"Is that game still going?"

"Game?"

"Yeah. The one from last night."

"It's still going. Why?"

"You could go there for a while until you're ready to turn in. It would certainly be less boring than sitting here being quiet."

"You wouldn't mind?" he asked, surprised.

"Not tonight. Really."

"All right. I'll only lose ten dollars. Tops. I promise." He smiled when she smiled at that. Perhaps, after tomorrow, after Two Hawks was 'gone', things would ease up between them. Kissing her once quickly, he grabbed his money and headed to the game. Lana blew out the lamps, plunging the house in darkness, and walked to the front window, watching Liam cross the compound. When he was inside his friend's quarters, she put her plan into action.

After changing quickly into her nightgown, she twisted her hair up into a high bun. Next, she pulled on Liam's uniform shirt and trousers over her gown, and then she put on his cap. Making sure the bed covers were turned down, she took the key to the stockade off his key ring. She raised the back window and carefully looked around. To her relief, no one was in sight. She climbed through the window and pulled it almost closed before she checked again for the sentry. One had just reached a far building and was turning the corner. Scurrying behind Officers' Quarters, Lana ran from shadow to shadow until she made her way to the back of the stockade, where she knelt, watching again for the sentries.

Still kneeling in the shadows, she spoke in Kiowa in a low voice. "Two Hawks?"

Nothing.

"Two Hawks? It's me."

"Water Woman?" he whispered back.

"I'm here to get you out."

"All right. How?"

"I have a key to unlock the door. You unlock it and give me back the key. Wait for a little while before you escape so that I have time to get back home."

"I unlock the door. Give you the key and wait."

"Yes."

Hearing a soft noise, he looked at the bars and saw her hand waving a large key. He took it from her. "Do you have horses?" he asked.

"No. You'll have to steal some."

"All right."

"Also," she continued, "leave this nail on the floor by the door when you go."

"A nail? Why?"

"There's no time to explain. Just do it."

"All right." Two Hawks reached out a second time and took the bent nail. With the key and nail in his possession, he motioned to his band to be still. Going to the stockade door, he checked for guards. One stood at the other end of the stockade with his back to them. Two Hawks slipped his hand through the bars, quietly unlocked the door and then placed the nail just inside. When he came back to Lana, he simply dropped the key to the ground beside her.

She had planned to leave quickly, but couldn't go without seeing him. Checking over her shoulder for the sentry and seeing none, she stood up. Two Hawks stood just inches away, his strong face in shadow.

"I love you, Water Woman." His hand reached through the bars to caress her face.

"Still? After all that I've done?" She held his hand against her cheek.

"Yes. Always."

"I love you so much - but I have to stay with my husband."

"For now."

She couldn't risk staying any longer. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, my heart."

He watched her slip away, wishing he could take her with him. It wouldn't be just his escape. It would be theirs. Even though she hadn't said, he knew she was in her own prison - a prison without bars. All those dreams of her crying in the night had told him so.

Lana hurried home, slipped in through the back window and closed it like it had been before she left. Taking off Liam's uniform, she carefully put it away, and put the key back on the ring. Her heart raced, her throat felt dry. She needed to look like she had been asleep. Unpinning her hair, she slipped into bed, willing herself to calm down as she mentally went over all of her steps. No, she hadn't forgotten anything.

Several minutes later, an alarm sounded. Lana heard the sound of shots and of men yelling. "The prisoners are escaping! Stop them!"

Lana closed her eyes tightly, hoping Two Hawks wasn't hurt. The sound of hooves thundering crossing the compound filled the night. Lana's heart jumped to her throat.
What had she done?
Had she sent Two Hawks to his death tonight instead of in the morning?

Somehow, the Kiowa got away, though one guard was severely wounded in the process. The melee that ensued was noisy and confusing.

When Liam heard the cry go out that Two Hawks had escaped, the tiniest suspicion leapt to his mind. Liam rushed into the house, looking for Lana, and was relieved to find her home, in bed.

"I suppose you've heard," he said excitedly.

She rolled over to look at him. "I heard a lot of shooting. What happened?"

"Centas Yi - all of them - have escaped." He hurriedly changed into his uniform and grabbed his keys.

"What?"
She sat up, hoping she looked sufficiently surprised to be believable.

"I've got to go. I don't know when I'll be back." He stopped long enough to give her one quick kiss.

"Be careful," she called after him.

And that was it. Liam once again chased Two Hawks across the high plains of Texas. Lana fell back against her pillow, worried sick over both of them.

While giving Lana enough time to return home, Two Hawks thought about his next step. Then, drawing his warriors into a tight circle, he quietly explained his plan. It was good that Ft. Worth had no walls around it. There would be no gate to open.

The eight braves were ready. As soon as the sentry faced away and began rolling a cigarette, one of them snuck out the door and picked up a manacle hanging from the stockade wall. With a huge effort, he struck the guard on the head with the leg iron, knocking him unconscious. They quickly dragged the soldier into the stockade, where he was stripped of his uniform. Within two minutes, a Kiowa donned the uniform and resumed the guard's position outside the prison.

From his vantage, the new 'guard' checked for all the other sentries. At his nod, the first warrior stepped through the door and sprinted, bent low, toward the corral, hiding among the horses. A few minutes passed before a second warrior safely made his way to the corral and knelt by his horse. Soon, all the prisoners were free, had picked out their horses, and waited. They didn't need bridles or even halters. Their horses were trained by knee commands, which made the escape easier.

The new guard casually strolled toward the corral and unfastened the gate. Throwing off the hated uniform, he jumped on his horse and, at that signal, all eight made their getaway, sending their horses flying across the compound, stampeding the others with them.

They hadn't gotten far when a shout went up and gunfire filled the night.

"Ride!" Two Hawks yelled.

After twenty minutes of hot pursuit, Two Hawks gave the hand signal and all eight warriors split up, running in eight different directions. In the dark of night, let the bluecoats find eight trails of men who left no trail!

As Liam and his men gave chase, the fort commander began asking a lot of hard questions of the Officer of the Day. The Kiowas' escape had been too easy. It didn't take long, though, for them to find the bent nail by the stockade door.

"I imagine they used this to pick the lock," the officer reasoned.

"But where'd they even get a nail?" the commander asked.

"That wouldn't have been difficult," the officer shook his head. "There are nails everywhere from building the gallows."

Satisfied with that explanation, the commander decided against any further investigation. Two Hawks wasn't the only one who had just had a narrow escape.

Liam returned late the next afternoon, tired, hungry and mad. "Well, we didn't get them," he announced as he slumped onto a dining chair. "I suppose you're happy about that."

"Oh, honey, don't. Please." Lana handed him a glass of beer. "I'm happy that you're safe and here with me."

"Really?" He sounded skeptical. "Even though you love someone else?"

"Liam, I love
you
." She touched his face. "I always worry about you when you're away, but this time, I almost made myself sick. It was too dangerous."

To prove her point, she sat on his lap and kissed him. Pulling back to look at him, she saw hope in his eyes - hope that she was telling the truth. She leaned in again and kissed him slowly, provocatively, sliding her hands around his neck. At first, he let himself be kissed, but after a moment, he began to respond, his hands moving around her waist, his lips sensuously kissing hers.

"I've told you this once before," he said. "Don't kiss me like this if you don't mean it."

"Oh, I mean it. I
love
the way you love me, Liam. I
need
the way you love me."

She had done all she could for Two Hawks. Now she needed to do all she could for her husband. What she needed to do for herself didn't matter. Not any more.

Taking Liam's hand, she led him to their bed. She sat him down and began unbuttoning his shirt. Wordlessly, he watched her, needing her to love him, to heal his heart from its doubt and worry and fear. Lana straightened up to stand in front of him, and took down her hair, shaking it loose around her shoulders and down her back.

Kneeling, she took off his boots, then unfastened his belt and pulled off his pants as she reassured him. "Liam, don't ever doubt that I'm here for you." Standing back up, she seductively removed her clothes, letting him watch as she revealed more of her body, from her shoulders peeking from under her camisole, to her breasts, her navel, her hips, her long legs.

Pushing him back on the bed, she straddled his lap and leaned forward, her hair falling against his chest. "You are the only man who has ever touched me. I need you to touch me now." She placed his hands on her breasts while she sat straight up, closing her eyes, offering herself to him.

Liam watched her, knowing she was loving him the best way she knew how. He wondered if it would be enough. If he had any pride at all, he should walk out, refusing to be anyone's second best. But when it came to her, he was shameless. Second, third, or fourth best. It simply didn't matter.

As if suddenly making up his mind, he moved his hands to her waist and jerked her against him, rolling her underneath him. Not waiting for her, he took her - hard - desperately - needing her so much that it frightened him. Lana lay beneath him, holding him, letting this be just for him. Finally, spent, he laid his face against hers and whispered in her ear, "You win. Whatever you want. Just don't leave me."

When she looked into his eyes, his joy was gone. "Oh, Liam, no!" she cried. "Look what I've done to you. I am so sorry." She held his face, covering it in kisses while she cried. "I need you to be happy.
Please
be happy." Her tears broke his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

Two Hawks thundered across the plains, leading his raiding party back to their summer camp. It wouldn't be safe to stay there very long, but he needed to let his family know that he was all right. With every mile that passed, even with soldiers in pursuit, he felt his spirit grow lighter. Talking with T'on Ma, hearing that she still loved him, brought joy back into his eyes. Nothing else mattered to him now. They would be together. He didn't know how or when, but he
knew
it would be so.