Chapter Nine

"Tig? You want Tig to keep an eye on me?" Leah asked with disbelief.

"Yes." Chase replied as he continued putting ammunition into a small sack.

"But he's crazy." she whispered as she peaked out the tent flap and watched Tig dancing around the fire and singing off key. It seemed from the clumsy movements of his feet that he had already been sampling those big ceramic jugs he liked to carry with him. She felt Chase as he moved behind her and he followed her gaze.

"He is a bit less than normal." Chase admitted and Leah gave him a droll look that had him smiling. "But he is loyal and will keep a good eye on you."

"But if you tell him to watch me then won't he know I'm special to you?" Leah pointed out. Chase sighed and walked back to the bag he had been packing.

"He already knows. Tig might seem as if he's not all there but the man misses nothing. I'm afraid I haven't been as good at hiding my affections for you as I had hoped." Leah sighed as she moved away from the flap.

"Why do you have to be gone for three days?" she asked with a pout.

"Because Boss doesn't ever do jobs close to where he has his camp." Chase replied simply. "Now I have to go, everyone is mounting up." he added, as the sound of men hooting and hollering reached their ears along with the snorting of horses. "You stay in this tent every second that you can while I'm gone. Keep your gun on your hip and your knife in your boot."

"Yes sir," Leah replied with a mock salute. Chase raised his brow and then shook his head. "I love you." Leah added, her voice becoming more subdued and somber.

"Take care of yourself." Chase said sternly, and Leah saw his throat bob up and down. His face was as hard as stone but he was hating this moment. It made her heart lighter to know he didn't want to leave her. He turned quickly and left the tent.

Leah pulled the flap back and watched him mount his big black stallion in one fluid motion. Without sparing a single glance at her, Chase rode off with the other men. Leah watched him go until she could no longer see him in the distance and then ducked back inside. She was relieved that Petey had gone with Boss as well. She wasn't worried about the other men here at camp.

Leah settled down on the cot with her old dress in her hands. It had been ripped and torn and she was going to sew it up so she could alternate her skirt and blouse with it. She couldn't wait until she could go home and get plenty of changes of clothes and a rose scented bath.

She thought about her mother, father and brother. Her mother would be terrified by Chase at first and horrified at the thought of her daughter being with such a man but her mother had a warm heart and caring spirit and given enough time she would accept Chase.

Chance would be a harder sell but her brother loved her and would respect her choices.

Her father on the other hand.... Leah sighed and looked up at the tent ceiling. Her father wouldn't be so easy. He hated Indians. He hated anyone who broke the law or lived outside of the black and white life he believed so strongly in. Her only hope was that her mother would be able to convince her father to see her point of view and give Chase the opportunity to prove that he was worthy of their approval.

She had only been sitting there thinking and sewing for five or ten minutes and already it felt as if it had been hours. She realized right then that this was going to be a very long three days.

***

"Alright boys there's our target and it's right on time. That rich bastard and his rich bitch are returning from a very long vacation and got all kinds of pretty little things worth money in that wagon to make us all very rich men." Boss said with a smile as the men lay on their stomachs on the edge of a ridge and looked down at the tiny dirt road and the large gold gilded wagon driving down it.

"Yancy, Red, Tee. I want the three of you to go down and bring that wagon to a stop. The rest of us will come down then and we'll get our payday so we can go on home."

"Sounds good boss." Yancy replied. The men slid on their bellies away from the ridge before rising to their feet. Chase watched Yancy, Red and Tee pull their bandana's up over their faces and slip away. He knew he could blend easier in the shadows though all the men were professionals at what they did and each of them could sneak silently without any sound to give away their position.

Chase heard a man shout a warning from the wagon and the wheels ceased their creaking as the wagon came to a stop.

"Well good morning." Yancy exclaimed brightly. Boss signaled with his finger and the rest of the men pulled up their bandanas and slipped down the hill.

"Who are you and what do you want?" A clean faced older gentleman in a fancy suit demanded as he poked his head out the fabric covered window.

"My names Boss and these here are my men." Boss replied as he propped his big rifle in his arms. "And we want your money, jewelry, food." Boss stopped and scratched at his arm. "Pretty much everything."

"I'm afraid you men are out of luck then because we don't have anything." the man replied, his top lip becoming slick with sweat that shone in the sunlight.

"Now, why would want to lie to us, pardner?" Boss drawled. The man disappeared back inside the wagon and the wagons driver cleared his throat from the seat.

"They got a whole trunk full of money and jewelry back there. Just get it and go on, I have to get this wagon back to the station by two or I'll lose a big chunk of pay." he stated, keeping his forearms on the long shot gun in his lap.

"Well aren't you a helpful little fella?" Boss asked with amusement. Chase rolled his eyes but remained motionless toward the back of the wagon. Boss insisted on doing all the talking during robberies and the man sure knew how to talk. Chase could have already had the money and been on his way back by now but Boss wanted to make conversation.

"Folks, why don't you step on out of that wagon now?" Boss asked and silence followed his statement. Seconds ticked by and there was no sign of movement.

"Red, go open that door and encourage our friends to come on out." Boss ordered. Red nodded, pulled his revolver and stepped up to the door. He turned to his side and jerked the door open only to have the sound of a shot fill the air and be sent sprawling in the dirt, bleeding freely from his chest.

Everyone ran for cover, including Chase who took his behind a nearby boulder. The driver snapped the reins to get the two horse team moving and Chase fired off a quick shot, sending a bullet through the rigging and causing the horses to trip up and stumble. He fired one more rendering the rigging completely useless and the wagon stuck.

The driver jumped from the wagon as shots filled the air both from the inside of the wagon and the outside. Chase was nearly hit when a bullet ricocheted off the boulder he was taking cover behind. He fired a blind shot and looked around the rock to see the driver of the wagon taking aim at him once again.
Chase fired first and took the man down. Boss and the other men had filled the wagon with bullet holes and there were no longer any shots coming from the inside.

"Hold your fire!" Boss shouted. The men did as they were ordered and as Chase reloaded the shots he'd fired, Boss stood and made his way slowly toward the wagon.

"They're dead!" he shouted and the men came out from the various places they had taken shelter. Chase approached the wagon just as Boss drug the dead woman's body from the wagon.

"She's a pretty one." Tee said as he rubbed his hands together. "And she's still warm." he added as he touched her cheek. "Do we got a little time, Boss?" He asked eagerly. Chase felt his stomach turn but said nothing. To fight for the rights of a dead woman would do nothing other than get him killed as well. This woman, rest her soul, was not worth dying for. Chase hadn't killed either of these people, their deaths were not on his conscience. All he wanted was the money to make his new start. The money to have his new life with Leah.

"You're a damn crazy ass but yeah we got time. Just drag her back behind them bushes so we ain't all gotta see." Boss replied as he stepped back into the wagon. Chase watched Tee drag the woman away and felt disgust fill him. Leah was right after all and he had never realized it until she had begun to point it out.

Chase was not like these men. They were quick to shoot, quick to kill, and they did unthinkable things to innocent, helpless victims. Chase had had no choice but to shoot the driver but the woman and man? They could have been disarmed easily enough by sending a man through the ceiling while other drew fire to the sides. Or they could have smoked them out by setting a fire below the carriage and forcing the people to leave the safety of its protection. Once outside this many men could have easily overpowered and disarmed one rich fat man and an old lady.

Chase didn't think he was above these men but he knew he was different and he knew he no longer belonged among them.

"Woohoo! That man wasn't lying boys! We got us a small fortune in here!" Boss exclaimed. Several men rushed forward, all vying for a glance.

"Let's get the goods off the road and into the woods so as I can divvy them up equally among you men." Boss stated. Chase pushed his way past the men who were more than happy to clear a path for him and grabbed the large chest in his arms. Without a word to anyone he set off toward the woods with Boss chuckling and grabbing what was left.

"I do believe that man's in a hurry." he stated.

***

Chase thought for certain that he would die from being forced to wait too long. Hours he had been waiting for Boss to finish splitting the treasure they'd found. So far Chase's pile had enough on it that he and Leah could build a home, buy all the animals and seeds they'd need, get everything they required to live on and still have plenty left over for years to come.

He was about to take what was there and leave the rest when Boss wiped his hands on his pant legs and stood up.

"Got it boys." he stated. One by one he called each mans name and each man filled his burlap sack with the money and goods that were his. Chase filled his own and tied it closed with a leather throng he had brought with him.

"Petey." Boss called out. Chase's head whipped up when Petey didn't respond. "Petey." Boss repeated impatiently. Chase looked around but saw the man no where.

"Petey left, boss." Yancy said matter of factly. "He's been gone since before we attacked those folks. Didn't you notice?"

"Well obviously I didn't or else I wouldn't have been picking out his portion would I?" Boss asked with irritation. Chase felt that knot in his stomach grow tighter and tighter. That bad thing he'd known was coming had just happened. Petey had gone back to camp, he was sure of it, and Petey had at least a four hour head start. Four hours was a long time and Leah was at the camp with only Tig for protection.

Chase didn't even realize he was running as he made his way to Blaze and hopped on the stallions black. With a yip and a yell he urged the stallion into his fastest gallop and hoped like hell he could cover some of the distance Petey had put between them!

***

A birdlike whistle drew Louisa's attention away from the robin she was watching peck at the dirt. Camp was fairly empty with nearly no men to entertain and time had been crawling.

She looked toward where the sound had come from and saw Petey's face peaking at her from behind a bush. Smiling with satisfaction that the man had finally arrived, she stood, smoothed out her skirt and walked into the forest toward the river.

It didn't take long for Petey to join her beside the tranquil water and he was practically bouncing with nervousness and excitement.

"How far ahead of Chase are you?" Louisa asked and Petey shrugged as he tapped his dirty fingers on the thighs of his stained brown trousers.

"That depends on how long it took him to notice I was gone. I rode all night without stopping but that stallion of his is quicker than my mare could ever hope to be."

"You'll have to make it a quick one then. I know you're more than capable of those." Louisa replied dryly and Petey's eyes flashed with temper and indignation.

"I never heard you complain!" he spat irritably.

"I was getting paid good money." Louisa replied with a shrug. "Now we've wasted enough time talking. It's time to set our plan in motion."

"What's the plan exactly?" Petey asked with a huff, clearly still upset by her brushed off insult.

"Don't worry about that." Louisa replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You just grab her when she least expects it, do what you wish with her and make sure she's dead by the time you're done."

"I still don't see how you're going to get her out here alone. I thought Tig was keeping an eye on her."

"I'll deal with Tig," Louisa assured him. She pulled her shirt down, exposing most of her shoulders and chest and sashayed away from him with her tiny hips swinging deliciously from side to side.

Petey hid behind a tree and undid his gun belt and pants. He needed to make sure he was good and ready for that little whore bitch of Chase's when the woman showed up.

***

Leah paced around the tent, rearranging and tidying up the already perfectly arranged and tidy interior. She could not seem to convince her legs to hold still.

Chase was due back today and she had missed him terribly. Leah decided to try to busy her hands by working on the braided leather band she was working on for her hair. Chase had one that he kept his hair pulled back with at the nape of his neck and Leah liked the way it looked.

As she wove the strands of leather together she thought about what it would feel like to be reunited with Chase. She thought about the love they would make tonight and felt herself tremble. She was still smiling like a fool when the tent flap was pushed aside and Tig entered.

"You're grinning like a cat caught in the cream, you are." he said with a knowing glint in his eyes. "You ain't thinking about a certain injun are ya?"

"I might be." Leah admitted with a smile. "Are they back yet?"

"If they were I certainly wouldn't be in here. No sirree! That Chase would scalp me for sure! Course I'd be sure to share my lice with him before he killed me." Leah shook her head as Tig scratched at his dirty blond hair.

"Are you hungry Tig? There's plenty of stew left from last night, I can warm it up...." Leah was cut off when Louisa entered the tent. Louisa had been unbelievably kind and friendly to Leah over the last few days. Leah was pleasantly surprised and hoped this was a sign that Louisa was over her jealousy. Leah was no longer jealous or worried about the woman and her past with Chase. It didn't matter what women had had his past because she was going to be the only one who had his future.

"Tig, why don't you leave the woman alone and let us ladies talk a while?" Louisa asked, batting her big brown eyes and flashing him a smile. Tig blushed beneath his beard and tipped his head.

"Yes'm." he said before quickly sleeping from the tent.

"I believe he's smitten with you." Leah said as she sat her braided leather down and stretched out her fingers.

"He's smitten with what I can do for him, girl, not with me." Louisa countered as she looked around the inside of the tent. "It's been a while since I've been in here." she added quietly. In truth she had never been in Chase's tent. He hadn't wanted to soil his personal space with her presence. Louisa hid her contempt from Leah and instead offered her a smile which Leah returned.

"The men should be returning sometime today." Louisa stated and Leah nodded.

"Yes. I'm glad. It seems as if they've been gone a very long time."

"Chase will be eager to spend some time with you." Louisa said offhandedly. "You should go down to the river and freshen up before he comes."

"I would love that!" Leah admitted. "But Tig follows me everywhere." she added with annoyance. Louisa grinned and tapped her long fingernail against her chin.

"You let me worry about Tig." she winked and then she slipped from the tent. Leah frowned and poked her head out. Sure enough Louisa was wiggling and laughing huskily at something Tig said and with only a small glance back at Leah's tent, Tig walked off with her. Leah shook her head.

Why did men only ever think with that one single part of their anatomy. She had learned that all the whores at camp had to do was give a little shake, wiggle or sashay and the men were all but tripping over each other to get to them. All of the men except Chase.

Leah saw his stern, handsome face in her mind and felt her heart beat a little faster. Deciding to take Louisa's advice and clean up before Chase arrived, Leah quickly left the tent. She went to she and Chase's favorite spot on the river, out of sight and hearing distance of camp.

She felt a chill run down her spine and glanced around her but saw nothing and no one that would have caused the feeling. Deciding it was just nerves Leah shrugged the feeling off and unhooked her gun belt from her waist. She tossed it on the bank and then slid from her boots, skirt and blouse. Wearing only her chemise she stepped into the river and went to the deepest pool, letting the cool water rise up to just above her waist.

The water was cold since the nights were still quite chilly but it felt good to know she was washing away the dirt of the last few days. Thoughts of Chase's strong body, his rough hands moving over her soft skin, his black eyes gazing deep into hers and seeing her soul had her body heating up nicely and she no longer noticed the coldness of the water.

She sunk beneath the water and then rose quickly, tossing her hair back and sending droplets flying through the air. She ran her hands over her hair and then down her body. She was about to sink into the water again when a breaking stick had her covering herself and turning quickly.

"Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?" Petey asked with a lust filled grin as he stepped out of the woods and into view. Leah felt panic fill her. She glanced toward the bank, and her gun, but Petey stepped in the way, blocking her view. Leah realized with shock that he wore no pants and was naked from the waist down, though his shirt was long enough to hide the grossest part of his anatomy from her gaze.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, little one. That goddamn savage ain't here to protect you this time."

"W...What do you want?" Leah demanded, cursing her quivering bottom lip that was a dead giveaway to her fear.

"I think that's pretty damn obvious." Petey replied with a sneer and Leah's eyes flew down to his hand which was busy caressing his large arousal. Leah felt bile rise in the back of her throat and she fought desperately to swallow it back down.

"You like what you see, princess?" he asked with a slow drawl as he started toward her.

"Chase will kill you." Leah hissed as she walked backward over the slick rocks beneath the water.

"Not before I get what I want from you and then choke that pretty little neck with my bare hands." Leah lost all pretenses of bravery then. She let out a desperate cry for help and turned to run. The slippery rocks hindered her escape and before she'd made it to the opposite bank Petey had her arm in his hand.

She fought against him but he yanked her hard and she fell on her butt in the shallow water. The impact caused her teeth to clamp together and she bit her tongue roughly, tasting blood.

"You sure look pretty in that little thing you're wearing... I like your tits. All big and full." Leah gagged and then looked down at herself, realizing that her thin chemise had been rendered see-through by the water.

"Please don't do this..." Leah gasped and Petey laughed roughly. He grabbed her by the hair and drug her, kicking and screaming, toward the bank.

"Let me go!" Leah screamed as Petey grabbed her wrists in one hand and pinned them to the ground. He pushed her legs apart with his knee and braced himself over her.

"I like it when they fight me." he growled. Leah clamped her eyes shut as her sobs filled the air. Petey's breath was warm, moist and it smelled of the tobacco he loved to chew. His lips were dry and papery as they touched her cheek. Leah felt his throbbing arousal pressing against her most tender flesh and she fought more desperately but just as uselessly.

***

Chase felt every ounce of his blood rush to his head and burn red hot when he heard Leah's cries for help and pleas for someone to stop. He didn't need to see what was happening to know that Petey was touching his woman. Petey's dirty hands were touching the one and only thing in Chase's life that was pure, true and all his.

Chase jumped from his horse and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him through the woods. He came upon the sight of his woman being pinned to the ground beneath Petey's body and an animalistic roar escaped his lips.

Petey didn't even have time to turn before Chase was on him. Chase grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him off of Leah. Petey's body flew through the air, landing in the water with a splash and a cry of pain.

Chase pulled his knife from the sheath on his leg and stalked toward Petey the way a mountain lion stalks a baby deer just before he strikes.

"Chase... I..." Petey stuttered. Chase's lips pulled back in a snarl and he lunged at the man. He picked him up from the water by the hair and stared down into his frightened blue eyes.

"I told you I would feel your blood on my hands." he growled and then he slid his knife slowly across Petey's trembling throat. Warm blood instantly coated his hand and soaked into his shirt sleeve. Chase watched the life fade from Petey's eyes and then tossed the mans body aside.

"Chase..." Leah's frightened voice took Chase out of the predatory state of mind that he'd been lost in and he quickly put his knife away and turned to her. She was laying half in the water and half out. Her pale skin was already bruising from Petey's rough treatment and her green eyes were wide with fear as tears streaked her face. Her thin white gown was see-through and streaked with mud.

Without a word, Chase slipped off his vest and shirt. He took her by the hand and pulled her to her feet on trembling legs. Chase slipped his shirt around her shoulders and then pulled her body into his.

Leah was trembling as she buried her face in his chest and sobs shook her body. Her fingernails dug into his bare back as she clung to him and Chase realized that he could no longer tell if it was her trembling or his own shivering that was wracking their bodies.

"He almost... He almost..." Leah gasped against his chest. Chase felt relief fill him at the word almost. He held her tighter and kissed her hair.

"I'm here now, Leah. It's okay now." he assured her, just as much as he was assuring himself. He held her for a long while in that river until her tears finally began to subside. He sensed the motion behind him just before the gun cocked.

Chase pulled Leah tighter against him and waited for the shot that would take his life, though he knew not who it was being fired by.

"Get your nasty, savage hands off of my sister." A man's voice ground out from behind him. Leah stiffened in Chase's arms and then peeked around him.

"Chance.......?"

***

"Leah, it's okay now. I'm gonna get you out of here. I won't let that damn savage touch you anymore." Chance vowed coldly. Leah saw her brothers features tense and the tendons in his hands flex.

"No!" she exclaimed as she jerked from Chase's arms and jumped in between Chance's gun and her man. She kept Chase's shirt wrapped tightly around herself in an effort to hide her ruined chemise from her brother. Chance instantly lifted the gun, taking the sights off his little sister.

"Foolish woman!" Chase growled as he turned and stepped in front of Leah.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him kill you?!" Leah demanded, feeling her bottom lip trembling. There had been entirely too much stress in the last twenty minutes of her life and she could feel herself completely breaking down.

"Yes You are never to come between me and a loaded gun. Is that clear?" Chase ground out, never taking his eyes off of Chance. Chance seemed a formidable man. He looked to be around twenty-six years of age, the same as Chase. He was tall, broad, muscled and clearly used to dealing with danger as his face showed no fear, only confusion.

"Leah, come away from that animal. It's time to go home." Chance stated.

"No." Leah replied with a sniff. "His name is Chase and I won't leave him."

"What are you saying?! This, man, kidnapped you!"

"No he didn't!" Leah argued but as usual her brother wouldn't really listen. As usual with the men in her family he thought he could just shut her up by talking over her.

"Do you know what this place is? This is an outlaw camp! There are bad men here, Leah, no good ones. Look at you! Did this savage try to force you?!" Chance demanded as he once again trained his gun on Chase's chest. Leah jumped in front of Chase again and heard him grumble but she didn't care.

"You're wrong, Chance! You and father are always wrong about everything! No Chase did not force me to do anything! He saved me!" Leah exclaimed as she pointed at Petey's dead body bobbing with the current in the water. Chance followed her gaze and his eyes narrowed as he looked back at Leah.

"Leah, I'm only gonna tell you one more time to step away from that animal and come on home with me." he said coldly. "If you won't listen I'll just have to force you to do as I want."

"You will try." Chase growled.

"I'll come home when I'm ready to." Leah added, her stubborn streak shining through as she stuck up her chin. "And I'll bring Chase with me."

"You mean you've been here by choice?!" Chance demanded incredulously.

"Nearly the entire time, yes." Leah replied, squaring her shoulders.

"You spoiled little bitch!" Chance exclaimed with a mixture of outrage and shock. "Do you have any idea what this has done to mother and father? What it's done to me? We thought you were dead and you've been shacked up at some outlaw camp and rutting with all the men here?!" Leah felt the pain from her brothers insult deep inside her heart. She was rendered completely speechless and barely noticed when Chase stepped in front of her, though she did notice that he was vibrating with rage.

"You will not call my woman a bitch unless you want to lose your tongue. And she has not rutted with anyone. She is mine and I have protected her."

"Not good enough apparently." Chance countered, sparing a glance at Petey's dead body. "And I'd rather she rut with that man than with a man that's barely more than an animal. The only good savage is a dead savage." Leah knew it was her brothers voice but those were their fathers words, drilled into her brothers head for his entire life.

Leah heard Chance's gun cock again and her heart stopped beating in her chest. Why wasn't Chase defending himself? Why didn't he pull his own gun? Why was her brother doing this to her? Leah couldn't let Chance kill Chase She loved her brother but he was being cruel and Chase was her soul. She couldn't let him be killed.

"Chance stop it! I love him!" she cried out as she jumped around Chase. Chance's finger squeezed the trigger just as Leah jumped and with Chase's roar or panic echoing in her ears, Leah felt the bullet slam into her side. The pain was too much for Leah and her world quickly went black.