Chapter Text
Push shove, a little bruised and battered
Oh Lord, I ain’t coming home with you
- The Dead South, “In Hell, I’ll Be in Good Company”
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Wyoming, August 3, 1872
***
The rolling prairie stretched out in all directions, the mountains looming high in the distance. The sun beat down, the endless heat of August soaking me through with sweat. My hat keeps it out of my eyes, but doesn’t help with the sweat. The old wagon rumbled beneath me as the first sight of Athena came into view. Calling it a town would be an overstatement, but it was a relief to see it after hours driving the wagon. Almost home at long last.
The squat wide form of the saloon and the peak of the church roof were the first buildings to come into view, the only ones in town with a second story. The pillars of the community, mirrored by the people who run them. Nahla Ake owns the saloon and along with it half the town. She’s a wily old bitty, but she keeps things running and is the only reason the town can afford to pay a sheriff. Ezekiel Kelrec is the town preacher. Town gossip holds that Preacher-man has asked Miss Nahla to marry him on three separate occasions. From what I hear, she’ll tell him yes when she decides to retire and give the saloon to one of her girls. I’d put money on it going to Genny Lythe. Miss Nahla already has her running the general store in town.
The long road continues and then the post office can be seen. The handful of little houses around the town center come into view. The saloon blocks the view of the general store from this angle.
I drive to the back of the general store and start unloading. Miss Genny steps out of the back of the store. Her blonde hair is pulled into a practical braid, but she’s wearing a broad brimmed men’s hat and trousers, which says she’s been dealing with bullshit in the hills instead of minding the store all day.
“Any problems, Reymi?”
“Shipments were all in order, Miss Genny, but there were some troublemakers at the train station poking around.” She makes an irritated little click with her tongue. “I double-checked inventory. They didn’t swipe anything.”
“Thanks, Reymi. You seen any of them before?”
“Nah. No familiar faces there. I take it the Rals were causing trouble today?” I grab one of the crates and haul it inside. The temperature drops to an almost pleasant one inside the store.
“You’re not as stupid as you look.” I turn to look at Dee Zolo, as she gives me a nasty smile. She’s in trousers too, iron still strapped on her hip. She lounges in one of the rocking chairs that Miss Nahla bought years ago and Miss Genny has never managed to sell.
“Did you need something or you just here to slow down the work?” I sneer at her as I say it.
“I need more bullets. You think you can unload that crate for me or is that too complicated an ask?”
“Dee, don’t be nasty.” Miss Genny chides her as she hauls in one of the bags of flour from the wagon. “If you’re gonna be a problem, you can wait outside.” Miss Zolo raises her hands in surrender. “Better yet, you wanna stay in here, you can help us unload.”
“Gen, don’t be mean. I’ve been riding all day.”
“As if I haven’t. As if Reymi hasn’t been driving the wagon for goddamn days to get to Cheyenne and back. Don’t give me bullshit, Dee. You want your bullets, you can unpack the crate and get the rest of them put away for me.”
“Long as I don’t have to go back outside, I’ll help.” She gets up, and I drop the heavy crate at her feet with a resounding thud. She scowls, and I head back outside to grab more boxes to bring in.
As I’m unloading the wagon, I can see the Mir brothers riding into town. Well, they say they’re brothers. Other than both being black, they don’t look anything alike. Could be that they’re half-brothers, but I doubt it. A man can live with his brother in the middle of nowhere and no one asks questions that two men living alone like that might otherwise raise. I wouldn’t judge, except that Caleb Mir is a fucking prick, and Jayden Mir could do better if he wanted to shack up with someone out in the hills. The sheriff would quit his job and run cattle with him in a heartbeat, for one. I don’t think I could manage to say no myself.
They aren’t big time ranchers themselves, just a dozen or so head of cattle, but they run the herds on the cattle drives each summer for Old Man Vance. They got back a week or so ago, flush with cash, and are tending their little farmstead out in the hills once again. They’ve built a nice life for themselves, the kind of life most folk came to Athena to find.
Jayden gives a nod at me as they ride past. Caleb gives a big smile and a hat tip to Miss Genny and pretends I’m not standing here. I keep unloading the wagon.
Miss Zolo shelves more than just the bullets, so Miss Genny gives her a honey candy to go with her bullets. When I finish unloading the wagon, I set up behind the counter, and the two of them head across the way to the saloon.
I tend the store on my own for what remains of the day. Jayden comes in to trade a couple jars of honey for a bag of flour. Holloway comes in to buy cornmeal and oil. Mostly, I just sit behind the counter. I close up shop at sundown and take the lockbox and sales ledger over to the saloon.
Miss Zolo and Miss Genny have changed into their working dresses. Samantha Mill stands behind the bar pouring drinks, but takes a moment to grin and wave at me as I come in. I give her a smile and nod in return, but go straight upstairs to Miss Nahla’s office.
I knock, but don’t wait for her to answer. She knows what time it is and that I’m coming. Laura Thok sits next to Miss Nahla, going over the books with her. Miss Nahla in the same low-cut style dress all her girls wear. Miss Laura is in a full men’s suit, despite the heat. They look up at me as I come in. Miss Nahla gives a warm little smile. Miss Laura does not.
“Nice to see you home, Reymi. How’d the supply run go?” Miss Nahla’s voice is as warm as her smile, and it’s no wonder she owns this town with the way she can make a person feel like there’s no such thing as trouble.
“Nothing to worry about, ma’am. Shop’s restocked and we can keep on going for a few more weeks.” I hand over the lockbox and the ledger to Miss Laura. She opens the lockbox and empties it out, taking its contents to the hefty safe in the next room. She gives me a little look that on any other face would be disdain, but is the closest she can manage to a thank you for the likes of me.
“Good. Go have a nice night then, Reymi. Not too nice a night though, tomorrow’s a milling day. Need to prep that next batch of whiskey. And can you check if Sam needs another barrel brought up before you have your nice night?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I head back downstairs. Jevetta Reno pops her head out of the kitchen as I cross by the door. She’s got her apron on over a buttoned shirt and men’s trousers.
“Reymi, you eaten dinner yet?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Figured. Come on, kid.” She pulls me by the arm into her domain and sets me down at the little table off to the side. She drops down a plate of pork ribs with cornbread and greens. I can tell the cornbread and the greens are from the rejects that she didn’t want to serve the paying customers, but the ribs are perfect. “Don’t fuss at me about the burned bits, just eat it.”
“Miss Ake asked me to check if-“
“It’ll wait until you’ve eaten something, kid.” I can’t help but smile at her, as she goes back to the clatter and bang of her kitchen duties. I eat, letting myself relax. I do my best to keep my head down around town, but I always feel safe in Reno’s kitchen. When I finish eating, I bus the plate for her.
“Let me know if you want an extra pair of hands to clean up later.” I say as I head back out of the kitchen, and she shoots me a quick smile as she hurries on with her business. I know she’ll ask when the time comes. Back in the saloon itself, I head to the bar.
“Hey there, Darren. Water or whiskey tonight?” Sam gives me her broad smile, and I smile back, slipping into my best attempt at being properly friendly. It’s easier with her than most, but I’ve never been good at it. Sam’s my favorite of the saloon girls, easy going in a way the others aren’t.
“Water’s fine, Sam. Did you need anything brought up from the basement?”
“No, hon, I’m all set, which I guess means you’re actually done working for the night.” She pours me a glass of water. It’s not exactly cold, but it still helps with the heat.
“I offered to help clean up in the kitchen at the end of the night.”
“Glutton for punishment, you are.”
“Maybe so.” She gives a laugh at that, but then moves off to deal with a paying customer.
Cameron Sadal sidles up next to me as I sit sipping water, whiskey already in hand. Cam manages the post office and is somehow better liked in town than just about anyone. He gives me a gentle little grin as he takes the seat next to mine. He’s the sweetest man I’ve met, and the dearest friend I have in this little town.
If he weren’t so madly in love with Sam, I’d ask him to run off into the hills with me and pretend to be my brother. Probably for the best that he is.
“How was the supply run, bud?”
“Quiet. Hot as hell out there, though.”
“Too right. T says there’ll be a storm tomorrow, so with any luck the heat’ll break.” Cam’s sister, Teresa Sadal, is witchy as they come and never wrong about a storm. She’s set up in a corner, reading people’s cards while she sits in their laps. She claims it’s part of the reading, but mostly it’s so they’ll spend more coin at the saloon. The girl works hard for Miss Nahla. Don’t we all.
“With any luck.” I echo his sentiment absently. “Any news worth hearing?”
“Trouble in Montana’s still going. People are going full crazy looking for diamonds near the Colorado border, but no one’s actually found any more yet.”
“Bet it was a scam anyway.”
“Around here, the Rals tried to make a run at Vance ranch, but sheriff and old man Vance drove ‘em off before they could get any of the unbranded cattle. Sheriff put together a little posse and chased the Rals through the hills for a bit. We’ll see if they learn anything from it.”
“Doubtful.”
“A body can hope.” Sam comes back over and pours Cam a new whiskey. The two of them start chatting about some book they’ve read. I turn to watch the saloon. Caleb and Miss Genny are playing poker with some of the hands from Vance Ranch. The sheriff and Miss Zolo are playing darts while Jayden watches them. The sheriff keeps touching Jayden’s arm whenever they say anything to each other. Miss Teresa is leading someone upstairs. Normal night in Athena.
Then Reverend Kelrec comes in. He keeps his head down and his hat on, moving straight to the staircase and up into Miss Nahla’s office, never lifting his head or acknowledging anyone. After he goes into Miss Nahla’s office, Miss Laura comes out. She looks annoyed, but no more than usual.
When the kitchen closes, I help Reno clean up and then head out. As I’m headed down the street, I feel a strange unease, like someone’s watching me. I stop and look around. I see something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn to look, I’m knocked on my ass. Caleb Mir looms over me, stumbling and drunk.
“What the fuck, Reymi?” He looks down at me like this is my fault somehow.
“You knocked me over, Mir.” I’m up on my feet, shoving him away from me. He stumbles back a little. “What’s your problem?”
“You!” He growls it out, shoving me back hard. He squares up, but he’s too drunk and he’s swaying where he stands. The fight goes out of me. I could knock him down so easy. The idea of doing it makes me feel pathetic.
“Go find your brother and sober up, drunkass fool.”
“You go find my brother. I don’t need him.” He stumbles where he stands.
“You don’t mean that, Mir.” His eyes don’t seem like they can fully focus on me.
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t need nobody.” He lurches forward, falling against me again. I brace this time and manage to keep him on his feet. He leans on me heavily, reeking of whiskey. “Never needed nobody.”
“Sure, Mir. Whatever you say.” He’s in no state to get on his horse, let alone get home. “You know where your brother that you don’t need went?”
“Went off with the sheriff. He’s gonna have a good night.” No wonder he’s shit-faced if Jayden’s stepping out on him right in front of his face. I feel bad for the prick.
“Right then. Let’s get you somewhere you can lay down.”
“Don’t wanna. Don’t need nothin’ from the likes a’ you.”
“If you say so.” I let him go, and he thuds to the ground.
“Fuck you, Reymi.”
“You want my help or not, asshole?” I glare down at where he’s trying to stand back up.
“No.” I start to walk away. “Maybe…” I turn back, and he’s got himself propped up enough to be sitting on the ground. I walk back over to him.
“Can you get up on your own?”
“Course.” He fumbles around for a bit, trying to get his feet under him. I reach down a hand, and he takes it reluctantly. I pull him up, and he manages to stand, leaning on me again. “Why you bein’ nice?”
“Who said I was? I’m just getting your stupid ass out of the street before you knock anybody else down. You do that to one of Miss Nahla’s girls, and you’d be banned from town.”
I help him over to the general store and take him into the storage room where my little cot is. I lay him down on my cot. He looks up at me with his big eyes and pouty lips.
“Why you always act like that? Makin’ me feel like I’m covered in shit every time I see you.”
“Just shut up and go to sleep, Mir.”
“Where you from, pretty boy? Why you like that?” He mutters the words as he falls asleep.
I lay down on the floor next to the cot, making sure that there’s no way he can get up without me knowing. Miss Nahla would roast me alive if I let some drunk cowhand have free roam of the shop in the middle of the night.
When his movement wakes me, the pre-dawn light filters into the tight room through the slats on the window. He sits up in the cot with a groan. Even in the dim light, he looks a bit green around the gills.
“If you throw up in here, you ain’t allowed back in the store.” I growl out the words at him.
“Then you better get outta my way so I can throw up outside.” He eases up slowly, stepping over me gingerly. I get up quick to hustle him out the back door. He promptly vomits, and the air fills with the acrid stench. “You mind if I get some water?”
“S’fine. I set up a rain barrel.” I grab the old barrel and dump some of it out to wash away the worst of his vomit. He dips his hands in, splashing the water on his face and sipping some of it then spitting a few times. “You feeling steady enough to head out?”
“Yeah. I… I don’t remember how I ended up here.”
“Your brother went off with the sheriff, and you started falling down in the street.” I expect him to flinch when I mention what he said about Jayden and the sheriff. He smiles instead.
“Did he finally? Good. He probably won’t notice I didn’t make it home then.” He looks over at me. “Did I try to get in a fight with you? You look a bit scuffed up.”
“You tried. Mostly you fell down.”
“Right. No harm then. I’mma get gone.”
“Right.” He walks away, not a word of gratitude or apology in sight.
Fucking prick.
I try to go back to bed, but the cot stinks of Caleb’s sweat and whiskey. I take the cot outside and set it up to air out during the day. I sweep out the shop and then head over to the saloon, where Reno’s got breakfast going. Miss Genny heads over to open up the store.
I spend the morning in the basement of the saloon grinding down malt into grist and setting it up in the big steel mash tun. I am sweat-soaked and half exhausted when Miss Laura and Reno bring down the hot water. We steep the mixture for a while before skimming out the draff from the wort. I haul the draff out of the basement and set it up in barrels to take over to Vance Ranch later. Reno makes sure I eat something before I load the barrels into the wagon for delivery and set off.
Vance Ranch is two miles out of town, an easy drive. As the wagon trundles through the hills, the horses seem skittish. I don’t blame them. Dark clouds loom overhead, and the wind is strong. Storm’s gonna hit soon. I pick up the pace to make sure I can get the wagon over the creek before the rain starts. If the storm is bad, the creek could become impassable without warning. If it’s bad enough, flash flooding could sweep through the whole valley where the creek runs. Maybe I should’ve asked Miss Teresa to read my cards last night.
By the time I make it to the ranch, the rain’s already started. Some of the hands help me unload the wagon fast, but the storm’s getting worse, so Missus Vance insists I wait it out before heading back to town. I unhook the horses and take them to the stables. A quick rubdown has them both acting calm enough. I sit in the stable with them as the storm keeps pouring down.
When the storm breaks, I hitch the horses back up to the wagon and head back to town. The trail’s a mess, and the creek is deep enough that I have to lead the horses across. About halfway to town, the wagon gets stuck in the muck. I’d be grateful for the break in the heat from the storm if I wasn’t sweating away in the mud.
As I work to free the jammed wheels, I get a paranoid sense of being watched. I scan the hills, but don’t spot anyone. I consider briefly how I could just unhitch the wagon and ride off with the horses. Sell one of them a few towns over. Head further west. Maybe go to Canada. Maybe there’s somewhere I can go that feels far enough from who I was before I came to Athena that I stop feeling like I’m being watched.
I put it aside. Nowhere would be far enough. Might as well stay where I’ve got it good for as long as I can. I get back to getting the wheels loose. I manage to get one free enough that it spins, but the other’s still held fast.
I hear the hoofbeats before I see the horse. Someone’s coming from Vance Ranch. I stop trying to get leverage in the mud and watch. Caleb Mir comes over the hill on his Appaloosa. He rides up, big asshole grin on his face.
“Looks like you’re havin’ a bit of trouble, Mister Reymi.”
“Maybe so. Think you could give me a hand, Mir?”
“I don’t know, Mister Reymi. It seems like you’ve got it handled.”
“I slept on the floor last night, so I’m not exactly feeling my best today.” I glare at him. He laughs, but dismounts.
There’s a fair amount of grunting and pushing, but we get the other wheel free. I get back in the driver’s seat and get the wagon moving again. He rides along next to me, keeping pace even though he could easily overtake me.
“What were you doing out at the ranch?” I break the silence of our ride, feeling uncomfortable that he’s stuck with me.
“Checkin’ if they’d had any flood damage. I don’t mind doin’ some repair work for a bit of extra goodwill with the Vance family. They keep me and Jay-den goin’. We couldn’t make it out here if we didn’t do their market drives.”
“How’re you and Jayden doing? After last night, I mean…”
“Fine. Why?”
“I ain’t stupid, Mir. That man ain’t your brother. And you told me he went off with the sheriff.”
“And you’re oh-so-concerned ‘bout me?”
“Just seeing if you’ll end up stealing my bed again tonight with your drunkass antics.”
“You’re wrong. Jayden’s not my blood, but he’s my brother through and through. If he and the sheriff get to knockin’ boots, then good for them.”
“So you were just drunk as hell for fun?”
“Yeah. For fun.” He’s so obviously lying. I don’t know why I’m even bothering to push him for information. I don’t care about the fucking prick. I don’t want to know his story.
“Liar.”
“Fuck you, Reymi.”
“Buy me a drink first.” He makes a little choking noise, like I caught him off guard.
“Don’t go makin’ me any promises.” He pulls ahead, overtaking the wagon and riding off to town.
When I pull the wagon into town and unhitch the horses, Miss Laura comes out of the saloon to greet me. Well, to speak to me at any rate.
“You’re filthy.”
“Wheels got stuck in the mud.”
“I can see that. You’ll need to bathe.”
“I was going to clean the horses first.”
“I can’t see how you could in the state you’re in. You’ll just get them dirtier than they already are. No. Go bathe. I’ll see to the horses.” She shoos me away.
I hustle off to the back of the general store to where I set up a few rain barrels in preparation of the storm. I get a basin full of water, a rag, and a washboard. I strip down. I start with rinsing the muck off my clothes, scrub them with the board, then hang them out to dry. My body is less filthy than the clothes, but I don’t have a spare change of anything, so I might as well do a full wash while I wait for my underclothes to get dry enough to be comfortable.
Miss Genny gives me a little whistle from the back door of the general store.
“You need something, Miss Genny?”
“I could give you a hand if you wanted, Reymi.”
“I can’t afford it, Miss Genny.”
“Don’t be like that, Reymi. I wouldn’t charge you. It’s not like Miss Nahla’s holding Cam Sadal accountable for all the time he spends with our Sam.”
“That’s different and you know it. If Miss Nahla started charging Cam for all that, Sam would quit and marry that man. I start doing something with any of you, and Miss Nahla starts docking my pay. Unless you’re saying you’re madly in love with me and just can’t hold yourself back anymore.”
“Hardly.” She rolls her eyes.
“Didn’t expect so.”
“Sometimes, you’re the least fun person I know.”
“Only sometimes, Miss Genny?” She smiles at that.
“I’ll leave you to your business then, Reymi.”
“That’s kind of you, ma’am.”
“Don’t ma’am me.”
“Why not? You’re probably two years from Miss Nahla becoming Missus Kelrec, and then you’ll have to be ma’am, because everybody knows you’ll be the new boss.”
“Laura’s gonna be the new boss.”
“Miss Laura doesn’t wanna be the new boss.”
“Then Jett’ll do it.”
“Reno will set fire to everything and everyone in this town before she agrees to be the new boss.”
“It won’t be me.”
“You might be more fool than me, Genny Lythe.” She scowls. “You want it, don’t you?”
“Yeah… I do.”
“Then stop fussing at me about it not happening. It’s gonna.”
“Hope you’re right, Reymi.”
“Just hope you keep me around when you do.”
“We’ll see, Reymi. Might need you to start working the saloon with the girls if I’m not on the floor anymore.”
“I don’t know if the dress’ll look as good on me as it does on you.” She laughs.
“I’m sure you’ll look a peach, Reymi.” She goes back in, grin on her face.
I start rubbing myself down with the rag, pouring water over myself occasionally to rinse off. When I finish up, I put back on my still damp clothes, but go on into the backroom of the general store barefoot. I spend a while cleaning my boots until Miss Genny comes into the back to let me know she’s closing up shop. I follow her out, heading over to the saloon with her. We grab dinner in the kitchen before she heads upstairs to change into her fancy dress. I set up at the bar in my usual spot.
Caleb Mir sits in Cam’s seat, and I feel like the world’s gone wrong.
Sam comes over, all big smiles.
“What’ll you be having, Caleb?”
“A whiskey for each of us, Sam honey. I’m buyin’.” He gives a big grin and bumps my shoulder with his. My neck feels warm.
“Sure thing.” She smiles wide, but her eyes meet mine for a moment, a question unspoken directed at me with that look. I don’t have an answer for her.
“What’re you up to, Mir?”
“Figured I owe you for not just leavin’ me in the dirt last night.”
“So this is you saying thanks? I figured helping me dig out the wagon would be enough.”
“You sayin’ you don’t want the drink?”
“Depends on what strings are attached to it.”
“You’ll have to sit with me and drink it.”
“Pretty hefty string.” He laughs, which I didn’t expect. Sam brings over the drinks.
“You can always walk away if you want.” He picks up his glass and looks at me. I take the other glass. He tilts the glass at me and takes a swig. I follow suit.
“You got a plan here?” I give him a sideways glance as I ask.
“Never had a plan in my life.”
“Sounds right.”
“Decent day back?” He noticed I had gone to Cheyenne. I didn’t think he paid that much mind to my comings and goings.
“Making whiskey, delivering shit in the rain, getting stuck in the mud. Coulda been worse.”
“Coulda been stuck for longer.”
“Too right. What’d you get up to?”
“Lotta nothin’. Jayden brought the sheriff home with him so they could talk about fuckin’ farm and garden bullshit. Vance didn’t need shit from me. Helped a pretty idiot move a wagon. Came into town.”
“Pretty.” He lets it hang there between us for a beat.
“Maybe just an idiot.” He corrects himself.
“Sounds right.”
“You have a nice bath?”
“Were you looking?”
“You wish.” He taps the side of his boot against mine.
“You fucking were.”
“Maybe so.” He taps his boot to mine again, lingering in the contact for just a moment.
“What are you trying to get out of this?”
“You know a lot about how people behave to avoid awkward questions. Only people who notice shit like that are the kind who done it themselves. Or at least thought about it.” He taps my boot again, but this time his calf presses against mine for a moment. He’s warm. So’s my face.
Cam’s hand slaps down on my shoulder, and he’s suddenly right there between us, big grin on his face. He has been drinking. A lot.
“Doc Zimmerman’s coming to town. I have a list if you want him to stop by and see you or your animals or whatever.” He slaps a piece of paper down on the bar in front of Caleb. He’s leaning heavily on me.
“Thanks, Cam. Everything’s fine at the Mir homestead.” Caleb gives him back the piece of paper. Cam leans in closer to me, loudly whispering in my ear.
“I think I’m gonna ask the doc about Sam, buddy. About, you know, me and Sam. I know he’s not her dad, but he kind of is, and I… I think I’m gonna do it.” Big brown eyes looking at me with all the pent up joy in his heart.
“You said that last time.” I can’t help myself. His joy falls down on its poor little face.
“But I mean it this time.” Earnest and wanting, trying to rally himself back to excitement.
“You meant it last time. You should do it this time.” Slightly better, but I still can’t seem to just be encouraging. I can’t seem to just be supportive, even when I want to be.
“Maybe you should tell Sam you’re gonna ask the doc.” Caleb whispers it loudly as well, pushing in so that all three of our faces are close together. The light flares up in Cam’s eyes again. “She won’t let you chicken out about it.”
“Smart. That’s smart, man. You should be nicer to him, buddy. He’s smart.” Cam grins at me, and I’m so deeply irritated as Caleb looks me in the eye when Cam says I should be nicer. Cam slips away from us, drunkenly grabbing Sam by the hand and slipping off into the kitchen with her.
“Hear that? You should be nicer to me.” He hasn’t backed away, his whole body inches away from me.
“He meant you’re a smartass.” I look away from him.
“That’s not nicer.”
“I’m not good at nice.”
“I bet you can be.” His hand is on my thigh. “I bet you can be the perfect little angel when you’re feelin’ motivated.” I’m blushing, and I want to punch him square in the jaw. I get up from my seat, lurching away from him.
I walk away fast as I can, slipping out the door and into the dark of the night. I can hear him following me. I don’t look back.
Then I see the glint of something catching the light in the dark. A man steps out from the shadows. Balding and bearded. Grizzled, like he’s been through more than his fair share. And his gun is drawn.
“Braka.” Caleb hisses from behind me.
“There’s my little fish.” The grizzled man grins. It’s only after he speaks that I realize he’s not here for me.
“Reymi, you should go back inside.” Caleb’s voice sounds strained, scared.
“I don’t think that’s your call, little fish. Last I checked, I’m the one with the gun. How about you and your friend come along quietly?” A pair of men step out of the shadows to join the gunman.
“You don’t need him.”
“Yeah, but it seems like you’re invested, little fish. I guess I could just shoot him, but that’ll get a crowd coming out here, which is exactly what I’m trying to avoid. Nah, I think you’ll both come with us quietly, don’t you?”
The gunman’s henchmen move on us. I look at Caleb, and he’s cooperating, so I follow along. They tie us up and drag us off to get shoved in the back of a wagon. They’re rougher with us than they need to be, pushing us around and knocking me over than dragging me up a few times. The wagon rumbles off into the darkness.
“You ok?” He whispers to me, and I can feel him wriggling around on the floor of the wagon against me.
“I’m all right. You?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He wriggles against me, and I can feel the ropes grinding against me.
“Hold still a second.” I move up a little so I can get my fingers on the ropes around his wrists. I start feeling the rope, trying to figure out how it’s knotted. I can’t get leverage, struggling to find any part of it that can get pulled. “Damnit.”
“Move up a bit. See if I can do somethin’.” I squirm around on the floor until I can feel his fingers pushing against my bound wrists. He fumbles against the ropes for a while, not having a better time of it than I did.
“Who are these people, Mir?”
“Christopher Braka. Probably getting helped by the Rals. He used to run with them back in the day.”
“Why’s Braka want you?”
“Dunno.”
“Why do you hate him?”
“He killed my mama.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, Mir.”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Still. Let’s kill that bastard and go home.”
“Love it. Any idea about these fuckin’ ropes?”
“Only a bad one.” I squirm around until I roll over so that I’m facing him.
“Reymi, what are you doin’?” I wriggle my way down in the cart.
“Move up for me.” He manages to get a bit further up. I bite down on the rope, gnawing at it. “This is gonna take forever.” I resume biting the rope.
“This is not the position I thought I was gonna get you in tonight.”
“Fuck off, Mir. You weren’t getting me in any positions tonight.”
“Liar. If we hadn’t been interrupted, you’d be on your back under me right now.”
“How ‘bout I just let these worthless fucks kill you?”
“Hey now.”
“Stop being a prick. This is unpleasant enough.”
“Sorry.”
“You better be.” I go back to chewing on the rope.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just…”
“Maybe just shut up while I do this?” He finally does. I manage to break a few cords of the rope. It seems like there are goddamn dozens, and my teeth hurt. This was a terrible idea. I keep working at it as the wagon rumbles on.
My arms and back ache from the position I’m stuck in. Eventually, I hit something soft with my teeth, and he flinches away.
“Sorry.” My jaw aches terribly. He strains against the ropes, and I hear a snap.
“S’fine. You managed it.” I can hear him undoing his bindings from his hands and shifting around. He starts pulling at the ropes on my wrists, and as the pressure releases my arms start to burn. I start to undo the bindings on my ankles. Once we’re free, I lift the edge of the wagon cover enough to get a peak outside.
They’re driving the horses hard, but the starlight on the prairie shows me where we are. A familiar road.
“We’re halfway to Cheyenne.” I whisper to him.
“How many of them on that side?”
“Two over here, one trailing.”
“Two more on this side. Can’t see if there’s anyone in the lead.”
“Plus the driver.”
“At least six.”
“Right. You go for the driver. I’ll go for the one trailing.”
“Reymi, you’re gonna get shot.”
“It’s hard to aim when all you’ve got is starlight to work from. They don’t have any lanterns.”
“Yet.”
“Just stick to cover and try to spook their horses. When we don’t have guns, chaos is our friend. And if you get hold of a gun, remember that I am out there with you. Please don’t shoot me, Mir.”
“Right.” In the shadows of the wagon, I can’t see his face, but I can hear the hesitancy in voice. I can’t tell if he’s nervous for me or unsure of himself.
“Time to move.”
“Good luck.”
“Yeah, you too.”
His hand is suddenly on my collar. He pulls me to him, and there’s a moment of discomfort as our faces bash against each other in the dark. Then he manages to line us up and kisses me. It could be the last time anybody kisses me, so I go for it.
“Thought so.” His voice is just a whisper against my lips when we part. If we were in a different situation, I’d punch him in the mouth.
“Asshole.”
“Don’t die.”
“I’ll do my best.” There’s a tension in the air like he wants to say something else. I roll out of the back of the cart instead of waiting.
The ground comes up hard and fast, but I roll with it. The rear rider’s horse whinnies and shies away. I vault off the ground, leaping onto the rider. I fumble the hit, slamming against the horse’s side, but it’s enough to knock him off. I haven’t tried a maneuver like that in too long, and I’m too out of practice to pull it off properly.
I manage to roll out of the way as the horse wails and dashes off. I scramble across the ground to the fallen rider. He’s already starting to get up, but I’m on him before he can manage it. His hands move to his weapons, but my hands are on his head and I slam it down against the ground as fast and hard as I can. There’s a crunch. He stops moving.
I feel in the dark and find his knife. I can hear the rest of the Rals shouting and wheeling their horses around. There’s the sound of a flint being struck, and I can see the flash in the dark as someone’s trying to light a lantern. I throw the knife. There’s a pained shout and the lantern hits the ground, igniting the grass. The horse lets out a wild scream, rears, and gallops away. The rider hits the ground, landing right in the burning prairie.
He’s distracted, so I get to my feet, and run to him. He’s screaming about the fire. I get his gun off his belt. He tries to wrest it from me, but being burnt distracts a man, and I get back a pace. Enough to shoot him. He stops struggling. I knock his body over to smother the flames before they start to spread.
A new rider wheels towards me, and I race for the wagon to try to get some cover. Caleb must have loosed the hitch, because it’s not moving and I can hear the horses barreling away.
A gunshot rings out. I look towards where it came from, but there’s not enough light to make it out clearly. There’s a chorus of shots then. When they die down, I can hear Braka shouting, trying to get the Rals to get organized. I look towards his voice.
He’s still got his horse under control, so he’s either a better rider than most of these fucks or his horse is used to this shit. He’s alone. And then he’s not. A big body comes flying out of the dark towards him, vaults onto the horse with him and gets him in a choke hold. Caleb. They tumble off the horse’s back as I see the glint of a knife in Braka’s hand.
I break cover as I see the knife get plunged into Caleb’s side. Caleb lets loose of the choke hold, rolling back. I have the gun against Braka’s head before he can get up. He falters as he feels the press of cold iron.
“Hey now, let’s talk this through.” His hands are open and spread, but I don’t trust him. “Little fish, tell your friend to back off.”
“Why the fuck should I?” Caleb’s voice is strained, but I don’t dare take my eyes off Braka.
“Don’t you want to know what happened to Anisha? Don’t you want to know where your mama is?”
“You fucking killed her.”
“Is that what Nahla told you? You can’t trust that woman, little fish.”
“And he can trust you?” I cut in. We can’t keep going like this. I don’t know how many Rals stuck around, but I only killed two, which is not nearly enough to safely have this conversation.
“Ah, don’t be like that, friend. I never lie to anybody.” Braka grins at me.
“Shoot him.” Caleb says it quiet, but I do it without hesitation.
Caleb eases to his feet slowly.
“Wait here.” I circle the wagon, doing a quick check. Wagon driver got knocked out but is still breathing. Another Ral got crushed under his own horse when someone must have shot the poor beast. The others must have fled. The wagon horses are still dragging the wagon hitch, but they’ve already tired themselves out, just panting and skittish now. Braka’s horse shied away when Caleb and Braka fell off, but didn’t go far. The other horses are out of sight. We’re safe for now.
When I get back to Caleb, he’s pulled off his shirt and undershirt, and is using Braka’s canteen to clean the wound. Based on how he hisses when it hits, Braka wasn’t carrying water, but that’s better for cleaning the wound anyway. I go to Braka’s horse and fish out a lantern and flint. Once the lantern’s lit, I look over Caleb’s wound.
“Doesn’t look too bad, Mir.”
“Feels like shit.”
“Let’s get it bound up. That’ll help. Maybe Doc Zimmerman will be in town by the time we get there.”
I check Braka’s bags for a clean cloth, then use Caleb’s undershirt to tie it tight. There’s a moment in the flickering light where my hand rests too long on his chest, where our eyes meet. I push the thought away, and focus on getting him back up in the wagon. I get the hitch back in place and tie Braka’s horse to the wagon, so she’ll stick with us. I get the wagon wheeled around and head back towards Athena.
“You know where we’re going, Reymi?”
“I make this trip every month, Caleb.”
“I guess you do. Darren.”
“What’re you gonna say to Miss Nahla when we get back to town?”
“That you killed Braka.”
“Blame it on me then.”
“You did shoot him.”
“Yep. What about the other thing?”
“Dunno yet. If my mama’s alive and Nahla Ake knows something… I just don’t know.”
“I… I’ll help if I can. Just let me know what you wanna do.”
“Thanks, Darren. Maybe you’ll let me buy you a drink again tomorrow. Or tonight I guess.”
“Only if the doc says you’re ok.”
“I’m tough. Don’t worry about me.”
“You got stabbed.”
“Guess I’m not as tough as you.” He didn’t see the men I killed, but I know he’s got a question that he’s not saying. A question about how many men I’ve killed.
“Guess not.”
He leans his head on my shoulder as the wagon trundles back home, the big bulk of him weighing heavy against me. He falls asleep like that, and I let him rest.