A/N: I'm sorry Slim isn't getting much screen time, but I absolutely LOVE writing Jack's character, and interactions between the Harper brothers. So this will be another Slim-less chapter... don't worry, he'll have a much bigger part soon. :) Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
"Hey."
The dark head lifted sharply, accompanied by a grunt of pain. Jess inhaled sharply, letting the breath hiss out through clenched teeth. That was Jack's voice, jarring him into clarity. Dadgum, he must have drifted out of it again. "Mmm?"
"I said 'when's the last time you ate'?" Jack's tight smile didn't completely mask the spark of concern in his eyes. "Your stomach sounds like a wounded grizzly."
Right on cue, another loud growl rumbled Jess's insides. "I... I don't know, it's been..." Brows knitting in confusion, he trailed off, intently concentrating on the floor. How long had he been there? He'd reached Creston late Thursday night, and had planned on eating in the saloon... "Thursday, 'round noon. No, that ain't right. Casey gave me a strip of jerky prob'ly six hours or so 'fore you got here. I been given water every now and then, too."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Jess, it's Saturday morning. Been almost two full days since your last square meal."
"If coffee and burnt beans counts as a square meal," Jess mumbled tiredly. "I ain't all that hungry, some more water'll do me just fine."
Skeptical eyebrows raising, Jack refrained from a concerned reply. He answered instead with a small smile, steadily working at his bonds.
Jess roughly cleared his throat, swallowing thickly against mounting thirst. "Jack..." The word sounded harsh and grating, spoken from a bone-dry throat. "Are you gonna go along with Ansem? You gonna help him with this robbery?"
"Of course he is. Aren't you, Jack?"
There it was again. That slow, callous voice that could make a man's skin crawl like nothing else. Words seemed to roll off the outlaw's tongue like acid. He seemed to be more ghost than man, moving inaudibly and appearing almost out of nowhere.
"How about some water for my brother, then we'll talk?" Jack had mastered the art of facial expressions; his hardened poker face never wavered, copper gaze resting coolly on his ex-leader.
A yellowed grin was turned Dover's way. "Give the gunslick some water," Ansem ordered pithily, amusement lacing his tone.
Jess swallowed again, this time out of uneasiness rather than thirst. Something in Ansem's tone, the look that passed between the two, didn't sit right with him.
Dover filled the water-dipper and reached toward Jess. "Here, friend. Have a drink."
A flick of the outlaw's wrist, and lukewarmth washed over the younger Harper's face, running down his neck and under his collar. He sputtered, choleric with indignation, and shook water from his eyes. The defiant set of his jaw drew callous laughter from the outlaw foursome.
"When I get loose, Ansem, I'll kill you with my bare ha-"
"Jess."
One word was enough to silence the hot-blooded Texan, to quell his red-hot temper. Jack's tone was stern, but quiet, catching the attention of the whole room.
"Give him a drink of water."
Ansem's tongue ran thoughtfully over his teeth as he mulled over the elder Harper's demand. Some of the heartless pleasure drained from his glittering black glare. "Alright," he conceded warily, hesitant to give his prisoner too much power. "Water, then we talk a deal."
Jack nodded curtly. "That's right."
This time the dipper was brought to Jess's lips, and refreshing liquid coursed over his dry lips and tongue. He glared sullenly upward, regarding Dover with contempt.
"Now can we talk?" Ansem's arms folded across his chest impatiently.
"Far as I'm concerned, there ain't no more talkin' to be done," Jack spat bitterly. "I'm out, Ansem."
Glittering black eyes rested, unblinking, on the elder Harper's face. "I won't take no for an answer."
"Why can't you pull this off yourself? It ain't about the money... this is about me, ain't it?" Jack clenched his jaw, repressing the ire that rose up inside of him. "You just can't stand that I got away from you."
The outlaw leader regarded Jack without expression for a long, silent moment. "I might've let you go. That is, if I'd had the dough from the heist to soothe my anger. But that robbery where you deserted? We had a haul of forty thousand packed into those saddlebags... but then you had to go and deliver that money right back to the sheriff on your way out of town." Ansem's tight-lipped expression darkened. "So the way I see it, you owe me forty thousand dollars."
"Maybe I don't see it that way," Jack replied wryly. "Maybe I'm not convinced you'll let me go after I've helped you with this job."
Casey snorted, nudging the ex- gang member with the toe of his boot. "Well maybe you don't got a whole lotta choices here, Harper. If you wanna stay livin'-"
"Shut up, Casey." The outlaw leader's chilling glare leapt from Jack to Casey in the blink of an eye, silencing him instantly. His gaze slid downward, resting once more on his former safe cracker. "You always were a smart one. No, I won't let you go after this job, 'cause while forty thousand was all you stole from me... well, there's interest."
"Y'know what, Ansem? I ain't interested in your heist. You can go ahead and kill me... that's what you aim to do anyway, eventually, ain't it?"
"Maybe so." Ansem's jaw tightened, anger defining his features. "But not yet. I need you, Jack. But your brother... I'm afraid he's too much trouble too keep around if you won't cooperate."
Jess eyed Ansem's underlings with a note of satisfaction, watching them struggle to contain their jabs and snide remarks, unwilling to risk falling out of their leader's good graces. He, on the other hand, was already on Ansem's bad side; he didn't have much to lose. "Don't go along with him on my account. I'd just as soon die today as I would tomorrow."e, He
"Jack." The outlaw leader's tone was almost a purr, the name hatefully rolling from his tongue. "I'm sure you remember that bank holdup two years ago, in Laredo?"
The words had an immediate effect, subtle as it was. Recognition seemed to jar him in his seat; Jack's eyes widened a fraction before he regained control of his expression and hardened his features once more. "I remember," he grated.
"So you remember what I did to that bank manager when he wouldn't open the safe for us?" Ansem's wickedly pleased smile widened. Jack's nod of affirmation didn't seem to satisfy him. "Go on, Harper. Tell your brother what happened."
"Ansem broke his hands." Jack met Jess's eyes coldly, repressing the fear that threatened to well up and spill over. "Smashed 'em with his gun butt."
Knife-sharp apprehension struck Jess square in the chest. His heart beat like a bat out of hell, pulsing in his ears. Ansem, you sadist... just you wait. I'm going to enjoy beating the life out of you.
"See, Jack... the man had to be punished because he refused to follow my orders. You've openly defied me, despite my earnest threats against both you and your brother." Ansem's eyes flashed. His hand brushed leather, calloused fingers stroking his holster. "Lucky for you, I need your hands in top condition, or you're of no use to me."
"Yeah, real lucky." Amber eyes rolled, casting their dark gaze downward.
"Tell me, Jack, what would a gunfighter do with a ruined gun hand?"
Raw fear spiked through the sandy-haired man's chest, drawing his piercing glare straight ahead. Dover and Casey had already begun to move, loosing Jess's right hand and pinning it to the table beside him. Casey's stranglehold reduced struggles to a minimum, and Dover leaned on the muscular forearm for all he was worth.
Muscle bulged in Jess's arm, veins standing out in his neck. The stock of Hank's rifle was poised to strike when a sharp demand split the air.
"Ansem! Stop!"
A hand raised sharply, and all stilled.
"Yes, Harper?" Satisfaction was evident on the outlaw's face, gleaming in his shadowed eyes.
"...Alright."
"You're weak, Harper. You know that?"
"Sure, Ansem." The words were ambiguously flat. Gold and black lingered, the mutual stare lasting moments longer, then Ansem turned on his heel and stalked outside.
To his credit, Jess managed to keep his expression neutral as his hand was jerked back into place, none too gently. The only evidence of pain was in his eyes – their dull glassiness – and the grim set of his mouth. He fixed Ansem's goons with a withering glare as they retreated outside to ready the necessary supplies for the robbery.
"Why'd you give in so quick?" The younger man tried to bite back the note of disappointment, but it slipped past his defenses. "Not that I mind; I hate pain as much as anyone... but Jack, you caved awful fast. It didn't look good."
"I'm moved by your concern for my image."
Jess scowled deeply. "You know what I mean."
"Mmhmm." The sandy head bobbed, indicating distracted agreement. "You think I look like a pushover with no backbone." When that earned him only silence, Jack licked his lips nervously. "I've seen Ansem in his element, kid, and it ain't pretty."
A sudden draft forced its way under the door, and Jess steeled himself against the dropping temperature.
"Look at it this way. Ansem wasn't goin' to ease up on you 'til I agreed to help him. Right?"
"Right." Spoken with a fraction of hesitance, the word was barely audible.
"Would you rather I had let him go at you for hours and then caved, or given in right away and saved you a broken hand and who knows what else?"
"But now Ansem knows how to control you. He'll jerk you 'round like a puppet on a string, Jack." Blue eyes drifted shut, a rough sigh brushing over his lips. "Don't let him do that to you. Y'know, you don't have to worry about me."
"'Course I do. I'm your big brother." Jack's shoulders suddenly jerked, mouth curving into a satisfied smile. "It's my job to come through for you when you need it most."
His face clouding with confusion, Jess opened his mouth to question the sudden change in his brother's expression and tone. "What..."
Jack's hands were in front of him before Jess grasped what had happened, and he made short work of the ropes around his ankles. "Let's stop worryin' 'bout Ansem pushin' me around, kid, and let's get outta here."
"You ol' son of gun." The astonished pride in Jess's voice was audible, and he broke into a wide grin. "How'd you manage it? Hank ties a good knot."
Standing carefully, Jack playfully wiggled his fingers. "Like when we was kids. Magic hands, remember?"
Jess remembered all too well. None of the younger Harpers had been able to figure how Jack could get in all those locked rooms and cupboards. They'd been in worshipful awe of their older brother when he informed them that he had 'magic hands' that let him get into any shed or chest he pleased.
"Those magic hands always did come in handy, didn't they?" The dark-haired man sucked in a sharp breath, setting his jaw against the sudden jarring movement at his wrists. Behind him, Jack muttered a curse.
"Sorry, kid, I'll try to be more gentle."
"Don't worry about it," Jess ground out through clenched teeth. "We ain't got time to worry 'bout comfort."
The ropes at his wrists fell away within moments. Jess moved immediately, gritting his teeth as stinging pain spread like wildfire through his limbs. A groan slipped past his lips, and Jack was supporting him in an instant.
"Wait, Jess."
"There's no time! They could be back any minute, Jack. I'll be fine as soon as my legs start workin' again, I promise." Jess strode purposefully toward the back door, wincing as pins and needles ran up his legs. "See? I'm fine."
Jack's hand on his collar stopped him in his tracks. "You won't make it far with that shoulder hurtin' like it is. Let me take a look."
Jess shrugged the hand off, jerking the door open. "After we're a safe distance from Ansem."
"Now." The elder Harper's voice was firm and hard. "That shoulder-"
"Can wait," Jess finished, just as firmly. "I'll feel a heck of a lot better once we're far away from here, Jack. My shoulder ain't a problem."
Jack let out a slow breath, his eyes darting around the cabin restlessly. His fingers rubbed together, fast and anxious. "Alright, kid. You win. But the minute we're holed up somewhere safe..." Jack extended a hand, narrowing his eyes. "You have to let me take a good look at you. Deal?"
Jess grasped the hand firmly, pumping it once. "You got it."
A/N: And... review! I love you all, thank you for your support. (Also, let me know if this chapter doesn't read quite right. I wrote it completely backwards, from end to beginning, so I hope it flows properly!)
