The Lancers' journey is over and so is mine. I have been writing in this fandom for almost four years, have had a great deal of fun and have made some very good friends. I have no plans to write any more solo stories, although I will finish writing No Way Out with Linda. My betas, Linda, Ros & KC have been great. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story to the end and to those who sent such wonderful reviews.
Caroline
An Eventful Journey
Chapter 10
Bullets filled the air, thudding into the trees around them. All they could do was keep their heads down and wait for an opportunity to return fire.
"They're giving the women a chance to escape," Johnny called above the noise of the guns. "And there isn't a damn thing we can do about it."
The shots became less frequent and he risked a return shot even though he had no clear target. His brief glimpse of the roadway showed him Livvie and Cherry running toward the nearest pair of horses. Before he could squeeze off another shot he had to duck back to avoid getting a bullet in the head.
As he stood shoulder to shoulder with Scott, filled with frustrated anger, he heard the sound of horses being ridden hard from the direction of town. More shots sounded and the bullets headed toward him and Scott died away. They both took the opportunity to move in opposite directions so that they could get a better view of what was happening. Johnny crouched down, his gun raised, and aimed at the trees on the far side of the road. There were close to a dozen horses milling around in the roadway as the members of the posse sought cover of their own. He spared them only a brief glance, just long enough for Marshal Harkness to acknowledge their presence.
Rather than firing indiscriminately, he waited until he saw movement before squeezing off a shot. The movement stopped, although he couldn't tell if his bullet had hit anything. He tried to see past the horses for some sign of the women. He didn't know if they had escaped or been caught in the cross-fire.
"Don't shoot."
The shout came from one of the outlaws. Johnny held his fire, but kept his attention firmly fixed on the trees. The shooting died away and everyone waited to see what was going to happen. Slowly three men emerged with two of them supporting the third, who was bleeding heavily from a chest wound.
"It looks like it's finally over," Scott said.
"Not yet." Johnny pushed through the members of the posse as they emerged to take custody of the outlaws. He realized that some of the men were Pinkerton agents which meant that McParland was likely to be there somewhere. A few of the posse muttered as he passed and gave him unfriendly looks. He glared back at them and they moved out of his way.
Not more than a hundred yards away he could see a figure kneeling in the roadway. He quickened his pace as a cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Cherry had her back toward him and her head was bent. As he got closer he could hear her speaking.
"It'll be alright. We'll get you to a doctor. Just stay with me a little longer."
The words were disjointed and mixed in with sobs, so that Johnny was almost prepared for what he saw when he reached her. Livvie was beyond help, her head resting in Cherry's lap and her blue eyes closed forever. All the harshness had disappeared from her face, leaving her looking young and innocent. Cherry was running her fingers through her sister's blonde hair, still murmuring words of encouragement in a broken voice.
Johnny hunkered down beside her. From the look of the wound Livvie had been shot in the back and death would have come quickly. "I'm sorry."
When she looked up her green eyes were awash with tears. "She came back for me. She could have gotten away."
"That's what family does. They look out for each other." He couldn't offer any more comfort than that. What use would it be to say that this was a kinder end than facing the gallows?
He stood up and turned away, feeling far more regret than he had expected. Scott was approaching with McParland beside him. The Pinkerton agent was grimy and unshaven, his clothes bearing the evidence of a day's hard riding. He walked past Johnny and stopped to look down at the sisters.
"They tracked Livvie and the others to Sacramento," Scott explained. "They arrived in town just as the marshal was assembling his posse."
McParland turned away with a cold, satisfied smirk. "She got what she deserved, although I'd rather have watched her twitching at the end of a rope."
Johnny's vision clouded and he clenched his fists. He was barely aware of his right arm moving until he felt the impact with McParland's face. Hands fastened around both his arms and he was dragged back as McParland fell to the ground.
"Easy, Brother," Scott said. "We're in enough trouble as it is."
"He's a sonovabitch," Johnny said. He stopped struggling and spat in the dirt by McParland's head.
The Pinkerton agent rose shakily to his feet, his right hand pressed against his jaw. "You've crossed the line, Lancer. Even your daddy's name won't keep you and your brother out of jail."
"That's enough." Marshal Harkness strode over. "We can discuss the rights and wrongs of what happened once we get back to town." His fierce gaze seemed to quell McParland's protests and was enough to cause Johnny to look at the ground. "Did you find out what they did with the hostages?" he asked the brothers.
"Mierde," Johnny said, furious with himself for putting the fate of Mrs. Wells and her daughter out of his mind.
"Yes," Scott interrupted smoothly. "They were being held in the barn at the turn off about ten miles back. If you'll accept our parole we can go on ahead and free them. You'll need to send a wagon back for them as I don't imagine either will be able to ride."
"You boys took a real chance by helping those outlaws escape. I'm gonna have to speak to the judge, and I can't guarantee that you won't face charges."
"We understand and we'll surrender to your custody once we get the women back to town."
Johnny waited impatiently for the marshal to make up his mind. "You've got our word," he said. "Please."
"Alright, I reckon I owe you that."
"Marshal..." McParland spluttered.
"Shut up," Harkness replied. "It's time we got the prisoners back to town. Get your men mounted up."
Johnny cast one last look at Cherry. She hadn't moved, although she had tightened her hold on her sister's body. Then, Scott put an arm around his shoulders and gently steered him away.
LLLLL
The sky was turning grey, edging toward dawn as they approached the barn. Johnny's concern had been mounting steadily with the thought that Livvie might have lied. What would they do if the women weren't here? What if they were dead? He could tell from Scott's tightly controlled expression that he was equally worried, but neither of them put their fears into words.
They halted their horses out of sight of the building, alert to the possibility that there could be a guard. Johnny dismounted and looped the reins over a sapling at the edge of the road. He drew his gun. "Let's go."
They kept within the tree line as they approached the derelict building. Apart from some bird song the whole area seemed to be deserted. Johnny stopped and stood perfectly still while his gaze ranged from one end of the building to the other. Nothing moved, so he looked at Scott and pointed to his left. There was twenty yards of open space between them and the barn. Johnny took a deep breath and ran, weaving from side to side to present a harder target for anyone who might be waiting in ambush.
He reached the wall safely, checked that Scott was alright, then made his way silently toward a gap where two planks had sprung apart. He looked inside. The interior was in darkness so he could only make out the dim shapes of posts and partitions. He moved away, continuing his slow circuit and peering through several other gaps in the walls. There was nothing to suggest that the barn wasn't deserted.
Scott had completed his inspection and met up with him outside the main door. A shake of his head confirmed that his brother hadn't seen anything either. The door was hanging from the top hinge only and it swung open easily. Johnny led the way, secure in the knowledge that Scott would watch his back.
"Mrs. Wells? Alice?" he called.
He heard a scuffling sound to his right. He glanced at Scott. "Keep watch." The noise increased as he got closer to one of the stalls. He grabbed a lantern that was hanging from a hook and quickly lit the candle. Pale light pushed away the gloom and allowed him to see clearly for the first time.
"Scott!" he called. Johnny set the lantern down and knelt in the straw beside Mrs. Wells.
The old lady had been bound hand and foot and her eyes were wide above the cloth covering her mouth. She looked tired and dirty, but otherwise unharmed. Alice lay beside her tied just as securely. Johnny pulled out his knife and sliced through the ropes pinning Mrs. Wells' arms behind her. He raised her up so that she could sit with her back to the wall and slid the gag from her mouth. Scott had arrived in answer to his call and was taking care of Alice Carson.
"Are you alright?" Johnny asked.
Mrs. Well's eyes filled with tears, although she nodded bravely. Johnny wrapped his arms around her frail body and held her until she stopped shaking.
LLLLL
The hotel dining room was hot and the purple flowers in the vase on the table were wilting sadly. Not even the heat, though, had prevented Johnny from eating a healthy serving of meatloaf, gravy and mashed potatoes. The plates had been cleared away, leaving only the cups and a solid silver coffee pot resting on the white tablecloth.
He leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. "That was a fine meal, but I bet Teresa and Maria will be cooking up a storm for dinner tonight."
"I'm sure they are," Scott said. "I'm also sure our father is busy making a very long list of unpleasant chores for us to do starting tomorrow."
"It ain't our fault we're three days late getting home. He should just be grateful he didn't have to come and bail us out of jail."
"I'm sure he'll be very glad to see you," Mrs. Wells said. "When it comes right down to it, family is all that matters." She smiled fondly at her daughter.
Alice nodded, smiling in return. "Mother has decided to stay in Sacramento. Our little...ordeal made us realize that life is too precious to waste."
"If you need any help to move your belongings we'd be happy to help," Johnny offered.
"I would be obliged, although I think you two have done more than enough for us."
Johnny sipped his coffee as he thought about that. "It was our fault that Livvie found you. She must have followed us when we called on you. If it hadn't been for that..."
"Don't you dare blame yourself, Johnny Lancer." Mrs. Wells glared at him severely. "You and Scott risked your lives, and risked a jail sentence, to save us."
"How did you persuade the marshal not to press charges?" Alice asked.
"He decided that there had been extenuating circumstances," Scott replied. "Special Agent McParland was harder to convince, though. Especially as Johnny had assaulted him."
"He deserved it," Johnny muttered, defensively.
"Oh, I don't disagree, Brother. But, he would have been within his rights to file charges."
"He was a disagreeable man," Martha Wells said. "He was more concerned with his career, than with the people he trampled on his way."
"That, ironically, is what made him change his mind." Scott's smile contained a touch of malice. "It seems that our father's name carries a lot of weight in this state. The railroad company, who hired the Pinkerton Agency in the first place, didn't want to offend a prominent member of the Cattle Growers Association and a personal friend of the lieutenant governor of California."
"Yeah," Johnny added with a smirk, "he was told that he couldn't expect any more promotions if he upset his clients."
"We should be going. The train leaves in half an hour." Scott stood and offered his hand to Mrs. Wells. "It was a pleasure meeting you." He nodded to Alice. "Mrs. Carson."
Johnny got to his feet, waiting until Scott had moved away to settle their bill. He bent down and kissed Mrs. Wells on the cheek. "You take care of yourself, ma'am."
"I will. And you tell your father not to be too hard on you both."
"Don't worry about us. Murdoch's bark's worse than his bite – mostly."
Johnny sauntered over to join Scott. "There's one good thing that came out of this," he said as he picked up his bag.
"Really? Care to enlighten me?"
"Well, the way I see it, next time Murdoch wants a contract negotiated he'll do it himself."
A slow smile spread across Scott's face. "You know something, Johnny? You're smarter than you look."
Johnny was pretty sure he'd just been insulted, but he was in far too good a mood to care. He set off happily toward the station. This was one train he wasn't going to mind boarding.
The End
Caroline
July 08