Chapter 25 – The Resilient Child

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."

~ Ernest Hemingway

After banking the campfire to avoid detection, Drake perched on a small boulder, watching amber and gold flames gild the walls of the cave. They were relatively safe here, their small hideaway being deep inside the ridge along the caldera's wall. He listened to the sounds around him; the pop of sap in the fire, the way the cave seemed to breathe as the occasional gust blew through various cracks and vents in the mountain. The smoke from the fire drifted through one of these openings, escaping into the night unseen.

Drake grinned wryly. Tomorrow morning, he would also escape, once again besting his enemy. He had to respect Monroe's strategy. He'd trapped them like goldfish in a bowl, but all he had to do was find the stream Emily mentioned. The horses Matt stole from the Bar S would do the rest by following their instinctive nature to return home. He'd prefer to leave now, but Emily was in too much pain to keep going.

Emily's moan drew his focus, another subconscious reaction to the inflamed joints disturbing her sleep. Daisy's drowsy sounds of comfort followed as she eased an arm around the restless woman. Drake grit his teeth. Emily needed her husband, medication, a normal routine and a warm bed to recover. Not a pallet on a stone floor.

Drake was feeling his own poor state of health; the ache of fatigue brought on by a concussion and illness, the pain between his shoulder blades from days spent in restrictive chains. As miserable as he was, his body refused to let down its instinctive guard. He kept watch, protecting the women and ignoring his inner child's relentless cries for his mother.

He stoked the fire higher to battle the cold, a poor distraction from the woman asleep near his feet. Almost everything about his mum was the same, the nymph-like bone structure, the perfectly coifed hair. The tiny lines fanning her eyes were new, but he had to look hard to see them. She'd always been beautiful, but tonight she looked like a living work of art. The firelight made her skin glow with an inner light and shimmered off her hair in brilliant copper and bronze. She hadn't spoken to him since their escape, but her words played on in his head.

I want to be wi' m' family…give me a second chance…

The inner child demanded an explanation, worming his way under Drake's meticulously built fortress. His mother's answer could bring his defenses crashing to the ground, exposing the shattered remnants of his heart. Yet he had to know. Why had she stayed away?

I was afraid…I had a reason…

It didn't make sense to him. She'd infiltrated Monroe's organization, but was afraid to return to her family?

Drake scratched at days of itchy stubble and chanced another covert glance at his mother. Her quiet sniffles had fallen away some time ago. He hated seeing her cry. He hated the desire to put his head in her lap and weep even more.

He banished the thought and broke into the supplies, finding a shallow pan and placing it on the floor. Metal clanged against stone like an echoing gong. The sound woke Gidget.

She shifted, pushing herself up on an elbow. "Drake? You'll be completely useless by morning if you don't sleep."

He pulled a face. She used the same motherly tone he'd always known, but it sounded odd to the ear without a Scots brogue. He filled the pan with water from a canteen and moved it to a rock in the fire.

"What's wrong, luv?"

"Nothing to fash yourself over," he said dismissively. "Someone needs to keep watch. I dinnae mean to wake ya. Go back to sleep."

"Then I'll keep watch with you." Gidget wrapped the wool blanket around her shoulders and moved to sit on the ground beside him.

Across the fire, Daisy's breathing grew lighter. Drake grinned a little. She was doing a decent job in her attempt to spy. Anyone else would've thought her asleep. He retrieved his dirk to use the shiny blade as a mirror and frowned. "Blimey. I look like a hairy muppet."

"Aye," his mother agreed, her brogue back in full force. "Tell me ya are no' planning to shave wi' that dirk."

Drake raised a challenging eyebrow. "It itches infernally. I dinnae survive all this just to scratch m'self to death in a cave."

"Ya cannae use that needle or you'll bleed yourself dry." She opened the backpack she'd been using as a pillow and retrieved a small leather pouch. "Here, use this," she said, tossing it to him. "Your father's skin was as sensitive as a wee babe's arse, too."

Drake recognized the pouch and opened it with haste, finding exactly what he expected. He turned the straight razor over in his hands, examining the embellishments on the silver handle. Intricate Celtic designs surrounded a family crest and motto: Seo dìonaidh mi.

"This belonged to Grandda MacFarland," he said, blinking at it in a state of awe. It had, in fact, been in the family since the 1700's, a treasured heirloom that would've been passed on to Finn. "Da tore the house apart trying to find it. Why do you have it?"

Her eyes narrowed a bit, flaming green gems mirroring the fire's glow. "So I could kill him wi' it if I ever saw him again."

Drake kept his face neutral, despite the skipping beat of his heart. He heard Daisy's breath quicken with a fluttering hitch and wondered just how much she'd learned from his mother.

He ran his thumb over the razor handle and said, "I'll agree Da's been a right bastard since ya left. We cannae call him anything but father or he gets verra angry, but you had no reason to wish him ill. Is it because he could no' save Finn?"

Gidget fisted her hands until her knuckles went pale. "At first, I suppose I did blame him. He was angry with me for calling the authorities against his wishes, but it made no difference in the end. What happened to Finn was no' his fault, but what he did to you afterwards was unforgivable."

"You were no' there to stop it."

"I realize that, but does that make him innocent?"

Drake didn't answer. His father had become many things; cold, demanding, ruthless when it came to his business. As for his children, they were just pawns to fill slots in his company, to give him a credible family man air. Innocent did not remotely describe him. He'd need a heart for that and Ian MacFarland's shriveled and died fifteen years ago.

Gidget scowled fiercely and ranted, "Tactical training! Sending ya to separate corners of the world! At your ages! He turned all of you into soldiers and hired people to teach ya to kill! It was criminal to do such a thing to his bairns, especially a wee lass like Jenny. He once treated your sister like a princess. He's evil I say. A cruel monster."

"I would no' take it that far. Da dinnae want what happened to Finn to happen to us. If it were no' for our training, all of us would've been dead twice over." Drake cleared his throat, unsure why he felt the need to defend the man. He was good to all of them as children. Jenny pined for him the way Jaxon grieved his absent mother. He shifted his weight, feeling the burden of painful memories. "In one night, we lost our brother and both parents. Tell me the truth. What really happened? Why did ya leave?"

There was a quiet gasp from Daisy's direction. She tried to hide it with a yawn and kept her eyes closed. Good. She knew the big secret. He'd get the answer out of her if all else failed. Gidget stared into the flames and said nothing.

"I doona understand any of this." Drake said. "Da loved you. When ya left us, he shut down and kept us at arms length. You broke him."

"I broke him? Hah!" Gidget scoffed so loudly her body rippled from head to toe. "That's rich! If ya want to ken the truth so badly, take me to the twins. I will tell ya together, or no' at all."

Drake rolled his eyes heavenward. He was not giving into blackmail. "So be it. Let's move on to Monroe. What were ya doing inside his organization?"

"Still so foolish." She tipped her head towards the razor, pinning him with a look of utter impatience. "Seo dìonaidh mi? This I'll defend? I was protecting my family, stubborn fop. Why else would I be working there?"

"You call me foolish." He held up the razor and deadpanned. "How verra wise to keep the MacFarland crest on your person."

"I'm not an ignorant smout! I kept it hidden. I've no' seen a man yet who'll touch a woman's monthly supply of feminine necessities."

Daisy's cough sounded like a strangled giggle. A hot flush crept over Drake's face until the tips of his ears burned like flaming candlesticks. When he looked up, he saw his mother grinning at him with Jaxon's impish smile.

"I'm Travis's CI," she said, her chin raised with pride. "I've been trained in a thing or two. Before you start complaining, I told Travis not to tell you about me."

Drake had surmised that little tidbit. He planned to give Travis the thumping of his life for hiding the truth and putting his mother in danger.

"I wanted to explain things myself," she said. "My plan was to gather the evidence to stop Monroe, which I did, and get in touch with Jaxon to arrange a meeting once he was in custody. I ended up here instead, with no way to contact Travis. Please, Drake. Take me to see Jenny and Jaxon."

"Hmmph. That's interesting." Drake said. "Ya speak like a fine English lady when you're hiding something."

"I'm no' a sassenach!"

"Aye, but you're no' telling me everything."

"I'll tell ya when we're together and no' a moment before. The twins have a right to hear my explanation, too. I offer the truth, wi' no excuses. If the three of ya think it's best that I go after that…" Gidget's voice cracked. "Well, it willnae be easy, but I'll leave ya in peace."

"Mac an donais." Drake leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and dropping his head into his hands. The headache droned and throbbed between his ears. Making this decision for the twins was far from simple. Jaxon would be okay, but Jenny… He sighed deeply.

"Ya look right knackered. Sitting for a fine shave puts a man's mind at ease. That is, if ya doona mind my touch overmuch." Gidget reached for the shaving kit with a question in her eye.

The little boy inside howled with need. Drake sheathed the dirk and nodded his acquiesce. While he splashed water on his face, she lathered the soap and moved everything within easy reach. The moment she tipped his head back, he smelled the apple blossom lotion on her hands, another memory from the past that hadn't changed. He closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders uneasily.

"Your wee sister could no' sit still either." There was a smile in her voice. "It took forever to plaid her hair. Will ya tell me about her? How is Jaxon? I've missed all of you so much."

Drake opened his eyes. Ignoring the question, he took her wrist, turning her hand to examine her fingers. He could still see it in his mind's eye; four gemstones in three colors, one for each child. He would hold her hand during long Sunday sermons and name each one, but the ring was gone now, existing only in his memories. Just like her family, she'd thrown it away like rubbish. He released her and the pining child withdrew into the abyss for protection.

"Are ya looking for this, luv?" Gidget pulled a chain over her head and held it out to him. The ring swung lazily on the end.

Drake took it between his thumb and forefinger, watching the birthstones of his siblings wink back at him in the firelight. It took a few tries to find his voice. "Y-you kept it?"

"Of course I kept it." Gidget knelt in front of him. "Mo chridhe, it was all I had of you. I could no' hold ya in my arms, so I moved it closer to my heart. I never stopped loving you. After Finn died, I was devastated and hid from the world. I felt I was no longer worthy of being your mum because I could no' protect my own son. Ya had your Gran, God rest her. I prayed every night that she would help ya to heal."

"We loved Gran, but she was no' you." Drake's eyes began to sting. "Our parents dinnae want us anymore and we could no' understand what we did wrong. One day we were a happy family and the next it was gone." The hurt and fear returned, suffocating and raw, choking him as if no time had passed. "Family should stick together, no matter what happens."

Tears of regret pooled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I never meant ya to believe you were unwanted, Drake. I wish I could go back and change things. I'll no' cheapen your feelings by making excuses for leaving, but I must ask for a chance to make amends."

"Part of me wants ya to try, but trust does no' come easy anymore. I cannae make any promises."

"No, and it would no' be fair of me to ask for one. It's up to me to prove myself to ya. If you'll allow it, I'll spend the rest of m' life loving ya the way a mum should."

Drake felt dangerously close to shattering. Speaking wasn't an option. He was breathing too fast, too hard. His hands shook as he took the ring off the chain and slipped it on her finger. When she opened her outstretched arms, there was no stopping the tidal wave. He gave into the pining child, let himself be gathered to her bosom, and wept.

The jagged granite walls towered above the Bison Creek tributary, connected by a lane of sparkling stars overhead. The river was narrow here, squeezing between desolate shores like flowing black glass. Enos and the twins arrived on a surge of optimism, but after searching for hours, their energy was beginning to wane. The uneasy knowledge that they were being followed only added to the darkening mood.

Jenny rode just ahead, her Mossberg propped on her thigh, searching in a zig-zag pattern for tracks along the shore. She looked confident and well prepared, like a tiny cavalry soldier on high alert, but the darkness hid the puffy eyes and other signs of fatigue. Enos kept one eye upstream and a hand on his pistol, just in case unwanted company caught her off guard.

"This isn't working," she said, bringing Abby to a stop in his path. She swung out of the saddle and exchanged her weapon for a flashlight as Jaxon splashed across the water to ask what was wrong.

"We're still looking for a needle in a haystack," she replied. "I need to look at the old satellite photos. Hand me the ones from the spring thaw."

"This place was underwater when they were taken." The men dismounted and Jaxon retrieved the photos from his trail bag. "What are you looking for?"

"A magnet," she winked and took the flat envelope. "Just give me a second and I'll explain."

Jenny wandered toward the ridge to get her bearings while the men led the horses to the water's edge.

Jaxon looked up, studying the moon's position in the sky. "We have about three hours until dawn breaks. Whatever Jenny is looking for, I hope it's going to help."

"I wish she would've stayed in Bramble Creek where it was safe." Enos's eyes were gritty with dust and weariness. He knelt down to splash water on his face, reviving himself. "She's worn out. If something happens and I can't protect her, is she gonna be able to protect herself?"

"We're all worn out. Don't underestimate her. She's doing better than you think." Jaxon glanced over his shoulder, his brows drawn together. "You know I'd give my life before I let anyone hurt my sister."

"I know ya' would. I didn't mean to offend ya'." Enos shook the water off his hand and sighed. "I love her. I've seen how tough Jenny can be, but she's never been so quiet before. I'm afraid Travis bringing up your ma has her distracted and that could lead to trouble."

"She's also thinking about Dan and Drake and the girls and Monroe. The list goes on and on. She's a professional, Enos. She won't let her feelings get the better of her any more than you would. Yes, she's quiet, but Jenny doesn't say much when she's under pressure. It's her coping mechanism. When she doesn't speak at all, then you know there's a serious problem." One side of Jaxon's mouth turned up in a rakish grin. "I'm not talking about little doses of the silent treatment, either."

"I wouldn't call th' last one little." Enos said dryly.

"A few hours was little, especially when you earned at least a day or two. She made sure Drake and I paid dearly for taking her off the Rafter G last spring." Jaxon chuckled and cradled his custom Purdey in the crook of his arm. It was an immaculate weapon, refined and extremely expensive, befitting its owner. "She dished it out off and on for weeks. When she did talk it was an argument and she'd call Drake names I've never heard before. She's a fighter. It's part of who she is and she hates being coddled."

"I know, but I can't help it. It tears me up every time I see that blank look in her eyes."

"Listen, I get it, Enos. But she really is fine. The type of silence I'm talking about is involuntary."

"Involuntary? How can it be involuntary?"

"Shock. Trauma. Battle fatigue. You've seen crime victims in L.A. She hasn't told you this story?"

Enos tried to ignore the quiver in his stomach. "No. She's told me a lot, but not that."

"Then you've come to the right guy." Jaxon propped an elbow on his horse and settled in to tell the tale. "Jenny went completely mute the day after Finn was found. It lasted for months and scared us all, especially Gran. She was eccentric you know, worried about wee folk and some druid curse. Da thought it was shock."

Enos ached with empathy. He watched Jenny shuffle photos and periodically scan the ridge and wondered how the MacFarland children survived the trauma surrounding Finn's death.

"Ya'll were only ten," he said, draping his arms across Tag's saddle. "It's understandable that she'd be afraid th' people who took Finn would come back for her."

Jaxon nodded. "That's what I thought. I saw the fear in her eyes every time we left the manor. Hell, the boogie man was real and I was scared, too. It was a month before she finally made a sound. It started with a few words here and there, but only if she was alone with Drake or me. When school started, she refused to speak to the teacher and avoided our classmates. Then Family Services got involved. Da was furious."

A bolt of indignation blazed through him. "With Jenny?"

"Oh, no. With the teacher that made the report. I suppose all the fights I got Drake into didn't help matters. Without Finn around, the McLeary brothers teased Jenny and I mercilessly. My temper was out of control back then. I took any excuse to blow off steam and it always brought down the wrath of their cousin, Simon. He was fourteen and built like a prize bull. Drake kept coming to the rescue, fighting the brute and getting suspended from school. Maybe he needed to fill Finn's boots, protect the family and all that."

"I reckon they were big boots to fill."

"Mmm." Jaxon smiled. It was a sad smile. "We all had a little hero worship going on. Finn was the best. I miss him." He heaved a sigh and looked up at the stars. "Where was I? Oh, right. Jenny. Da hired private tutors and pulled us all out of school a month later. It was right after Mr. Stuart, the Headmaster, suggested Jenny had selective mutism. That was hogwash. She just needed time. Drake thought…" He shook his head and scowled in frustration. "No. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now. He's dead wrong."

Enos crossed his arms and asked, "What did Drake think?"

Jaxon turned around to check Ranger's cinch. "He thinks she was afraid of mum."

Before Enos could ask about that, Jenny called them. "Hey, guys! Bring lights and come here!"

The men hurried to join her, flashlights in hand. She pointed to the base of the ridge and announced, "We need to check down there next."

Enos looked at a moon-dappled willow flanked by bushes dotted in fat clusters of ripe blackberries. "Beside the tree?"

"Just to the left of it, around the bushes." A bit of the sparkle returned to Jenny's features. "Water always finds an opening, the path of least resistance, right? That got me thinking. If the tunnel was flooded…"

Jaxon picked up her train of thought. "There might be a disturbance in the river's current."

"And I found it. Look at this." Jenny handed him the satellite image and held up her flashlight. "Right here." She tapped the photo with a slender finger. "The river was almost at flood stage. See the willow branches?"

The tree stood out, a spring green tuft surrounded by rising water, but the graceful willow branches stretched across the river like the tail of a comet…against the natural flow of the current. It was as clear as an arrow penned on a map.

"Possum on a gumbush!" Enos said.

"Nice work, sis." Jaxon gave her an approving smile. "I'll call Luke with our position and let him know we still have our shadows."

"Three of them." Jenny clarified.

"At least. Go on. I'll be right behind you." Jaxon hugged her before strolling away to make the radio call.

"That was doggone clever." Enos took Jenny's hand. "Mind tellin' me how ya' know there are three men following us?"

"It's a perk of spending weeks away from big cities." She tapped her nose, her mouth curving up on one side. "When the wind is right, I can smell them. One of them is wearing heavy after-shave, another reeks of bourbon, or maybe whiskey. The third is a heavy smoker, although that could be the alcohol guy, but I don't think so. They wouldn't want to be outnumbered. It was quite the assault to my senses, considering one horse has a bad case of the trots."

"I didn't know you were part bloodhound," he teased, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Let's see what else you can sniff out."

It didn't take long to find the dark channel leading into the earth. Hoof prints beneath carefully placed branches and stacked rocks proved that they were in the right place. Time was of the essence. They tied a red bandana in the bushes for Luke to find and rode down the rocky chute, using their flashlights to see.

For the second time tonight, Enos felt like his future held promise instead of inevitable loss. They were so close to finding their loved ones, but would Daisy still be the girl he knew or would she be broken and damaged? Jenny's somber voice interrupted his bleak thoughts.

"Deputy, there's another set of tracks. I think we found the bear. It's headed the same direction we are."

Enos swallowed anxiously and followed her gaze to the circle of light on the tunnel floor. The paw prints were huge, with long saber like claws.

"Ding dang it. I reckon he gorged himself on all them blackberries and crawled in here for a nap." The possibility of waking an aggressive bear made his heart stutter. "Jenny, ya' stay between Jaxon and me. We'll need the rifle mounted flashlights. I ain't takin' on a bear with my pistol."

They took a moment to adjust and moved on.

The trip became more difficult for Jaxon after that. As they ventured deeper into the earth, watermarks crept higher on smooth rock walls, then they disappeared completely, adding the fear of drowning to his already claustrophobic panic. By the time they began the long ascent, he was beaded in sweat and a few shades paler than normal. Ranger stomped and snorted, spooked by the strange environment and his rider's anxiety.

The climb seemed endless and the horses were soon covered in sweaty lather. Everyone was relieved when a fresh, cool breeze blew past. They found the exit around the next turn and stopped, switching off their flashlights to hide their presence. Once their eyes adjusted to the dark, they could see the caldera's forest through the long, trailing vines that fluttered over the mouth of the tunnel. The bear's tracks ended in a shallow pool, its tranquil surface silver and black in the moonlight.

"They'll have a man posted." Jaxon dismounted, having regained his composure. "You two stay here. I'll bring the guard close enough to disarm and then we'll find out where they're holding Drake and the women. Cover me."

"Be careful, Numpty." Jenny said.

Jaxon nodded and led Ranger the last few feet to the curtained opening. He made a few adjustments to the reins, and slapped the horse on the rump. Ranger was eager to escape the confines of the tunnel and took a graceful leap, splashing into the shallow pool. The horse spun wildly, penned in by the steep embankment, then charged upstream in search of freedom.

Now all they had to do was wait. The guard would assume the horse had dumped his rider and come to investigate. Enos motioned for Jenny to move Abby next to him and then listened to his pulse whoosh in his ears.

Jaxon had knelt behind the vines, his Purdey aimed at the far side of the pool. "I see you," he whispered in a sing-song voice. "Come and get me, fatso."

The dark blob moved like a shadowed wraith, slowly making his way down the embankment. He stepped into the water with a quiet swish, and leveled his rifle as he closed in on the cave.

Enos looked down his Remington. Between the darkness and the vines, it was difficult to see his target, so he edged Tag down the tunnel. Jenny did the same.

Jaxon carefully set his weapon against the wall, then crouched low and went dead still, like a lion stalking his next meal. He was no longer the charming prince, but a lethal predator about to strike. Everyone held their breath.

The guard stopped a few yards away and shouted, "I know you're in there! Come out with your hands up or I'll-"

There was a deafening roar as a second shadow dropped from some unseen ledge above the pool. Enos watched things unfold, paralyzed in wide-eyed horror. The bear struck the guard, his massive muscles expanding and contracting with fluid ease. The beast mauled his prey, sharp teeth and claws tore at the man's flesh as if it were mere paper. Angry growls and screams of agony filled the night.

Enos didn't remember firing his weapon, but he felt the kick. Tag squealed in panic and tried to flee, forcing him to fight to stay in the saddle. At some point Jaxon opened fire. Abby also went wild, unseating Jenny before making a mad dash in the opposite direction of blood and death. As quickly as it began, it was over and an ominous silence replaced the terrifying noise. It took Enos another moment to process that Jenny wasn't beside him anymore. A cold chill gripped him when he spotted her sprawled on the ground.

"Jenny!" Enos jumped off Tag and took her by the shoulders.

"The bear is down!" Jaxon's voice held an astonished edge. "Sis? You okay?"

Jenny spat a few Gaelic curses and snapped, "I'm better than Abby will be when I catch up to her!"

Enos sighed in relief. "I reckon that means she's fine."

"Thanks to all this muck." Jenny's left side was covered with it. She wrinkled her nose as she retrieved her Mossberg from the filth. "That'll be a chore to clean. Ouch!" She dropped the weapon and held her left wrist protectively. "Well, maybe I fell harder than I thought."

"Let me help ya', hon." Enos took her arms and help her sit against the wall. "Don't try to get up yet. Is it broken?"

"I don't think so. It hurts, but I can still move it. I draw my Glock with my right hand, so I'm good."

"Stay with her, Enos. I'll check the guard."

Jaxon ventured into the shallow pool, leaving Enos and Jenny behind.

Feeling somewhat cleansed, Drake sat by the campfire in quiet reflection, enjoying the feel of a clean shave and solitude. His mother had been asleep for a couple of hours when the peacefulness came to an abrupt end. Gunfire echoed through the caldera and he shot to his feet, running to the front of the cave with his dirk in his hand.

There was no mistaking the booming rapport of Jaxon's side-by-side. The twins had arrived, hidden somewhere in the darkness by the forest's canopy, and they were in trouble. When no further shots were heard, he raced back inside the cave, intent on gathering a few supplies and going after them alone. The women clearly had other plans. They scurried like army ants, packing up their modest campsite in preparation to leave.

"We heard gunfire." Daisy yanked on her boots and tucked Gidget's dagger inside. "We're almost ready. Did ya' see Luke and Enos?"

"It's too-"

"Or Gus? I know he's close! I can feel it!" Emily's shaky hand swiped the tears from her cheeks, then tugged her hood over her head. "C'mon, girls. Let's get to th' horses."

"Wait, slow-"

"Almost ready." Gidget said, zipping her backpack. "I'll douse the fire and catch up."

"Bloody hell!" Drake held up his hands to hold back the estrogen stampede. "All of ya' sit down and hold yar weesht! You'll stay here where it's safe! I'm going alone!"

As if turning off a light, the atmosphere shifted from excitement to funeral service and he was the kid popping bubble gum in the front row. Three sets of eyes bore into him, each one more ferocious than the next. Then Daisy pinned him with a tight smile that made the blood curdle in his veins. "Sugar," she said with mock sweetness. "Don't make me hurt you."

Drake stepped back a bit before catching himself. He regained his iron spine and cocked a brow. "Oh, aye? Is that how it is now?"

"You cannae stop us, luv," said his mother. "We're going."

"No, you willnae step foot from this cave!" Drake raked his hands through his hair, leaving wild spikes in their path. "Do ya have a stash of whiskey I'm unaware of or are all of ya just touched in the head? I can move faster without ya!"

"Just stop that fussin', Drake." Emily said. "You're outnumbered, outvoted, and outsmarted."

"Outsmarted my arse! You're in no shape to sit a horse, Emily Rafferty! You're in pain and walk like my drunk Uncle Murray! If anything happens to ya, Gus will have m' head stuffed and mounted!"

"I'll do it myself if ya' sass me again!" Emily shouted. "Now mind your elders! You're too young to be such a stubborn fart! I won't have to defend myself if we stick together!"

"That's right, ya' big hypocrite!" Daisy crossed her arms, pinning him with a cold, unwavering stare.

"Hypocrite?"

"Yes, hypocrite! All I've heard is 'Don't get out of my sight' and 'Stay together' and so help me if ya' don't stop pointing that finger I'll snap it off and roast it on a stick!"

Drake folded said finger protectively into his fist.

"Just look at ya'!" She waved her hands up and down wildly, indicating his bodily presence. "Standin' there all self-righteous! You can't protect me if we're not in th' same place! How can ya' just leave us here? And me, a defenseless woman!"

"Hah! Ya make Lizzie Borden look like a wee kitten!"

"At least Lizzie Borden had an axe. I don't."

"Yet." Gidget muttered. "How verra fortunate for him."

"Mm-hmm." Emily bobbed her head in complete agreement.

Daisy stuck out her bottom lip in a mocking pout. "You're supposed to keep me safe, Drake. You promised."

He wanted to throttle her, or kiss her, and then maybe throttle her, but he settled for a hard stare, which she returned with blue-eyed ruthlessness that would fell a lesser man.

"Christ! Save me from women! Now ya decide to stick wi' me? Now!? Do ya ever cooperate!?"

Gidget's shrill whistle ended the fight. "Just leave off wi' it! All of ya! Drake can either get over it, or be left behind without a horse." She patted his shoulder affectionately. "If ya decide to come wi' us, be a luv and douse the fire."

And with that, she left the cave.

"Come along, Daisy." Emily linked their arms and followed Gidget as if they were headed to a tea party. Their matching smiles of triumph caused the pot to boil over.

Drake kicked at the dirt, cursing like a mad man, until he'd extinguished the fire in a cloud of dust and smoke. He stood there a moment, bellowing an epitaph before he went after the women.

"If Adam had shown a bit of spine and stood up to the troublesome lass, but noooo! He had to get a wee taste of the fruit! I say he got a fit and proper punishment in Eve!" He balled both fists and howled, "He should've asked for his bloody rib back!"