At the orphanage, Lillian packed some food in a burlap sack. Her hands were shaking. As scared as she was, she couldn't imagine how the children and Eleanor felt locked in the cellar. Lillian hoped that Eleanor was able to find a lantern and matches down there to give them some light.
At least for now they were safe. The intruder couldn't hurt them being up there while they were down there. Lillian new the same couldn't be said for her and Grace. The man still had the gun pointed at her sister. It was the only thing that was keeping Lillian from trying to run and find help. Though she had her doubts that the man would actually pull the trigger, just a feeling she had gotten, she wasn't about to test that feeling with her sister's life in the balance.
"There you go," Lillian replied, tying the neck of the bag with some twine. "I filled it for you like you asked."
"Good," Jack replied. "Now give me whatever cash you have on hand," he demanded.
Lillian thought about claiming they didn't have any, but quickly dismissed the idea. She doubted that the man would accept that answer. She was even concerned that he wouldn't accept that she was giving them all their cash on hand when she turned over what they had. Not only had they recently bought supplies but their next stipend from the government wouldn't come for another couple of weeks.
Her heart pounding with fear, Lillian let go of the bag and took a step back. "The money is over here on the shelf," she told him, hoping that telling him what she was doing would keep him from getting jumpy. "I'm just going to get the tin we keep it in," Lillian told him, reaching up and selecting an old baking powder tin from the shelf. She kept her movements slow as not to startle him but fast enough that he wouldn't start thinking that she was stalling on purpose, which she wasn't.
Lillian was well aware that eventually Gabriel would show up with the intention of simply walking Grace into town. She wasn't sure how their uninvited guest would react to a Mountie showing up on the front porch but she figured he wouldn't be welcoming. Nor was there any indication to Gabriel that something was amiss here. He would be walking into the situation blindly. What she was hoping for was that the guy would take the money and the food, lock her and Grace away somewhere like he did the others, and be on their way. She knew Gabriel would come inside to investigate if he got no answer to his knock, which meant he would find them. Afterward, he would go in pursuit, which she knew would be dangerous but not as dangerous as him stumbling upon the guy here, when the bad guy had hostages. She knew Gabriel wouldn't do anything that would put any of them in danger.
With the tin in hand, Lillian turned slowly to face the man and her sister. The fear in Grace's eyes tore at her heart. She only hoped her own fear didn't show so plainly. She wanted to at least spare Grace worry for her.
"Would you like me to open it?" Lillian asked as she stepped back up to the island in the middle of the kitchen where the burlap sack sat.
"My hands are a bit full at the moment," Jack answered gruffly.
Lillian didn't respond just simply took the lid off the tin. Placing the tin on the counter top, she slid it across to where the man stood holding Grace. Jack peered into it.
"That's it?" Jack asked looking from the tin up at Lillian.
"It is," Lillian replied, trying to sound calm. "Running an orphanage isn't done because you want to be rich."
Jack gave a bit of a growl. He hadn't expected a lot of money though he had been hoping for more than what looked to be in the tin. Still, he had food and a bit of cash. It should be enough to at least ride North and put some distance between him and the people looking for him. Once he managed that, then he could figure out how to get more money.
"Upstairs with the two of you," Jack said, nodding his head in the direction of the doorway to the dinning room. "I'm sure I can find a bedroom up there to stash the two of you in for a while. Perhaps I can even have a little pleasure from one of you before leaving," he added, his gaze moving up and down Lillian's slender figure.
Lillian felt a chill go up her spine, knowing exactly what the man meant by the comment. Still, as long as her sister, Eleanor and the children were safe, she would be grateful for that. Also, if no one else was in danger she intended to fight this guy with everything she had.
"Get moving," Jack commanded.
Lillian did as told heading for the stairs. She had only taken a few steps when there was a knock at the door. At this time of day, the only two people she could think of that would be at the door were Gabriel and Chuck. She wasn't sure who she would rather it be, though she was sure that the intruder would feel less threatened by Chuck rather than Gabriel.
"Were you expecting someone?" Jack hissed.
"Yes," Lillian replied. She glanced at the clock. "Though if it's who we were expecting he's early."
"I suppose we can't just hope they'll go away then," Jack replied. "I guess someone else is going to be joining us. Go to the door, but don't try anything stupid," he warned. "I still have the gun pointed at this one."
Lillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she headed for the door. Through the window, she could see Gabriel's red uniform jacket. She had no doubt that the man holding Grace hostage would notice it as well.
Reaching for the door knob, Lillian opened the door.
"Good morning, Lillian," Gabriel greeted her. "I know I'm . . . "
Gabriel let his words trail off as he noticed the scene behind Lillian. Jack was now holding the gun to Grace's head, making the weapon more visible.
"How about you put your hands up, and step inside, Constable. Unless you want to see this one get a hole in her pretty little head," Jack instructed.
Gabriel slowly raised his hands, not about to jeopardize Grace's safety.
"You," Jack said, looking at Lillian. "Take his gun slowly out of its holster and toss it out on the porch."
Lillian looked from Jack and her sister to Gabriel.
"Go ahead, Lillian," Gabriel said, his voice calm and steady.
Taking a few steps closer to Gabriel, Lillian reached out toward Gabriel's holster. With shaking hands, she unsnapped it and then slid the gun from its resting place, holding it with only two fingers. The last thing she wanted to do was give the intruder any reason to think she was going to attempt to use the weapon. Stepping past Gabriel, Lillian went to the still open door and tossed the gun down as instructed.
"Good," Jack said, as Lillian stepped back into the house. "Now close and lock the door behind you."
Lillian did as instructed. She then took a couple of steps away from the door and then stood still.
"This definitely complicates things," Jack said, quietly more thinking out loud rather than addressing the other three in the room. As he tried to figure out what to do, he kept a close watch on the Mountie. The Mountie was more likely to attempt something than the two ladies.
Jack spotted a door close to the front door.
"What's behind that, redhead?" Jack asked nodding toward the door.
"That's our coat closet," Lillian replied.
"Are the winter things still in there?"
"Yes," Lillian replied unable to keep the confusing out of her voice. She wasn't sure why the guy was asking about winter clothing, not that it really mattered.
"The children have scarves?"
"Yes."
"Good," Jack replied. "Get out the scarves and then go grab one of the dining room chairs. I intend to make sure he's not going to cause any trouble before I finish with my plans for you two," he said.
Lillian looked to Gabriel for guidance. She didn't like how this was unfolding and she wasn't sure what to do. She wanted all of them, Gabriel included, to get through this without getting hurt.
Gabriel, still standing with his arms raised, gave Lillian the slightest of nods.
"I'm getting impatient," Jack commented.
Lillian didn't speak but she moved toward the closet. Opening it, she reached up for the box on top of the shelf. The children's hat, scarves and mittens were in the box. Placing the box on the floor, it didn't take her long to find the scarves. Pulling them out of the box, she pushed the box back into the closet with her foot. Pushing the closet door closed, crossed over to the settee and dropped them on it.
"Now the chair," Jack reminded her impatiently.
Lillian went into the dinning room. Grabbing the closet chair, she picked it up and returned to the sitting room with it. As the man hadn't indicated where he wanted it, she simply placed it a few steps into the room.
"Now Constable," Jack said, looking back at Gabriel. "I want you to have a seat while the young lady ties you to the chair."
"What?" Lillian said, surprised by the man's words. "I won't do it," she added, afraid of what the man might do to Gabriel once he wasn't able to defend himself.
"Would you prefer that I shot all three of you?" Jack replied. "Starting with this one," he added pressing the gun against Grace's temple.
Grace gave a little whimper of fear.
"Don't do anything rash," Gabriel said calmly. "I'm going over to the chair," he added, as he took slow steps toward Lillian keeping his arms raised.
"Just do whatever he wants you to do right now, Lillian," Gabriel told her as he approached the chair that Lillian was still standing behind. He lowered his voice a bit more as he told her. "Unless he gets desperate, I don't think he'll actually pull the trigger," Gabriel told her before sitting down in the chair, still keeping his arms in the air for now.
Feeling helpless, Lillian moved to retrieve the scarves, realizing now what the man had wanted with the articles of clothing. Returning to the chair Gabriel was sitting in, she caught the Mountie's gaze.
"You're keeping Grace safe," Gabriel told her quietly, seeing the hesitation in Lillian's expression.
Lillian nodded as she moved behind the chair. Moving his arms slowly so he wouldn't startle the fugitive, Gabriel moved his arms so his hands were behind his back. He felt the fabric of one of the scarves encircle his left wrist, then his right as Lillian tentatively started to bind his wrists together. Gabriel tightened the muscles of his arms, attempting to give himself a better chance of escaping the bindings at a later point.
"I plan on checking your work when you're done. I can still shoot all three of you if I find you purposely tied those scarves loose.
Having wrapped the two ends of the scarves around both wrists again, Lillian gave the two ends of the scares a sharp tug, tightening the fabric securing Gabriel's wrists.
"I want his arms and feet secured to that chair," Jack instructed, as he watched the process.
Lillian nodded, not sure she could give an audible response. Having already looped the scarves around Gabriel's wrist a third time, she fed both ends around one of the slats of the back of the chair, and then back around Gabriel's wrists, securing them to the back of the chair.
Picking up the other scarves, Lillian moved around to the front of the chair. Trying not to draw the man's attention, Gabriel tested the bonds securing his wrists. He knew that freeing his hands wasn't going to be an easy prospect, but at least the man hadn't gotten the idea to use his cuffs.
Lillian had tied his left ankle to the leg of the chair. She looked up at him, as she picked up a third scarf. Gabriel could see the fear and the regret in her eyes.
"It's okay," Gabriel told her again softly as she started looping the scarf around his right ankle and the chair leg.
"Stand over there," Jack told Lillian, motioning to the side of the room.
Lillian backed away as instructed, crossing her arms in front of her. Moving behind the chair Gabriel was now tied to, he switched his grip on Grace. Holding her against his body with the arm holding the gun, he placed the barrel of the gun underneath her chin. With his free hand, Jack reached down to check the bindings securing Gabriel's hands behind his back.
Satisfied that the knots would hold long enough for him to secure the girls in a room upstairs, Jack grabbed Grace by the arm again.
"Okay, upstairs with the two of you," Jack instructed, waving the gun toward the stairs. "You first, red head."
With her arms still crossed in front of her, Lillian did as she was told. She didn't bother looking over her shoulder. She knew that Jack would be following her with Grace and she didn't want to see Gabriel tied to the chair again.
Gabriel watched as Jack forced Lillian and Grace up the stairs. While the man was in sight, he remained still. As he had been since first seeing the man holding the gun to Grace's head, he was being careful not to do anything to anger the fugitive. With the gun and a hostage, the man had the upper hand. If it was only he whose safety was in question, he would have tried to overpower the guy. He wouldn't risk anyone's else's life with that kind of actions though.
As soon as the trio was out of sight, Gabriel began to struggle against the bonds that held him. Despite his efforts to keep the scarf from getting too tight while Lillian had tied it, there was still very little give in the bonds. Given that the bad guy had checked his hands before going upstairs, Gabriel figured it might be a good thing that Lillian had done a good job at tying his hands. Gabriel didn't want to think about what the guy might have done if he had found too much slack in the bonds.
Just because they were tight, didn't mean that Gabriel didn't plan on trying to get his hands free. He was sure that if given enough time, he'd eventually be able to get free. He doubted that he had that time before the guy came back downstairs. In fact, he hoped he didn't have that time as the less time he spent upstairs with the two ladies, the better.
By the time he heard a single set of footsteps on the stairs, all Gabriel had managed to do was get out of breath and create heat on his wrists from the friction created through his struggles. If the scarf was loosening at all, he couldn't tell. He had a feeling he was probably managing to wear some skin away on his wrists as well.
"The pretty redhead did a good job, didn't she Constable," Jack said with a smirk on his face as he watched the Mountie struggle to free his hands. "Still, I couldn't take any chances taking my time with her upstairs like I wanted with you down here. Wouldn't want to give you enough time to free yourself and take me by surprise now, would I?"
"If you got what you wanted, why don't you just leave before someone else finds their way out here," Gabriel told him.
"Oh, I plan on doing just that. However, first I want to make sure you're not able to follow me anytime soon," Jack replied.
The words alone sent a chill down Gabriel's spine. He knew he was in a vulnerable situation. There was very little he could do to defend himself and the only way he could protect the others right now was to keep this guy's attention focused on him until he left.
When the guy turned and headed toward the front door, Gabriel started struggling to free himself again. Apollo was tied outside and Gabriel was suddenly convinced that the man intended to shoot the horse.
Approaching the door, Jack paused and looked back. Gabriel couldn't miss the smirk on the man's face. However, if the fugitive was expecting him to ask him not to shoot the horse, Gabriel wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. He also knew that anything he said wouldn't change the man's mind.
Unlocking the door, Jack opened it and stepped outside, leaving Gabriel to struggle against the scarves securing him to the chair.