Victoria was horrified when she saw the man in the black suit join the shoot out, and would have run to him if one of her customers had not held her back. A crowd of onlookers had followed her to the door, and after a few moments, the men among them drew everyone back inside and managed to bar the door.
"It can't be...Zorro was dead," someone murmured. The young man glanced towards Victoria and closed his mouth.
Pilar soothed Victoria who kept staring towards the barred doors.
"There is nothing we can do out there, not against guns," Pilar reasoned. "They will be fine. Zorro will be alright."
"I think the women and children should keep to the upstairs," one older gentleman cautioned, as he readied his own set of pistols. He had visited from the east, and glanced around the tavern. None of the other men were readying themselves. All of the other men were locals.
"You let masked men and women fight your battles?" The man asked, with raised eyebrows. Victoria recognised him as the man who had held her back.
"A pistol if you please, Senor," she murmured. He stared at her for a moment, before nodding. He placed a loaded pistol in her outstretched hand.
"You do know how to shoot, senorita?"
"How hard can it be?" She responded. "If those men get through Don Alejandro and his friends, they will come here next, and if we will not fight…"
"Indeed," the older man said. "My name is Alexander Greyson, Senorita. I am honoured to meet you."
"Victoria Escalante," she said with a nod. "If everyone could go down to the wine cellar, there is a secret passage out the back. An old escape route designed by my grandfather."
Alexander Greyson raised his eyebrows again as the majority of the customers followed her instruction. They were left with three young men who started loading their weapons immediately.
"Is there access to the roof?" Alexander said, turning to Victoria. She nodded.
"I will go up there, I have a rifle in my room. I could get a few shots off at those bandits from there," Alexander said. He laid a hand on Victoria's shoulder. "I have met brave women before, but you are one of a kind."
"Be careful," Victoria said softly.
"My brother and I will edge ourselves out there, and head towards the others," one of the young men said. She nodded to them, and watched them leave the tavern, leaving her alone.
The sounds of shooting made her jump, as they interrupted the dusty silence. She held the pistol and watched her hands tremble. What did Diego mean, going out there? He could be killed. She crept closer to the windows, and wondered if she could get a shot off.
How hard could it be? A fool of a boy could point and shoot...But could she kill a man? If he meant her harm she'd better be able to kill a man. There were worse things than death.
She didn't notice the masked man approach her, until he touched her shoulder.
She whirled around, and would have said something scathing, but her sharp eyes caught the flash of red against the black.
"You're bleeding?"
"What?" He glanced down at himself, and examined the hole in the silk. "Just a scratch. I need to get you out of here."
Victoria noticed the change in his voice, and frowned. "You are in pain."
"I need to get you out of here," Zorro insisted. "Then we can look at the scratch."
"There are other people here," Victoria protested.
"I saw most of your customers leave the back way, Victoria. A few brave men can take care of themselves."
He took her hand in a firm grasp, and went down to the basement where the secret passage was. He led her out into the sunshine.
"Hold it right there, Zorro." They both froze at the unfamiliar voice. It was the head bandit, and he held them at gunpoint.
"Stay behind me, Victoria," Zorro said softly.
"What do they say? Reward dead or alive? 5,000 pesos...not bad."
"I always would have liked it higher myself," Zorro quipped. "I'll come quietly if you let the senorita go free," he added softly.
"Why should I?" He asked. "I hold all the cards, senor."
Zorro reacted quickly, and a whip came out, snatching the gun from the man's hand. The man uttered a yelp of pain, and held his injured hand with a scowl.
"You were saying, Senor?"
"My men know of the reward as well," the man murmured.
"We are leaving, Senor, if you don't mind," Zorro said softly.
He took a few steps away, expecting Victoria to follow him. He whistled for the black stallion, but the horse didn't race up to them. He whistled again, varying the pitch slightly, but still no result.
"Victoria?"
"No, no more tricks, Fox," the man said. One of his remaining men held a gun pointed towards Victoria. "He will shoot her. If you move a muscle."
"Zorro…"
Victoria still held the pistol in her hand, and had raised it. She pointed the gun at one man and then the other. Her hand trembled visibly, and a tear ran down her face as she struggled with her fears.
"If you wouldn't mind, Senores, if you would walk back to the garrison," Victoria said in a hushed tone that somehow carried to the men. "This gun might go off."
"It would go better for you if you handed me the pistol, Senorita."
"I think the gun is safest with Victoria, is that not right?"
"I agree. I may not know how to use it perfectly but in your hands our lives would be in danger…" Victoria said, bewildered by the element of cheekiness that had entered the situation.
"Well, I am sure one of our men might take an exception…" the head man said with a shrug.
The men began to walk towards the plaza, and Zorro came alongside Victoria. He was actively watching his surroundings, aware that danger could come from anywhere. Zorro was loading one of his pistols as he walked.
"Since when do you carry pistols?" Victoria asked softly. "Where is your sword?"
"Sabre is too heavy right now," he murmured. "I use guns from time to time."
A few steps more and they would be quite close to the garrison. And Alejandro. Victoria felt like her legs would give way, but she kept walking. Focused on the men in front of her, the gun in her hand, and getting to Don Alejandro.
"Look out!" There was a shout, a shot, an answering shot and then a stillness that caused the shots to echo through the empty plaza.
Zorro held a smoking pistol, and for a moment everything seemed fine. Then the man in black stumbled to his knees, clutching his side.
Victoria dropped the pistol she held and raced to gather the man against her. Zorro. Diego. Was he badly injured? Was he dead? Please, no. Please please please, no.