An armed guard escorted Elizabeth, Rosemary, and Emily through the barn door and into a world that looked considerably different than one would expect from the outside. Inside there were slot machines and card tables and a stage with an upright piano on one side and a sign on the other. Rosemary gasped when she read what it said.
"Oh, dear!" Rosemary said as the three women were whisked to the back of the room.
"What is it?" Emily asked.
"The Vision of Salomé. Quite controversial," Rosemary said.
"Why is that?" Emily asked.
"The lead character does a dance on stage in a beaded brassiere and not much else!"
"Oh, my goodness!" Elizabeth said. "In Hope Valley? That's awful."
"Enough talking. Move," the guard said, opening the door to what looked like an office. "You're going in here until the boss arrives."
"Can we just go home if we promise not to come back?" Elizabeth asked.
"Please?" Emily begged.
"Nice try, but no. Bossman wants to know if we get any unwanted visitors, which is what you are. Just doin' my job," the man said, moving them into the room and locking the door from the outside.
The three women took seats at chairs around the room.
"Elizabeth, this is not good. Assuming we survive this, with the restraining order out against me, I could go to jail!" Rosemary said.
"I think Nathan will have more to worry about than sending you to jail," she replied. "But you are right. This is not good."
"What are we going to do?" Emily asked.
"I don't know," Elizabeth responded. "Pray?"
Emily nodded, and the three women bowed their heads.
Outside, the dynamic between the three men had shifted. An anxious Bouchard willingly took a step backward since the stakes had changed. They were now dealing with a hostage situation for which he hadn't been trained. Bill, being the most experienced in the group, given his long history with the Mounties, took the lead.
"Okay, here is what we're going to do," Bill said. "Nathan, you go through the back. There is a stairwell that leads to the second floor. That door is open. Need you to sneak in there. Bouchard, you come in on the side. I'll create a diversion, and when I give the signal, I want you to run up to the building and try to slip through that window."
"You want me to run?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, when I give the signal, I want you to just…." Bill looked over at Lucas and noted the worried expression on his face. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. I forgot. Have to switch to plan B."
"Which is?" Nathan asked.
"Let me think about it," Bill replied.
A couple of minutes passed by, and a few ideas were thrown out, but none really seemed to work. The frustration in Lucas was mounting. "I feel like a failure. Elizabeth needs me, and I'm more of a detriment to the plans than an asset."
"Stop!" Nathan said, reaching out and touching Lucas on the arm. "You're not a failure."
"Hey!" Bill said. "I know you can be our sentinel."
"Sentinel?"
"Perfect!" Nathan responded. "Lucas, if we aren't out of there within the hour, that means we're likely in trouble. Take the car and run back to town. Call the Benson Hills Mounties. They can probably have someone here within an hour. Do you have a gun?"
Lucas raised the back of his jacket, showing a holstered pistol.
"Good," Nathan said. "Keep it ready in case you are spotted."
"But DON'T get spotted," Bill added.
"Staying undercover is something I am good at. Anything else you need me to do while I wait? I want to help as much as I can." Lucas asked.
"Not really. Just watch the traffic coming in and out. If you see something concerning, well, use your best judgment. I trust you," Bill said.
"Also, be prepared to run down to the gate to pick us up," Nathan said, considering the situation. "We may be in a hurry when we get to them."
Lucas looked toward the barn. "I can do that. Godspeed, gentlemen."
"To you as well, Lucas," Nathan said.
"Rosemary Coulter! I thought I got rid of you," Darius Judson said with a roll of his eyes. "Guess I'll have to call the constable and have him execute that warrant."
"You're the one going to jail, Judson!" Emily responded. "Do you have a permit for all of this gambling equipment?"
Judson laughed. "My dear Miss Reardon. One phone call can get me any amount of paperwork I ever need – including papers for your arrest. What a wonderful story it'll make for my paper to tell the tale of Nathan Grant having to arrest his fiancée for trespassing a few weeks before his wedding."
"We weren't trespassing," Elizabeth said. "We were outside on the street, which is public property. Your guard approached us then brought us inside."
"Your car is in my drive," Judson said.
"Only after your guard told us to pull in," Rosemary responded. "I was technically off your premises until then."
"So, she can't be arrested for violating the restraining order if she was invited in," Emily added.
"Nor can we be arrested for trespassing," Elizabeth said.
Darius looked at his guard. "I don't have time for this. My business partner is en route at this very hour, and we need to make sure everything is ready before he gets here. Keep these women locked in here for now. We'll decide what to do with them after he leaves."
"You'll never get by with this," Emily said. "Nathan and Bill and Lee will make sure of it."
Judson turned to Emily with a fierce expression in his eyes. "Enough of your sass, little biddy," he said, stepping into her space. He then turned and looked at the entire group. "One more word out of any of your pretty little mouths, and I'll see to it that you are silenced. And Mountie Grant and all his fine horsemen will never know where you went."
Lucas Bouchard's thumbs tapped out an incessant rhythm against his steering wheel, channeling just enough of his nervous energy into those few centimeters to keep him from bursting out of the car. It had been only fifteen minutes since he'd watched Nathan and Bill make their way down the hill and to their respective places. Avery decided that since there were now only two of them, they should go as a pair and sneak in through the back. Lucas had watched them disappear into the tall grass on the hillside, which now had its camouflaging characteristics enhanced by gathering clouds overhead. By the time they reached the ground outside the barn, it was raining. They had until just before dusk to come out, and then he wouldn't be able to see them. Where are they? Why aren't they here yet? He reached down and checked his pocket watch. Only seventeen minutes had passed. This was agonizing.
Inside, Bill and Nathan crept along an interior wall, slipping under what used to be horse stalls but now served as storage for restaurant supplies, crates of alcohol, and the like. Nathan mentally kept track of all of the crimes that Judson would be charged with as a result of this visit.
As they reached the end of the stalls, Avery threw out his arm, holding Nathan back, and motioned for him to get down. Less than thirty feet away was Judson and two of his men sitting at velvet-covered craps table taking inventory of several satchels filled with Canadian Currency and what appeared to be bars of gold.
"It's all here. Just like I said," a rugged-looking banker in a tailored suit about the age of fifty said as he watched the counting.
"It'd better be, Draper. You don't even want to know the consequences if it's not," Judson replied.
"Tell me again why we're giving ALL of the money to Moy upfront?" another man asked.
"He's bringing in the business. Nobody ever heard of Hope Valley. Which is actually the point."
"And you trust him?"
Judson was saved from answering that question when a man on the other side of the building stepped into the room with a phone in his hand. "Hey boss, Mabel's on the line."
"What does she want?" Darius said under his breath.
"She says it's important."
Judson sighed, then pushed his seat away from the table, "Gentlemen."
He marched across the floor and grabbed the receiver. Nathan and Bill couldn't hear what he was saying, but by the animated way in which he was reacting, they could tell he wasn't happy. "Fine. We'll be here," was the only thing they made out.
After a minute, he came back and took his seat. Judson pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped them on the table. Pulling one out with his lips, he laid the pack down on the table and reached for a lighter.
"Everything okay?" Draper asked.
"Just keep counting," the businessman said.
Taking advantage of Judson's preoccupation, Bill motioned for Nathan to follow him. Quietly they made their way around the back of the building to a private place they could strategize. If I were going to hold someone captive, where would they be? Knowing that the ladies were in the building, the men's eyes scanned the parameter looking for any signs of a holding place. Nathan was the first to spot the hallway that led to the office. He pointed it out to Bill.
"There?" he whispered.
Bill observed the area and its proximity to Judson and his cronies.
"No way of getting in there without being seen," Bill responded. He thought for a moment. "Stay here. When you get the signal, go."
"What's the signal?"
"You'll know."
Outside, Lucas looked at his watch. It had been 38 minutes since the men left his side. It felt like an eternity. What if they'd been caught? What if Elizabeth was now in even greater danger? What if she'd been harmed or… He told himself to stay calm, yet everything within him wanted to go.
He needed to be down there. He needed to protect her. So help him, if they hurt one hair on her head, he would see to it that they paid, and he wouldn't care about the consequences.
The crashing sound of shattering glass was heard from the far end of the barn alerting Darius Judson to an intruder. Immediately, he stood as his guards went to investigate. At the far end of the room, they found the judge standing in front of an open crate of whiskey bottles, taking one at a time and smashing them against the floor.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?" One of the guards said.
"This here is contraband," Avery said, smashing another bottle on the floor. Provincial police demand that all non-medicinal alcoholic products be destroyed. I'm just carrying out orders."
The man reached out to stop the judge, and Bill pulled his gun.
"I wouldn't advise that," he said. "Judge Bill Avery. Now back away."
Upon hearing Bill's voice and more breaking glass, Judson and his remaining men left their positions and joined the others, leaving the main floor completely unguarded. Nathan rushed to the hallway. Seeing the closed door with a light on underneath, he knew he'd found them. He tested the handle. It was locked. Looking out toward the main room and seeing it empty, he gently tapped on the door.
"Emily? It's me," he said softly.
Emily jumped up from her chair and ran to the door. "Nathan! I knew you'd come! Get us out of here!"
"I'm trying, but the door's locked. Just sit tight. I'll find a way."
Outside, Lucas was about to come unglued. The men had been gone for forty-five minutes. Something had surely gone awry. He opened the car door and began to step outside only to scold himself, telling himself to pull it together. He returned to his seat and had just begun to focus again when a Cobalt Mercedes automobile pulled up to the compound and turned into the drive.
Lucas's heart skipped a beat.
"Shu!"
The car drove up to the building, and Shu Moy himself exited the vehicle. Mabel Lee was at his side.
Lucas got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Elizabeth and the others were now in grave danger. Even if he left now, he knew that the hour it would take for the other Mounties to get there would be too late. He had to do something -but what?
Nathan looked around the room for anything with which he could unlock the door. A few feet away, he spotted what he needed – a stack of papers secured with a paper clip. Slipping across the hall, he grabbed the paper and quickly used the clip to pick the lock to the door. It sprang open, and within moments the women rushed out of the room. He motioned for them to be quiet and to follow. As he reached the end of the hall, Shu Moy, Mabel Lee, and Shu's bodyguard entered the front door. Nathan and the women crouched down on the floor.
Shu heard arguing and the smashing of glass in the background and motioned for his guard to see what was going on. Meanwhile, Shu looked around the room at his investment.
"What's going on back there?" Shu's guard stated as he approached the back. Bill looked toward the man, which was just the time needed for one of Judson's men to charge him. A gunshot rang out, and one of the women screamed. Shu Moy turned toward the hallway just as Judson and his men, as well as Shu's bodyguard, came out with Bill under their control. Shu's eyes met Judson's, and he motioned toward where he'd heard the sound. "We're not alone."
Judson's guard raised his firearm in the air, and he and two of the others walked toward the office. Despite attempts to take cover, the party was quickly discovered.
"Out. Out where we can see you." Judson's guard motioned with his gun.
Nathan raised his hands in the air, and two men swooped in, disarming Nathan and pushing him and the ladies into the main room.
"Why, Constable Grant. What a surprise," Judson said. "Come to retrieve Mrs. Coulter and take her to jail?"
"Who are these people?" Shu asked. "And what are they doing here? You said nothing of any Mounties being involved."
Before Darius could answer, Mabel spoke. "The Mountie works for Lucas Bouchard."
"Lucas and the Mounties?" Shu asked.
"Yes, that's what I was trying to say in the car. You won't believe what I've found out."
"I'm listening," Shu said.
"As am I, Mabel. What is it you wish to tell my old friend? Hello, Shu." Lucas said as he entered the room. Shu's guard reached for his gun, but Shu's hand reached out and stopped him. He turned to Lucas and smiled.
"Lucas Bouchard, it's been a long time."
"That it has," Lucas replied. "It's a surprise to see you in Hope Valley. Did you take a wrong turn on your way to Vancouver?"
Shu chuckled. "I'm here on business with Mr. Judson. I assume you two have met?"
"Darius and I are acquaintances," Lucas said, walking to a roulette table and spinning the wheel. "This business – it wouldn't happen to involve setting up shop in my territory, would it?"
"Your territory?" Shu said.
"Yes. Hope Valley is mine, as are all of the major towns between here and Toronto – soon to be Montreal." Lucas walked further into the room and approached the guard holding Nathan. "You can let him go. He's one of ours."
"The Mountie works for you?" Shu asked.
"Of course. I learned from the best," Lucas said. "Local law enforcement in Hope Valley is fully cooperative – but you would know all about that sort of thing."
"I don't believe him. He's lying," Judson responded.
"No. It's true," Mabel said. "I saw it with my own two eyes. Lucas and the Mountie. They have a deal going. He paid him lots of money. I saw it."
Shu looked at Mabel. "You saw it personally?"
"With my own two eyes," she repeated.
"I see," Shu said, looking Grant up and down.
Avery looked at Nathan. "You took a bribe?"
Lucas stepped forward. "A protection fee. The people I work with are very private. Not surprised Judson hasn't heard of them before. Money well spent."
Bill shook his head with disappointment, and Emily looked between Lucas and Nathan in confusion.
"Now, would you please release my friends? Sounds like we have some catching up to do," Lucas said, taking a seat.
Elizabeth watched her husband, mesmerized by his performance, reminiscent of the steely-eyed look he'd given Amos Dixon on the night Dixon has abducted her at the saloon. It was his best poker face.
Shu studied him for but a moment and nodded toward the guard. "Do as he says."
"You're trusting Bouchard over me?" Judson asked.
"Lucas and I go back many years. He once protected a client of mine from arrest and helped him escape. I trust him completely."
"But I'm your partner!"
"Who can't even secure the building when he knows I'm coming," Shu replied. "Not a way to earn my trust. Bouchard is fine; release them."
The men dropped their weapons, allowing Nathan to walk freely into the room, the women following close behind. Bill remained under guard.
"So, Lucas. Who are our other guests?" Shu asked.
"The brunette is his wife," Mabel blurted out.
Lucas kept a straight face, though Elizabeth's eyes grew wide.
"Is this true?" Shu asked, taking a long look at Elizabeth. "You have a wife?"
"Yes," Lucas replied.
"And what is she doing here?"
Lucas twisted his mouth to one side and looked over at Rosemary with a sigh. "I wasn't going to say anything given her restraining order, but Rosemary, do you have something you need to confess?"
All eyes turned to Rosemary, who had been quiet until that moment, and she took a step forward. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help it. I know I have the restraining order over the factory, but…well, I just knew he was up to something, and I had to find out. We weren't going to come on the property, but then his guards forced us to."
Lucas turned to Shu, "Rosemary is the town's newspaper editor. Before a terrible accident that put her in the hospital, she had been pursuing Judson for some illegalities committed in the operation of his textile factory at the edge of town – something else someone wouldn't want to have if one did not want to draw attention."
Shu glowered at Darius.
"Unfortunately, my wife's best friend got herself in trouble for trespassing a couple of times, and they put a restraining order on her. But it would appear Mrs. Coulter's nose for news couldn't be held at bay today, and so here they are. Why my wife decided to go along with it is a topic she and I will discuss at home tonight," he said, turning his eyes toward Elizabeth. "But I can assure you they're harmless. And, given two of their conditions, I would consider it a personal favor if you would let Nathan take them home. Then you and I can get down to brass tacks and discuss some business."
Darius looked at Shu, Lucas, and the rest of the room and shook his head. "I can't believe you're letting this guy hoodwink you, Moy. I mean, all of them here at once? It makes no sense."
"What do you mean?" Shu asked.
"Bouchard's lying. This little town is too nosey for him to be carrying out anything like what he's inferring – I mean, Lucas Bouchard as gambling kingpin? Don't you think our nosey newswoman would have had something to say about that by now? They're together all the time."
"I'll have you know, I knew nothing of this, Darius Judson," Rosemary said. "And quite frankly…I'm shocked! Elizabeth, did you know that Lucas was involved in these sorts of iniquitous activities?"
Elizabeth kept a straight face. "Lucas and I have an understanding. I don't ask about his business, and he makes sure Jack and I remain comfortable."
"Well!" Rosemary said.
"Nathan?" Emily asked, confused. Grant looked at her and shook his head.
"They're setting us up, Moy," Darius said. "They're all working something together. It's just too coincidental that they showed up here at once."
Shu nodded. "That does seem to be a bit odd. Would you care to explain? How did you know to come here?"
Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed. "Nathan and I were out together looking for Elizabeth. Someone said they saw them come out this way."
"And, given Mrs. Coulter's past," Nathan added. "I didn't want her causing any more trouble for Judson or getting into trouble herself. So, we came out together."
"And the judge?" Judson asked. "The constable and the judge are good friends."
"Or so it seemed," Bill said with a frown. "I'm out here on my own. There was a bust west of here last night. Don't suppose either of you would know anything about that, would you? Guy said he was coming this way."
"People say a lot of things," Judson replied. "You have no evidence that it's true and are, in fact, trespassing without a warrant."
"His word was probable cause," Avery replied.
"Hearsay," Judson said. "Just as Lucas's story about just happening to come out here looking for Elizabeth. Tell me, gentlemen, who told you where she'd be?"
"Ned," said Lucas. "Florence," said Nathan.
The two men looked at one another with surprise.
"It was Ned," Lucas said, his eyes boring holes into Nathan.
"Oh, okay," Grant chuckled nervously. "I was actually outside the Mercantile when the conversation happened. Ned and Florence own the Mercantile together, and generally speaking, if you want to know something, you just ask Florence…not Ned."
Lucas frowned, looking at Nathan with irritation, then turned back to the table, and for one moment, he thought they'd pulled it off until Shu narrowed his eyes and looked at his guard, pointing at Lucas. "Get him!"
The guard immediately launched toward Lucas, but Elizabeth delayed him, shoving a chair into his side. Meanwhile, Lucas used his body to overturn the card table onto Moy and Judson.
"Get them out of here!" he yelled to Nathan, who immediately grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her, Emily and Rosemary toward the door.
One of the guards left Bill's side and ran after Nathan, who was now trying to fight off two guards even as Bill wrested himself away from the third. Shu's guard was coming after Lucas, who was moving as fast as he could. Seeing this, Elizabeth broke free and jumped on the guard's back, choking him. Emily grabbed a vase from the table and cracked it over Shu's guard's head, dazing the man and causing him to fall to the floor - Elizabeth narrowly escaping being crushed by the fall.
Shu Moy drug himself from under the table and, seeing his guard on the ground, ran and grabbed him.
"Get me out of here!" he said. "Now!"
Mabel and Shu helped the man up, and the three of them exited the barn. Meanwhile, Judson's guards pulled out their weapons and trained them on Nathan.
Lucas reached into his waistband and pulled out a handgun that he had been carrying for protection, and shot the guard's arm. That guard motioned for his colleague to go after Lucas.
Nathan and Bill looked at Lucas in shock, and he motioned for them to go.
As the five of them ran in one direction, Bouchard moved in the other. Another shot rang out.
Elizabeth turned in time to see her husband fall to the ground. "Lucas!" she screamed, beginning to run to him in hysterics. Nathan grabbed her arm.
"NO! Elizabeth! You have to go!" he yelled.
"I have to go to him!" she again cried. Bill gently wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to the door along with the other two women who were now crying.
"Get them out of here," Nathan said. "Get them to safety. Elizabeth, I'm going in after him."
"But Nathan!" Emily cried, rushing to him and grabbing onto him.
He pulled her against him, and kissed her. "Emm…don't make this any more complicated than it needs to be. This is like any other mission you've been on. I need to focus. Please, just go."
Remembrances of wartime made their way into Reardon's mind, and she shifted into a battlefield mindset. She took the lead, coaxing Elizabeth and Rosemary to follow Bill and the four of them left in Coulter's car.
Meanwhile, back in Hope Valley, there were visitors. Four Mountain Ridge Mounties were camped out in Nathan Grant's office. The mayor had let them in. They had been waiting for a couple of hours to talk to the constable about everything Andrew Yang had told them, but Nathan'd never returned.
Since it was around dinner-time, Coulter offered to walk down to Abigail's and grab them a bite to eat, but it was on his journey there that he ran into Ned Yost, who told him that Nathan, Bill, and Lucas had gone out to Darius Judson's house and that his wife had gone that way too.
"Rosie's at home, I think," Lee said. "She should be resting."
"That's not the direction that Florence said she was going when she drove away a few hours ago. She had Elizabeth and Emily with her."
Lee's mind began to race. Rosemary was heading out to Judson's again? And Judson was bringing in contraband? "This isn't good."
"What isn't good?" Ned asked, "Is there some sort of trouble?"
"Can't talk about it," Lee said as he returned to the Mountie Station.
In the corner of the barn, Lucas sat on the floor, checking to see how many bullets were left in his gun. Three bullets left. There had been an exchange of gunfire in which he believed he'd hit another guard, but the man apparently wasn't injured badly because he still heard him scurrying around. A sudden shadow on the floor alerted him to the nearby presence of heavy feet, and he worked to control his breathing lest it give him away. The figure moved closer to the stack of crates that were concealing his whereabouts, and Lucas quietly closed the cylinder of his revolver and pulled back the hammer. It made a clicking sound, and the figure stopped moving.
Lucas squeezed his eyes shut and said a quick prayer that amounted to nothing more than a cry for help. In his position, he knew he was trapped. He heard the sound of another gun being readied to shoot, and his eyes darted across the room, looking for anything else that could shield him. There was a doorway about twelve feet away, and if he'd been physically able, he'd have easily been able to escape. But getting up from the floor itself would prove a small challenge, and if he tried it, he knew he'd be dead.
For a moment, he thought maybe they won't kill me. But as the silver of a gun barrel rounded the corner, he saw his life pass before his eyes. And then he saw the serge and nearly passed out from relief.
Lucas exhaled, bringing a concerned Nathan to his side.
"Are you okay?" Grant said, checking him over. "We saw you got hit."
Lucas sat up straight, "If a few splinters count as getting hit. But yeah, I'm okay. Where are the women?"
"Bill got them out of here. Shu's gone too."
"So it's just Judson and his guards?"
"Yeah, and that banker guy. I think he's run back to one of the offices."
Lucas shook his head. "Do we know where they are?"
Nathan nodded toward an area about 50 feet away. "Over there. We've got to get out of here."
Lucas considered what he said. "There's a doorway over there that appears to lead outside, but I'm afraid I'd just slow you down getting to it. Perhaps leave me here and go for backup?"
"Not a chance," Nathan said. "We're leaving this place together. I'm not going to leave you behind."
A knowing exchange took place between Lucas and Nathan in which the two men connected, not as formal rivals but as brothers and friends. Lucas smiled a wistful smile. "Well, then I guess we should quit talking and move along, then."
Nathan nodded. "You go first," he said. "I'll provide cover."
Lucas tried to remain quiet as Nathan helped him up from the ground, keeping his head down below the crates as much as he could. Once on his feet, he stayed low even as Nathan followed two feet behind. About two feet from the end of the row of crates and six feet from the door, a shot rang out, hitting the top of a crate where Lucas was crouched and narrowly missing his head.
"We see you, Bouchard!" Darius Judson's voice said. "Come out here, now!"
Lucas turned back with widened eyes toward Nathan, who motioned toward the door with his head. "On the count of three, go! I'll cover you."
Lucas shook his head yes and waited for the signal, gunfire ringing out the moment he left cover. However, Grant stood up and returned fire, a shell from his gun taking down Judson's remaining guard, and a bullet from Darius's pistol narrowly missed the Mountie. Nathan tried to return fire but quickly realized he needed to reload. He fell below the crate line and accessed his ammunition, even as the sound of Judson's footsteps continued to approach.
"Don't mess with me, Constable," Judson said, walking toward the crates. "Those who mess with Darius Judson live to regret it…or sometimes not."
Judson's firearm was no doubt ready to fire, and at that close range, the Mountie risked certain death. He needed to think.
Finally, he saw the shadow of Darius Judson's figure reflecting on the wall. He was now just feet away.
A bullet came flying through an open window, whistling just past Judson's head and lodging into the wall. Judson ducked down, and when he did, Nathan pushed with all of his might, toppling a wall of crates down onto the businessman and allowing himself space to break free. Judson fired again at Nathan as the Mountie dashed past him and out the door to the outside, where it had begun to rain. Nathan ran toward the field for cover where Lucas was standing, his own pistol trained on the door. Within seconds Judson appeared and fired at Nathan. A bullet ripped through Nathan's serge, and he fell to the ground.
A horrified Lucas returned fire, shooting at Judson twice and then hearing the sickening click of his own empty gun. He rushed toward the Mountie.
An evil smile played upon Judson's face, and he began to advance but stopped abruptly when three Mountain View Mounties surrounded him with horses, guns drawn.
Lucas bent over next to Nathan, who was lying on his back in the mud and holding his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Do I look alright?" Nathan said, "I'm shot."
Lucas peeled back the serge to take a look. "It went through your shoulder. I've had one of those."
Nathan threw him a dirty look, and Lucas blushed.
"That's not to diminish it," Lucas said. "I'm sure it's quite painful. I honestly don't remember getting mine, though I still have the scar."
"Will you shut up and help me up?" Nathan barked. "Last thing I want to do is compare war wounds at a time like this."
Lucas nodded with embarrassment. "Of course, you're right."
"Of course, I am." Nathan echoed.
Lucas pulled Nathan up by his good arm, and the Mountie rose to his feet, surveying the scene around them as the other Mounties apprehended Judson and the banker and the remaining guards who willingly came out with their hands up, the banker needing a change of clothing.
When it was clear that everything was safe, Lee rushed to meet the men.
"Are you two okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, but Nathan's been hit," Lucas said. "We need to get him to Emily. Are the women safe?"
"Yes. We ran into Bill on the way out here, and he told us about everything that happened. He's taken them back to town, and Emily's making sure that Elizabeth, Rosemary, and the babies are okay. I'm sure they'll be fine. Do you all need a ride?"
Lucas looked at his car, which was still up on the hill, and Lee's one-seater, which was closer. "Nathan can ride with you. I'm all the way up there."
Nathan looked at his shoulder, which was really just a flesh wound, then he looked at Lee. "No, I think I'd rather ride with you," he said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, unless you have objections to me bleeding in your car."
Lucas laughed. "It would be a privilege to have you bleed in my car."
Nathan smiled. "Then let's get going. Best both of us show up together anyway lest Emily or Elizabeth think the worst has happened."
"Good point. You lead the way."