"Nyrah," Elizabeth puts her basket on a post by the open door, "I just came back to apologize-" she is cut off by the second man shutting the door behind her, while the other comes from the shadows. Her basket of papers thuds to the floor, and I let out a massive sigh. The chair I am sitting in becomes more uncomfortable now that I know I was useless against fate. Now all three of us will be in danger. Perfect.
"I'm looking for Lucas Bouchard." I wish I could rember this man's name. His gray hair reflects the lantern-light, and his eyes glisten with evil intent. It is this moment I wish I had an actual cell phone, and not those old boxes they communicate with. At least with a cell-phone, I could silently get someone's attention.
"Well, I'm sorry, but we don't know where he is," Elizabeth snaps back at him.
"But you did come here looking for him. When was the last time you saw him," He removes his hat. Elizabeth looks down, thinking of a good lie to protect Lucas. It's sort of cute I suppose, but then again, I ended up in here because I thought I could save her and Lucas too...so maybe all of us are a little out of our element here. The difference between her and me, is that I can actually defend myself. It's a long story...another one.
"I don't know...three days ago? He's been out of town," she answers, ready to stand up, "Look, a friend is watching my son, and she'll wonder where I am." I stay silent the entire time they all talk to eachother, and they force Elizabeth to sit down again.
"We would like you to wait here with us until Lucas gets back." It's like this guy doesn't know I even exist; he hasn't even addressed me once. I got here first. I also may have been incorrect in saying that I was going to be utterly bored here in Hope Valley.
Elizabeth glares at the man, "if you have a problem with Lucas, why don't you take it up with him?"
"I am trying to take it up with him; it's precisely why I'm here." I look down at my hands, untied, and underestimated. The moment any of them get close to me, I am going to throttle them to the floor and punch the living daylight out of them. I know his name now. I just remembered. Amos Dixon is going to have the worst back ache of his life in just a moment if I can possibly help it. Amos paces around the both of us, grabbing a lock of my short brunette hair. There is more disghust than fear in my stomach right now, but I hide it beneath sheet of stone.
"You knew they were in here, didn't you?" Elizabeth asks when Amos walks closer to the double doors. My chins drops a bit before keeping a close eye on the men's every move. She continues, "You would have let me carry on believing that you were selfish, but in fact you are the exact opposite." I now turn to the woman's dark blue eyes. She has no idea how selfish I am, for I know that her safety wasn't only reason I tried to stop her from coming in here. I hoped, for some twisted reason, that if Lucas saw that I was captured, he would begin to care for me instead, because it would be a shared experience. I grip tighter on the truth within me; she doesn't need to know it. To release the tension, I grip onto the chair tighter.
"I told you that Jack needed his mother," is all I respond to her with, before I hear a rattling sound.
"Elizabeth? Nyrah?" Elizabth gives Lucas a look of pleading and worry. I remain collected. I always remain collected, and I disgust myself. I should be more worried. I should be terrified, but I am not. I am afraid, but not for myself. Maybe it's because I have lived through much worse than a gun to the head. The second that the barrel of a gun is pressed towards Elizabeth and me, Lucas attempts to draw his own gun out from the holster. Amos, though, gets in the way of him succeeding.
"Hi," Amos grabs the gun from Lucas's hand, "I told you I'd find you." After he sits Lucas down by me, his little pity-party rant begins. "New Orleans, San Fransisco, Cape Fullerton, and Hope Valley. You get around Lucas."
"How do you two know eachother?" Elizabeth scolds.
"Can't you tell? The're old friends." I add with sarcasm.
"Yes, well, we were until he started to poke his nose into my business." Amos pours himself a drink, and Lucas, Elizabeth, and I share a look.
"What business is that? Cheating widows out of their livelihood?" Lucas's jaw clenches. I am a cat with a twitching tail and dilated eyes at the moment, and our captors will regret doing this to us.
"She didn't pay what she owed."
"Because you kept jacking up the interest on her loan!"
"Again, my business, not yours." Another swig travels down his throat with a gulp.
"Just let them go."
"Till every penny of the ten grand that is owed to me is in this hand," Amos viciously taps his palm, "they are not going anywhere." The last gulp is gone, and he smirks at Lucas, "where's your safe?" Lucas's brown eyes don't seem surprised, but I notice a weight of potential loss. He is scared. My plan isn't perfect, but I have an idea to help this night of stress to be less stressful. Lucas nods the man toward the back room, and the second he is gone, I judge the position of the other man in the room. He is by the double doors, checking the window. This is my chance. I carefully take the time to slip off my tennis shoes using my feet. This will make it easier to sneak up behind him quietly. That is what I do. While I am against the wall, the man turns toward Lucas and Elizabeth. The two of them glaring at the man as to not give away my position. I am pretty certain, though, that Elizabeth and Lucas didn't approve of my plan.
The man instantly whirls around, gun pointing at my gut. With a side hook, I preform a simple disarming technique, barreling his body into the saloon wall. A job well done, if I do say so myself. I grasp at the man's gun, and try to get to my friends before Amos discovers anything. The sight of his goon unconscious on the floor is bound to upset him. Lucas appears to be shocked, and so does Elizabeth. I wave them closer to the door, but before Elizabeth can stand, a deafening click reaches my ears. I point my gun at his face, but if I pull the trigger, he will pull his just as quickly.
"When I first brought you in here, I really thought you were a weak and useless damsel." Elizabeth's chest is heaving with fright at the sensation of a possible bullet to her brain, and the sweat boils on my skin. Lucas sighs, and I can't help but wonder if it is from disappointment, as if to say, "Now, look, you have made things worse." Let's face it, I probably did. I really need to stop being the hero when there is no cause to be. Amos continues, "I'm impressed, but your efforts won't help you here. You all are going to accompany me to the safe."
"You won't get a penny of that money," I attempt to stall for more time. I know Natnan must have noticed something is going on over here by now.
"What makes you so certain?"
"I tend to have a sixth sense about things; I'm usually right." Our staring contest is beginning to turn painful,especially when there is another knock on the door. Both of our pistols are in the same place, stubborn and foreboding.
"Bouchard? Open up!"
"Don't get any bright ideas, get rid of him." Lucas answers the door, cracking the door just enough for Nathan to see the overturned paper basket. Victory and salvation are near! With hesitation, I lower the pistol, and Amos only lowers his down to Elizabeth's ribcage instead. The other man is now awake, and Lucas has officially finished his conversation with the mountie, which means that I am forced to drop the weapon, and let him hold my arms behind my back in a painful position.
"You can take all that I have if you let them both go." Lucas ensures, being led toward the safe.
"Not after that mountie came sniffing around, I might just take them with me, go for a ride together."
"And what are you going to do with us exactly?" Elizabeth squeals, diverting Amos's attention from the stairs. Nathan is close by. I can feel it.
"My father always said, don't ask questions when you don't wanna know the answer." He whispers in her ear.
"Drop the weapon!" Nathan yells. Everything is chaos from there. My elbow goes into my captors stomach, and Amos shoots a missing shot at Nathan. Lucas tackles Amos to the ground as Elizabeth Darts behind the bar counter. A massive tug on my hair, the man fights me back, and I dodge beneath his swing. Five long seconds, and I end up throwing him over my shoulder to the floor, battered and bruised from the impact. Nathan blinks at me, Lucas groans, lifting himself from the floor. Nathan's boot is on Amos's gun.
Dozens of people with lit lanterns and scrambling footsteps appear in droves right as we all exit the saloon, safe and sound. Lucas offers Elizabeth his jacket.
"No, thank you," she emphatically insists.
"Everyone is safe, you can all go back home." Nathan connects with Bill, who has come in to grab the guy with the bloody nose. I shudder in the breeze of the night, and I watch as the two men of the law take the purpatrators away. I'm no longer angry with him, forgiving enough, at least, to think I will go fishing tomorrow, hoping he will be there so I can apologize.
Hey! One last chapter before I go offline for a while! Don't worry, it isn't the end of the story. I still have many awesome plans. :) Thank you for your continued support!