Unlawfully Yours

Chapter IV



"Did we really have to carry him all this way?"

Paul looked up from the body while wiping his forehead in spite of the coolness of night.

"What? You'd have preferred that Reggie found him and twisted Phoebe's neck for his murder?"

Even in the weak light of the lantern they had brought along, he saw Cole shrugging.

"Ah… I forgot…" Paul went on sarcastically, "if she hadn't been raped, you'd have twisted her neck yourself, right?"

"I wouldn't wish what happened to her on my worst enemy… doesn't mean I've got to like her…"

"Now you see," Paul said, obviously amused, "that's the part I'm not sure about… Hey, she did that to me too, and I don't even hate her. On the contrary…Just about every man she meets falls for her…well except maybe for the creep here, but he was dick less…or at least, he is now…" At this, Paul looked down with a grimace.

"I must say that bad guy or not, that'll make any man think…" he added, although he sounded amused again. "Ok now, which one of us is going to pull this out and put it back in his pants?"

"Are you crazy…I'm not touching that!" Cole exclaimed while taking a few steps back.

"Come on… if they find this creep with his dick shoved down his throat, I don't think they're gonna have too much trouble figuring out what happened. Can't be very healthy for Phoebe… and on top of that, to succeed, I need her to get into Reggie's good graces…not at the receiving end of his wrath…"

"Whatever you say…but I'm not touching that…" Cole reiterated stubbornly.

"Chicken…"

Cole eyeballed him but didn't make a move to come back on his steps.

Paul grimaced anew while pulling gloves out of his pocket.

"Well, I was thinking of throwing those out. Might as well do that now…"

With a disgusted wince, Paul quickly pulled on the appendage and, as soon as he had it out, he shoved it deep inside Carl's pants before closing those in a hurry. Then after throwing the gloves into the hole they dug, he rolled Carl on top of it.

"Well, now let's cover him and go back on the double," he said, still twisting his mouth in disgust.

"Yeah, let's do that." Cole added with the same disgusted expression.

As they worked, Paul began questioning Cole, hoping to get a better idea on his motivations.

"You never told me where you were from?"

"No…:" Cole answered uncompromisingly.

"Is that some kind of secret," Paul pursued casually.

"I just don't see why you'd need to know that," Cole replied curtly, telling Paul that he wasn't fooled by his attempt at casual conversation.

"Fair enough…" Paul kept silent for a long moment, while shovelling as fast as he could, worrying about what would happen if Reggie got there before they returned. Yet, he felt that he should give another try at loosening his new friend's tongue. The unknown could spell trouble for the near future and he wasn't one to like going into danger blindly.

"You know, maybe it's not that fair," he finally uttered, startling Cole.

"What?"

"I mean, you're here and I've got no idea why…"

"I'm here for the money," Cole answered right away, frowning and suspending his shovelling. "I thought it was pretty obvious…"

"Are you, really? Because, you know, I've seen what she does to men before…Heck, I've almost been there…and the hurt puppy look you have around her is like a big indication of what you really want."

Cole planted the shovel hard in the ground before turning an irate glare toward Paul.

"What the hell? That broad could beg me to sleep with her and I still wouldn't care to."

"Hey, it was just an observation man," Paul said while halting his work as well. He paused and then went on:

"I just meant that you should be careful that's all…Phoebe's a man eater. She uses her guiles to get what she wants and then…well, this would be the most extreme case…"

Paul was indicating the shallow grave they were working on.

"You mean she's like a killer?"

"No, no, she isn't…except like in these kinds of extreme situations, I guess…But really, she'll use you for all your worth, and then, she'll throw you to the wolves without a second thought."

Cole didn't like the way this conversation was going. First of all, it hit too close to home, but also, he had hoped that she wasn't as bad as he had feared. Even while denying it to Paul he couldn't help thinking of her and what might be. This was ridiculous he knew, even almost indecent, in the sense that the images of her naked body still came back to haunt him in spite of the circumstances in which he'd seen it. Only the memory of her wounds stopped him from going further with that thought.

"It's really none of your concern, McKail…" he finally said irritably, "but at any rate, there isn't much danger of that. On the other hand, I'd sure like to know how you fit into all this. I heard of your misadventure and of the circumstances," he countered then, as he was eager to change the subject.

Paul measured him for a long moment, even as Cole picked up his shovel and went back to work. Then, he uttered at last:

"I'm in it for the money, of course, just like you. Regardless of what you might've assumed, it's all that matters to me…"

Cole was about to reply when a gun shot resounded and the dirt lifted at his feet. He jumped back and immediately tried to reach for his revolver. However, Paul reacted faster, knocking down the lantern, and then pushing Cole hard toward the half filled grave. Cole fell in and, almost immediately, Paul jumped on top of him. Cole tried to protest, but Paul signalled for him to keep silent. Right then, another bullet went to lodge itself only mere feet behind them. By then, the lantern was extinguished and the surroundings very dark. Cole felt his companion's hand on his forearm, pushing him hard, and he understood that Paul meant for them to try running for it. Cole didn't like this idea one little bit, but he also realized that they were sitting ducks. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the grave and ran toward where they had left the horses, only hoping that he wasn't mistaken. He heard the clinking of Paul's spurs with a hint of worry, as he feared this might pinpoint their position. The moment the idea crossed his mind, another gun shot exploded. He didn't know where it hit, but he knew that it must have been close and sped up.

When he got to where the horses were, he bumped into one of them, and the mount reared off with a neighing of protest and fear. Cole wondered if the horse wasn't gonna throw him off right away but there was no time to think too much, as he had no clue on how close the attackers were. He climbed blindly on the horse, which thankfully didn't react badly, and then turned it in the opposite direction, which he believed to be deeper into the desert. As he went, his eyes were slowly getting accustomed to the vague light of the stars, but all he could really distinguish was the vague silhouette of his companion's horse racing by his side. They went on for almost ten minutes before Paul halted his mount in silence. Cole did the same and they listened anxiously for a sign of pursuit. However, after a while, they came to the conclusion that the attackers had given up on them. They'd probably seen the futility of searching for them in the dark among the dunes that were already between them and their preys.

At last, Cole exclaimed angrily:

"How the hell did they know how to find us? Most of all, where did they come from…?"

"Phoebe," Paul answered darkly…



Earlier, Phoebe had dozed off out of exhaustion, but she reacted immediately when the door to the shack opened. She was already preparing to protest at the disturbance on principle, when her eyes grew wide with barely contained fright.

"Hey, babe! Long time, no see…" Reggie uttered, almost as if her being there was the most natural thing in the world. Phoebe quickly changed expression, hoping that he didn't read her fear before.

"Reggie," she exclaimed then, trying her best to sound joyous.

"They let me out," she continued, as she stood up and went to him.

"Let you out?"

Phoebe wondered about this. How dare he pretend that he didn't know where she was for the last month?

"Let you out from where, Phoebe?"

Phoebe had to admit that he sounded genuinely surprised at her affirmation.

"Prison, where else. I got arrested the very night you dumped me…I took the fall for the robbery, Reggie…"

"I had no idea…and don't come here throwing accusations. I gave you money before I left you. Count yourself lucky that's all I did…Now, if they had you, why in the hell did they let you go?"

Phoebe decided to try and distract him from this as she moved closer, almost purring while she deposited a kiss at the base of his neck. All the while, she cursed Paul for his lies. He had been the one fuelling her anger against Reggie all this time.

"What does it matter why they let me go? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Reggie grabbed her arms firmly and then he pushed her off.

"Phoebe, if you remember well, I dumped you."

"Oh come on, Reggie, I know you didn't mean it. I upset you, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, alright? You can't still be mad at me for being curious, can you?"

"I may not be mad at you for that anymore, but I'm still curious as to why they released you," he went on, telling Phoebe that he wouldn't be easily deterred, "Care to explain?"

Phoebe pouted unhappily.

"Alright, if you must know…"

"Phoebe," Reggie questioned threateningly.

"Hey, no need to get angry. I endured enough by your fault…"

"I told you that I had nothing to do with your arrest…"

"You still left me behind and they got me because of it…" Phoebe said almost defiantly. Reggie became impatient.

"Stop being a smart ass, Phoebe. I need to know …"

"Well, one of the bastards there used me for his amusement…"

Reggie's eyes narrowed at this.

"How?"

Phoebe bit her lips, pretending not to wanna say more.

"It doesn't matter now…" she went back toward him, caressing his chest languorously.

"I'm here and I'm safe with you."

"Phoebe, what's the matter with you?"

"Nothing… I'm fine now…"

"I want details, Phoebe… or I'll throw you out right now."

Phoebe was mad at herself for believing Paul at this point. Yet, what was done was done, and she still thought that a certain hesitation was indicated for her story to have some credibility now that the damage was done. Besides, her reluctance to talk about it wasn't completely faked. Therefore, instead of answering his question, she pretended to avoid it. Her hand moved down toward his groin suggestively then.

"We could be doing something so much more pleasurable than talking…I missed the big guy an awful lot…" she added as she caressed him, already feeling the start of a bulge at her touch. The thought of having sex with him at this point was almost nauseating to her. Yet, she felt that it was better to suffer through this than him suspecting her. Every second, she expected to hear the horses announcing Paul and Cole's return with a cold sweat. Still, she went on, already undoing Reggie's pants expertly. When he didn't stop her, she went on by grabbing and stroking him whiles her other hand undid the first few buttons of his shirt. She then began trailing her tongue lightly down from his neck to his chest, all the while hoping that he would be satisfied quickly and that she could avoid doing anything more. However, it wasn't to be.

Reggie grabbed her roughly by the hair and pulled her face up to his crushing her mouth with his hungry lips while he held her hand firmly in place against his loins. His kiss was deep and impatient, and he soon pushed her toward the cot that was back in its place.

"You little tease," he growled hoarsely, "I must admit that I missed that."

He pushed her down and began fumbling with her shirt, soon exposing her breasts, and there he stopped short.

"What happened to you," Reggie asked, as he stared at the red line running from her neck to her left breast.

"I told you," Phoebe said angrily, pulling her hand off of him.

"Some bastard thought it a good idea to try and make me talk while taking his sick fun. They let me out when I threatened to expose them to the judge."

"Who is it? I'll kill him!"

"It doesn't matter, Reggie. He's not the first one who thinks of me as a punching bag… and not the last for sure…What's done is done. I'm free now… and all that matters is whether you'll take me back."

Reggie had lost the mood altogether and was pulling his pants up. Moreover, his next few words were nowhere near reassuring in spite of his outrage at the way she was treated.

"I don't know Phoebe…How can I ever trust you?"

"How the hell can you not? After all I endured and I didn't talk. You don't see the Marshals here, now do you?"

"I guess not…" he trailed. Phoebe wondered about his hesitation. Yet, she was certain that had he known about the guys being here earlier, he surely would have questioned her about them.

Instead, Reggie asked her:

"If you thought I had you arrested, why did you come back here?"

"You've got to ask?" Phoebe answered assuredly this time. "First, I knew that you dumped me because you were upset with me. I believed that I could make you see I'm not your enemy… on the contrary. And second, I wanted you to tell me yourself that you hadn't given me up. I'm satisfied now…"

"Well," Reggie replied, obviously unconvinced, "that makes one of us…"

Phoebe couldn't help feeling a chill at this, but before this went any further, they were interrupted by a gunshot in the distance. This caught both their attention. Reggie seemed mostly irritated, but he still stared curiously at Phoebe. She did her best to keep her reaction to herself while sitting up and closing the shirt over her scarred chest.

"You don't seem too surprised about what's happening out there," Reggie questioned. "Do you know something?"

"I figured that either Lenny or Carl was out shooting coyotes…wouldn't be the first time…"

Reggie stared at her suspiciously for another long moment.

"Carl's not with us. As a matter of fact, I was about to ask if you'd seen him. He came here ahead of us…"

"Did he?" Phoebe questioned casually. She hoped that the guys had time to get rid of the body before they got caught. "I haven't seen him. Maybe he stopped on the way to take a nap…He's never been very reliable…"

Reggie stared at her for a while longer, but he soon turned toward the door, obviously on his way to investigate the disturbance.

"Wait here," he ordered curtly before going through the door.

Phoebe didn't answer, and then she exhaled with mitigated relief as soon as he was out of sight. She had no idea what would happen next, but there was no point in running now. In addition to her anxiety about her own fate, she also felt a twinge of fear for the men who had helped her. She found herself hoping that they would escape as she watched the door anxiously. Phoebe wondered about her feelings in the matter, but again, she firmly rejected this introspection.

Cole and Paul had still waited in silence for a while, just in case. In the end however, no one showed up behind them. After Paul's last comment, the two men had avoided discussing their personal feelings right away, deciding of a common accord to concentrate on their immediate safety. Meanwhile, each worried about Phoebe for different reasons.

Cole wondered about Paul's comment mostly because he worried about what might have happened to her. Of course, he understood that Paul meant that she might have send the thieves after them, but deep down, he refused to accept it. He still didn't think much of Phoebe's character, but he truly believed that she would be unlikely to help her attackers' accomplices rather than the ones who saved her from him. This didn't keep the doubts from creeping in his mind however. These made him uncomfortable and conflicted again.

Paul also had some doubts, but mostly, he wondered just how likely it was that she didn't give them away. His only reason to reject this possibility was that Reggie would take offense at one of his own being killed. No matter the reason. He didn't know much about Reggie the Slick, short of the little he had gleaned from Phoebe. Nevertheless, he was under the impression that the man would've much preferred killing his acolyte himself. Sort of keeping it in the family, so to speak… This meant of course that Phoebe had no interest in being associated with Carl's killers in Reggie's eyes.

Paul finally kicked his horse and started moving while saying:

"Let's go back…"

Cole noticed immediately that he wasn't going directly the way they came but instead on an almost perpendicular route to their destination. Cole didn't need to ask Paul why however, as he understood that he was trying to side step their attackers. He felt relief at going back, because his worries were only deepening for every minute that passed.

"Do you think she's gonna be ok?" He couldn't help asking.

Paul half turned toward him.

"You're assuming that she didn't send them after us…"

"You don't really believe she did, do you?"

"I don't really know what to think. It would sure be a bad move on her part, or so it seems…" Paul continued uncertainly. "No matter, they're here, and that's all I care about now. I've been waiting a long time for this, and a few bullets aren't gonna stop me now."

"You have?"

"Ever since I got Phoebe arrested on a stroke of luck…"

"You were the one? I thought she believed Reggie to be responsible for that?"

"That's what I wanted her to believe. That night one of my associates spotted her coming back into town. Unfortunately, he didn't follow them to the hotel right away. I was just back myself and, of course, I was in a pretty bad shape after almost two days in the desert. So, instead of going after them, I got my friend to give the tip about them to the marshals. They found her by herself in the morning. Ever since, I've been telling her that some unknown guy left a note on the Marshal's doorstep about her… She didn't need me to spell it out after that, but I made sure she wouldn't forget. I was hoping that she'd point Reggie out if he showed up. As a matter of fact, Turner, when I saw you coming out of the jailhouse with her, I started following you thinking that you were Reggie."

"What made you change your mind? No wait, don't answer that," Cole said quickly. He had a pretty good idea on the why and really didn't need to be reminded.

"Yeah, you got it right," Paul still went on in spite of Cole's attempt at stopping him. "Reggie wouldn't have been fooled by her trick. And even if it had been possible; Phoebe wouldn't have risked it. Besides the fact that it wasn't in her interest to ditch him, she knows he'd have found her eventually, and what Carl did to her would've seemed like a picnic by comparison…"

.

Bitterly, Cole answered.

"Apparently, I wasn't much of a threat to her…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. Phoebe knew that you're a decent guy. Or so I guess, because she really went soft on you…"

"Alright…if you think that was soft on her part, how bad could it have been?"

"She could've dropped you a lot deeper in the desert. Making sure that you had almost no chance to return. I'm not certain of course…She's hard to understand really. Still, she gave you all the chances to get back in one piece. You're the one who went the wrong way on your own…"

Cole snickered but didn't answer that. Instead, he questioned him further about Reggie.

"Why did you think that he'd come back for her?"

"I didn't know for sure. I'm not even sure if he heard of her imprisonment. Although by now, I'm sure that Phoebe told him…She must be pissed at me," he added, and Cole could almost hear the amusement in Paul's voice. Cole still didn't interrupt.

"Anyway, I know how men are with Phoebe. He may've been pissed at her, but I believed that he might come back for a helping since he was so taken with her before…"

Pensively, Cole added:

"Then, that would mean you're in my debt somewhat for speeding things up…"

"I guess so, man. But if you think that it'll get you a bigger share…"

"For the time being, I'll just ask to be included in this. I started it and I wanna see it through…"

Paul again looked back with some puzzlement.

"If you don't care about your share or the girl…what the hell are you doing here?"

"First of all, I never said I didn't care about the money. Simply that we'll discuss that later…Second of all, I don't really know you that well. I don't see why I should trust you more than Reggie or Phoebe for that matter…"

Paul seemed to think about that for a moment, and then he simply said.

"I suppose I'll have to live with it."

Cole didn't answer that. He couldn't really read his companion's expression in the dark and wasn't about to presume of anything. They were already nearing the trail and had seen no signs of their pursuers as of yet.



Reggie met with Lenny halfway through the gorge and he called to him irritably.

"I thought I said no shooting them?"

"Sorry man, but when I saw those burying Carl… besides, there ain't anybody else with them… I checked first."

"Ya but you don't know if there won't be. We don't have a clue on who those guys are."

Lenny had an impatient gesture then.

"Isn't that enough that they shot Carl? I thought you'd want them dead as bas as me."

"I never said I didn't. I just wanna know who the hell they are and what's their business with Phoebe, that's all. Whatever," Reggie pursued, "did you get them?"

Lenny looked away uneasily.

"Nah, they ran… They went into the desert and I couldn't go after them right away. But I'll go tomorrow…"

"No," Reggie replied firmly, surprising his acolyte, "we'll watch for them but let them follow us…Same thing about Phoebe. I don't want you to tell her anything…"

"But Reggie, it's obvious she betrayed us, just like you thought…"

"Well, that it is…yet, she may be of use. If those guys are only with her and not the marshal's office, they'll think she betrayed them and maybe kill her for us… or simply stop following us. If they go on after us anyway, we'll still wait until we're sure no one else is coming, and then we'll finish them."

"What about the broad?"

Reggie smiled luridly at this.

"I have some use for her…Phoebe's some piece of ass. Heck, and when I'm tired of her, I may even let you have her for a while…Then, we'll get rid of her…"

Lenny only smiled with the same sentiment.

As soon as they were back at the shack, Reggie told them that they were leaving immediately.

"Why? I swear to you Reggie, I didn't tell anyone about this place," Phoebe protested.

"Lenny just spotted two guys near here. He scared them away, but I don't wanna wait for them to come back with reinforcements. Get a move on," Reggie added abruptly.

Phoebe knew better than to say anything and she picked up the little she had, including Cole's bag which was still in there. In reality, she was relieved not to have to wait anxiously for the other shoe to fall. She still wondered if Reggie suspected anything but he didn't let out if he did. At this point Reggie spotted the bag and grabbed it from her.

"What might that be? Looks bulgy to me…"

Phoebe protested loudly:

"Hey, it's mine. I snatched it from an idiot before leaving town. There's nothing that might interest you in there. Just supplies for the road…"

"Let me be the judge of that," Reggie replied as he began exploring the content. Phoebe watched him nervously, wondering if she had not missed something that could endanger her now. However, after a moment Reggie seemed satisfied and was about to throw it back at her. Then he stopped and frowned. Phoebe became even more anxious as she saw him pulling on the lining inside the bag. Then she opened wide eyes at the cash Reggie got out of it.

"Well, well, babe. You haven't lost your touch."

Phoebe tried to take it from him.

"Hey it's mine, I stole it," she repeated angrily, while she wondered how she could've missed it in the first place.

Reggie stared at her coldly, while calmly saying:

"It'll pay for your keep, babe."

Then he pocketed the money and threw her the gutted bag roughly. Phoebe stared back with angry eyes, but didn't say a word.

"Let's move," Reggie announced as he stepped aside to let her by. Phoebe only hesitated a moment before going out of the shack. Then, when he couldn't see her face, she let herself show relief at learning of Cole and Paul's good fortune. She was still upset with Paul for his lies, but deep down, she didn't want him or Cole to get hurt nevertheless. On an even brighter note, it seemed that Lenny didn't find out what they were doing either since Reggie didn't ask about Carl again. She still wondered vaguely why Reggie didn't seem to worry too much about Carl not finding them there, but she figured he expected him to join them later. Feeling much better about things, she went to her horse and followed her companions out of the gorge while the sun was already coming up over the mountains…

Paul and Cole had been following them all day at a distance. Back at the gorge's entrance, Cole had insisted for them to go in, but Paul had dissuaded him, convinced as he was that whatever happened, it was too late to change anything.

Besides, he pointed out to Cole that they probably wouldn't linger around, considering what happened. Then they had moved off and waited for the band's re-emergence. Just as Paul had surmised, it had not taken long and he had also been relieved to see Phoebe accompanying them, apparently unharmed. The fact that they didn't seem to suspect her was a bad point for her, but on the other hand, they didn't come back after them either. Instead, the trio took off down the trail toward Tucson and soon Paul and Cole had started behind them. Paul wondered why Reggie wasn't more circumspect of possible pursuers granted that he knew they had escaped. However, he figured that Cole and he must have been careful enough. They were really only following the trail the first group left behind, unwilling to go nearer. This in spite of Cole's many attempts at convincing Paul otherwise. Paul could easily see how worried his companion was about Phoebe. However, each time that he tried to probe him about this, Cole only answered that he was worried about losing their tracks, not about the girl. Paul finally gave up on breaking the stubborn city boy and they went on in quasi silence. They had passed and left the town of Tucson behind, while never setting foot in it, and then their quarry headed toward the desert, making their tracks easier to follow, although it forced them to hold back some more. Paul wondered anew why they didn't seem in any hurry or worried in any way, however. The group in front of them were obviously making their way at a slow pace, forcing him and Cole to slow down as well.

This was still a subject of concern to him as they settled down for the night, expecting the others to do the same. Troubled, Paul offered to take the first round and refused to make a fire, as he didn't want to make their position known in any way. Cole didn't protest about the fire, but he was upset at their staying so far away.

"I'm worried, McKail. If they figured her out, she may be in danger and they also will never lead us to the money…"

"Which worries you most," Paul countered, trying once again to make him talk.

However, Cole shrugged the question aside.

"It really doesn't matter, now does it? Either way, it's not good…"

"Well, maybe it's neither one. Who knows, maybe they simply assumed that we ran away and didn't come back…"

"Hum," was Cole's dubious reply, even if as he took the blanket that Paul offered and tried to get some uneasy rest. Although Cole was truly worried about her, he also knew that there was something else bothering him. Even though he had tried all day to deny it to himself, seeing her with that guy, apparently in good terms, had brought a very different feeling to him. One he had not expected and that was utterly unpleasant to say the least. Every now and then, images had come to him during the trek, but even more so now that he was lying down for the night, knowing that they would too. He could see him, that bandit, lying by her side, touching her, taking her, and jealousy was choking him. He knew that was ridiculous, but the notion of another man possessing her was almost unbearable. He had to refrain at great efforts from getting back up and again trying to convince Paul to go after them right away. Only the sheer exhaustion of the long day finally got the better of him and he drifted into a light sleep, although still tossing and turning.

Paul watched him with renewed worry. He had guessed at his companion's true concern and wondered what kind of trouble this could spell. Of course, he also considered that Cole might have been right about them knowing of their presence. This encouraged him to increase his vigilance, as he looked out toward the dark desert with apprehension. No matter what however, he would still follow them in the hope that his quest would finally come to an end. Where before it had mostly been business to him, now it had become an obsession… He might not have been too upset with Phoebe about his ordeal, although much more than he had let out for Cole, but he was outraged at Reggie, and determined to see this through, no matter the outcome. Whatever it took, he would put his hands on the whole band and their take, even if it killed him. Moreover, as he gave another quick glance toward Cole, he added for himself, "and no one will come between my goal and me".