Unlawfully Yours

Chapter X



The horse had wandered off, and then stopped, maybe a hundred feet from them. Cole was already on his way back from fetching it and Phoebe watched him with a renewed uncertainty. What if he was betraying her? How could she know for sure? When she saw Cole the first time, Phoebe had immediately pegged him as an easy prey for her manipulations. As time went by however, she was beginning to see him in a very different light. He was still keeping so many secrets. Phoebe couldn't be certain of anything with him anymore, and that worried her. Yet, as he was closing in on her, she saw that killer smile he had given her the day before and again she melted inside. No matter how hard she tried to reason with herself and stop this weakness he evoked in her; only one look, one touch, was enough to quash her resolve. Phoebe looked away as he came near, trying to clear her thoughts long enough to question him again.

"What is it," Cole asked before she had the chance.

"How can you ask me that? You know what's wrong," Phoebe snapped. She had wanted to sound reasonable, but the apprehension she felt showed through.

"I thought we'd cleared things up a moment ago…" he trailed, while his smile vanished.

"Having sex doesn't resolve anything…"

"Strange," he retorted snidely, "you weren't complaining then…"

Phoebe sneered, and then stomped angrily toward the horse.

Before she could climb on it, Cole grabbed her by the waist and immobilized her against the mount with his body.

"Let go of me," she spat, trying to free herself. Nevertheless, even as angry as she was, her struggle was half-hearted.

"Not before we resolve this, Phoebe," Cole said intensely, his face inches from hers. Phoebe sensed that he was becoming angry. However, she also believed that she was the one who had a right to be angry, not him.

"You, son of a bitch! How stupid do you think I am?"

"No need for name calling," he replied curtly. "And I never thought you were stupid…However, you should've known that this little game of yours was dangerous. You're the one who got me into this mess, and after I did exactly what we'd agreed upon, you've got the nerve to reproach it to me?"

"You said you were on my side…"

"I am, damn it. I told you over and over…I'm getting tired of your suspicions, Phoebe," he growled.

Phoebe remained silent at this and Cole frowned dejectedly. Then he sighed deeply, trying to calm down before he nudged her cheek with his.

"I'm sorry…You have to know that I love you, Phoebe…"

Phoebe pulled away abruptly, and Cole gave her a puzzled look. Then, his expression changed, as if an idea struck him.

"It's not just McKail you're worried about, is it?" Cole exclaimed while letting go of her.

"You're scared to admit you've got feelings for me!"

Phoebe flinched visibly but she stubbornly refused to look at him.

"What is so scary about that, Phoebe?"

Phoebe opened her mouth to protest, but Cole interrupted her in a low but imperative voice.

"McKail…"

Phoebe looked up curiously at the sudden change in the conversation and she saw Paul coming as well. She composed herself the best she could, as did Cole. By the time Paul was close enough to read their expressions, nothing remained of their spat.

"Hey! You rabbits…," Paul commented mockingly, "now it's time for you to prove I didn't drag you through this desert for nothing…"

Cole turned to him irritably.

"What the hell are you talking about? And what are you doing back here anyway?"

"Well, first of all, you were taking your jolly time. I'm guessing you had better things to do," Paul answered sarcastically. "But the fact is that we may just have arrived at our destination."

This revelation got both Phoebe and Cole's attention on the spot. Phoebe glanced up at McKail, eagerly asking:

"Are you certain?" The thought of finally getting to her goal was enough to help her set aside the knot that had been forming in her stomach. Cole had hit a nerve, but she didn't want him to know that just then. The fact that it might very well be the truth had been a shock to her.

"Well," Paul was answering, "we'll only be certain when we've taken a closer look… we also need to make sure that it's the end of the road for them…but the odds are in our favor." Paul finished confidently.

Phoebe hesitated only a moment before letting a triumphant smile spread over her lips.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get it…"

"Now wait a minute," Paul exclaimed. "We can't just go there and take them on by ourselves. This time, there won't be any mistake and I'll make sure that the whole gang is going behind bars."

Phoebe suddenly cast a suspicious look at him.

"Does that include me?"

Both men stared at her as if her question came as a complete surprise to them. However, Paul still warned deliberately.

"That's not part of the plan, Phoebe… But remember not to try anything foolish," he finished with a barely veiled threat.

Phoebe glared at him but didn't respond. Instead she said:

"We can't wait much longer. The more time passes, the more likely they are to find out about us. Then, we'd be in deep shit; on top of missing our chance."

"We'll have to be careful then. I'm not going after them without my team. I just wanna make sure that we've got the right place, and then we'll go on to Tombstone. I already have a few men there and we'll telegraph for more."

"You do," Cole questioned.

"I couldn't count only on Phoebe. I have men in many cities on the look out for Reggie and his men. However, Tombstone is one place where asking too many questions is unhealthy. Even from the sheriff…Anyway, they hadn't had any more luck than my other teams…"

"So what do we do now?" Cole asked again.

"We go separately on a large detour around the ranch. The way to Tombstone is on a straight line from here," Paul said, indicating the way he had come from. We should meet on the other side, once we've made sure that they haven't left in another direction. Don't go further than a mile beyond the ranch…"

Phoebe gave him another suspicious glance.

"How can we be sure that you're not double-crossing us?"

"Oh that's rich coming from you, Phoebe…" Paul uttered derisively. Then, he became more serious as he pursued. "I only trust you because I don't have a choice, and neither do you… We can't leave here until I'm sure that this is their hideout. That'll be your guaranty, alright?"

Phoebe shrugged in annoyance before getting on the horse without a word.

"Let's go then… Nightfall is coming soon…"

Paul's gaze went from her to Cole, who nodded before climbing on the horse behind Phoebe.

"We'll take west…" Cole simply said before kicking the horse.

Paul watched them go with apprehension. However, as he had told Phoebe truthfully, he had little choice. She was the most experienced in the desert and the most likely to spot tracks, even in the eventuality where they'd made some efforts to hide them. "Also, Cole might just have gotten lost on the way, which would have been regrettable and of little use to me," Paul added for himself. He shrugged and then turned his horse eastward, starting a wide half-circle around the ranch…

On the way, Phoebe had Cole stop the horse a few times, so she could bend over the side, apparently observing something that Cole couldn't fathom. To him, it all looked the same and frankly, he was grateful for her knowledge of the desert. Every time however, she would straighten back up and simply indicate to go on without any explanation. Many times, he was tempted to return to their earlier conversation, but her obvious reticence made him uncomfortable, and even insecure. What if she rejected him? What if she told him how ridiculously mistaken he was? Cole wasn't too certain how he'd feel about that. Not to mention that in the next few hours, he would need her to trust him… He could only hope that he had been convincing enough…

Cole still waited for another fifteen minutes or so before he tried to question her again. In truth, her silence was becoming torture to him and he wished he could read her mind, just as much, he knew, as she wished she could read his…

"Phoebe?"

Instead of answering this directly, she motioned for him to stop the horse again.

"We're here," she simply stated, dismounting as soon as they halted. He hadn't even had time to hold on to her, and now she was walking away, obviously looking for a sign of Paul's. Cole had been so intent on his resolve that he had not noticed the markings of a well beaten path in front of them. As he dismounted in turn, he tried to figure out which way the ranch was for a moment. This desert was not for an amateur. It all looked the same everywhere, a flat and unforgiving wasteland, but for a few boulders and dunes breaking the monotony here and there. Cole wondered if he would ever get better at this, or if he would ever get the chance. He wasn't used to being so needy. That was an uncomfortable feeling, which he had been experiencing since he left the prison with Phoebe. Right then, he wished that this was all over with already and he could get back to his normal life.

He turned back toward Phoebe and saw she was still concentrating on watching for Paul. However, as he started toward her, he saw the man in question coming atop a tall boulder.

Paul saw them with relief. All the way there, he had wondered if Phoebe had not convinced Cole to go straight to the ranch. Alerting Reggie was definitely not in the plan. At least, not until he was certain that he could grab all of them, and for that he needed more manpower. He was about to get down from his observing point when he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A cloud of dust was growing in the distance and he knew they were coming fast toward them. Imperatively, he motioned toward Cole to hide behind the boulder. This one was still uncertain on what Paul meant, but Phoebe's insistent call moved him into action.

"Cole, let's get out of here."

She sounded nervous, and as he returned his gaze toward her, he also noticed the cloud of dust, which was becoming more obvious every second. He grabbed the horse's reins and hurried toward Phoebe before they both hid behind the boulder. Paul was already waiting for them there. He watched anxiously as a carriage pulled by two horses became visible. Paul was certain that the driver was one of Reggie's men, but he didn't recognize the man sitting beside him in front of the open carriage. In the back, he could see three girls in flimsy and colourful clothing. No doubts these were girls from some brothel that they were bringing to the ranch. Behind Paul, Phoebe snidely remarked:

"Reggie never could keep it in his pants for long…"

After the carriage had moved past them, Paul half turned toward Phoebe.

"Jealous?" He questioned mockingly. He saw her shrugging angrily and he moved back further behind the boulder with even more amusement. However, he soon became serious again.

"So," Paul began, turning toward his companions once he was certain they were out of danger, "you think they'll be having some kind of party tonight?"

"Sure looks like it," Phoebe replied while she was obviously thinking fast.

Paul could easily imagine what went through her mind, as he was certain they thought the same. "It should make it all the easier for us to snoop around if they're all busy."

"You can't expect he won't leave sentinels… Reggie's not that stupid…"

"How many men does he have, really?" Paul questioned.

"I can't be certain of how many are at the ranch; but he said that his band was composed of at least ten men at any given time. Of course, we've dispatched two of those recently and I doubt that he replaced them that quickly, but it still leaves us with quite a few to contend with."

Rather than answering, Paul watched the sun coming down quickly on the horizon.

"Still," he finally said, "if I use the cover of night and go at it carefully, I should be able to get close enough without being detected…"

"You mean we, don't you," Phoebe asked pointedly.

Paul glanced back at her irritably.

"Don't be stupid, Phoebe. There is no need to augment the risk by going together…"

"I wanna see for myself that the money is there. I don't trust you…"

Paul snickered.

"The feeling is mutual and that's why I don't want you anywhere near me…"

"You won't have a choice…I'm coming with you and that's the end of it," Phoebe uttered firmly.

Paul looked up at Cole, wondering if he shouldn't end this charade right then and there. However, as he saw Cole still hesitating, he also reflected that it might be too soon to risk it. They were way too close to their goal. If Cole turned against him now…

"Alright, Phoebe…but you do what I say, is that clear?"

"Just as long as you let me come along… Cole can watch our backs," Phoebe added with a hint of uncertainty that Paul recognized easily. He was having the same reservations.

"I guess so…"

Going back toward his horse, he climbed on it quickly.

"If we're all in agreement, let's go then…" Paul gave one last applied look toward Cole and this one returned his glance with uncertainty. As he rode off, Paul began to wonder seriously about him. All the way to the ranch, he kept casting furtive looks behind him, regretting not letting them take the lead. However, the short trek went without a hitch and soon they were closing in on the ranch. Paul found another dune behind which he dismounted and signalled for the other two to do the same. Cole grabbed both horses' reins, but still seemed hesitant.

"I think it's too dangerous," he said at last, breaking the silence he had maintained since they had arrived at the path.

Darkness was falling quickly and short of a few torches in the ranch courtyard, there was no light to speak of. This made it difficult for Paul to read his face.

"We're not gonna do anything here. We're only surveying the place. I have a gun tucked in my saddlebag. Take it. Can you shoot? Even from this distance, I mean?"

He couldn't be certain, but Paul thought that he saw Cole shrugging.

"Of course I can shoot," this one retorted while taking the gun Paul referred to.

"I still think that it's foolish. We should get those men of yours… Reggie is obviously not going anywhere."

Paul answered irritably.

"Tombstone's an hour from here on horse. By the time we get back, he might've gone…and frankly I can't trust you to say here by yourself" he added as Cole was about to protest?

"Suspicious much," Cole questioned sarcastically.

Paul didn't let anything transpire in his voice when he replied.

"Simply cautious… Let's go. I can already hear the sounds of their little party."

Indeed in the distance, they could hear music, obviously from some piano inside.

Phoebe nodded uselessly as Paul could barely see her at this point, and then she went ahead cautiously. In one of Sly's boots, which she had kept, she felt the knife against her leg. After she had done exactly what she'd announced that morning, which was getting some water from the cactuses, she had put the knife in one of the boots without their noticing. Cole had not appeared to find it earlier either. She was grateful for that, particularly because under the circumstances she had not even remembered about it. As she moved slowly toward the ranch, she wondered if he'd seen it after all. Seemed impossible for him to have missed it… If yes then why didn't he take it away? Was that a good sign? Phoebe wished that she could be certain; particularly now.

Soon, they saw two men crossing paths in the illuminated courtyard and then going out of sight. They were obviously watching the perimeter, and until now, Phoebe had only seen those two. She was already getting up to get a closer look when Paul put a firm hand on her arm, stopping her. She gave him a questioning glance, but then in the weak light of the torches, she saw him staring intently at a small shack standing on the opposite side of the courtyard. There, she finally saw another man standing guard in front of the door. The reason she hadn't seen him until now was that the shack was facing away from the house. They moved aside to get a better look at it. There seemed to be a heavy bar on the door and as far as Phoebe could see, this bar appeared to be held in place by a large lock and chains. Things were looking up. After waiting for what seemed an eternity to Phoebe, they estimated that the two guards took about fifteen minutes to go around the perimeter before returning to the courtyard. At last, Phoebe had enough of this waiting and she stood up quickly, while Paul exhaled deeply in frustration. Phoebe was now close enough to get a good look at the man in front of the shack and she was certain she had never seen him before. Thinking quickly, she took her pants and boots off and kept only the shirt on while she hid the knife behind her back.

Paul watched her going with an appalled expression. He saw that she was apparently hiding something behind her back, but he couldn't quite distinguish what it was. Giving up on this, he observed the man instead and saw that he was looking intently at Phoebe. Paul understood that this was his best chance to get closer and took it.

"Hey," the guard was saying… "What are you doing here, babe?"

Phoebe used her most seductive voice while ostensibly pulling the shirt high enough so he would get a good view of her bare midsection. She saw the lust in his eyes and knew that her bluff was working.

"Oh I was just thinking that you, poor guys, were stuck out here while all the fun's inside…"

The man squinted, apparently wondering if he recognized her, but his eyes soon returned to her exposed loins, telling her that men were all the same. They didn't care much what you looked like, just how quickly they could dip their dicks. He bit his lips uncertainly, while he felt up her thigh. In spite of her confidence, Phoebe tightened her hold on the knife behind her back while stifling a grimace as he was now grabbing her cunt. However, he removed his hand, albeit reluctantly.

"Sorry, babe," he finally said, "no can do…Reggie would kill me if I left my post… maybe we can get to it later…," he continued with another lustful look at her.

Phoebe smiled luridly, while daring a quick look toward the side of the shack. There she saw Paul signalling for her and she moved away immediately.

"Alright, cowboy, if you say so," she uttered with faked disappointment.

She let the shirt fall back over her bare buttocks as she turned around while making sure that the knife was out of his sight. She appeared to be going back toward the house, but as soon as she was certain he couldn't see her anymore, she ran toward where she'd left her clothes. As Phoebe was hastily dressing, she almost screamed when a firm hand grabbed her forearm.

"You stupid crazy bitch!" Paul grumbled then. She shook him off impatiently.

"It worked, didn't it? What did you see?"

She couldn't be certain, but she thought she saw a smile forming on his lips.

"I saw the bags from the coach robbery through a small window. I think that we found our money. Now, it's time to get my team and come back in force," he said again, while turning back without waiting for an answer.

Phoebe gave one last satisfied look toward the ranch and then followed him.

When they got back to Cole, Phoebe realized with some surprise that she was relieved he couldn't see what she'd done. It was ridiculous, she knew, but she felt something akin to shame at this. That was a new and unpleasant sensation, which she tried very hard to repress as they filled him in on what they found.

"So, we're really close then," Cole uttered with a certain lack of enthusiasm that Phoebe couldn't understand. However, now wasn't the time to question it, as they walked the horses a way before climbing on them and starting toward Tombstone. The darkness made it hard to distinguish the path, but Paul seemed to know his way because he rode with very little hesitation.

When they were about halfway to Tombstone, by Phoebe's estimate, Paul suddenly stopped. Cole and she halted behind him in puzzlement. But then she saw him lighting a torch and thought that he had decided they were far enough. However, rather than kicking his horse again, Paul dismounted and turned to them, pointing his revolver at them.

Phoebe got a sinking feeling then.

"What the hell?" She exclaimed.

"Oh come on, Phoebe, playing the ingénue doesn't suit you. We both know what's the matter here… I can almost hear the little wheels turning in your head from here…Both of you, get down!"

Phoebe was still hesitating, her hand already sliding toward her boot, but Cole grabbed her forcefully and practically dragged her to the ground, while holding her arms tightly against her sides. The sinking feeling deepened.

"I see that you finally chose your side, Turner," Paul mocked. "Well babe, I guess your power over men is not as strong as you thought," he continued clowning, as he was approaching them. Phoebe tried to kick Cole and struggled to get away from him but he was holding her very tight and had snaked one leg around hers to keep her from escaping.

Paul was already grabbing a rope from their own horse's saddle, and Phoebe realized that if she was angry with Cole, the foremost feeling was more of pain and disappointment as she stopped struggling. In a voice that she barely recognized, she questioned:

"Cole?"

Even though he had been somewhat conflicted about it for the last few days, he still had believed that he could take his revenge on her. However, when he heard the hurt in her voice, his stomach sunk. For the last two days, he had moments, mostly in her arms, where he had forgotten all about Paul and his warnings. At the time, he had thought that it was merely lust and set it aside quickly, in spite of the strange feelings she inspired in him. He had truly believed that his vows of love were only his way to get her trust. Now however, as he was about to seal her fate, and in doing so, his own, he realized that he couldn't go through with it. Paul had planted the torch firmly in the ground and was now coming back to them with the rope in hand. Cole delicately kissed Phoebe's neck and his hold on her relaxed noticeably. Phoebe had to refrain from sighing in relief as she watched Paul coming. When he got close enough, she suddenly freed her leg from Cole's now loose hold and kicked the revolver out of Paul's hand. This one was so stunned he didn't react and Cole used this time to push Phoebe aside and hit him hard in the jaw. Paul fell backward, letting go of the rope as well, while Phoebe hurriedly picked up the revolver. She almost mocked Paul in turn about her power over men not being gone after all, but she refrained after giving one look at Cole. Instead, she waited for Cole to tie Paul up without a word, while she pointed the gun ostensibly at him. Paul tried to protest, but Cole put a scarf in his mouth, muffling Paul's outraged comments.

Paul soon had his hands and feet tied, and Cole dragged him a ways off the path. There, he hesitated at length. Even in the weak light provided by the torch, he could read the reproaches in Paul's eyes. Unbeknown to Phoebe, he pulled a small looking knife from his own boot and discreetly threw it a few feet from Paul. He then moved very close to Paul and whispered:

"I couldn't let you do that to her, but I won't leave you defenseless either…Get your men…who knows, we might need them soon if I know Phoebe…"

Then without another look at Paul, he went back toward Phoebe.

"So what do you wanna do?" he asked then.

Phoebe observed him curiously, at the same time as she was casting a few glances Paul's way.

"Are you sure you won't turn on me again," she questioned pointedly.

Cole towered over her.

"I'm with you, Phoebe…"

She gave him another uncertain gaze, before stepping up to him and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Then, lover, we're going back and this time, we're not leaving without the money…"

Cole simply nodded in acquiescence, albeit with a knot in the pit of his stomach, and then he climbed on his own horse, while Phoebe went to Paul's. She gave one last look in McKail's direction and couldn't help the next comment.

"Too bad we're in a hurry. I think that you'd have liked the fresh air of the night on your bare butt," she taunted. Paul grunted loudly through the gag, obviously very angry, but Phoebe ignored it and instead laughed heartily as she turned the horse around and kicked it hard. Cole had left the torch in the ground, and as they rode away, the night enveloped them quickly. As soon as Paul was certain that Phoebe couldn't see him anymore, he began slithering on the ground, looking for the knife, which had fallen out of the light circle. All the while, he vented uselessly through the gag…