Part nine
It was of no surprise to Cale as he re-entered the Saloon to find Johnny now unarmed and on his feet, surrounded by rifles and pistols, all aimed at the disturbed gunfighter's chest.
"Coming to the rescue as always, Johnny boy," Cale said curtly as he checked his clothes for spots of blood that might off splattered off the dead man's body. "Well, just like 'last' time, you're little too late."
It all became suddenly so clear to Johnny, what had been the motivation behind Cale's plan. "I should've shot you when I had the chance." The hotheaded gunfighter snarled.
"Yes, you should have. But you were a little too busy bein' a hero. And that's the difference between you and me, Johnny, I ain't no hero. You never could shoot a man for what you 'believed' he had done. I could." Cale stated venomously as he cast a cold eye over the gunfighter.
"You Sonof--!" Johnny growled as the truth clutched at his heart with an icy grip. "It was you! You killed her!" With his face haunted by the memories of the beautiful young woman he had fallen in love with, the enraged gunfighter made a move toward Cale, only to be stopped by an abrupt jab of a rifle barrel into his ribs.
"I gave her what she deserved," Cale replied with no self-recrimination in his voice. "She was a whore. At least, she was until you got in the way. And she'd still be alive, if you hadn't meddled in matters that didn't concern you."
"Milisenda was no one's whore, especially not yours, you murderin' bastard!" Johnny spat as he made another attempt to lunge at the Sheriff, this time to be felled by the butt of a rifle to the back of his head.
"Is that right, Johnny?" Cale smiled as he gestured for his men to pick up the dazed man and follow him outside.
LRLRLRLRLRLR
The jailer's scuffle with his father as he was pulled from the cell, was still fresh in Scott's mind, as were the threats that had been made to Murdoch's life. He knew what he had to do. Allowing himself to be prodded along by the point of a rifle, Scott was pushed into the street.
"What's this all about?" Scott asked the man behind him.
A nudge from the weapon, was Scott's only answer.
Squinting into the sunlight, Scott's attention was taken by a commotion coming from the other side of the street. Once his eyes became accustomed to the light, he saw two of Cale's men dragging Johnny into the street. Wanting nothing more than to run and help, he could only watch helplessly as his semi-conscious brother was dropped unceremoniously to the dirt.
"Welcome, Mr. Lancer." Cale called from the Saloon porch.
"What's this all about?" Scott asked as he kept one eye on his brother, who was slowly dragging himself to his knees.
"What?" Cale asked, feigning surprise at the question. "You are a bounty hunter, are you not? Go ahead, collect your money!"
Appalled at what Cale was unwittingly suggesting, Scott watched Johnny, willing him to stand. Suddenly he noticed his brother's empty holster. "He's unarmed. Besides, your poster said, 'dead or alive'."
Cale looked at one of his men and snapped his fingers, receiving Johnny's gun in return. "Madrid now has his gun," he said, throwing the weapon into the dirt at Johnny's feet. "And I've changed my mind. I want him dead. Do you want the five hundred dollars, or not? Now, Mr. Lancer, surely you have no qualms about killing a known gunfighter? A man, who has killed so many times, he's lost count? You certainly can't be indifferent to the man who would play loose and free with your woman if given half a chance?"
Scott shook his head, slightly relieved to see Johnny rising on his own two feet, then quickly alarmed at seeing how weak his brother still was as he stumbled forward on faltering legs. "Look at him?" the blonde Lancer pointed toward his struggling brother. "He can hardly stand. It would be murder, pure and simple."
"Well, then. Maybe Johnny 'Madrid' won't have such high-faluting morals. Chavez!" Cale called out.
Struggling to stand upright, Johnny tried to focus on his surroundings and was confused when he saw his brother standing down the street, not far away. "Scott?" he rasped in a whisper. Slowly getting his equilibrium back, Johnny heard Cale shout and turned in time to see one of Cale's men pushing a bruised and battered woman down the steps and into the street.
Her beauty was undeniable. Even the myriad of blemishes and broken skin that marked her appearance, couldn't hide her true features. Coal colored hair that once must have been combed back neatly into a bun now fell uneven and matted. Hidden under the stray locks of hair were a set of brown, almond shaped eyes, still shining brightly with defiance and pride. With her petite form displayed more prominently than any decent woman would expect in a public street, she clung pitifully to the torn pieces of material that she once called a blouse in a desperate bid to cover her partially exposed bust.
"Milisenda?" Johnny whispered the name; as if giving it full voice would break the spell and cause the vision to disappear.
"I am sorry, Johnny. It is me, Solana, Milisenda's sister. Do you not remember me?" The young woman appealed, her voice still carrying a trace of Spanish upbringing.
"Solana?" Johnny shook his head, trying to clear his illusion. Now, he clearly saw the difference between the two women. "Oh, Solana. I thought I'd got you far enough--"
"Away from me?" Cale smirked as he leaned against the porch rail. "Well, fate had other ideas about that. You could have struck me down dead when we stopped in this little town, and who should I see married to the prim and proper banker of Los Almos, but Milisenda's whore sister, Solana. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, Johnny, but isn't this the same girl you helped get away from me after Milisenda died?" Receiving nothing, but an enraged scowl in return, Cale shrugged and continued. "You don't have to answer, I know I'm right. She tastes like a whore; just like Milisenda did."
Scott stood powerless to do anything, but watch as Cale provoked Johnny to the point of no return.
"Now, Johnny Madrid, you have a choice. Either you pick up your gun and throw down against that 'bounty hunter' at the end of the street there, or I will shoot Solana where she stands. What's one less whore in the world. Well, Johnny, which will it be?"
TBC
It was of no surprise to Cale as he re-entered the Saloon to find Johnny now unarmed and on his feet, surrounded by rifles and pistols, all aimed at the disturbed gunfighter's chest.
"Coming to the rescue as always, Johnny boy," Cale said curtly as he checked his clothes for spots of blood that might off splattered off the dead man's body. "Well, just like 'last' time, you're little too late."
It all became suddenly so clear to Johnny, what had been the motivation behind Cale's plan. "I should've shot you when I had the chance." The hotheaded gunfighter snarled.
"Yes, you should have. But you were a little too busy bein' a hero. And that's the difference between you and me, Johnny, I ain't no hero. You never could shoot a man for what you 'believed' he had done. I could." Cale stated venomously as he cast a cold eye over the gunfighter.
"You Sonof--!" Johnny growled as the truth clutched at his heart with an icy grip. "It was you! You killed her!" With his face haunted by the memories of the beautiful young woman he had fallen in love with, the enraged gunfighter made a move toward Cale, only to be stopped by an abrupt jab of a rifle barrel into his ribs.
"I gave her what she deserved," Cale replied with no self-recrimination in his voice. "She was a whore. At least, she was until you got in the way. And she'd still be alive, if you hadn't meddled in matters that didn't concern you."
"Milisenda was no one's whore, especially not yours, you murderin' bastard!" Johnny spat as he made another attempt to lunge at the Sheriff, this time to be felled by the butt of a rifle to the back of his head.
"Is that right, Johnny?" Cale smiled as he gestured for his men to pick up the dazed man and follow him outside.
LRLRLRLRLRLR
The jailer's scuffle with his father as he was pulled from the cell, was still fresh in Scott's mind, as were the threats that had been made to Murdoch's life. He knew what he had to do. Allowing himself to be prodded along by the point of a rifle, Scott was pushed into the street.
"What's this all about?" Scott asked the man behind him.
A nudge from the weapon, was Scott's only answer.
Squinting into the sunlight, Scott's attention was taken by a commotion coming from the other side of the street. Once his eyes became accustomed to the light, he saw two of Cale's men dragging Johnny into the street. Wanting nothing more than to run and help, he could only watch helplessly as his semi-conscious brother was dropped unceremoniously to the dirt.
"Welcome, Mr. Lancer." Cale called from the Saloon porch.
"What's this all about?" Scott asked as he kept one eye on his brother, who was slowly dragging himself to his knees.
"What?" Cale asked, feigning surprise at the question. "You are a bounty hunter, are you not? Go ahead, collect your money!"
Appalled at what Cale was unwittingly suggesting, Scott watched Johnny, willing him to stand. Suddenly he noticed his brother's empty holster. "He's unarmed. Besides, your poster said, 'dead or alive'."
Cale looked at one of his men and snapped his fingers, receiving Johnny's gun in return. "Madrid now has his gun," he said, throwing the weapon into the dirt at Johnny's feet. "And I've changed my mind. I want him dead. Do you want the five hundred dollars, or not? Now, Mr. Lancer, surely you have no qualms about killing a known gunfighter? A man, who has killed so many times, he's lost count? You certainly can't be indifferent to the man who would play loose and free with your woman if given half a chance?"
Scott shook his head, slightly relieved to see Johnny rising on his own two feet, then quickly alarmed at seeing how weak his brother still was as he stumbled forward on faltering legs. "Look at him?" the blonde Lancer pointed toward his struggling brother. "He can hardly stand. It would be murder, pure and simple."
"Well, then. Maybe Johnny 'Madrid' won't have such high-faluting morals. Chavez!" Cale called out.
Struggling to stand upright, Johnny tried to focus on his surroundings and was confused when he saw his brother standing down the street, not far away. "Scott?" he rasped in a whisper. Slowly getting his equilibrium back, Johnny heard Cale shout and turned in time to see one of Cale's men pushing a bruised and battered woman down the steps and into the street.
Her beauty was undeniable. Even the myriad of blemishes and broken skin that marked her appearance, couldn't hide her true features. Coal colored hair that once must have been combed back neatly into a bun now fell uneven and matted. Hidden under the stray locks of hair were a set of brown, almond shaped eyes, still shining brightly with defiance and pride. With her petite form displayed more prominently than any decent woman would expect in a public street, she clung pitifully to the torn pieces of material that she once called a blouse in a desperate bid to cover her partially exposed bust.
"Milisenda?" Johnny whispered the name; as if giving it full voice would break the spell and cause the vision to disappear.
"I am sorry, Johnny. It is me, Solana, Milisenda's sister. Do you not remember me?" The young woman appealed, her voice still carrying a trace of Spanish upbringing.
"Solana?" Johnny shook his head, trying to clear his illusion. Now, he clearly saw the difference between the two women. "Oh, Solana. I thought I'd got you far enough--"
"Away from me?" Cale smirked as he leaned against the porch rail. "Well, fate had other ideas about that. You could have struck me down dead when we stopped in this little town, and who should I see married to the prim and proper banker of Los Almos, but Milisenda's whore sister, Solana. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, Johnny, but isn't this the same girl you helped get away from me after Milisenda died?" Receiving nothing, but an enraged scowl in return, Cale shrugged and continued. "You don't have to answer, I know I'm right. She tastes like a whore; just like Milisenda did."
Scott stood powerless to do anything, but watch as Cale provoked Johnny to the point of no return.
"Now, Johnny Madrid, you have a choice. Either you pick up your gun and throw down against that 'bounty hunter' at the end of the street there, or I will shoot Solana where she stands. What's one less whore in the world. Well, Johnny, which will it be?"
TBC