Warning: This story contains adult language, graphic violence, attempted
rape, attempted suicide, and sexually explicit themes. Reader's discretion
is advised.
Rating - R.
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. Apollonia, Giselle, Checkers, and other miscellaneous characters are all mine.
Chapter 29: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Gorgeous, peaceful, and mysterious were the words that came to the minds of people who settled in Santa Fe. These very same words came to the minds of Jack and Apollonia. He had asked Santa Fe to save a place for him, and she did.
They took a long look at how long it took to make this dream come true, feeling as if some special nirvana had overtaken them. Jack leaned on the fence as Apollonia sat on it, with one leg on a lower step and the other leg on the higher one. They watched as a herd of cattle and horses were being driven to another ranch in the distance. They witnessed the lead wrangler wave his arm in the air to signal something to the other remuderos. Together they rode their horses and directed each other to where cattle may try to stray.
"Como esta alla epa eh?"
"Epah eh alli, epa eh i yo."
They heard these men speaking Spanish in the vastness. Jack smiled to himself as he turned his attention back to his livestock. The horses on their land nibbled on the grass abundantly. Jack was very fond of his noble steeds. Since he fell in love with horses, he decided that he wanted to breed horses. He could raise and sell them to beginners who moved to Santa Fe to start ranches of their own. Since he was overwhelmed by the generosity of Tristan, Sandoval, and others who offered him assistance, he found it necessary to return the favor. This was a value that his mother taught him as a child.
His hazel gaze was turned over to Apollonia, who was currently observing the awesome splendor of their hacienda. She took in all the beauty of the sierra mountain range that stood behind their house, like a protective border from outside interference. She loved how the breeze blew her hair back as Jack admired the way her dark tresses flew in the wind. This was their ranch. Finally, they shared something tangible with one another, she thought. Jack, too, was thinking the same thing, as well as how much of a vision of pulchritude she embodied.
He was astounded by how she was so sensuous and exotically beautiful. The off-the-shoulder peasant top coupled with the long-flowing colorful skirt made her look very much like the many Mexican señoritas that lived in the city. The gold hoop earrings and bracelets accented her beauty perfectly. Even the bracelet on her ankle added to her prettiness.
She thought it adorable how stray locks of his dark blonde hair had fallen onto his forehead. She reached over and gently pushed the strands of hair back, while relishing in its softness, which felt like French silk. They watched quietly as the sun made its way down behind the sierra mountains before going back into the house.
Jack got up and lifted Apollonia up and down to the ground. They walked side by side to their house in total silence, listening to the light wind that gently swept Apollonia's hair to one side. Once they got inside, Apollonia began feeling funny. She put her hand to her temple as her head began to ache and she felt dizzy. She made a mad dash for the bathroom and held herself over the washbasin on the wooden stand. She regurgitated the lunch from earlier that she had cooked for the two of them. Her stomach lurched and heaved threateningly as more and more vomit came up and out of her mouth every time she thought it was all over.
Finally, after coughing heavily, she was finished. She then sat down on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. She stayed in that position until the sickness passed a few minutes later. As she slowly stood to her feet, she looked into the mirror to double check her appearance. After making sure every hair was put back in place, she whisked her eyebrows and proceeded to leave. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she was intercepted by her lover. "Are ya okay?"
"Yes, I just ate something that didn't agree with me. That's all." She said before planting a sweet kiss onto his lips. Jack caressed her cheek while he looked at her with a worried expression on his face.
A few hours later, Jack stood out on the front porch, smoking a well- deserved cigarette. He hadn't had a cigarette in a long time. The smoke escaped from between his soft lips like a genie's smoke from a lamp. For years, ever since he was living on his own, Jack had only himself to look out for. He had no family, no dependants. It was just him. Now, he has two families; one here and one in New York.
Slowly strolling into his sleeping quarters, he looked on the presence of the woman who he would soon share the bed with. He sat down on the bed as he took off his shirt and boots. After he was clad in nothing but his leggings, he leaned back and pulled the covers up. He then looked over at Apollonia once again, leaning over to see if she was in deep sleep. Rubbing the side of her covered thigh, he coaxed her into waking up.
"Apollonia? Querida? Are ya awake?"
"I am now." She groggily uttered.
"Well, there's something I've been meaning to ask ya. And I want a straight answer." She looked at him with straightforward eyes, giving him her undivided attention.
"Apollonia, will you marry me?"
Her eyes were as wide as saucers when those words came out of his mouth.
"Jack, I'm pregnant."
Jack looked at her total stunned. "My baby's going to have a baby?" She nodded with a resounding yes. "My God, you have never looked more beautiful than you do now."
He accosted her with heavy kisses as he drenched her in driving passion. He couldn't believe that after one of their more recent romantic encounters that they had, that they created another life. He was overjoyed that Apollonia impregnated with his seed. As a man, he definitely felt complete. He placed his head at her stomach and kissed it.
Jack huskily spoke. "I want you to have my baby. I've always wanted that." He continued to solicit her with kisses as he roved his hands all over her. They celebrated the doubly positive news by just holding one another in their arms, listening to each other's breathing.
~
**** Three Weeks Later ****
The seven New York bandits finally made it to Santa Fe. They took the first train headed west as soon as they could. The money from the bank helped them out as usual. Snyder kept a look of seriousness on his face. The heat was getting to his allies, but Snyder seemed immune to the sun's intense heat. A young boy ran up to the gang and asked them for some money, his hand extended out in pity. Banner pushed the youngster roughly to the ground, causing the boy's lip to hit the earth and bleed. The muchacho got up hurriedly and ran.
As they entered the town, they strolled slowly with studied casualness as they looked around this southwestern municipality. They made their way through the throngs of wagons, barking dogs, a cavalcade of men on horseback, running children, squawking women speaking rapid Spanish, and vendors of all sorts of goods. Banner looked back over his shoulder making sure his brood did not wander off in this new frontier. Seeing all these different women and young girls around made their mouths water.
Wainwright took a handkerchief from his back pocket and patted his face and the back of his neck. The scorching weather was not being kind to him. Snyder just strode through the marketplace, casing the place and committing everything he saw to memory. He wanted to know all of the details of this town that his foe now made home.
A number of rough-looking Mexican men, some armed with guns and other forms of weaponry, stared closely at these newcomers. One of them took a belduque and scratched him bearded face with it while looking intently at the brood. They were obviously not from the southwest or west, and, most likely, did not speak Spanish, they figured. The crew looked on as they scanned this new land called New Mexico Territory. They knew that they need to lay low while they carried out their well-thought out plan. Snyder examined the environs carefully. He pondered to himself what types of activities Jack would be involved in. He remembered that Oscar and Morris told him that they would see Jack exiting bars on occasion. They decided to make a detour into one of the saloons that lined the street.
The cantina's customers reveled in their liquor and chewing tobacco as the crew entered the bar. They were largely ignored by virtually all of the consumers as they sauntered towards the bar. The bartender, heavy in cleaning a beer glass, did not acknowledge them until one of them spoke.
"Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if you could help me with some information. I am looking for a gentleman that has moved here from New York a few months ago. You probably have seen him. He's tall, has dark blonde hair, hazel eyes, and speaks with a New York accent."
The bartender stopped his chores and looked at Snyder. "Señor, I have working at this cantina for years now. Do you know how many vaqueros fit that description? A lot of Anglos, blacks, and other people have come into Santa Fe for years. A man that looks like that will not be that hard to spot, but not easy to find, either, Señor." He said in his flawless English that was laced with a Spanish accent.
"Perhaps this might be helpful." He pulled out a picture of the New York Sun, pointing out the adolescent in the center. It did not jog the bartender's memory. Snyder nodded his head to the bartender and turned to his companions. "It looks like we are going to have to take care of this one by ourselves."
"What do you suppose we do?" asked Banner.
"It's simple. We lay low and just wait. Don't worry. Santa Fe is not as big as New York. He will eventually show his pretty face soon enough." Snyder said as he walked out of the bar with his partners close behind, with a devilish grin spreading across his face.
~
Upon hearing the news of Apollonia's pregnancy, Jack knew instantly that Apollonia could not do everything around the house by herself without putting too much stress on herself. They decided to hire a housemaid to help out while she was in a delicate condition and after the baby was born. Apollonia remembered Rosario, the sweet maid in the La Fonda. They inquired about Rosario's background and asked her if she would have been interested in having a second job. She happily accepted. She had taken an instant liking to the couple when they stayed in the hotel and was somewhat upset when they left the hotel to move into their home. Knowing that she would see them again made her spirits soar.
Rosario split her time between working at the La Fonda and at Belvedere. She was the only girl of four children; she was the second to last of the family. Her family lived in a fairly small adobe home. The father hired himself out to different ranchers around Santa Fe as a laborer and the mother would make small, square-shaped decorations of various Catholic saints and sell them in the marketplace. Her brothers would assist their father in working with him on the ranches as well. Sporting her robozo, she rode her small donkey all the way to the hacienda three times a week. She even brought Apollonia a sun-baked wall decoration of the sun. She gladly placed it on the wall in the parlor. She was quite pleased that she was able to help out Rosario by offering her a job to help her and her family out financially.
Rosario assisted in cleaning the house primarily and, since she knew that Apollonia was expecting, she made sure that Apollonia did not stay on her feet so long. She seemed like Apollonia's protector at times, which made Apollonia smile. She was another version of Giselle. Apollonia sat at her writing desk and wrote a lengthy letter to her best friend to inform her of the new arrival as well as the news of an upcoming wedding.
~
Snyder & Co. inhabited a small hotel in town and stayed their much of the time. Their cronies would set out and engage in various activities, making the gang appear to be a normal group of men just passing through New Mexican territory. Rumill would play cards with the other men in the bars. Flynn would spend most of his time drinking and trying to converse with some of the pistoleros, most of whom would laugh at the Irishman's slurred speech. Walsh and Brandt walk through the plaza, harassing women and young girls as they walked by. Several young señoritas strolled by the rogues without much thought of them. When they called out appreciatively to them, the girls giggled and ran as their elderly duennas hustled them on, giving stern looks to the men.
Back at the hotel, Wainwright, Banner, and Snyder discussed in heavy detail what strategy they would initiate. Banner recommended that they continue to harass people into telling them where to find Jack. Wainwright quickly advised that his way would not do them much good, being that many of these people were poor peons that were just trying to make a living day by day. Besides, Santa Fe wasn't nearly as large as New York. Snyder couldn't wait to be graced by Jack's presence. Knocks were heard at the door, breaking everyone's concentration.
"Who is it?" Banner yelled.
"Fresh towels, Señor." He opened the door to be met by an old woman holding towels for them. He took them from her as she quickly proceeded to leave.
"Where the hell are the others?"
"They're out having themselves a good time. Gives us time to get our shit together." Wainwright reiterated.
"Well, they better not get themselves into any trouble. The last thing we need is to have them land their asses in jail and fuck up our program."
"Keep your shirt on, Banner. Our boys know better. They're probably out getting laid or something. They were complaining the whole way about how they hadn't had any tail in a week."
"Could we please get back to the business of finding that dick and off of the men finding pussy, please?" Snyder said, adding his two cents.
Banner made his way back to his seat while Wainwright continued to smoke his Cuban cigar. "Okay, here's the deal. We go throughout the town, acting like men interested in purchasing land, visiting a friend or something. We keep an eye out for Sullivan. Follow him wherever he goes. And when the moment is right, we strike."
Wainwright nodded his head in agreement along with Banner. "But there is only one problem. Once we find him, we can't stay here. We need to find another hiding place. We can't have these people all up in our business when we take care of Sullivan. Agreed?"
Wainwright and Banner concurred with everything Snyder said. In the meantime, they decided to go to one of the local restaurants for a typical southwestern dinner.
~
Jack and Tristan sat on the veranda of one of the cantinas as they talked and watched people go by as they sipped their cervezas. Jack was on his second beer while Tristan was on his third. He could always hold his own when drinking alcohol. They looked out at the passing crowd as they dealt in their daily activities of life. Jack watched as he saw a number of kids run back and forth, playing with a dog in the middle of the street, making the canine fetch the stick whenever they threw it. The kids looked like Les, Snipeshooter, Boots, and Ten Pin when they were younger. And they were not newsies, either. They were all either orphans or kids whose parents were busy working in and around Santa Fe. He then took notice of a young girl walking down the street. Judging from her simple clothes, he figured that she most likely had a job to help support her family. He and Tristan then saw a man with an eye patch who was rather rough and scruffy-looking. He stood across from where they were, looking around as if he were trying to locate someone. He appeared to be a rugged outdoorsman, but his clothes told him that he was a city man, not a southwestern hombre del campo.
"So, what's Apollonia up to, Jack?"
"I don't know. She's shopping out of a catalog, thinking about our friends back in New York, or knitting a blanket for our new arrival."
"You're gonna be a great father, Jack. I can see you riding on the grass with your young'un, teaching it the ropes of being a cowboy, or cowgirl." Tristan smiled.
"Yeah, I wonder who the baby is gonna look like. Will it have my eyes or her hair color, her lips or my smile, and most likely, both of our tempers. I have always wanted ta be a father, but I never thought that it would happen right when all of my dreams finally became a reality. God has really blessed me."
"So, Jack, tell me, are ya gonna put a ring on that little lady's finger?"
Jack smiled as he pulled out a small box from his back pocket and placed it on the table. Tristan's mouth dropped open as he picked up the box and opened it. It contained a gold band with a round diamond in the middle. "She's gonna fall head over heels when she sees this rock, Jack!"
"I know. I already asked her to marry me and she said yes. I know she had written a letter to her best friend back in New York about the news. And she is probably telling everyone in Manhattan about our marriage plans."
"That's women for ya! The minute they hear wedding news, they get the word out ta anybody and everybody that they're tying the knot!" Jack laughed.
The waiter then came out to them and asked if there was anything else they needed. Tristan asked for some charqui and another beer. Jack declined anything else, stating that he was fine. The waiter went back into the saloon as Tristan and Jack laid back in their seats.
"Say, Jack. Wanna come to Diego's place with me and watch him and Gustavo work their horses. Get a few pointers with breeding horses from Diego and watch Gustavo break them in while you're there. He's the best amansador in Santa Fe. Whatta you say, amigo?"
"Sure. Vamos."
As soon as they stood up, Tristan threw money down on the table to pay for the drinks and the beef charqui that the waiter just brought to him. They left the cantina as the waiter began taking the money and counting it.
Snyder and his group continued to search Santa Fe quietly, partly because none of them could speak Spanish. Snyder and Wainwright walked side by side as the continued to case the crowd. They ignored every kind of attention they garnered, from men and women squawking to sell their merchandise to the prostitutes lurking in doorways and flirting with the passing males from the balcony. One older lady of the evening winked at Snyder, trying to get his attention. When he rolled his eyes, she spat at him, cursing out Snyder in Spanish and yelling something he didn't understand. "Lepero! Lepero!" was all the woman kept saying to him.
He knew that since Santa Fe was less populated than New York that it would definitely be easier to track down Jack. And since Santa Fe did not have as many Irishmen settling in the southwest as they did in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding boroughs, this certainly increased his chances of catching Francis Sullivan. The mere thought of ensnaring him and making him undergo a serious castigation made Snyder's crotch hard. And he knew just exactly how to trap him.
They continued to stride around town, blending themselves into this environment as much as possible.
~
Weeks had passed and all was well. Every week Jack and Apollonia would exercise their horses as usual on their ranch, making sure they stayed healthy. They would then watch them graze on the land or drink from the nearby pond to replenish their nutrients.
Jack and Apollonia rode their horses to the central plaza and set their steeds in a livery stable. After Jack paid the livery stable attendant a fee, they went through the bazaar without a care in the world. After being pent up in the house for a while, Jack thought that it would be a good idea for Apollonia to get out and enjoy herself. Her morning sickness was not over, but she was determined to handle it. Jack held her hand as they walked through the mass of persons inhabiting the avenues. They saw that a celebration of some sort was in the works as they witnessed people garnishing a building with ornaments and such. A large piñata was being carried by three men as they maneuvered their way through the crowd. Obviously the preparations were being made for a child's birthday party. Jack and Apollonia smiled as they could see themselves doing the same thing for their children.
Wainwright and Banner walked down the avenue, not wanting to blow their opportunity to catch their handsome target. Wainwright puffed on his cigar while Banner looked around at everything and everyone in the town of Santa Fe. This certainly was a different city. However, they knew that even this picturesque town, things were not as innocent as they appeared to be. Mexican bandits, crooked Spanish hidalgos, and anybody else of ill reputation consorted in this place. Not everything was as charming as, say, the couple Banner eyed, for example. The one that contained a tall, good- looking man with a dusky, attractive woman on his arm. This duo seemed hopelessly and helplessly in love. They way the man looked at her when she smiled was a look only a man in love could make. As the couple got closer, Banner noticed something familiar about the man. The nose, the smile, the long hair. Damn it! It was him! Banner hit Wainwright and pointed out the cowboy who was happily flirting with his pretty companion. Wainwright could not believe his eyes, either. They found the scoundrel that Snyder had been hunting down. This was either Sullivan or a damn good look-alike.
When Jack got closer to them, the confirmation was met. Wainwright and Banner gave each other a wicked smirk.
"Should we gank him right now?" Banner asked.
"Are you crazy? We can't have the Santa Fe lawmen on our tail. Let's just follow them casually and quietly."
As soon as they looked up, they saw them go into a restaurant. Wainwright committed to memory the name of the quaint eatery, El Coyote. He knew that he could question the waiters and anyone who worked there about this man and woman who walked proudly into their establishment. They waited patiently until they saw them exit the Mexican bistro.
"Hey, Banner, Wainwright!" They heard someone yell in the distance. Rumill, Walsh, and Brandt were carrying a seriously inebriated Flynn from a cantina. Flynn was causing a ruckus in the saloon, which caused the owner to kick him out. Flynn was reluctant to leave, but the owner's double- barrel shotgun quickly changed his mind. The others promptly escorted their partner out of the imbibing waterhole as quickly as possible.
"What the hell happened to you!?" said Wainwright to Flynn. Flynn responded by vomiting all over his own shoes. Rumill recanted the story to their superiors and was met with angry faces.
Wainwright pulled Banner off to the side for a minute. "Well, this screws up our plans. These goons go off and interrupting our stratagem."
"Looks like we'll have to take care of this ourselves." Banner stated.
"We'll go back to the hotel. Let Snyder know that his "friend" is here. And we'll take it from there. See what he says."
Looking at a drunken Flynn in disgust, the band moved back to their hideaway, leaving the exciting environment of the bazaar and plaza.
~
Apollonia woke up in a very giddy mood. That is, until, she had to throw up. Her morning sickness still hadn't ceased just yet. She ate some tortilla chips to take the edge off of her malaise. Jack had gotten up before her and headed over to Sandoval's villa, but he was told by his servants that Sandoval had gone away to Mexico on business with his family. Jack left a message with the servant that he stopped by. He wanted to invite Sandoval and his family to a small social gathering at his ranch in the upcoming weeks. The servant graciously accepted the message. Jack then decided to ride around on Racetrack to give him a good workout. Apollonia needed to conduct some personal business in the rustic, southwestern setting, so she took a light nap before heading out to perform her duties.
While in town, Apollonia parked Soleil in place and proceeded to make her rounds. She sashayed through the avenues with swaying hips down the street in front of the tiendas and other businesses. First, she went to the post office to mail a package to New York. She purchased a silver necklace and matching earrings and bracelet for Giselle. She knew that Giselle would love it. After leaving the post office, she walked down the street to acquire a few items related to beautifying a woman. Next, she saw a beautiful sheer yellow mantilla that she thought would go nicely with a dress that she saw in a woman's catalog that she was thumbing though a few days ago. She purchased it from the vendor and proceeded to cut through the bazaar, seeing the merchants vending snakeskin belts, silver belt buckles, and all kinds of jewelry. A silver barrette with a large turquoise stone inlayed at the top was very appealing. She also took notice of a silver cuff bracelet that captured her fancy. She decided to buy the bracelet. She also saw a couple of earrings that she knew she had to have. Apollonia was a sucker for jewelry.
Strolling down the boulevard, she looked around trying to see what other odds and ends that she might want to purchase. She then remembered that she wanted to stop at the train station for some information on ticket prices. Heading in the direction of the train station, she had to pass through an alley that, luckily, was not crowded with people. Unexpectedly, she got a mysterious feeling. She had the feeling that someone was watching her, following her. She heard footsteps several paces behind her and decided to turn around.
"Hello? Hola?" she uttered. Getting no response, she resumed walking, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder. She had been getting the feeling there was always someone there, watching her. She remembered when Killian came up behind her in the horde of people across from Tibby's where he chased her until he caught up with her in the alley where she was almost brutally raped. She did not want this to be a repeat performance of that event. And she was weaponless. She gathered and handful of her skirt, lifted it up, and began sprinting back towards the plaza.
She ran until she dove into a cantina. She turned around and looked out of the window to see if she was out of harm's way. After scrutinizing the passersby, she exhaled out of relief. She then turned around to see a group of men ogling her. They were admiring the hell out of her, all with salacious grins on their faces. She felt very uncomfortable from all of the unwanted attention that she was receiving. If only she had a slingshot with her. She walked towards the barstool, acting as if she were a paying customer.
"Buenos tardes, Señorita."
She then placed her bag onto the counter and looked back to the cantina's entrance before turning her attention back to the bartender. "Uh, agua, por favor?"
The bartender nodded his head and quickly retrieved a glass of water for her. She knew that in her delicate condition she should not consume alcohol. She quickly gulped it down instead of sipping it in the usual ladylike fashion. She was unusually nervous right now. She almost thought that she was going crazy. Who in their right mind would follow her here? Killian was thousands of miles away. These thoughts, however, did not calm her nerves.
Exiting the men's bathroom, Tristan looked over the customers in the place and noticed Apollonia. Standing quietly at the counter, she felt a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to jump and gasp.
"Oh, mon Dieu! Tristan!" She said relieved while clutching her neck.
"Hey, there, girlie. Whatta ya doing in this joint and without Jack?"
She sighed softly before giving him an explanation. "Well, I think someone was following me. I didn't actually see anybody but I just had this weird feeling, you know?"
Tristan nodded his head and comforted her. "Come on, I'll escort ya back. Besides, Jack might get worried if you're out here all by yourself without a chaperone, especially with all of these wolves ready to pounce on ya." Tristan swiftly accompanied her out of the saloon to where her horse was located. He then guided her out of the host of people in the streets and made their way safely to Belvedere.
~
Wainwright and Snyder were comfortably sitting in chairs. Snyder acquired a taste for the beer that he was consuming. It wasn't as good as Irish whiskey, but it was damn near close. The men of their brood were involved in eating as much tamales as they could chomp through. Banner waltzed through the door with arrogance in his step. Snyder and Wainwright looked over at him, wishing to know the prognosis of the situation.
"Well, Banner. Did you find anything?" Snyder asked.
Banner just gave a wicked grin to his fellow cohort. Snyder and Wainwright looked at each other with anticipated hope as Banner made a seat for himself.
"You found Sullivan?"
"Not really. Remember that couple we spotted in town a few days ago, Wainwright?" Wainwright gave him a nod.
"Well, I found his lay shopping in the marketplace. She was shopping without a care, but I lost her in the middle of it all."
Snyder shot him a threatening look. Without warning, Snyder got up and grabbed Banner, pushing him back in his chair until they were both on the ground, and held a knife to his throat.
"Don't fuck with me, Banner! Where's his bitch!? I want to know where Sullivan's slut is! Where is she!?"
Wainwright had to pull Snyder back to keep him from killing Banner. After Wainwright pried Snyder up from his partner, Banner slowly got up, touching his neck to look at the fresh smear of blood staining his fingers.
"You didn't let me finish, you fat fuck!"
The other men snickered in the background. Snyder calmed down as to let Banner finish his story. "I followed his woman, who was riding her horse alongside some other fellow all the way out of town, all the way to the ranch. I found exactly where Sullivan is. It's a ranch about three and a half miles away."
Snyder smiled wickedly. He almost wanted to kiss Banner. Almost, that is. Wainwright patted Snyder on the shoulder and sat back down. "This is wonderful. Just wonderful. We shall get our hands on his ass quite soon. We need to move to another location, however. We can't have these poor illiterates poking their noses into our business."
"That's all been taken care of, Snyder. I have already found a place for us to relocate so that we can carry out the merciless duty of destroying your enemy. I spoke to someone about any empty places for us to inhabit. He mentioned an old, deserted ranch on the fringes of this place. It has a barn there, too. I pretended to be a perspective buyer and he told me where to find the place. It's past a place called the Ponderosa." Wainwright relayed.
"Excellent." Snyder said. Snyder made the decision to move out to the new locale immediately. "We shall rest up tonight. We've got a big day and night planned for us tomorrow, fellas."
~
Gallantly riding Racetrack, Jack whizzed across the land with expertise of a veteran vaquero. One would not have known that he had only had a few lessons in riding a horse. He was an instant equestrian. He had a few errands to run in town and he wanted to get home promptly. He remembered that he told Apollonia that he was going to be back by dinnertime and he did not want to get bitched out for his tardiness. Although Apollonia was generally friendly, she did have a temper. He used to be glad that he had no one waiting up for him. Now that's all changed.
He rode straight to the stable where Apollonia's horse was already residing and resting from an early exercise routine. Jack dismounted and petted his horse. He then unbuckled the saddle and placed it out of the way. He walked to the house; his mouth watering for a tasty dish that he knew would quench his appetite. And he couldn't wait to take a bath and soak in a tub of hot, searing water.
"Apollonia? Sweetheart? I'm ...."
Jack stopped in mid-sentence at the sight of his parlor. A chair was lying on its side, broken glass was on the floor, and a vase was cracked in several places. He walked into the kitchen to find water boiling on the stove and flour, chili peppers, and tortillas sprayed across the table top. It was obvious that she had been cooking when the chaos occurred.
"Apollonia!" Quickly, he began running throughout the house searching for her. He checked the bathroom, sitting room, and other areas of the first floor. He then ran upstairs to check the bedroom, only disappointed to find it empty as well. He sat on the bed dumbfounded. What the fuck could have happened to her? Where the hell could she be? After running his hand through his hair, he raced back downstairs.
He looked around reexamining the condition of the house. There were obvious signs of a struggle based on the destruction of some of the possessions. He then looked over at the table and found an usually familiar object lying on it. He glided over to it only to discover a stellar reminder of his past.
It was a picture of him and the rest of the newsies that was printed in the New York Sun. This wasn't the same picture that he had framed when he lived in his apartment. This looked like another copy; an older copy that had been wrinkled and crumpled up for a long time. But seeing this remnant of his history wasn't the only strange thing that captured his attention. It was the red streak of blood encircling his face on the print.
Jack picked up the shred of paper and studied it closely. He looked around the room, trying to put the pieces together in his head. No Apollonia, but a photo of his past is present. The blood on picture was fresh. Was it Apollonia's blood?
A number of thoughts raced through his head. "Who could have done this? Who in their right mind would have taken Apollonia from their home and held her captive? Nobody in Santa Fe knows about the strike except us." This is not happening. He thought. This can't be happening.
Rising from the depths of his soul, he felt his lips opening, and, without shame, Jack let out a deafening scream from at the top of his lungs, soaring to fill the entire room, ranch, and the world in a mixture of anger, angst, and pain.
Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. Apollonia, Giselle, Checkers, and other miscellaneous characters are all mine.
Chapter 29: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Gorgeous, peaceful, and mysterious were the words that came to the minds of people who settled in Santa Fe. These very same words came to the minds of Jack and Apollonia. He had asked Santa Fe to save a place for him, and she did.
They took a long look at how long it took to make this dream come true, feeling as if some special nirvana had overtaken them. Jack leaned on the fence as Apollonia sat on it, with one leg on a lower step and the other leg on the higher one. They watched as a herd of cattle and horses were being driven to another ranch in the distance. They witnessed the lead wrangler wave his arm in the air to signal something to the other remuderos. Together they rode their horses and directed each other to where cattle may try to stray.
"Como esta alla epa eh?"
"Epah eh alli, epa eh i yo."
They heard these men speaking Spanish in the vastness. Jack smiled to himself as he turned his attention back to his livestock. The horses on their land nibbled on the grass abundantly. Jack was very fond of his noble steeds. Since he fell in love with horses, he decided that he wanted to breed horses. He could raise and sell them to beginners who moved to Santa Fe to start ranches of their own. Since he was overwhelmed by the generosity of Tristan, Sandoval, and others who offered him assistance, he found it necessary to return the favor. This was a value that his mother taught him as a child.
His hazel gaze was turned over to Apollonia, who was currently observing the awesome splendor of their hacienda. She took in all the beauty of the sierra mountain range that stood behind their house, like a protective border from outside interference. She loved how the breeze blew her hair back as Jack admired the way her dark tresses flew in the wind. This was their ranch. Finally, they shared something tangible with one another, she thought. Jack, too, was thinking the same thing, as well as how much of a vision of pulchritude she embodied.
He was astounded by how she was so sensuous and exotically beautiful. The off-the-shoulder peasant top coupled with the long-flowing colorful skirt made her look very much like the many Mexican señoritas that lived in the city. The gold hoop earrings and bracelets accented her beauty perfectly. Even the bracelet on her ankle added to her prettiness.
She thought it adorable how stray locks of his dark blonde hair had fallen onto his forehead. She reached over and gently pushed the strands of hair back, while relishing in its softness, which felt like French silk. They watched quietly as the sun made its way down behind the sierra mountains before going back into the house.
Jack got up and lifted Apollonia up and down to the ground. They walked side by side to their house in total silence, listening to the light wind that gently swept Apollonia's hair to one side. Once they got inside, Apollonia began feeling funny. She put her hand to her temple as her head began to ache and she felt dizzy. She made a mad dash for the bathroom and held herself over the washbasin on the wooden stand. She regurgitated the lunch from earlier that she had cooked for the two of them. Her stomach lurched and heaved threateningly as more and more vomit came up and out of her mouth every time she thought it was all over.
Finally, after coughing heavily, she was finished. She then sat down on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. She stayed in that position until the sickness passed a few minutes later. As she slowly stood to her feet, she looked into the mirror to double check her appearance. After making sure every hair was put back in place, she whisked her eyebrows and proceeded to leave. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she was intercepted by her lover. "Are ya okay?"
"Yes, I just ate something that didn't agree with me. That's all." She said before planting a sweet kiss onto his lips. Jack caressed her cheek while he looked at her with a worried expression on his face.
A few hours later, Jack stood out on the front porch, smoking a well- deserved cigarette. He hadn't had a cigarette in a long time. The smoke escaped from between his soft lips like a genie's smoke from a lamp. For years, ever since he was living on his own, Jack had only himself to look out for. He had no family, no dependants. It was just him. Now, he has two families; one here and one in New York.
Slowly strolling into his sleeping quarters, he looked on the presence of the woman who he would soon share the bed with. He sat down on the bed as he took off his shirt and boots. After he was clad in nothing but his leggings, he leaned back and pulled the covers up. He then looked over at Apollonia once again, leaning over to see if she was in deep sleep. Rubbing the side of her covered thigh, he coaxed her into waking up.
"Apollonia? Querida? Are ya awake?"
"I am now." She groggily uttered.
"Well, there's something I've been meaning to ask ya. And I want a straight answer." She looked at him with straightforward eyes, giving him her undivided attention.
"Apollonia, will you marry me?"
Her eyes were as wide as saucers when those words came out of his mouth.
"Jack, I'm pregnant."
Jack looked at her total stunned. "My baby's going to have a baby?" She nodded with a resounding yes. "My God, you have never looked more beautiful than you do now."
He accosted her with heavy kisses as he drenched her in driving passion. He couldn't believe that after one of their more recent romantic encounters that they had, that they created another life. He was overjoyed that Apollonia impregnated with his seed. As a man, he definitely felt complete. He placed his head at her stomach and kissed it.
Jack huskily spoke. "I want you to have my baby. I've always wanted that." He continued to solicit her with kisses as he roved his hands all over her. They celebrated the doubly positive news by just holding one another in their arms, listening to each other's breathing.
~
**** Three Weeks Later ****
The seven New York bandits finally made it to Santa Fe. They took the first train headed west as soon as they could. The money from the bank helped them out as usual. Snyder kept a look of seriousness on his face. The heat was getting to his allies, but Snyder seemed immune to the sun's intense heat. A young boy ran up to the gang and asked them for some money, his hand extended out in pity. Banner pushed the youngster roughly to the ground, causing the boy's lip to hit the earth and bleed. The muchacho got up hurriedly and ran.
As they entered the town, they strolled slowly with studied casualness as they looked around this southwestern municipality. They made their way through the throngs of wagons, barking dogs, a cavalcade of men on horseback, running children, squawking women speaking rapid Spanish, and vendors of all sorts of goods. Banner looked back over his shoulder making sure his brood did not wander off in this new frontier. Seeing all these different women and young girls around made their mouths water.
Wainwright took a handkerchief from his back pocket and patted his face and the back of his neck. The scorching weather was not being kind to him. Snyder just strode through the marketplace, casing the place and committing everything he saw to memory. He wanted to know all of the details of this town that his foe now made home.
A number of rough-looking Mexican men, some armed with guns and other forms of weaponry, stared closely at these newcomers. One of them took a belduque and scratched him bearded face with it while looking intently at the brood. They were obviously not from the southwest or west, and, most likely, did not speak Spanish, they figured. The crew looked on as they scanned this new land called New Mexico Territory. They knew that they need to lay low while they carried out their well-thought out plan. Snyder examined the environs carefully. He pondered to himself what types of activities Jack would be involved in. He remembered that Oscar and Morris told him that they would see Jack exiting bars on occasion. They decided to make a detour into one of the saloons that lined the street.
The cantina's customers reveled in their liquor and chewing tobacco as the crew entered the bar. They were largely ignored by virtually all of the consumers as they sauntered towards the bar. The bartender, heavy in cleaning a beer glass, did not acknowledge them until one of them spoke.
"Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if you could help me with some information. I am looking for a gentleman that has moved here from New York a few months ago. You probably have seen him. He's tall, has dark blonde hair, hazel eyes, and speaks with a New York accent."
The bartender stopped his chores and looked at Snyder. "Señor, I have working at this cantina for years now. Do you know how many vaqueros fit that description? A lot of Anglos, blacks, and other people have come into Santa Fe for years. A man that looks like that will not be that hard to spot, but not easy to find, either, Señor." He said in his flawless English that was laced with a Spanish accent.
"Perhaps this might be helpful." He pulled out a picture of the New York Sun, pointing out the adolescent in the center. It did not jog the bartender's memory. Snyder nodded his head to the bartender and turned to his companions. "It looks like we are going to have to take care of this one by ourselves."
"What do you suppose we do?" asked Banner.
"It's simple. We lay low and just wait. Don't worry. Santa Fe is not as big as New York. He will eventually show his pretty face soon enough." Snyder said as he walked out of the bar with his partners close behind, with a devilish grin spreading across his face.
~
Upon hearing the news of Apollonia's pregnancy, Jack knew instantly that Apollonia could not do everything around the house by herself without putting too much stress on herself. They decided to hire a housemaid to help out while she was in a delicate condition and after the baby was born. Apollonia remembered Rosario, the sweet maid in the La Fonda. They inquired about Rosario's background and asked her if she would have been interested in having a second job. She happily accepted. She had taken an instant liking to the couple when they stayed in the hotel and was somewhat upset when they left the hotel to move into their home. Knowing that she would see them again made her spirits soar.
Rosario split her time between working at the La Fonda and at Belvedere. She was the only girl of four children; she was the second to last of the family. Her family lived in a fairly small adobe home. The father hired himself out to different ranchers around Santa Fe as a laborer and the mother would make small, square-shaped decorations of various Catholic saints and sell them in the marketplace. Her brothers would assist their father in working with him on the ranches as well. Sporting her robozo, she rode her small donkey all the way to the hacienda three times a week. She even brought Apollonia a sun-baked wall decoration of the sun. She gladly placed it on the wall in the parlor. She was quite pleased that she was able to help out Rosario by offering her a job to help her and her family out financially.
Rosario assisted in cleaning the house primarily and, since she knew that Apollonia was expecting, she made sure that Apollonia did not stay on her feet so long. She seemed like Apollonia's protector at times, which made Apollonia smile. She was another version of Giselle. Apollonia sat at her writing desk and wrote a lengthy letter to her best friend to inform her of the new arrival as well as the news of an upcoming wedding.
~
Snyder & Co. inhabited a small hotel in town and stayed their much of the time. Their cronies would set out and engage in various activities, making the gang appear to be a normal group of men just passing through New Mexican territory. Rumill would play cards with the other men in the bars. Flynn would spend most of his time drinking and trying to converse with some of the pistoleros, most of whom would laugh at the Irishman's slurred speech. Walsh and Brandt walk through the plaza, harassing women and young girls as they walked by. Several young señoritas strolled by the rogues without much thought of them. When they called out appreciatively to them, the girls giggled and ran as their elderly duennas hustled them on, giving stern looks to the men.
Back at the hotel, Wainwright, Banner, and Snyder discussed in heavy detail what strategy they would initiate. Banner recommended that they continue to harass people into telling them where to find Jack. Wainwright quickly advised that his way would not do them much good, being that many of these people were poor peons that were just trying to make a living day by day. Besides, Santa Fe wasn't nearly as large as New York. Snyder couldn't wait to be graced by Jack's presence. Knocks were heard at the door, breaking everyone's concentration.
"Who is it?" Banner yelled.
"Fresh towels, Señor." He opened the door to be met by an old woman holding towels for them. He took them from her as she quickly proceeded to leave.
"Where the hell are the others?"
"They're out having themselves a good time. Gives us time to get our shit together." Wainwright reiterated.
"Well, they better not get themselves into any trouble. The last thing we need is to have them land their asses in jail and fuck up our program."
"Keep your shirt on, Banner. Our boys know better. They're probably out getting laid or something. They were complaining the whole way about how they hadn't had any tail in a week."
"Could we please get back to the business of finding that dick and off of the men finding pussy, please?" Snyder said, adding his two cents.
Banner made his way back to his seat while Wainwright continued to smoke his Cuban cigar. "Okay, here's the deal. We go throughout the town, acting like men interested in purchasing land, visiting a friend or something. We keep an eye out for Sullivan. Follow him wherever he goes. And when the moment is right, we strike."
Wainwright nodded his head in agreement along with Banner. "But there is only one problem. Once we find him, we can't stay here. We need to find another hiding place. We can't have these people all up in our business when we take care of Sullivan. Agreed?"
Wainwright and Banner concurred with everything Snyder said. In the meantime, they decided to go to one of the local restaurants for a typical southwestern dinner.
~
Jack and Tristan sat on the veranda of one of the cantinas as they talked and watched people go by as they sipped their cervezas. Jack was on his second beer while Tristan was on his third. He could always hold his own when drinking alcohol. They looked out at the passing crowd as they dealt in their daily activities of life. Jack watched as he saw a number of kids run back and forth, playing with a dog in the middle of the street, making the canine fetch the stick whenever they threw it. The kids looked like Les, Snipeshooter, Boots, and Ten Pin when they were younger. And they were not newsies, either. They were all either orphans or kids whose parents were busy working in and around Santa Fe. He then took notice of a young girl walking down the street. Judging from her simple clothes, he figured that she most likely had a job to help support her family. He and Tristan then saw a man with an eye patch who was rather rough and scruffy-looking. He stood across from where they were, looking around as if he were trying to locate someone. He appeared to be a rugged outdoorsman, but his clothes told him that he was a city man, not a southwestern hombre del campo.
"So, what's Apollonia up to, Jack?"
"I don't know. She's shopping out of a catalog, thinking about our friends back in New York, or knitting a blanket for our new arrival."
"You're gonna be a great father, Jack. I can see you riding on the grass with your young'un, teaching it the ropes of being a cowboy, or cowgirl." Tristan smiled.
"Yeah, I wonder who the baby is gonna look like. Will it have my eyes or her hair color, her lips or my smile, and most likely, both of our tempers. I have always wanted ta be a father, but I never thought that it would happen right when all of my dreams finally became a reality. God has really blessed me."
"So, Jack, tell me, are ya gonna put a ring on that little lady's finger?"
Jack smiled as he pulled out a small box from his back pocket and placed it on the table. Tristan's mouth dropped open as he picked up the box and opened it. It contained a gold band with a round diamond in the middle. "She's gonna fall head over heels when she sees this rock, Jack!"
"I know. I already asked her to marry me and she said yes. I know she had written a letter to her best friend back in New York about the news. And she is probably telling everyone in Manhattan about our marriage plans."
"That's women for ya! The minute they hear wedding news, they get the word out ta anybody and everybody that they're tying the knot!" Jack laughed.
The waiter then came out to them and asked if there was anything else they needed. Tristan asked for some charqui and another beer. Jack declined anything else, stating that he was fine. The waiter went back into the saloon as Tristan and Jack laid back in their seats.
"Say, Jack. Wanna come to Diego's place with me and watch him and Gustavo work their horses. Get a few pointers with breeding horses from Diego and watch Gustavo break them in while you're there. He's the best amansador in Santa Fe. Whatta you say, amigo?"
"Sure. Vamos."
As soon as they stood up, Tristan threw money down on the table to pay for the drinks and the beef charqui that the waiter just brought to him. They left the cantina as the waiter began taking the money and counting it.
Snyder and his group continued to search Santa Fe quietly, partly because none of them could speak Spanish. Snyder and Wainwright walked side by side as the continued to case the crowd. They ignored every kind of attention they garnered, from men and women squawking to sell their merchandise to the prostitutes lurking in doorways and flirting with the passing males from the balcony. One older lady of the evening winked at Snyder, trying to get his attention. When he rolled his eyes, she spat at him, cursing out Snyder in Spanish and yelling something he didn't understand. "Lepero! Lepero!" was all the woman kept saying to him.
He knew that since Santa Fe was less populated than New York that it would definitely be easier to track down Jack. And since Santa Fe did not have as many Irishmen settling in the southwest as they did in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding boroughs, this certainly increased his chances of catching Francis Sullivan. The mere thought of ensnaring him and making him undergo a serious castigation made Snyder's crotch hard. And he knew just exactly how to trap him.
They continued to stride around town, blending themselves into this environment as much as possible.
~
Weeks had passed and all was well. Every week Jack and Apollonia would exercise their horses as usual on their ranch, making sure they stayed healthy. They would then watch them graze on the land or drink from the nearby pond to replenish their nutrients.
Jack and Apollonia rode their horses to the central plaza and set their steeds in a livery stable. After Jack paid the livery stable attendant a fee, they went through the bazaar without a care in the world. After being pent up in the house for a while, Jack thought that it would be a good idea for Apollonia to get out and enjoy herself. Her morning sickness was not over, but she was determined to handle it. Jack held her hand as they walked through the mass of persons inhabiting the avenues. They saw that a celebration of some sort was in the works as they witnessed people garnishing a building with ornaments and such. A large piñata was being carried by three men as they maneuvered their way through the crowd. Obviously the preparations were being made for a child's birthday party. Jack and Apollonia smiled as they could see themselves doing the same thing for their children.
Wainwright and Banner walked down the avenue, not wanting to blow their opportunity to catch their handsome target. Wainwright puffed on his cigar while Banner looked around at everything and everyone in the town of Santa Fe. This certainly was a different city. However, they knew that even this picturesque town, things were not as innocent as they appeared to be. Mexican bandits, crooked Spanish hidalgos, and anybody else of ill reputation consorted in this place. Not everything was as charming as, say, the couple Banner eyed, for example. The one that contained a tall, good- looking man with a dusky, attractive woman on his arm. This duo seemed hopelessly and helplessly in love. They way the man looked at her when she smiled was a look only a man in love could make. As the couple got closer, Banner noticed something familiar about the man. The nose, the smile, the long hair. Damn it! It was him! Banner hit Wainwright and pointed out the cowboy who was happily flirting with his pretty companion. Wainwright could not believe his eyes, either. They found the scoundrel that Snyder had been hunting down. This was either Sullivan or a damn good look-alike.
When Jack got closer to them, the confirmation was met. Wainwright and Banner gave each other a wicked smirk.
"Should we gank him right now?" Banner asked.
"Are you crazy? We can't have the Santa Fe lawmen on our tail. Let's just follow them casually and quietly."
As soon as they looked up, they saw them go into a restaurant. Wainwright committed to memory the name of the quaint eatery, El Coyote. He knew that he could question the waiters and anyone who worked there about this man and woman who walked proudly into their establishment. They waited patiently until they saw them exit the Mexican bistro.
"Hey, Banner, Wainwright!" They heard someone yell in the distance. Rumill, Walsh, and Brandt were carrying a seriously inebriated Flynn from a cantina. Flynn was causing a ruckus in the saloon, which caused the owner to kick him out. Flynn was reluctant to leave, but the owner's double- barrel shotgun quickly changed his mind. The others promptly escorted their partner out of the imbibing waterhole as quickly as possible.
"What the hell happened to you!?" said Wainwright to Flynn. Flynn responded by vomiting all over his own shoes. Rumill recanted the story to their superiors and was met with angry faces.
Wainwright pulled Banner off to the side for a minute. "Well, this screws up our plans. These goons go off and interrupting our stratagem."
"Looks like we'll have to take care of this ourselves." Banner stated.
"We'll go back to the hotel. Let Snyder know that his "friend" is here. And we'll take it from there. See what he says."
Looking at a drunken Flynn in disgust, the band moved back to their hideaway, leaving the exciting environment of the bazaar and plaza.
~
Apollonia woke up in a very giddy mood. That is, until, she had to throw up. Her morning sickness still hadn't ceased just yet. She ate some tortilla chips to take the edge off of her malaise. Jack had gotten up before her and headed over to Sandoval's villa, but he was told by his servants that Sandoval had gone away to Mexico on business with his family. Jack left a message with the servant that he stopped by. He wanted to invite Sandoval and his family to a small social gathering at his ranch in the upcoming weeks. The servant graciously accepted the message. Jack then decided to ride around on Racetrack to give him a good workout. Apollonia needed to conduct some personal business in the rustic, southwestern setting, so she took a light nap before heading out to perform her duties.
While in town, Apollonia parked Soleil in place and proceeded to make her rounds. She sashayed through the avenues with swaying hips down the street in front of the tiendas and other businesses. First, she went to the post office to mail a package to New York. She purchased a silver necklace and matching earrings and bracelet for Giselle. She knew that Giselle would love it. After leaving the post office, she walked down the street to acquire a few items related to beautifying a woman. Next, she saw a beautiful sheer yellow mantilla that she thought would go nicely with a dress that she saw in a woman's catalog that she was thumbing though a few days ago. She purchased it from the vendor and proceeded to cut through the bazaar, seeing the merchants vending snakeskin belts, silver belt buckles, and all kinds of jewelry. A silver barrette with a large turquoise stone inlayed at the top was very appealing. She also took notice of a silver cuff bracelet that captured her fancy. She decided to buy the bracelet. She also saw a couple of earrings that she knew she had to have. Apollonia was a sucker for jewelry.
Strolling down the boulevard, she looked around trying to see what other odds and ends that she might want to purchase. She then remembered that she wanted to stop at the train station for some information on ticket prices. Heading in the direction of the train station, she had to pass through an alley that, luckily, was not crowded with people. Unexpectedly, she got a mysterious feeling. She had the feeling that someone was watching her, following her. She heard footsteps several paces behind her and decided to turn around.
"Hello? Hola?" she uttered. Getting no response, she resumed walking, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder. She had been getting the feeling there was always someone there, watching her. She remembered when Killian came up behind her in the horde of people across from Tibby's where he chased her until he caught up with her in the alley where she was almost brutally raped. She did not want this to be a repeat performance of that event. And she was weaponless. She gathered and handful of her skirt, lifted it up, and began sprinting back towards the plaza.
She ran until she dove into a cantina. She turned around and looked out of the window to see if she was out of harm's way. After scrutinizing the passersby, she exhaled out of relief. She then turned around to see a group of men ogling her. They were admiring the hell out of her, all with salacious grins on their faces. She felt very uncomfortable from all of the unwanted attention that she was receiving. If only she had a slingshot with her. She walked towards the barstool, acting as if she were a paying customer.
"Buenos tardes, Señorita."
She then placed her bag onto the counter and looked back to the cantina's entrance before turning her attention back to the bartender. "Uh, agua, por favor?"
The bartender nodded his head and quickly retrieved a glass of water for her. She knew that in her delicate condition she should not consume alcohol. She quickly gulped it down instead of sipping it in the usual ladylike fashion. She was unusually nervous right now. She almost thought that she was going crazy. Who in their right mind would follow her here? Killian was thousands of miles away. These thoughts, however, did not calm her nerves.
Exiting the men's bathroom, Tristan looked over the customers in the place and noticed Apollonia. Standing quietly at the counter, she felt a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to jump and gasp.
"Oh, mon Dieu! Tristan!" She said relieved while clutching her neck.
"Hey, there, girlie. Whatta ya doing in this joint and without Jack?"
She sighed softly before giving him an explanation. "Well, I think someone was following me. I didn't actually see anybody but I just had this weird feeling, you know?"
Tristan nodded his head and comforted her. "Come on, I'll escort ya back. Besides, Jack might get worried if you're out here all by yourself without a chaperone, especially with all of these wolves ready to pounce on ya." Tristan swiftly accompanied her out of the saloon to where her horse was located. He then guided her out of the host of people in the streets and made their way safely to Belvedere.
~
Wainwright and Snyder were comfortably sitting in chairs. Snyder acquired a taste for the beer that he was consuming. It wasn't as good as Irish whiskey, but it was damn near close. The men of their brood were involved in eating as much tamales as they could chomp through. Banner waltzed through the door with arrogance in his step. Snyder and Wainwright looked over at him, wishing to know the prognosis of the situation.
"Well, Banner. Did you find anything?" Snyder asked.
Banner just gave a wicked grin to his fellow cohort. Snyder and Wainwright looked at each other with anticipated hope as Banner made a seat for himself.
"You found Sullivan?"
"Not really. Remember that couple we spotted in town a few days ago, Wainwright?" Wainwright gave him a nod.
"Well, I found his lay shopping in the marketplace. She was shopping without a care, but I lost her in the middle of it all."
Snyder shot him a threatening look. Without warning, Snyder got up and grabbed Banner, pushing him back in his chair until they were both on the ground, and held a knife to his throat.
"Don't fuck with me, Banner! Where's his bitch!? I want to know where Sullivan's slut is! Where is she!?"
Wainwright had to pull Snyder back to keep him from killing Banner. After Wainwright pried Snyder up from his partner, Banner slowly got up, touching his neck to look at the fresh smear of blood staining his fingers.
"You didn't let me finish, you fat fuck!"
The other men snickered in the background. Snyder calmed down as to let Banner finish his story. "I followed his woman, who was riding her horse alongside some other fellow all the way out of town, all the way to the ranch. I found exactly where Sullivan is. It's a ranch about three and a half miles away."
Snyder smiled wickedly. He almost wanted to kiss Banner. Almost, that is. Wainwright patted Snyder on the shoulder and sat back down. "This is wonderful. Just wonderful. We shall get our hands on his ass quite soon. We need to move to another location, however. We can't have these poor illiterates poking their noses into our business."
"That's all been taken care of, Snyder. I have already found a place for us to relocate so that we can carry out the merciless duty of destroying your enemy. I spoke to someone about any empty places for us to inhabit. He mentioned an old, deserted ranch on the fringes of this place. It has a barn there, too. I pretended to be a perspective buyer and he told me where to find the place. It's past a place called the Ponderosa." Wainwright relayed.
"Excellent." Snyder said. Snyder made the decision to move out to the new locale immediately. "We shall rest up tonight. We've got a big day and night planned for us tomorrow, fellas."
~
Gallantly riding Racetrack, Jack whizzed across the land with expertise of a veteran vaquero. One would not have known that he had only had a few lessons in riding a horse. He was an instant equestrian. He had a few errands to run in town and he wanted to get home promptly. He remembered that he told Apollonia that he was going to be back by dinnertime and he did not want to get bitched out for his tardiness. Although Apollonia was generally friendly, she did have a temper. He used to be glad that he had no one waiting up for him. Now that's all changed.
He rode straight to the stable where Apollonia's horse was already residing and resting from an early exercise routine. Jack dismounted and petted his horse. He then unbuckled the saddle and placed it out of the way. He walked to the house; his mouth watering for a tasty dish that he knew would quench his appetite. And he couldn't wait to take a bath and soak in a tub of hot, searing water.
"Apollonia? Sweetheart? I'm ...."
Jack stopped in mid-sentence at the sight of his parlor. A chair was lying on its side, broken glass was on the floor, and a vase was cracked in several places. He walked into the kitchen to find water boiling on the stove and flour, chili peppers, and tortillas sprayed across the table top. It was obvious that she had been cooking when the chaos occurred.
"Apollonia!" Quickly, he began running throughout the house searching for her. He checked the bathroom, sitting room, and other areas of the first floor. He then ran upstairs to check the bedroom, only disappointed to find it empty as well. He sat on the bed dumbfounded. What the fuck could have happened to her? Where the hell could she be? After running his hand through his hair, he raced back downstairs.
He looked around reexamining the condition of the house. There were obvious signs of a struggle based on the destruction of some of the possessions. He then looked over at the table and found an usually familiar object lying on it. He glided over to it only to discover a stellar reminder of his past.
It was a picture of him and the rest of the newsies that was printed in the New York Sun. This wasn't the same picture that he had framed when he lived in his apartment. This looked like another copy; an older copy that had been wrinkled and crumpled up for a long time. But seeing this remnant of his history wasn't the only strange thing that captured his attention. It was the red streak of blood encircling his face on the print.
Jack picked up the shred of paper and studied it closely. He looked around the room, trying to put the pieces together in his head. No Apollonia, but a photo of his past is present. The blood on picture was fresh. Was it Apollonia's blood?
A number of thoughts raced through his head. "Who could have done this? Who in their right mind would have taken Apollonia from their home and held her captive? Nobody in Santa Fe knows about the strike except us." This is not happening. He thought. This can't be happening.
Rising from the depths of his soul, he felt his lips opening, and, without shame, Jack let out a deafening scream from at the top of his lungs, soaring to fill the entire room, ranch, and the world in a mixture of anger, angst, and pain.
