Sorry this has taken so long to post. My regular reviewers all know I was gone on a two week vacation. I tried to continue work on this, but you know how that goes. Yes, I had a great vacation, but I am glad to be home. Typical, I go to Southern California to do the tourist thing and they have a record heat wave! As a Zonie I can tell you the dry heat is much preferable to the humidity, although I hear Canada is nice! Maybe I should go visit the boys to recuperate from the heatwave, nah, I'm guessin' the heat would be radiating up there too! LOL
Anyway, this is a critical point in the story and I wanted to make sure I had all the pieces fitting together. Looks like about seven more chapters. Several have been written, just not the next few critical ones! Hopefully, I will get all the pieces to fit and it will all make sense. Thanks so much for being patient and hanging in there. I appreciate all my readers whether you review or not. (Of course I love reviews; they make me feel all warm and fuzzy)
Chapter Fourteen – Escape
Aggie finished cleaning Deke's wounds, again wondering how she ever ended up in this violent land. Then she reflected on her love, and all the pain and turmoil seemed worth it, for without the harshness she never would have found Jake. Even if she died now, she would have known true love. She then decided she wanted more and whatever it took she was going to have it. Perhaps the Winchester determination was already wearing off on her.
"Deke, what's the plan? When will Jake and Scott come looking for us?" Aggie inquired.
"I'm working on it. It might be another day before they come looking. Scott isn't expected back in town until tomorrow. I reckon we better just figure on getting out of here ourselves."
"Who are Jake and Scott? What's going on here?" Gabrielle asked.
"Jake's my dad and Aggie's love, and Scott's my brother." Deke responded.
"So you and Aggie aren't….?"
"No. That was just my cover. My family, we're sort of hunters except we don't hunt men or animals, we hunt supernatural beings, evil creatures, like these vampires."
"Oh."
"Sorry about the deception, guess I should have just left you alone then you wouldn't be in this mess." Deke apologized, wishing to hell he had just ignored his feelings, and left Gabrielle alone in the safety of her uncle's hotel.
He didn't have long to think those thoughts as Gabrielle leaned in and claimed her first kiss. Her lips were soft and sweet and made him forget his injuries and their predicament, as her tenderness released him from the darkness and allowed him a glimpse of another possible life.
She was in complete control of this kiss since his wrists were shackled and though he struggled to reach her, she was just beyond his grasp. He leaned into her lips and savored the desire she obviously felt for him. His eyes grew wide in wonder as the lingering kiss finally ended and she moved back gazing upon him with intense longing, and a bold look of determination.
"Don't you apologize to me, Deke…. That is your name isn't it?" She laughed.
"Well, actually it's Deke Winchester. Sorry, used my alias when I came to town, couldn't exactly let on. But you realize I'm trouble, I mean my life is kinda treacherous at times, uh like this."
"I've had a very safe and proper life Deke. I think I'm due for a little excitement. Aggie here seems to think you Winchesters will get us out of this little fix. Is that right? Are you gonna save me?" Gabrielle questioned.
Deke looked at the glimmer in her eyes and realized for the first time that just maybe this sweet, tender woman might be able to hold her own with him. Beneath her soft skin he suspected was an iron will. He pondered whether her question concerned saving her from these vampires or saving her from her dull and predictably safe life.
"Yeah, I'm definitely gonna save you."
"Sorry to intrude, but about that plan?" Aggie interrupted.
Deke reluctantly took his gaze off Gabrielle to focus on Aggie's insistent eyes. He could see why his dad was taken with her; she was a formidable woman, just the kind of woman to make Dad toe the line. He smiled at the image he had just formed in his mind; this was indeed going to be strange seeing his dad with a permanent lady, a sight he was going to enjoy, that is if he managed to extricate them from this peril.
His mind soon returned to the business at hand, Aggie's frown hastening his decision to enact a plan.
"Gabrielle, you happen to have a hairpin on you?"
"Actually yes, but what do you want with a hairpin?"
"Just watch and be amazed. I know a few tricks." Deke smirked as she handed him the hairpin.
He twisted the hairpin open and poked it into the lock on his left wrist. A few seconds of maneuvering and the lock busted open. One down, one to go. Another few seconds and the other wrist was also free. Gabrielle looked very impressed.
"You are a man of many talents." She exclaimed.
"You have no idea the things I can teach you."
"Good, cause I'm willing to learn." Her eyes shone as she replied.
"Not that I don't enjoy watching love blossom, but I think we need to handle this situation before we proceed to the next level in this romance. What now Deke?" Aggie again intruded.
Deke just smiled.
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"Guard, guard. Please hurry." Aggie called out.
"What's the matter?" He replied as he looked into the cell.
"She's passed out; I think she's having a seizure. Please help."
"OK, you get over there where I can keep an eye on you. She have spells like this before? She dies and her blood's poison to us, and that would be a damn shame. She looks like she'd be mighty sweet." He replied as he unlocked the cell and hesitantly stepped in, checking that Deke was still shackled to the wall and harmless.
Keeping Aggie at a comfortable distance in front of him he proceeded to check Gabrielle. As he touched her arm she turned over and smiled at him. He looked startled, but the tap on his shoulder surprised him even more as Deke gave him a fistful of hurt.
"Gaby, whatcha think of his shirt? You like the color?"
"Not particularly, but you can make anything look good." She responded with a twinkle in her eye.
"Hmmm, ya think?" Deke was smiling as he removed the shirt and tried it on for size. His muscles made the shirt a little tight in places, but it would do in a pinch.
"All right kids, can we escape now?" Aggie interrupted.
"OK, let's get 'er done. Follow me." Deke instructed as he removed the guard's gun and holster and strapped them on. He dragged the guard's body over to the shackles on the wall and chained him up, placing a gag from his torn shirt in his mouth. He turned to Gabrielle and whispered,
"So, whatcha think of the rescue so far?"
"Not bad, but shouldn't we wait 'til we're safely back in town before congratulating ourselves?"
"Gotta enjoy it while ya can." Deke smirked drawing a smile from his lady before she leaned in for another quick kiss.
"I like the way you think." She murmured.
"Don't make me play the matriarch here, I'm all for love, but shouldn't we get back to the business at hand." Aggie again intoned.
"All right, ma." Deke kidded as Aggie shot daggers through him with her fierce eyes.
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Jake and Scott were running their horses almost to the brink of exhaustion until Jake finally eased up and stopped.
"Dad, we gotta get to Deke. We can't waste any time." Scott pleaded.
"Scott, we're not going to run these horses into the ground. We'd be walking and that wouldn't help Deke any. Let's get them some water and let 'em rest. We'll get to Deke in time, we always do." Jake responded, praying the Winchester luck would hold.
They took care of their horses and rested themselves while they waited. One thing any self-respecting cowboy in the old West held true was you always took care of your horse first. Your horse could be the difference between living and dying. A man on foot could easily die out in the expanse of this country.
After the horses were rested, they mounted up and proceeded with due haste to the Carpenters.
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Deke and the ladies exited their cell and proceeded down a corridor lined with cells. He had grabbed the guard's keys and started unlocking the cells as they went, releasing the prisoners that could still stand and walk. They would have to try to come back later for the ones in worse shape, the ones whom it might already be too late for.
As he ushered them all out, he tried to keep them quiet. He still didn't know how many guards might still be at the entrance to this dungeon. He heard a familiar voice, hesitant and weak, but distinctive it its tone.
"Deke, that you?"
He turned and welcome relief flooded his mind.
"Cain. Damn, it's good to see you. We thought you were a gonner." Deke exclaimed, relieved to see his dad's good friend still alive after going missing for almost three weeks. He was a shadow of his former self, emaciated and ghostly pale, but still able to move with great difficulty, mainly because of his inherent grit and stubborn refusal to give up.
"I was beginning to think the Winchesters had fallen to this evil too. These bloodsuckers are a bad bunch. Where's the rest of the rescue party?"
"Well at the moment, this is it. Can't say when Dad and Scott will join in."
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"Cain, I need you to lead all these folks out of here once we get past the last guards. I'll keep Carpenter's men busy while you try to get them back to town."
"Deke, I think I should stay and help you. You can't take on all these vamps by yourself. You're gonna need my help." Cain reasoned.
"Look, you're the only one to lead these people out of here. They need you. I'm not gonna try to take all the vamps out. I'm just gonna guard the rear so you can escape. I know how to keep one step ahead of them. You just get everybody out, especially these two lovely ladies." Deke insisted.
Gaby and Aggie both offered up their own resistance to Deke's plan, but a firm look informed them his mind was made up and any further arguments were falling on deaf ears.
"Look ladies, if you stay with me I'm gonna be worrying about you and that just might get me killed. I know my job, let me do it. You help Cain get all these people out of here and I'll meet up with you back in town."
They continued down the corridor until they made it to the front entrance and spotted three additional guards playing poker to pass the long night.
"Read 'em and weep. Two pair, aces and eights. Anybody beat that?" The ugly guard challenged.
The other two threw in their cards and he pulled in his winnings, grinning over his good fortune.
"Well, I guess I better go relieve Hank inside." The short guard stated as he got up and headed down the corridor Deke and the others were lurking in.
As he rounded the corner just out of sight of the other guards, Deke grabbed him and thrust his head into the wall with a loud thud, knocking him unconscious from the head busting impact. Deke released his broken body to slump to the ground as the discarded piece of trash he was.
"Walt, whatcha do trip into the wall, you clumsy oaf?" The fat guard yelled.
Getting no response he rose to his feet and retraced the other's steps, finding out for himself that Deke was a formidable opponent as he joined his cohort on the floor of the dungeon.
"Man, if these guards were any dumber I could just ask them to lie down and die." Deke joked.
With the odds now stacked in their favor, Deke decided to just confront the last guard in a frontal assault. He rounded the corner and strode up to the startled guard.
"What the hell." The guard exclaimed before Deke's fist slammed into his sorry excuse for a face, a face that only a mother could love, and Deke had reason to suspect even that wasn't true in this case.
The guard fell to the floor, not offering up any resistance or fight. In a sad way, Deke was a little disappointed. His adrenalin was cursing through his body and dispatching these villains was fueling his rush. Under the circumstances a little fight would have been most welcome.
Deke looked over at the table where they had been playing cards and made mental note of the hand the ugly bastard had just won with. Was this too coincidental? They had just received word before he headed out to Valentine that Jake's good buddy Wild Bill had been shot in the back up in Deadwood while holding that very hand.
The prairie press had already been playing up the curse of that hand. Deke wondered if there could be some truth to the curse, after all he had witnessed his fair share of unexplained phenomenon. Just the fact that a man as skilled as Wild Bill was shot in the back, unprepared, might signal otherworldly factors were in play.
He motioned to the now free prisoners to file on out. There must have been a total of fifteen including Cain and the ladies. Outside the building they found two buckboards and Deke harnessed up some horses and got the escapees ready for their ride into town.
Cain climbed up on one of the buckboards and took the reins, while Aggie and Gabrielle took seat on the other as Aggie wrapped the reins around her strong hands.
"Aggie, you all right driving this rig?" Deke asked.
"Deke, sooner or later you're going to realize I too have many skills." Aggie replied with a smile to rival his own.
"All right then. Get everybody back to town and I'll see you all later." Deke gave Gabrielle a smirk and watched as the wagons rolled away from Carpenter's dungeon.