Little love for chapter 3… oh well maybe chapter 4 will have more of a bang for its buck.
Marianne rolled up her blanket and tied it onto the saddle behind the seat over her saddlebags. She reached into the bag and pulled out a corn biscuit and bit into it. It was dry and tasteless but it was food and she needed the nutrients. She knelt by the stream she had camped by and filled the canteen with water.
Marianne had no idea where Los Duendes hideout was, no one did, but she had seen which direction they had gone and Pare Strongheart, the Indian her father had hired to help on the farm, had taught her a thing or two about tracking.
With a sigh the rogue lady swung up into the saddle. She agreed it was much more simple to swing up, and ride without a cumbersome skirt, riding skirt or no. She could get used to this rogue life.
"Alright, men, we are out here looking for Los Duendes and Miss Marianne Fairchild. No telling what she was thinking running out here like that. This is no place for a woman," she heard Roland just over the hill.
Shoot. How fast could Gunner run without being detected… not at all. "Damn," she hissed. She flicked the button on her holster and readied her gun. Thank God, Marianne knew that Roland and his boys rode green horses because it made them 'look tougher.' Give her a good old dead broke horse any day of the week.
Just as his hat was seen over the rim of the hill, she drew her gun and fired into the air. She heard at least ten horses scream and saw a few cowboy hats flying high in the air and it didn't take a genius to figure the green broke horses bucking like wild broncs.
Marianne bit back a chuckle as she spurred her horse on and disappeared from the horizon and raced after the trail that the bandits left, not so subtly. It was really amazing no one had been able to track their hideout til now. Of course everybody was scared witless of them.
She was, too. Marianne wasn't insane, she was properly frightened of Los Duendes, too, but she was more angry than she was afraid.
Those bastards scared her sister, stole her mother's necklace, one of their last physical things that they had from their mother. Marianne slowed Gunner down and glanced behind her. Nothing. Well the stray green horse running for freedom but none of the boys who were probably still trying pick themselves up.
Marianne snorted and kicked her horse up to a trot. Keeping an eye on the ground for the tracks and an ear behind her for sounds of approaching riders. By midafternoon she stopped and fed a corn biscuit to Gunner who took extra time to lick the salt from her hands then dropped his head to graze at the grass. She poured him some water and they continued on their journey.
000
It was nearly dark when the sight of an old Mexican stone convent on the horizon welcomed her sight. After a long day in the saddle she was ready for some rest. Only she wasn't going to get it. Even from this distance some mile and a half out she could hear the rowdy ruckus going on in the once holy building.
Marianne sighed. So much for resting tonight. This looked like the secret hideout of Los Duendes. Marianne grumbled and sighed and gently nudged Gunner down the hill to the hideout. She would have much preferred showing up well rested and pissed, but exhausted and spitting mad worked, too.
So Marianne grit her teeth as realized what she was planning. She spurred Gunner to a run and took off. She was gonna run the gates.
000
Bog sat in his chair, one foot flopped on the table, his chair reared back, and a bottle of taquilla in one hand as he watched his gang revel in their vicotory of their latest score of a town to the east with some unknown name that he didn't really care anything about. They came away with a fairly good haul and that meant party tonight.
Suddenly Sara "Sugar" Plum, who had previously been singing on stage gave a screech and a huge sorrel gelding with a tiny little rider, mask on his face barreled into the room. The horse reared and roared at the same time. When his hooves came down, Bog was looking down the barrel of a shining, silver pearl handled Colt.
"You raided the town of Los Duendes a couple of days ago. I want their jewels and possessions back," snarled a female voice.
Bog blinked in surprise, not at the gun but the fact that a girl was wielding it. "You!" he shouted jumping up and reaching up to jerk the bandanna off her very feminine face.
Marianne saw the obvious bullet hole in his hat from this vantage point, "You!" she shouted back, swinging off the horse who snorted and dipped his head the commotion obviously not phasing him at all.
"You shot at me!" he shouted back.
"You robbed my town!" she yelled right back and with the last word she swung his fist and punched him as hard as her little fist would allow in his face, knocking his head to the side.
Bog spun and grabbed her hand holding the gun and twisting her wrist aside. Marianne gasped in pain but never broke her gaze with his. He thought he had her as he gripped her wrist tighter a nasty grin spreading over his long face.
He thought wrong and realized it when her little boot slammed hard into his shin. He yelped and released her arm jumping back to nurse his wounded shin.
"You little viper," he hissed through gritted teeth.
"You ain't seen nothing yet," she said cocking the gun with one hand like an expert. She had done this before. Many times. His mother could have been right. One thing was for sure. This girl was dangerous and on a mission.
"Then show me, Tough Girl."
Hahahaha! The Cliffhanger Queen strikes again! Okay for reference Gunner is based off of my own horse Boomer. I love that horse, you couldn't scare him with dynamite under his belly! Anyway… hope you guys enjoyed it. Love reviews, reposts, and likes. The more messages the better.
tmwillson3: This is gonna be great dude. I promise.
NoAverageAngel76: :D Here ya go mon cheri