Chapter Nine
Rachel lay in bed that night after spending an evening with Charlie. Her head was spinning along with the shadows which danced hauntingly on the ceiling. Everything which had happened so quickly these last few hours was making her temples throb. She'd kissed Charlie! And more than anything she'd enjoyed it; he made her feel so aroused beyond anything she'd felt before. Was it that danger? A shiver raced up her spine and spread tingles throughout her body right down to the tips of her toes. In the arms of a dangerous outlaw was the safest place to be.
Behind her she could hear Charlie snoring lightly. When they'd arrived back at the room she'd excused herself quickly to bed, not wanting to remain alone with him in silence where all manner of things could happen. Just the thought of him touching her in a provocative, sexual way sent another round of shivers through her. She'd seen Charlie's fierce nature and brutality…the bottom line was this- it turned her on.
xxx
The next day passed slowly whilst Rachel remained indoors with the outlaw by her side. She and Charlie spent the morning reading again. During the session, Charlie was more preoccupied with Rachel; he needed her, his body felt it. As he read along, he slipped so many times, finding that his mind was ablaze with indecent thoughts. "What's the matter?" Rachel asked, closing the book a moment. "You haven't been concentrating this morning, Charlie."
Charlie bit on his bottom lip so hard that he tasted the blood in his mouth, bitter and almost metallic. He couldn't fight off the lust which was holding onto him desperately, making his instincts over ride his rational thought. His red hot gaze burned through Rachel's defences and gradually she inched closer toward him, knowing what he wanted.
They kissed. But it was different this time. Rachel rose up onto her knees on the bed, curling her arms tightly around him and forcing everything from within her into this kiss. He made her feel so alight, so wanted. She moaned loudly as Charlie's hungry lips began caressing her neck, suckling gently on her skin.
He really didn't know if he could hold on any longer and without even thinking, he pushed her down forcefully onto the bed, his hands desperate to get under her clothing. "Charlie!" she called out, growing nervous due to his sudden change in behaviour. That lust had grown too much now and he needed some kind of a release.
Charlie never listened and continued kissing her sweet neck whilst feeling her. Rachel couldn't help it and put her head back, allowing him intimate access to her. Every trail his hand left across her skin made it feel as if it were burning. She couldn't put a stop to how pleasurable it felt at that moment and remained silent.
Suddenly the door to the room burst open and three armed men stood there, aiming their weapons directly at Charlie and Rachel. "Off the bed…now!" they demanded, a round of voices booming at once through the air.
Rachel shot up, her whole body instantly beginning to shake at the sight of the law staring down the barrel of their weapons. Charlie rose slowly, knowing that there was no way out of this; he sighed and felt his hands being tugged at roughly.
"Charlie Prince, you're under arrest," the Marshall announced, approaching him, his gold badge shining brightly on his chest. "And don't think we're gonna go lightly on your lady friend here. She's comin' too. Good job we have friends in this town otherwise we'd never have found ya. Where's the rest of your gang, Prince?"
"Ah ain't telling' ya jack shit," Charlie spat. The Marshall pushed Charlie down onto the bed, his face pressed against the sheets tightly as all weapons were taken off him.
Rachel cried out in pain as she felt her hands being pulled together and locked in old style handcuffs. The Marshall was right, they weren't going to go easy on her. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked across towards Charlie, sensing guilt and sadness locked away behind his anger. Then with one final tug, she was dragged out the hotel room.
She could hear Charlie's protests, loud and clear, as she was pulled forcefully down the staircase. "Bein' an outlaw; that's the lowest anyone can go!" the man growled in her ear.
"I'm not an outlaw!" Rachel cried out. "I've never done anything illegal in my life."
"Sure…." With that, she heard him chuckle evilly behind her.
On show to everyone in the town, Rachel and Charlie were dragged away, being forced to walk at a quick pace. Rachel's heartbeat sped up so quickly that she could hear the blood swimming in her ears and the adrenaline made her whole body feel as though it were on fire.
Charlie was soon being pulled directly besides Rachel. "They won't hurt you, ah swear," he whispered across to her, his green eyes swelling with so many emotions. A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Shut the hell up!" the Marshall roared, kicking Charlie directly in the stomach, causing him to drop to his knees in agony. His face crumpled up in pain.
"No! Stop it," Rachel screeched, tugging harder from her restraints.
"Get up, ya piece of shit!" Charlie felt himself being pulled to his feet, but the pain was still soaring through his abdomen.
Cheering roared through the streets as residents and patrons watched on, spectators to this scene before them. Another pair of outlaws, caught after being spied the night before, minding their own business whilst they ate a meal together. The walk seemed to last forever as they were pulled along, being mocked and laughed at.
At the Marshall's Office, both Rachel and Charlie were taken through the small wooden building to a room at the very back and shoved into holding cells. Rachel was pushed forward so forcefully that she was momentarily knocked off her feet and hit the wall hard, sending a rod of hot pain through her elbow.
"How the fuck did they find us?!" Charlie spat, kicking at the locked cell door.
Rachel looked up, from the barred cell next to Charlie's. "I want to go home," she moaned, her back sliding down the bars. She held her head in her hands and let the tears drip relentlessly down her flushed cheeks. "Please God, I want to go home…"
"Ah doubt God's gonna help us with this," Charlie said quietly, sitting down on the cold floor, his back to Rachel's. Truth be told, Charlie had been arrested on numerous occasions, but Ben Wade had always been there to get him out. As he sat on the ground, he turned to see Rachel's head held low and heard the sound of her faint weeps. So far she'd remained strong, so much stronger than most people would in her situation…not that many people HAD been in this situation. "Rachel?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah?" she replied, turning to look at him, her eyes red and sore.
"Ah'm sorry."
"I'd probably be doing a lot worse right now if I hadn't of met you," she replied, sniffing over the tears and smiling weakly.
Awkwardly, Charlie reached through the bars, still wearing the iron cuffs and took Rachel's hand in his. "We'll get out of here, ah promise."
As their gazes locked, Rachel couldn't help but feel so comforted by the expression on his face and the warmth in his eyes. The turbulence of his anger when she'd first met him a week ago had gradually waned, leaving only appreciation and kindness in its place.
In the heat of the afternoon, Rachel rested her head against the bars next to Charlie and let herself drift away, constantly being pulled every few minutes from the peace, her rational mind trying to remind her of the danger she faced. Somehow, knowing that she was with Charlie seemed to ease her worry. Whatever she now faced, she faced it with him. Looking back on the days she had been here in this time and place, Rachel knew she'd been lucky that Charlie Prince had found her. By now she could have already been dead, badly injured or raped. It was because of him that she was sitting her -even though locked behind bars- breathing. Without him she was pretty sure she'd have been in even more dire circumstances.
Rachel reached through the bars and took Charlie's arm, curling her own around it and then she placed her head against shoulder. Thankfully the width of the bars gave them both enough access for physical contact however limited.
Charlie's lips brushed across the top of her head, hovering, not sure whether to lean in and kiss her reassuringly. The emotions and sensations he felt whenever she was near was something completely alien to him, but somehow it felt so right. One promise of many swirled around his head, one promise he was starting to hope he didn't have to see come to fruition: the promise he'd made to see her return home safely. Something pressed on a nerve whenever he thought of it. He didn't want to see her go, but he knew it was where she belonged. This era wasn't her rightful place and only put her life in danger, especially if she remained beside him.
"Are you alright?" Charlie asked quietly, watching Rachel begin to fiddle with the buttons on her shirt.
"As okay as I'll ever be, I suppose," she replied absently.
Suddenly the Marshall appeared in the doorway of the holding cells, his hands in his pants pockets. "Well, well, well, Charlie Prince actually has a heart?" he mocked, walking into the room. The middle aged man's dark eyes surveyed nature of his prisoners' relationship. "Where you pick her up? A brothel?"
Charlie looked up at the Marshall, gritting his teeth in hot anger which burned throughout his entire body. "When it comes to women, ah actually have taste," Charlie hissed.
"Does she know exactly how many people you've killed?" the Marshall asked, stepping up to the cell and staring Charlie directly in the eyes. "Or is she just as much of a bastard as you are?"
Rachel got to her feet and looked the Marshall up and down, studying his grey uniform and then coming to rest on his dark, overly suspicious eyes which looked out from under his hat brim. "I've always found myself highly attracted to dangerous men myself," she replied smoothly.
"You do know you could be facin' a hangin' like him?" the Marshall added. "Outlaws are automatically executed upon bein' caught. Accomplices, dependin' on their track record, either hangin' or a very long time in Yuma prison. By the time you got out, you'd be grey."
"Seeing as I have no track record looks like Yuma for me then?" Rachel asked, trying hard to keep her cool. She could still feel her heart racing a mile a second, but she remained calm.
The Marshall couldn't help but smile. "You're just as much as wise ass as him, ain't you?"
"Comes with the tag of being an 'outlaw'," Rachel retorted, feeling confidence swell in herself from some unknown source.
"You'd better make sure ya sleep tonight. It's Yuma for you two in the mornin'," the Marshall said loudly and then stormed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.
Rachel felt her legs buckle underneath her and give way, sending her to the floor. "I can't believe I just spoke to him like that," she said softly.
Charlie smiled and looked at her, she smiled back in response. "For a woman, you sure got some guts. Ah've never seen a girl speak to the law like that."
For a short while, Rachel and Charlie sat down next to one another, although the bars keeping them separated. "Are you scared?" Rachel asked, looking up at Charlie, trying to decipher the look in his eyes.
"Ah'm tryin' not to be. But when you're facin' the noose and have no idea if you'll get away, ya can't help but let the panic take hold. There's so much in life ah never did. Never got a chance to do. And…ah-" he stopped suddenly, swallowing hard. On this very rare occasion he found himself stuck for words. "Ah meet a girl who doesn't see me as some low piece of dirt or only as a means to money." He looked at Rachel as he spoke. "She sees who ah am inside. And it's because of her ah wanna make sure ah get outta here this time."
Rachel blushed bright scarlet as she heard him speak to fondly of her. "I'm so glad I met you, Charlie." With no other words spoken, Rachel reached through the bars and took Charlie's hand, lacing her fingers tightly in his. It was with this simple gesture that they both knew where they stood in one another's eyes.
Love forms in the strangest of places….