Chapter 15
After storming out of the property Kid had taken her to see, Doritha had headed for her home straightaway. Furious as she was, the girl loudly opened and closed the drawers in her dresser. As usual, she had guests over for dinner tonight, and in the foul mood she was in, she seemed unable to find anything suitable to wear for the occasion.
"Stupid selfish oaf!" she cried loudly. "How dare he treat me like nothing but a common girl!"
She was fuming with anger like never before. She had never had the intention to comply with Kid's plans, only humoring him at the beginning simply to let herself gain some time. Doritha wanted him, she had no doubt whatsoever, but she wanted to change all the rest, but so far she had failed in performing all her initial plans. Of course she had soon understood that there was no way she'd persuade him to return to Virginia and live there. From the very beginning Doritha had given up on that first idea of hers and knowing that she'd have to get used to living in this godforsaken town, she had decided that they'd do it her way.
With a great dose of subtlety Doritha had tried her best to drive Kid away from his so-called family, but once again she had finally accepted that the task was impossible. She had never seen somebody so attached to a group of people with whom he didn't share a single drop of blood. At least, she didn't have to bear their fastidious presence very often, and fortunately, Kid had stopped insisting on her going to the station a short while ago. There was nothing linking her to those people he called friends; she had her own circle of acquaintances, people who could really make a difference in her future life. From the very beginning she had devoted all her efforts to meet the notable personalities in Rock Creek and befriend them. As she had loudly said to Kid, she had used all her powers of persuasion to make these new friends of hers seriously think of offering Kid a post working in a well-distinguished institution. Yet, he foolishly had to ruin every chance they had and now he came round with that ridiculous idea of a ranch.
"What a fool!" Doritha cried in frustration. Kid could sometimes make her blood boil. How could somebody be so naïve? Nobody in their right senses could think that Doritha Simmons would be satisfied with the life he had planned. She hadn't been raised to become a simple rancher's wife; she wasn't willing to slave away when they could have other possibilities. That wasn't the kind of life she was used to, and she wasn't ready to change it. Of course Kid had explained to her in that first letter what his intentions for their future were and what she should be willing to accept, but Doritha had always thought that she'd have managed to have convinced him differently by now.
The Southern girl couldn't understand why he had to be so pig-headed. He seemed to live on a cotton cloud, not realizing what the world was really like. He had this idea that they would reach far just by working hard and leading an honest life. Doritha knew that was far from the truth, and most of the time you needed to create your own opportunities, even having to stretch the rules to one's convenience. Kid's attitude unnerved her, sending her to the edge. Many men would literally kill for the kind of opportunities Kid was letting go to wreck and ruin.
It was at this point that her mind unexpectedly went back to her friend Garth Maxwell from Virginia. He could be a bit thick at times, but he'd know how to make good use of life's chances. In a way, Doritha felt that she and Garth were quite similar. Neither of them would give up till they got what they wanted. She knew that from experience. Garth had never stopped pestering her with his marriage proposals despite her continuous refusals. He wasn't a bad fella, and if she didn't have Kid in her life, she'd probably be married to Garth right now. Yet, Kid was the only man she had ever wanted, and nothing would make her change her mind, not even his stupid stubbornness.
"What a fool!" she repeated again as her anger refueled with the thought of her fiancée and their argument that very afternoon.
In her anger she slammed her wardrobe door close and then a voice behind her almost startled her. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"
Doritha turned round and saw her maid standing at the door. "Oh Mary, it's you!" she let out stiffly. "Did you get all I asked you to from town?"
"Yes, Miss."
Doritha walked up to her, momentarily forgetting about the heaps of clothes scattered around the bedroom, and both women dawdled down the stairs. Once in the lounge, the blonde lady sank down on the sofa as she said, "Mary, I'd love to have my tea now."
"Yes, Ma'am," the girl replied, leaving the lady in the room and reappearing after a few minutes, carrying a tray with the tea set and a platter with scones. She placed it on the small table in front of Doritha and then began pouring a cup of hot brew for the lady. She always had her tea the same way, with a few drops of milk and no sugar.
"Thank you, Mary," Doritha muttered absent-mindedly as a way to dismiss her. She needed to enjoy her daily afternoon tea in solitude and think a bit more about her situation with Kid. Noticing that the girl wasn't moving from the spot, she lifted her eyes to her and asked, her voice tinged with irritation, "Do you want anything, Mary?"
For a moment it seemed that the girl wouldn't talk, but then she said, "I saw that woman in town… Mrs. Dunne."
"Did you?" Doritha let out without much enthusiasm. She knew that Mary tended to be avid for gossip, but Doritha couldn't care less what rumors circulated in this town, even those concerning that horrible woman.
"She was talking to that other girl, the one from the hotel… Louise. I think that's her name," Mary continued.
This next piece of information peeked Doritha's interest immediately. "What!" she exclaimed and then she asked, "Mary, by any chance did you get to hear what they were talking about?"
"Yes, Ma'am," the girl replied. "Mrs. Dunne was inviting her to dinner. This girl refused at first but Mrs. Dunne managed to convince her. She'll be at the station tomorrow."
"Bitch!" Doritha let out furiously, unashamed of her foul language. She had never liked Rachel, and now her dislike of her increased dangerously close to hatred. Why did she have to butt in on her matters? That servant was out of the picture for Kid now, but with the station mistress's inopportune intervention Doritha feared that she was about to add a new worry to her list. She was sure that rude girl from the hotel was bad news. Her instinct told her that she shouldn't stand idle while that woman spent time with her man. Kid could shout at the top of his voice that they were just friends, but Doritha knew better than to buy all that buck wash. Of course, the blonde lady was fully aware that she should be discreet in her opinions about Louise. She couldn't risk getting into trouble with him, which would certainly make him run to this other woman's arms searching for comfort. No, she'd have to hold her tongue, but she'd find the way to get rid of her eventually.
"From something the marshal said," Mary continued after a brief lapse," I think she… I mean Mrs. Dunne… is planning something funny with Mr. Kid and this girl."
"That devious, low viper!" Doritha barked angrily. "I knew she wasn't the angel that Kid always says she is!"
"Ma'am, if you allow me," Mary added, "I would gladly give you some advice."
Doritha looked at her curiously and replied in an authoritative tone, "Come on, girl, spill the beans."
Mary smirked self-satisfied and said, "I think you got enough reasons to take action in this totally outrageous matter concocted against you."
"What do you mean?" Doritha asked, the girl's words fueling her interest by the minute.
"Well, Bernard knows …"
"Bernard?" the Southern lady cut her off in mid-sentence.
Mary nodded and added, "My beau."
"You have a beau?" Doritha asked, surprise clear in her expression. She had never given much or rather any thought to Mary; she was simply her maid and never realized that she had a life other than working for her.
"He's been courting me for two months now, Ma'am," the girl explained and as the point was finally clear, she continued, "Well, Bernard knows some people who for a good price would be happy to get rid of that nuisance of a girl … or both of them if you like."
"You mean … kill her?" Doritha let out completely aghast, her words uttered in a low tone, fearing that anybody could have overheard them having this conversation.
"No woman can accept their man to interfere with another lady. That definitely calls for some serious course of action."
"For goodness' sake, Mary, what kind of man are you seeing?" the blonde woman exclaimed, stupefied at this new side of her maid. She was always so quiet and reserved, and now here she was, clearly stating that she should hire the services of some thugs.
"Bernard is a good man, Ma'am, but he also knows the right people for the right job," the girl stated without a trace of shame.
"No… no, I couldn't do that," Doritha muttered deep in thought, fighting the voice temping her to give in to Mary's suggestion. "No, I can't."
"Very well, Ma'am," the maid replied. "Excuse me if I've offended you in any way."
Tipping her head, the girl turned to leave, but stopped dead as Doritha called her name once again. She looked at her lady quizzically and after a few seconds, the blonde woman said, "I couldn't live with a death on my conscience."
"It's understandable, Miss Simmons."
"But…" Doritha continued hesitantly, "It would be quite different if Bernard's men could do another job for me."
"Yes?"
"I want her to be despised by every single soul she comes across. I want no man to be able to look at her face again without feeling utter disgust. I want her to be unable to bear her own reflection in the mirror every morning," Doritha stated venomously, her voice shrill with determination, her cheeks flushed. "Do you think those "kind" men could do that for me?"
"I think that could be arranged, Ma'am," Mary replied, sharing a satisfied grin with her employer.
"Good," Doritha added, her eyes glowing with obvious contentment. "You may go now, Mary."
"Yes, Ma'am," the girl said and bowing her head she left the room. Doritha remained in the lounge, sipping her tea for the first time. "That will teach you to meddle with my man, Louise McCloud," she muttered to herself and suddenly a peal of laughter left her throat, reverberating in the whole room like a bad omen.
It was almost dinner time the following day when Kid returned to Rock Creek from his ride. Those hours in solitude had given him the opportunity to think about his problems with Doritha. Since their fierce fight the day before, he hadn't talked to her and if he had to be sincere with himself, that was something he wasn't looking forward to doing so soon. Of course, they needed to talk, but Kid wasn't sure that they could actually have a calm conversation without flying off the handle. He was sure that Doritha wasn't willing to give an opportunity to the life he had planned for them both. The thought was too disturbing and left him completely bitter.
Since he was a young boy, he had had a special disposition for horses and that was why he was so sure that owning his horse ranch would make him feel complete. He thought that it would make Doritha feel happy as well, but he had been totally wrong. He just wanted to share all his dreams and plans with her, the woman he loved, but she was obviously not a willing participant. On the ride he'd tried to think of other possibilities for them. Imagining himself doing a white-collar job as Doritha wanted filled him with deep bitterness. Definitely that wouldn't make him happy at all; Kid just wanted to be able to work in the open, feel the fresh morning air filling his lungs every day, smell the different fragrances of every season, see the sun rise, hear the horses neighing or the birds chirping. He wanted all that in his life, and not to be confined between four walls, doing something he wasn't even good at.
The more he thought about it, the less clear his ideas got. It seemed that he had gotten into a spiral he couldn't find the exit of. On that long ride he also had time to think about Lou. Not that there was much he had to consider, but still her image came to his mind every single day. He feared that he had let too much time pass, and now it was too late to do anything to save his friendship with Louise. His life was a real mess in all senses and unable to do something to change it, Kid felt absolutely useless.
As he rode into the station, Jimmy approached him while he slid off Katy. "Hard ride?" the long-haired rider asked as he followed his friend to the stables. Kid simply shrugged his shoulders indifferently as he led Katy to his stall and began unsaddling her.
"Has Doritha called on me while I was away?" Kid finally asked Jimmy, who had leaned his body against the stall door.
"No, why?"
"No reason," the Southerner replied without lifting his eyes to his friend.
"You two fought again?" Jimmy asked warily, aware of how sensitive Kid became when they mentioned any problems with his fiancée. Yet, the brown-haired rider wanted to make sure he knew that he was there for him in case he needed to talk.
"Sort of," Kid muttered, not in the mood of getting into much detail. He had avoided talking about his new property and Doritha's reaction to his friends. They simply knew that Kid had finally found a place of his own at a close range from Rock Creek, but the Southerner could presage how they would react if he told them about his fiancée's response. He was angry himself and couldn't understand her yet; so he couldn't expect much comprehension from his friends. The rider was tired of fighting with himself and didn't feel like hearing any more opinions.
Foreseeing what Jimmy was about to say, the Southerner raised his right hand to stop his flow of words, and said, "Jimmy, can we talk about something else, please?"
Hickok stared at him for a few seconds, noticing his bitter countenance and how weary he sounded. Obviously something serious must have happened between him and Doritha Simmons, but instead of insisting, Jimmy held his tongue, thus respecting his friend's wishes. "Sure, Kid." Pausing briefly as he watched his friend washing his hands on the small basin next to the stall, he continued after a few seconds, "Rachel sent me to tell you not to dilly dally tonight. Apparently we got company for dinner."
Kid lifted his eyes to Hickok in surprise and asked, "Who?"
"I didn't ask," Jimmy replied. "Probably some fella she picked up in town."
"Jimmy…" Kid said in a warning voice, but chuckling at his comment at the same time.
"What?" the long-haired rider let out. "She's a beautiful woman, and it's high time she had another reason to smile rather than this damn job."
Kid looked at him with a frown, and walking a few steps closer he said, "I didn't know you had that much interest in Rachel's life." The Southerner had to admit that he had never given any thought to the station mistress's love life or whether she was really happy. So it surprised him to say the least that Jimmy, who always appeared so indifferent to anything, had actually pondered about it.
"I just see what everybody else can see," Jimmy simply said.
About twenty minutes later the pair made their way to the bunkhouse, both making light comments about Rachel's mysterious visitor. When they stepped inside, all their friends, including Teaspoon, were already sitting around the dinner table.
"Rachel, when are we supposed to eat? I'm starving!" Cody whined loudly.
"Not till our guest arrives," Rachel replied, swatting the blonde rider's hand from grabbing a potato from the bowl. Cody rubbed his sore hand with a miffed expression but for once he decided to hold his tongue.
"And who is it?" Buck asked. "You never told us."
Kid and Jimmy sat down at the table next to their two other fellow riders. Noah was the only one who wasn't present as he was away on a ride. Rachel stood at the head of the table next to Teaspoon, smiling with a self-satisfying grin. She took her time in answering and turning her head towards Kid, she said, "It's your friend, Louise."
"Lou?" Kid asked, stunned at her answer. "Lou's coming here?"
"Uh huh," the station mistress replied, grinning at the boy's flabbergasted expression. "We met at Tompkins's yesterday. She's a charming girl."
"Yeah, she is," Kid muttered softly.
"Well, Kid, your looks told us a different story a few weeks ago," Cody quipped with a smirk, which sent the rest of his friends in a fit of laughter, but didn't feel well to the Southerner.
"Cody!" Rachel chided annoyed. "Pipe down if you don't have nothing intelligent to say!" The blonde rider was now quiet, and the lady turned to Kid again. "Anyway, we talked for a while, and I thought to invite her for dinner. She first declined, but in the end I managed to turn her round."
"I keep tellin' you, boys, this woman here can be very persuasive indeed," Teaspoon added with a wink.
Rachel eyed the Southerner quizzically, who hadn't said a word about his feelings concerning Louise coming to the station. "Kid, I hope I've done rightly," the woman ventured to say.
"Oh sure," he replied, feeling increasingly nervous at the thought of seeing Lou. He wondered how she had decided to accept Rachel's invitation. Did that mean that she wasn't angry with him anymore? He hoped so and prayed that he could finally sort things out with her. "I'm actually glad that you asked her."
"Let's just make sure she doesn't get hold of the water pitcher, boys," Jimmy quipped, provoking new laughs around the table.
Jimmy!" Rachel scolded and looking at every one of the riders meaningfully she added, "I don't need to remind you to behave properly with our guest like the gentlemen I know you actually are."
"Rachel, we were just joking," Hickok defended himself, getting annoyed that sometimes Rachel and Teaspoon made him feel like a little boy.
"Good," the woman concluded. It was then that a light knock on the door interrupted their talk. "It must be Louise," she said as she walked to the door. Kid felt his heart pound wildly, as he wriggled his hands nervously. He didn't know why he was so edgy for no reason at all; he just needed to talk to Lou and find the right moment to apologize for his foolish behavior and words.
The door opened and Rachel exclaimed, "Hello, Louise. You look lovely tonight!" Blocked by Rachel's figure Kid couldn't see Lou from where he was. "Don't stand there. Come on in!"
Following his other friends' lead, Kid stood up politely to welcome her to their home, and when his eyes finally fell on Lou, he practically stood there as if in a trance. Kid kept staring at her agape while he barely heard Rachel introducing the rest of the riders and Teaspoon to Louise. He just couldn't avert his eyes from her. She looked absolutely breathtaking; she had let her hair down, just pinned at her sides by two tortoiseshell combs and she was wearing a beautiful blue dress instead of those unbecoming ones she usually wore. There was nothing elaborate in her looks; her attire was pretty simple, but Kid thought that he had never seen such a beautiful girl before. When Lou turned her head to him with an ample smile, the Southerner composed himself quickly and smiled back at her.
"It's nice to see you, Lou," he said, their eyes lingered on each other a few seconds before Rachel motioned her to sit down at the table.
Louise was feeling very shy as she noticed all the men's curious eyes on her. Fortunately, she was grateful for Rachel's reassuring presence, and after that look at Kid, she knew to her utter relief that he wasn't mad at her any longer, or at least she hoped that look meant that. All day long she had been dreading the moment she would come face to face with him, and watching his smiling countenance now, she was finally able to let out her held breath. That same afternoon when she was getting ready for this rendezvous, she had doubted whether to attend the dinner.
When she finally decided that she didn't have the heart to leave Rachel in the lurch, she had been debating with herself about what to wear for the occasion. Even though she knew that there wasn't anything special on sharing dinner with Kid and his friends, she didn't want to appear like a beggar, donning the few worn clothes she owned. So she decided to wear that one dress she had bought so long ago and only had worn once. Then remembering Kid's words about her plaits, she let her hair down, something which she wouldn't normally allow herself to do, but there was no harm in doing it just this once. Once finished, she looked at her reflection in the mirror of her small room which told her that she had turned into another person in a question of minutes. She could hardly recognize herself, and even though she felt somehow odd and uncomfortable in this new attire and hairdo, she had to admit that she liked what she saw.
There was nothing outstanding in her looks; she was small, thin all over her body and she was sure no man would look in her direction twice. Yet, all through dinner Louise noticed Kid's eyes on her continually. She had to admit she was having a good time. Rachel was right; the riders were an amusing bunch and she had found herself laughing at their comments more than once. Only Kid had kept silent, just watching her like an owl and every time she met his eyes, he simply flashed his sheepish smile at her. Lou wondered why he was acting so weird tonight. After all he had been quite chatty the other times they had been together. His attitude was making her nervous and at some point she felt her cheeks flushing at his continuous perusal, wondering whether there was something wrong in her looks which might draw his attention all the time.
At the end of the night she bid Rachel, Teaspoon and the riders good-bye, thanking them for their kindness. The lady told her that she was welcome to join them on another occasion, and Lou simply nodded gratefully. When she stepped outside, she noticed somebody following her and as she heard her name being called, she didn't have to turn round to know it was Kid. Louise stood aside on the porch as he approached her.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked her, resting his arm on one of the posts.
"Sure," she replied as she moved in front of him so that they were face to face.
Kid lowered his eyes and stumbled to say what he needed to, "Lou, I can't let you go without telling you how very sorry I am for what happened between us. I had no right to say all that to you. I swear I didn't mean any of that. Honestly."
"Kid, it's me who should be apologizing," Lou replied. "I had no right in sticking my nose in your matters and flying off the handle like that. I don't know what got into me. Don't think it's a common activity of mine to spurt water to every poor soul I come across."
The Southerner chuckled at her comments and added, "We're a pathetic pair, ain't we?" Lou joined in his mirth and when they finally sobered, they remained silent for a while, Kid peering into her eyes intently. He reached to touch her shiny, long hair and let out in a husky whisper, "You look beautiful tonight"
Louise felt her cheeks burning and goose bumps cover her skin as the sound of his voice reached her ears like a caress. "Thank you," she replied sheepishly, glad that in the darkness of the porch he couldn't see her flushed face. As a way to divert his attention from this embarrassing situation she stretched her arm to him while saying, "Friends again?"
Kid smiled and took her hand in his, but like an automatic impulse he yanked her body towards him and wrapped his arms around her petite fame. His sudden reaction momentarily took her by surprise and Lou stiffened, feeling his arms on her body. Yet, she soon relaxed in his hold, and instantly felt she liked the sensation of his warm body against hers. To her surprise she found herself responding to the gesture, wrapping her arms around his torso as well. "I missed you," Kid said in her ear.
"Me too," she replied in a thin voice.
They stayed in a close embrace for a few minutes, but suddenly the door opened behind them, and they pulled away quickly. Cody and Jimmy appeared, sharing an amused smirk as neither of them had missed the way Lou and Kid were when they stepped out.
Louise felt her cheeks flush more violently than they already were, praying that Kid's friends hadn't seen them in the compromising situation they were seconds ago. There was nothing wrong in sharing a hug with a friend, but somehow she felt that the gesture had been a bit more than friendly.
"Uh…" she started awkwardly. "I've had a lovely evening, but I need to go now." She ventured a look at the two men she had met today, and she noticed their amused expressions, which told her that they had seen her and Kid hugging. "Uh… thank you for your kindness." She shook hands with both of them quickly and when she turned to Kid, she couldn't make herself touch him, not even with an innocent handshake, and simply said, "Bye, Kid."
"Wait, Lou. I'll walk you to your place," he said as he grabbed his coat which he had previously left on the bench on the porch.
"No!" Louise boomed a bit too loudly and realizing how she had sounded, she breathed in to compose herself and added, "I mean… don't bother yourself. It's not far from here." She wanted his two friends to stop staring at them with those foolish expressions and would hate to give them any more reasons for speculation. "Bye, Kid," she repeated and without waiting for his reply she practically ran out of the place without even looking back.
Kid stared at her retreating figure, following every single movement with his eyes, and then darkness engulfed her petite body, and he couldn't see her any more. Yet, Kid kept glancing ahead of him, where she had disappeared to. The murmur of soft laughs beside him had him turn his head, and he saw Jimmy and Cody in obvious merriment, obviously at his sake. The Southerner didn't say a thing, and it was Cody who first piped in, "So tell us, Kid, what is going on between you and Louise?"
"Going on? Nothing. We're just friends," the sandy-haired rider replied non-chalantly.
"It didn't look that way from the door just a few minutes ago, did it, Cody?" Jimmy butted in and Cody simply smirked in reply.
At his words Kid blushed to the roots of his hair and muttered awkwardly, "We were just saying good-bye. Since when is it a sin to hug a good friend?"
The two other men shared a look, obviously enjoying the sight of Kid squirming under their curiosity. "If you say so," Jimmy added, starting to feel sorry for his friend who apparently wasn't even aware of what he was getting into.
"So, Kid, if your intentions are purely friendly with Louise," Cody continued, "you wouldn't mind if Jimmy or myself try our luck with her. I have to admit that she's a pretty little thing." And turning to his long-haired friend he added, "But I tell you, Hickok, you got no chance if you plan to compete with me."
His comment did not sit well with the Southerner who, swirling around towards them, barked menacingly, "You two leave her alone, understood?"
"What's it to you, Kid?" Cody insisted, undeterred by his friend's grave expression and words. "You got no interest in her, so why can't we try to court her?"
"Yeah, Kid, what is it?" Jimmy added with a stern demeanor.
The Southerner felt lost at words at the moment and meeting his two friends' challenging eyes he said, "She ain't interested in you or any man for that matter."
"Well, that's for her to say, don't you think?" Cody insisted.
"I just don't want you to bug her with your foolishness." Kid exclaimed, his jaw set and his eyes shining with decision.
The three men stood their ground; Kid glaring at his two friends who did not budge an inch either. Then Cody and Jimmy shared a sideways look and burst out laughing to Kid's utter confusion. The blonde rider tapped the Southerner on the back as he said, "Calm down, my friend. We were just winding you up. She's all yours."
"But…" Kid tried to retort, but Jimmy cut him off in mid-sentence.
"We know, we know. You're just "good" friends. But you can't blame a man for getting a bit confused. For one moment I thought you were going to eat her alive with your eyes in there. But if you say you're just friends, then it's fine by me. We believe you, don't we, Cody?"
"Absolutely!" Cody replied, guffawing at Jimmy's remarks while they made their way back inside the bunkhouse. Kid stood there, his eyes fixed on the now closed door.
Jimmy's comment echoed in his mind, leaving him completely bewildered. Was it true that he had been ogling Lou like a Peeping Tom? Of course he had looked in her direction a few times because, as he had told her, she looked beautiful. That didn't mean anything. He liked Lou, but he knew that Doritha was his girlfriend. He was aware that he couldn't entertain any thoughts about other women, especially Lou. She was a nice girl and he'd be too ashamed if she thought that he might have more than friendly feelings towards her.
No, that was not true, totally untrue, and Doritha was his girl, nobody else. Suddenly, a disturbing dilemma crept into his mind unexpectedly. Should he have to choose between the two of them, what would he do? The answer should be easy; he would choose the woman he loved, but it was then that the truth dawned on him. Actually, it wasn't that simple. He realized that he couldn't be sincere with himself and he was afraid to face his fears and true feelings. "Damn!" he whispered, annoyed at his two friends who had made him see something he had been blind to or simply hadn't wanted to see.
While Kid was fighting his dilemma, Lou had reached town. She lived in some rooms a few streets away from the place where she worked. As a hotel employee she could have chosen to board at the rooms the establishment had for its personnel, but she preferred to spend the time she wasn't working in a place that had nothing to do with her job. So she had rented these rooms at just a walking distance from her work. The rent was fairly reasonable for her pocket, and at least she didn't have to share her space with any other person.
Rock Creek's streets were deserted as she briskly walked towards her place. There were a couple of men standing idly to one side, and Lou passed by them as quietly as a mouse. She left them behind and barely had she taken two more steps forward when a voice of a man resounded in the silence of the night, "Hey you, beautiful, where are you going so fiery-like?"
Lou didn't stop or look back, but kept bustling at the same pace. "Sugar, why don't you keep us company tonight? We're kind of lonely," the second man added as he snickered deviously.
Louise paid them no mind but when she heard their loud steps following her, she began to panic. She quickened her own steps, and when the two men did so as well, she began to run. The two men were hot on her heels, and then one of them reached her and grabbed her arm gruffly, making her stop. Louise swirled round to face them as she barked in a shrill voice, "Leave me alone and go your way!"
As her eyes traveled over their darkened faces, she felt that something wasn't quite right. They weren't the typical drunkards who pestered the passer-bys. The two men had bandannas below their eyes, covering the lower part of their faces as if they didn't want to be recognized for some reason. Her first thought was that they were trying to rob her. "Look, I have no money on me," she said, trying to sound steadier than what she actually felt.
"We don't want your money, doll," one of the men replied, his voice muffled by the material of the bandanna.
"We just want to have some fun," the other added while he placed his hand over Lou's mouth. She tried to scream and fight them, but her efforts were futile. Like her worst nightmare she felt lifted and carried to an out-of-the-way alley. Louise kept writhing and squirming to try to break free, but their hold was too strong. One of them pinned her against a wall while the other gagged her with a rag.
"Oh God," she thought, trying to understand what those men wanted from her. She felt like suffocating and anticipating what she feared was in store for her she just wanted to die. The thought made her squirm more violently and one of the strangers reinforced his hold on her painfully while he said, "Come on, Louise. Be a good girl and this will be over quicker!"
The sound of her name made her still instantly. "These men know me! Who the hell are they? Oh God!" She wanted to scream for help but all she managed was a muffled whimper and her eyes shot open as the bright shine of a big knife appeared before her eyes too dangerously close.