A Matter Of Family
By Gypsy
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that
are known as The Magnificent Seven. If I did, we would still have the pleasure of
watching them every week. I make no money from this venture. I have yet to have
anyone offer me any sort of compensation for my minds musings. This is purely
for mine, and your enjoyment.
Note: I am not sure who it was who named Ezra's horse Chaucer, but I love the name.
It seems fitting somehow. I hope they do not mind my use of it here.
Warnings: This contains mild descriptions
of violence. Nothing major, although the actual injuries are worse than what is
told on the page. Ok, that it then? Alright, here we go.
_____________________________________________
The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon as eight riders entered the
town.
The citizens of Four Corners were just making
their way to their homes, and many watched the parade of horses in the street
as they stood along the boardwalks. Chris Larabee led the way. Dressed all in
black atop of a black horse, he held onto the lead of a cream colored mare that
carried a man's form across its saddle. A bandage was wrapped around the man's
shoulder. The large red stain spread across it gave evidence of the gun shot
wound that he had received. He was alive though, and would remain so. At least
until the courts saw fit to hang him for the crimes he and his brothers had
committed, robbery and murder among them.
Ezra shifted in his saddle, trying to gain as much
comfort as one could while sitting astride a large animal. They had ridden long
and hard for two days, and his backside was feeling the strain of it. He wondered
if he would be able to convince Inez that the chairs in the saloon would
benefit from the addition of cushions on their seats. Lord knew his seat could
use one.
All horses came to a stop in front of the town
jail. Chris jumped off his horse and proceeded to pull the body of their
prisoner off his. The outlaw struggled in the grasp of the larger gunslinger.
"God Damn you. You shot me. Look at me, I'm
bleedin' to death here."
"Oh, be quiet. The bullet just grazed you.
Besides, I wouldn't have shot you if you hadn't of fired at me first."
Chris pushed the man into the jail house and to the cell, where he locked him
in.
"My brothers will come for me. They won't let
me hang. They'll kill all of you first."
Chris turned to look into the man's face. He was very young; not much older
then JD. It was said he had killed his first man at the age of 15, cause the man
had accidentally spilled a bottle of beer on him. Chris shook his head. It
saddened him to see such a young man hang for any crime, but knew that justice
must be served.
"Your brothers left you there all alone. They
were more worried about their own sorry hides. They didn't give a damn about
yours."
"They'll come for me." the man repeated.
Chris turned away from him and went to join the others
who waited outside. Six pairs of eyes looked up at him as he walked out the
door; waiting for him to lead them once more. Chris wondered how he ever got
into the situation.
Why was it him that the others so looked up to?
When had they become so important to him? Those where questions that he had
asked himself many times, and he was still no closer to finding an answer to
them than he was a year ago when they had first started riding together. So,
once more he pushed the thoughts from his mind and concentrated on the matter
at hand.
"Our new friend Jace in there seems to think
his brothers are gonna come riding in to his rescue. Can't say that I don't
think they won't."
The Tilly brothers had gained quite a reputation
over the last few months. Robbery, murder, and all around general mayhem. The
oldest brother, Jacob, was know to be a sadistic S.O.B, but his family was his
life to him. Chris did not doubt they would find a way to avenge their bother's
arrest.
"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight, in
pairs." He stressed the last two words. There was safety in numbers, and
he didn't want to leave anyone alone in the jail with a killer. "Ezra, you
and I will take the first watch. Buck and JD next, then Vin and Nathen. I'll go
again with Joshia after that. Get some rest fellas, it's gonna be a long
night."
The others, except for Vin, who decided to stay behind for a few minutes, drifted
off. Either to the saloon, or to the boarding house where they all kept rooms.
"Excuse me, Mr. Larabee."
Chris looked over at the gambler who was still
holding the reins of his horses bridal.
"Yes?"
"Would it be permissible for me to settle
Chaucer in for the night before I join you in our vigil?"
Chris sighed. Sometimes he wished Ezra would just
come out and say what he meant, instead of using all that fancy language. At
times he could barely understand the southern man. "Alright. But don't be
too long."
"Ten minutes at the most, Mr. Larabee. When I
return, shall we engage in a game of poker to pass the time?"
Chris smiled a little. "Not really much else
to do, is there?"
Ezra grinned, and tipped his hat at them before
leading his horse toward the livery. Chris and Vin went inside the jail. No one
noticed the two shadowy figures that followed the lone member of the seven down
the street.
_________________________________
"There we are, my friend." He smiled as he gave the brush one final
stroke down the shiny hairs of Chaucer's mane.
He took pleasure in this time. Funny how a man who liked the creature
comforts could find joy at the simple task of brushing down his horse. Of
course he could always pay the livery hand or a young boy to do it; Chris gave
the Travis boy a quarter each time to brush his horse, but Ezra liked to do the
chore himself.
He put the brushes back into their cloth bags, and
stored them in the small box to the left of the stall door. He had won the
brushes in a card game from a rather wealthy horse breeder. The handles where
solid silver, and carved with pictures of Arabian horses running free, their
manes flying wildly behind them. He knew they were expensive, and could get him
a lot of money if he'd sell them, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Chaucer had been with him through good times and bad, and Ezra liked to spoil
the horse.
He exited the stall, and closed and locked the
door. Reaching his hand out, he stroked the animals soft nose one more time. Chaucer's
head lowered until the beast's muzzle rested against Ezra's shoulder.
He chuckled, and patted Chaucer's neck. "Goodnight
now. I promise, tomorrow we will go out for a much more relaxing ride."
The horse snorted as if in understanding, and turned its attention to the fresh
bail of hay in the corner. Ezra picked up the red coat he had lain aside, and his
gun belt, and turned to leave. He gave an audible gasp of surprise to see a man
leaning against the closed door of the livery. He had heard no one enter, and
had not even heard the door close.
The man stood in shadow, and Ezra could not make
out his face. A sense of dread filled his stomach. He turned to look at the
exit behind him and saw that it also was blocked by the large form of a man.
"Gentlemen," he said, trying his best to not sound nervous." May
I help you?"
The man at the front entrance walked toward him,
and as his face came into the light, Ezra saw the scar that marked the man's left
cheek. Jacob Tilly. He knew with out a doubt that he was in very deep trouble.
Tilly stood in front of him, staring at him with an evil sneer on his face. Ezra
pulled his derringer from his arm harness into the palm of his hand, but kept
his arm at this side.
"Which one 'er you?" Tilly asked him.
His voice was deep and gravely, and obviously showed lack of education in his
speech.
"Beg pardon?" Ezra decided to act as if
he had no idea what the man meant. He had to stall, and the more time he gained
on his side the better.
"I said," Tilly started, and walked
slowly in a circle around Ezra, looking him up and down. The gambler followed
the man's every move with his eyes.
"Which......one....'er......you?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand you,
sir."
"The hell you don'. Yer one a those peace
keepers in this 'ere town. The ones who put one a my brothers in jail." Tilly
got up close to Ezra's face, his hands grabbing hold of the gold brocade vest
he was wearing. Ezra winced at the filthy hands touching his fine clothes. He
brought his arm up quickly, and pointed the barrel of the small gun into his
attacker's stomach.
"If you do not remove your hands from my
person, I will empty this firing arm into yours." Tilly glanced down at
the derringer and gave a laugh.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
A large arm grabbed him from behind, wrapping around
his chest and making his arms immovable. Tilly wrenched the gun from his hand
and threw it to the side.
Ezra dropped his coat and gun belt, and tried to wrestle
the arm off of him. He opened his mouth to yell out, but another hand clamped
over his mouth. He struggled, twisting and turning in effort to throw off the
attacker, but the man was larger and stronger.
Tilly, with a sneer on his face that Ezra found frightening,
grabbed a hold of the gambler's hands, and quickly tied them together with a
rope he had pulled from his coat pocket.
"Now, I'm only guessin', but I think you an'
yer friends are pretty close. Almost like family," Tilly said. "Well,
I know when somebody messes with my family, I git angry. I will do anythin' to
protect them. I sure hope yer friends feel the same way."
Ezra suddenly realized what the plan was. Tilly
was not going to kill him, at least not yet. He was going to use him against
the others to try and get his brother free. He obviously thought it would work
too. Ezra would have told him just how wrong he was if the damned man-ape would
let go of his mouth.
Jerking his head back quickly, he gained enough
space between his mouth and the large hand to sink his teeth into the skin. The
large man growled in anger, and removed his hand. Ezra tried to lash out, but
was still held tightly by the arm around him.
"Why you....." Tilly muttered, and then
Ezra felt something hard connect with his skull. Everything in his world went
black.
Tilly looked at his now unconscious prisoner still
held up by Jerry's arm.
"Damn basterd bit me!" Jerry bellowed
out.
"Shut yer mouth. We gotta git him outa here without causin' any attention.
Take him outside and put him on yer horse," Tilly instructed his brother.
"Don't hurt him just yet. Wouldn't want the others to miss out on the
fun." With that, Ezra was dragged out of the livery and into the dark
night.
_________________________________
Chris glanced at the small clock on the desk table and silently cursed the no-account
gambler who said he would return in ten minutes. It had been about twenty. Chris Larabee was not a man who liked to be
kept waiting.
"How long does it take to brush a horse down,
anyway?" he complained to Vin, who was still waiting for Ezra's return to
the jail. "Damn him. I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind when he gets
here."
Vin shook his head at Chris's ranting. It wasn't the first time Chris had complained
about Ezra's comings and goings, and it wasn't likely to be the last. Out of all
the men, Chris and Ezra seemed to have the hardest time with each other. Ezra
was constantly trying to prove himself to Chris, and Chris had a problem
trusting Ezra after the best forgotten incident at the Indian village. Chris sure knew how to hold a grudge. Ezra
had shown his loyalty to the others, and to the town they watched over again
and again; and yet Chris still could not let go of the thought that Ezra might
run out on them again.
One of these days Vin was going to lock the two of
them in a room and not let them out until they worked out their differences...or
they killed each other.....whichever came first.
Two more minuets passed by, and still no Ezra.
Vin admitted to getting antsy about the time it
was taking Ezra to get there, but for different reason than Chris. He knew Ezra
would never shirk his duty, nor would he waste time like this. Looking over at
the livery, Vin noted the darkness and quite that surrounded it. Surly Ezra
would have lit some lanterns?
He did! Vin remembered seeing the light from one of the windows not ten minutes
ago. He didn't notice the light going out. Vin got that strange feeling in the pit
of his stomach. He was told once by a Fortune Teller that it was a 'sixth sense',
a feeling that something was not right. Vin felt for sure that this time something
wasn't just 'not right', but completely and horribly wrong.
"Chris, something's wrong. I'm going over
there," he said, removing his gun from its holster. Without another word,
he made his way down the street to the livery.
Chris watched after him with confused eyes. Vin had looked so intense. It was like
he knew something that Chris didn't. One thing was for certain, Vin did not go
off half cocked about anything. If he thought there was trouble, there usually
was. Chris suddenly felt like kicking himself for not having checked on Ezra
sooner. He grabbed his gun and ran out the door of the jail. He started for the
livery, but stopped short when he heard Vin yell out to him.
"Chris! Chris, he's gone!" Vin came into
view. He held Ezra's coat, gun belt, and derringer in his hands. There was no
way Ezra would have left them behind if he had left by choice.
Vin's words hit Chris like a brick. The sound of them
echoed over and over again in his ears. 'He's gone, he's gone, he's gone'.
Chris's emotions went into a tailspin. Fear, shame, anger, guilt. All took
their turn in assaulting him. Ezra was missing, obviously not by choice, and he
hadn't thought of the possibility.
He should have gone with him, or send one of the
others. He never should have let him go alone.
Damn! He turned back into the jail. He knew who
took Ezra, and why. He would kill every last one of them for this. They had
made the first move in the battle, but Chris would rather die then let them win
the war.
___________________________
They had been riding for hours, non-stop, with the moonlight their only guide
in the night. Ezra had no idea where they where heading, and inquiries that he tried
to make to that fact had only earned him a slap across his already aching head
and an order to 'shut your damn mouth'. He was very pissed off, to say the least.
He sat uncomfortably in front of the larger Tilly.
Jerry was his name, not that that really mattered to Ezra. He could think of a
few better things to call both of them. He'd like to call them dead; and if he
could get his hands free, twist around and grab the gun in Jerry's holster,
they would be. Yeah, sure they would. When he played the scenario in his head,
it was always he who ended up dead. So much for his self-confidence. Either
way, he decided not to chance it and hoped Chris and the others would be able
to follow the trail they left to wherever it was they where going.
The thought of Chris brought another fear into
Ezra's heart. Would Chris think that he had run out on them again, and not
bother to come after him? He had to admit that there was a strong possibility
of that happening. Chris always seemed to watch him with a careful eye, as if
he expected Ezra to turn tail and run at any minute. Ezra would never admit it
to him, or to anyone, but the lack of trust with which he was sometimes treated
by Chris, and some of the others, hurt him very much.
'Oh stop all this wallowing in self pity!' he
admonished himself. He had a crisis to survive here, with or without his
friends' help!
The slightly pinkish light that peaked over the
horizon in front of them told him that morning was upon them, and that they where
heading east. He saw a town coming into view like a mirage in the desert. Could
that be their destination? He wondered what sort of town would harbor a bunch
of criminals. Would he be able to find any help among the citizens there?
As they got closer, Ezra felt any hopes he might
have had get trampled over. Most of the buildings where in a state of disrepair.
Boards missing and paint chipping. The main road was over grown with weeds. It
was a ghost town. There would be no help for him here.
The horses came to a stop at what looked to be an old
hotel building. His captors' dismounted, and he was unceremoniously pulled off
the horse and thrown to the ground. He hit the hard dirt with a loud thud.
He struggled to get up, but his legs; tired and
sore from the constant riding over the last few days, refused to cooperate with
him. And his head hurt, and he was so completely tired. Helplessness was not a
feeling Ezra Standish was used to. He did not like the feeling at all.
"Home, sweet home." Jacob's face looked down at him. "Ya like
it? Found this place a few weeks ago. Real private like. No one will be
botherin' us here."
"How wonderful," Ezra said, not
bothering to hide the sarcasm from his voice.
"Best news I've heard all day." The kick he received to his
stomach from the steel toed boot made him curl up and groan. Jacob leaned down
and grabbed a hold of Ezra's hair, yanking his head back. He pulled a knife
from inside his coat, and held it to the gambler's throat.
"Here's the deal, pretty boy. You behave yerself, you don' give us no lip,
and we don' hurt ya too much."
Ezra's heart beat so rapidly he could feel it
jumping out of his chest. Not hurt him much. He wondered what Jacob Tilly
considered 'much'. He was already hurting as much as he wanted to at the
moment.
"I left a little note fer yer friends back in
that there town. Told 'em if they didn't release my brother, I'm gonna send you
back to them piece by piece." He ran the blade of the knife up and down
Ezra's neck.
Ezra was too scared to breathe. He had no doubt this man would make good on
such a threat. Still, his mouth managed to get ahead of his brain. The words were
out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Why bother with all the theatrics? I'm sure
a resourceful man such as yourself could come up with a much easier way to
dispense with my life."
The laugh that emitted from Tilly's throat sent shivers
down Ezra's back. Why, oh why couldn't he just stay silent? What was it about
fear that made his mouth run off? Ezra closed his eyes and waited for the knife
to sink into the sensitive skin of his throat. Instead, he felt himself being
hulled to his feet.
"That I could, believe me. But if yer friends are smart, and yer real,
real lucky, you won' find out." He shoved Ezra back toward Jerry, who
wrapped one large arm around his neck.
"Hey Jocob. You're back. Where's Jace?" Two more Tilly brothers
emerged from the hotel, looking just as disheveled and dirty as their siblings.
Both of their eyes landed on Ezra.
"Still in jail. But don' worry, we'll get him out." He stroked Ezra's
cheek with the knife. "Won't we?" he whispered.
Ezra thought he was going to be sick. He would have
loved to have thrown-up all over the bastard, but he settled for spitting in
his eye. Jacob punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, loosening Jerry's
arm from his neck. He fell forward, and felt more punches connect with his eyes
and jaw. All the brothers joined in on punching and kicking him until they had exhausted
themselves. Ezra lay on the ground, unable to move. He could not open one eye,
and his vision was blurry out of the other. He knew the sweet taste in his
mouth was blood.
Lord, he just wanted to go home.
Once more he was pulled to his feet, and shoved toward
a brother. He cried out from the pain in his ribs. He knew that some of them were
broken.
"Take him inside. Tie him up in my room. I'm
goin' off for some supplies." He heard Jacob say. He was pulled inside the
building and dragged up the stairs.
Each step had him wanting to pass out from the pain
it caused him. He was pushed into a room and forced to sit on a wooden chair.
His hands where untied momentarily, only to have his arms jerked behind him.
The movement had him biting down on his lip to keep from screaming. He hands were
retied and secured to the back of the chair. More rope was wrapped around him,
and his ankles where tied to the chair legs. Ezra could not stand it anymore.
The pain was too great. He let the darkness take it away from him.
_________________________________________
Jace Tilly was only pretending to be asleep. He heard every thing that the two law
keepers said. He knew when he heard of the disappearance of their friend that his
brothers had been there. They had taken the fancy talking man. He wished they
would have freed him from the jail, but he knew that Jacob had a plan; and Jacob's
plans had always worked out before. He smiled in his likeness of rest. He would be out of here by morning.
The sound of heavy footsteps came across the wooden
floor and stopped at the cell door. Jace heard the jingle of keys, then the
sound of the cell door opening. Could it be they were going to release him already?
He would have thought it would have been awhile, but no matter. He would meet
this brothers at the ghost town, and they would kill their hostage and leave
his body in a place where his friends would be sure to find it. Jace would make
sure the sight that greeted them would not be a pretty one. The anticipation of
getting his hands on the man shivered through him.
He was going to enjoy this.
Hands grabbed him and lifted him off the cot, then
threw him to the floor. He looked up to see the angry face of the leader
glaring down at him.
"Where is he?! Where did they take
him?!" Chris's voice sounded almost feral, as if he was an angry wolf
who's pack had been threatened. One wrong move on Jace's part, and the wolf
would attack.
"I don't know what your talkin' about."
Jace spit out at him.
"You son of a......." Chris was about to
hit the younger man when he felt someone hold his arm back.
"Chris! Chris stop it. It's not gonna help us
find Ezra." Vin shouted at him.
Chris looked from the man on the floor to Vin, and
back again. His face still twisted in an angry frown, he stomped from the cell
and out of the jail. Vin quickly closed and locked the cell door.
"He's probably already dead," Jace said.
Vin looked at the prisoner, who stared back with a
grin of pure evil.
"You better hope your wrong. Or I swear, I
will kill you myself." Vin threatened the man in a voice devoid of any
emotion. He turned and ran after Chris.
Chris was not thinking rationally at the moment, and
Vin was afraid he would do something foolish. He saw how right he was when he
saw Chris mounting his horse.
"Where do you think your going?" he asked, grabbing a hold of the
animal's reins.
"Where do you think? I'm going after
them." Chris tried to pull the horse away, but Vin held on tighter.
"Chris, it's too dark. You don't know which
way they've gone, and you'll never be able to track them at night. For God's
sake, I'm angry too, but we have to think a little here."
Chris shook his head in frustration. He knew Vin was right, but he couldn't
just sit around while one of his men was in trouble, possibly hurt and maybe even.......
He shivered , leaving the last thought unfinished. That was one possibility he
would not except.
"What are we supposed to do then?" he
asked the bounty hunter. If Vin had some words of wisdom to fix this situation,
Chris was ready to hear them.
Vin held out a piece of paper that Chris didn't
notice he had before.
"I found this stuck to Chaucer's stall door.
I understood some of the words, but...."
Chris nodded in understanding. Vin had only just begun to learn how to
read. Mary had been giving him lessons
for about a week, and while Vin had shown progress already, he was not skilled
enough yet. Chris took the paper from him and scanned the words written on it.
'Free Jace Tilly, or the fancy dressed one is
dead. Once Jace is back with his brothers, we'll let you know where you can
find your friend.'
The note wasn't signed, but it didn't need to be. And it didn't say that they would
find Ezra alive either. He read the note aloud to Vin.
"We gotta come up with somethin' quick."
Vin said.
Chris got off the horse, still angry and upset,
but much calmer then before.
"Get the others back in here. Tell them
what's happened. We're gonna have to get our friend in there to tell us where
the meeting place is."
Vin nodded. "Then what?"
Chris looked him up and down. "You're about
the same size as him. As soon as he gives us the information we need, your gonna
take his place."
Chris was shocked that it took so little to get the
outlaw to talk. All he had to do was let a ready-to-kill-with-his-bear-hands'
Buck into the cell with him, and he was telling them his life story. Sure, Buck
had to throw a few punches, but it produced the desired effect.
Ezra had been taken to an old ghost town known as
Hope. If Chris had been in a better mood, he would have seen the irony in the
name. Hope was about a half a days ride from Four Corners. Chris remembered
that it was once a boom town, having been built from the money of a prospector
who found gold in the nearby mountains. For a while it was a nice place,
friendly and welcoming, until the gold mine went bust. The town emptied out in
less them a year. Now all that was left were empty buildings and the echoes of
days long past. It made the perfect place to hide out at.
Morning had come, and Chris was no longer content with sitting still. He had to
get out there and make sure for himself that Ezra was still alive and well. The
others were starting to look anxious too; especially Vin, who had switched clothes
with their prisoner and who as at the moment trying to stuff his long hair
underneath the hat. They would ride out to Hope together until they got near,
then Vin would go on ahead. Dressed as their bother, Chris hoped Vin would be
able to distract the gang long enough for the others to come in. It was not the
best laid plan, but desperate times........Well, Chris just hoped that Ezra would
still be alive when they got there. If he wasn't, heaven help anyone that was
near him.
Chris could still not be sure just when it had all
happened, when they all had stopped just being fellow gunfighters, when they
all became friends and, eventually, family. That's what these men were to him,
Chris realized.
After losing his wife and son, Chris had tried to
lock away his feelings. If he didn't let anyone get close, then he wouldn't
ever be brokenhearted again if he lost them. Little did he know that all it would
take would be six other men, each as lost in their own way as Chris was in his,
to break down that emotional wall. Chris Larabee finally had a family again. He
was not about to let anyone take that away from him.
It was agreed that only four of them would go, and two would stay to guard the prisoner
in case his brothers decided to come back. Chris was not going to leave another
man alone again. After much argument and a lot of cussing, it was decided that
Nathan and Josiah would ride with Chris and Vin. Josiah was a strong man with
impeccable aim, and Nathan....They all knew why they might need Nathan along,
they were just all too afraid to give voice to that fear. JD and Buck would
stay behind. Needless to say, Buck was not very happy about that.
"Gole damnit, Chris. I should be going with
you, not staying here twiddling my thumbs while you guys ride to the rescue.
Ezra is my friend too!"
"Buck, I know how you feel, believe me. But I
need you here. Do you really want to leave JD alone? What if those bastards
come back?"
Buck gave him a dirty look, but Chris knew he had
won. All he had to do was mention JD, and Bucks' protective side kicked in. He
didn't like it, but he would stay.
"Bring him home." Buck said to the four
men as they saddled up for the long ride.
"We will," said Chris. Indeed they would. One way or the other.
Although, 'one way' would be better then 'the other'. "Josiah, could you pray to whatever deity that will listen
to send a little luck our way?"
"Already working on it." the soft-spoken
preacher answered.
"I packed as many supplies as I could,"
Nathan spoke. "Not sure what Ezra will be needing."
"God willing, not much." Vin said, but they all knew there was a
chance of Ezra being really hurt.
"Alright, lets go," said Chris, and the
four men rode out of Four Corners toward a town called Hope.
____________________________
Ezra felt himself coming to again, and groaned in protest. Being awake meant feeling.
Feeling pain, feeling the overwhelming sense of fear and despair that had
grabbed a hold of his mind. He was unaware of the time, it had ceased passing
for him. He could have been there days, weeks; it no longer mattered to him.
All he knew was that he was sick, he was tired, and he was more ticked off then
he had ever been before in his life.
The muscles in his shoulders ached. He longed to move them, to do anything to
make himself comfortable; but he had long since given up on trying to move. The
pain in his ribs made him scream out in protest each time. He cold no longer
feel the ropes as they cut into his skin. All sensation had left his hands and
feet. He wished they would either kill him and get it over with, or at least
untie him. There was no way he could escape anyway.
The door opened and Ezra lifted his eyes to see Jacob Tilly enter. He felt his stomach
tighten. This man seemed to thrive on the physical abuse of others. He disgusted
Ezra to no end. Tilly walked over to him, a canteen of water in his hand. The
thought of water, cool liquid sliding down his parched throat, was the most
sensual thought his fevered mind could imagine. Tilly must have caught his longing
gaze at the canteen, for he waved it underneath Ezra's nose.
"Thirsty?" he asked.
Ezra licked his dry, cracked lips. Yes, he was thirsty.
He wanted the water so much. So very much.
"Ifin ya ask real nice, I may let ya have
some."
Dear God, this man delighted in torture. Not only
of the body, but of the mind as well. He was determined to drive Ezra out of
his skull. Ezra had never really noticed before that water had a smell. A
seductive, tantalizing scent of sweetness and moisture. He couldn't stand it.
"May I have some water?" he asked, his
voice coming out in barely more then a whisper.
"What's the magic word?" Tilly swung the
canteen in front of Ezra's face, his smile taunting the bruised and broken man
in front of him. Ezra couldn't believe that he was going to be made to beg. It
was humiliating. He was a grown man, and was reduced to begging for water. When
this was all over, he swore he would kill the a**hole. 'Til then, he had to do
what he must to survive.
"Please." He forced the word out between
clenched teeth.
"Please what?" There was that sneer
again. To Ezra it looked like a rabid dog baring its teeth. He wondered if
Tilly was going to start foaming at the mouth.
"May I please have some water....Sir?"
God, how he hated this man.
"There, now was that so hard?" Tilly
brought the canteen to Ezra's lips and tipped it back. Most of the water
spilled over his mouth, running down his chin to soak into the collar of his
shirt, but he managed to sallow enough without
choking. "What do ya say now?"
The bastard was talking to him like he was some
disobedient child who must be punished.
"I say you are by far the sorriest excuse for a human being I've ever
seen."
The slap he received across his face snapped his head
back. Tears stung behind his eyes from the force of the blow. Tilly grabbed
Ezra's chin, and forced the gambler to look him in the eyes.
"Ya got yerself a smart mouth. Can't think
why no one hasn't killed ya for it already."
"Pure luck, I assure you." Ezra's eyes were
two cold and blank orbs, betraying nothing of the terror that raced through
him.
"Well, yer luck has run out."
"Why don't you just dispense with all this
torture and terrorism, and kill me already. I'm getting a little bored with
this monotony."
It took Tilly a minute to figure out what exactly
Ezra had said. When the meaning finally became clear to him, he laughed.
"We will, don't ya worry about that. Just thought
yer friends might want to watch is all."
"They are not going to give in to your
demands. There is no way they will allow a murdering miscreant like your
brother go free. Not for me." It
was obvious that Tilly did not believe him. He actually thought his brother would
be sent back to them in exchange for Ezra. No amount of explaining would change
his mind on that.
"Don't you understand? I'm not important enough to them." The words
had been an unspoken fear that had lived inside Ezra's heart for a long time,
ever since it had become clear to him that the other men he rode with where
indeed important to him. Years of living on his own, not caring about of
needing the fellowship of anyone else, and suddenly Ezra finds something that
he didn't even know he had been missing. Friendship. Caring. Oh yes, he cared
about his fellow law keepers. What he didn't know was just how much they cared
about him. He was about to find out.
________________________________
"Hey Jacob! Rider comin' in.", a voice yelled up from the street
below. Jacob grabbed the spy glass that he kept by the window sill, and brought
it up to his eyes to survey the area around them. He saw a rider approaching.
He could not make out the features on the riders face, for the hat was pulled
down low, but he recognized the clothes.
"It's Jace!" he called back down to his brother, who then let out a
loud 'whoop!'. Jacob turned back to look at Ezra. The smile on his face was one
of victory. "Looks like ya was wrong 'bout yer friends."
Ezra didn't, couldn't, believe it. They had let Jace Tilly go? That action went
against everything that Ezra knew about them. It didn't make any sense. It just
couldn't be. Jacob came over to Ezra, knife in hand. He smiled when he saw the flinch
in his captives eyes. He knew that despite the man's bravado and sarcastic
comments, he was scared shitless. Jacob loved fear. He loved to see it deep
inside the eyes of others. It made his blood pump faster in his veins. He would
make sure the last look in this one's eyes was one of complete terror.
He stooped down and cut the ropes that held Ezra's
ankles to the chair, then removed the ones that wrapped around his chest. The
bonds around Ezra's hands where loosened long enough to remove them from the
chair, then quickly tightened again behind his back.
Tilly held the blade of the knife to Ezra's throat. "Won' be long now. How
do ya think yer friends would like to find ya? Shot in the head? Stabbed in the
heart? Or how about hanging? Yeah. That sounds good. I think finding you
swinging from a tree branch would be poetic justice. After all, they where
gonna hang my brother."
"But it seems that they haven't." Ezra said, his voice calm despite
the rapid beating of his heart. "Why don't you return the favor to them,
and release me."
Tilly laughed in amusement. He dragged Ezra to his
feet, and pulled him to the door. "I don' need to do anyone any favors.
See, I wanna kill you. I wanna see the expressions on yer friends' faces when
they find you. It will be the most gratifying moment of my life."
"You are a completely twisted son of a
bitch." 'There you go. Way to state the obvious.' he thought to himself.
He was totally at a loss for what to do. There was nothing he could do to stop
them. No amount of bargaining would save him.
They did not want money or any other sort of material gain. All they
wanted was revenge. He pulled Ezra along down the stairs and to the front of
the hotel.
When they reached the outside, he looked around.
The street was empty.
"Jerry?" he called out. He held Ezra's
arm in a vice like grip, and dragged him out to the street. "Joe! Where
are ya? Where's Jace?"
"Jace couldn't make it, sorry. He sends his
regards."
Tilly spun around at the sound of the voice behind
him. He pulled Ezra in front of him and wrapped his arm around the gambler's neck,
cutting off precious air supply. Quick as lightening, Tilly removed his gun
from his holster and pressed the barrel hard against Ezra's head.
Vin looked down at them from behind a long barreled
shot gun. Ezra had never been so glad to see the bounty hunter before.
"Why are ya wearin' my brother's
clothes?" Tilly shouted at his adversary. He tightened his hold on Ezra,
who gasped for air.
"He was lookin to change his image, so we
traded. Can't really say much for his fashion sense, but then who am I to
complain." Vin's gun never wavered from the outlaw and his hostage. He
thought he could get a shot at Tilly, but he ran the risk of hitting Ezra by
accident. He couldn't chance that.
"Where are my brothers?" Tilly asked in
a low, menacing voice. The gun moved down from Ezra's head, to the side of his
neck. "Ya tell me, or yer gonna know what it looks like to see a man's
head blown clean off."
"Your brothers are in the barn, contemplating
the errors of their ways." Josiah walked around the corner, gun drawn.
"I suggest you join them, before God decides you're too late for
forgiveness."
Josiah! If he could have, Ezra would have cried out in relief.
"Ya let them go right now, or I swear I'll
kill him." Tilly cocked the gun back, and Ezra's eyes snapped shut. He
couldn't move in the man's tight grip and he was quickly running out of what
little air his lungs could receive.
"You do, and I will tear your heart out of
your chest with my bare hands."
Another voice came from behind them again, and
Tilly whirled them around once more to face the cold, deadly stare of Chris
Larabee.
"Chris," Ezra rasped. Larabee's eyes met
Ezra's for a brief moment. The look he gave Ezra seemed to say 'Trust me'.
'I do, Chris. Indeed I do. Just please send this
bastard to hell.'
Nathan also came out from hiding and joined Vin
and Josiah, who had moved to stand behind Chris. The healer's eyes took in
Ezra's bruised face, and pale complexion. They had really done a number on him.
He wondered what other injuries Ezra had that could not be seen. He could see
Ezra's eyes beginning to bulge out, and knew that the gambler could not breath.
If this did not end now, Ezra would suffocate in the outlaw's grip.
While Nathan's eyes looked over Ezra, Chris's had
returned to glare into Jacob Tilly's. For the first time since the
whole thing started, Jacob felt unsure of himself. He had no brothers to help him,
no other way out of the situation except for the man he held hostage. Yet somehow
he felt that might be all he needed.
"If ya don' wanna watch him die, I suggest ya
move out of the way!"
To his surprise, Chris began to laugh. "Do
you believe this?" he said to the men behind him. "He still thinks he's
in charge here." Chris did not draw his gun. He merely stood before Tilly
and Ezra, one hand resting on his gun belt, the
other reaching up to push back the black hat on his head. A sardonic smile crossed
his face. "Why don't you cut your losses, Tilly. You've already committed
all the major crimes. Robbery, murder, kidnapping. I don't think there's much
more out there for you to do." He took a step forward and reached out his
hand. "Let him go. It's over."
"No." Tilly shook his head. "No. There's still one more thing.
I'm gonna kill him. Ya all might kill me afterwards, but at least I'll have the
pleasure of seein' yer faces when yer friend here dies."
During all this, Ezra had managed to find the knife
in his captors waistband. Grabbing the handle with his bound hands, he brought
the blade up quickly. Tilly gave a sharp cry as he felt the blade slice his
skin. The arm he held around Ezra's neck loosened, and Ezra lunged out. His legs
could not hold him, though, and he fell to the ground.
Tilly fired his gun, missing Ezra only by inches.
Another shot rang out, and Ezra screamed as the
dead body of Jacob Tilly fell on top of him. He looked up into the eyes of
Chris, who held a still smoking gun in his hand.
"About time that you arrived here, Mr. Larabee," Ezra said with a
laugh born out of exhaustion before his eyes slid shut once more.
___________________________
Chris heaved the dead weight of the outlaw off Ezra's unconscious form. A quick
sweep of the gambler's body with his eyes showed no bullet wounds. He breathed
a sigh of relief. For a moment he had been afraid that the bullet from Tilly's
gun had found its mark. The absolute fear he felt at seeing Ezra's eye's shut
was one that he would not mind never feeling again.
Nathan kneeled down next to Ezra, and began to move his hands down the man's sides,
checking for broken ribs or other injury's he might have received. He winced
when he felt several ribs move underneath Ezra's skin. "We've got to get him
off the street."
Josiah gently picked Ezra up in his strong arms
and carried the smaller man back into the hotel. Nathan followed with his bag of
supplies, and Chris brought in a heavy blanket and a canteen of water. Vin stayed
behind to take care of the dead body of Jacob Tilly.
Ezra remained unconscious while Nathan cleaned
some of the open cuts, and wrapped a bandage around his ribs. There was nothing
he could do about Ezra's swollen and bruised eyes and jaw. Those injuries would
have to heal on their own.
"What about the others in the barn?" Nathan
asked Chris, after he put away all his supplies.
Chris thought for a moment. He had not really considered what to do with the Tilly
brothers still locked up in the livery. If he had his way, it would be to just
leave them there to rot. It was more then they deserved after all they had
done to Ezra. But, he knew that could not be done. The men had to be brought to
justice and tried in a court of law.
"The nearest town to here is Hillsboro.
Josiah, can you ride out there and get the local law to help us bring those
fellas back to Four Corners? We could use the extra help."
"I'll go right now," Josiah replied. He wanted the whole thing over
with as quickly as possible. He stopped to momentarily lay a hand on Ezra's
shoulder and said a silent prayer. "Take care, my friend." He
whispered before heading for the door. As he exited, Vin entered.
"Buried the body outside of town." he
said, leaving it at that. There would be no need to bring the body back with
them. They had all witnessed the death.
Chris nodded at him, then turned back to his silent study of his friend.
He was hurt, but Nathan said the injuries would heal. What bothered Chris was
that Ezra shouldn't have been hurt at all.
Vin watched as his friend kept vigil at Ezra's
side. He knew Chris blamed himself for what happened. Heck, if he could Chris
would find a way to blame himself for the Civil War and the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln. Vin thought a lot of the man, but could never understand why
Chris seemed determined to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"He's gonna be okay," Vin said to Chris as he sat down in a chair
beside him.
"I know." Was Chris's answer. He sat
back in the chair, legs stretched out in front of him, arms folded across his
chest, and watched the steady rise and fall of Ezra's breathing. He wished the
gambler would wake up. He felt the need to have a good long talk with him. Not
that he would really understand Ezra's half of the conversation. A slight smile
crossed his lips at that thought, then just as quickly disappeared.
"Ya know, Chris, Ezra is not going to blame
you for this. I mean, you had no idea the Tilly's would try something like this.
None of us did," Vin tried explaining.
"It doesn't matter. I should have at least considered it. If I would've
sent someone else with him, or at least gone to check on him sooner, this
could've all been prevented."
"Could have, would have, should have," the
mumbled voice of Ezra said from the sofa. "Really Chris, I get quite tired
of these guilt trips of yours."
"Ezra?" Chris went over to him and
kneeled down. Vin and Nathan also quickly went to his side.
"I certainly hope so," Ezra said,
opening his eyes. The pain that shot through his skull as the light came into focus
made him wince. "Ooh. On second thought, I would rather be just about
anyone else right now."
"Your head hurt?" Nathan asked, and
leaned in to check the pupils of Ezra's eyes. He held up two fingers in front
of Ezra. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.
"On which hand?" Ezra asked, blinking a few times in attempt to get
everything into focus. This only succeeded in making the pain worse.
"Uh-huh. Thought so. You've got yourself a
pretty bad concussion there." Nathan went over to the fireplace where he
had boiled some water. He poured water into a cup, and mixed in some herbs.
"Here," he said, helping to raise Ezra's head. "This will help
the pain."
Ezra sipped the concoction, then began coughing.
"Nathan I do believe you are trying to kill me. This is the most horrible
thing I have ever tasted."
The sound of laughter made Ezra slowly turn his head
to see the smiling faces of Chris and Vin. "I'm very glad you two find
this so amusing."
"Sorry Ezra." Chris said. "Just
thought I'd never be so glad to hear you talk again."
Ezra smiled as much as he could. "The feeling,
Mr. Larabee, is mutual." He struggled to sit up, but was restrained by
Nathan's hand.
"Hold on there. Where do you think your
going?"
"I was hoping to leave. To go back to Four
Corners with you."
Chris shook his head. "No way. Not until your
feeling better."
Ezra resisted the urge to roll his eyes, mainly because
he thought the movement would likely make him pass out again.
"Besides," Vin said, "it's already
getting dark. We'd be better to pass the night here than on the trail."
"Must you all gang up on me?" Ezra
muttered mostly to himself. He had no intention to stay in this hell hole any
longer then he had to. He wanted to leave, he wanted his own bed in his own
room. He wanted to sit at his table in
the saloon and play cards. He wanted....
He wanted home.
Funny how he now thought of that little backwater
town as his home. He could not remember ever thinking that of any place he had
lived. In truth, there was no other place he wanted to ever be again. Sleep was
taking him over. He could feel his heavy eyelids forcing themselves shut.
"When?" he asked before darkness could
claim him.
"When what?" came Chris's voice.
"When can we go home?" The words where whispered
and slurred, but Chris understood them. A smile tugged at this mouth as he
watched Ezra relax into sleep.
"Soon, my friend. I promise. Very soon."
Nathan checked Ezra again, and nodded. "We should try waking him every few
hours. No tellin' if the head injury could get worse or not."
"You two go ahead and get some rest. I'll
stay up with him," Chris said to Vin and Nathan.
Vin knew better then to argue with him. He and Nathan
took two other sofa's in the room while Chris remained in the chair next to
Ezra. He watched the gambler sleep, and he smiled. His family was complete once
again.
________________________________
The End
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