Escape From Gold Mountain Page 14
As the tension eased, Tex let out one of his deep chuckles. “Told y’all Shorty was right sweet on that little Chinawoman.”
Luke stiffened his back and faced away from the two men. “No, I couldn’t care less about her. But unless you want the Chinese and half of the law in this county after us, we need to return her alive and in one piece.”
Although Luke spoke the words in a tone of indifference, he knew his eyes, as he gazed upon Loi’s face, revealed something different. Thankfully, all both men saw was the back of his head.
Luke hardened his expression as he stood and turned towards Charley. “I want my money you said you’d bring back with you. It’s time you stop stalling. If Tex is taking her back tomorrow, then as long as I have my money, I’ll get my things together and be gone by first light.”
Tex stepped forward, his fists clenched and his chest puffed out in an aggressive stance. “I’m getting my money first. I’ve got the biggest stake in this since I took the biggest risk.”
Charley lurched forward, his finger jammed in Tex’s face. “You took the biggest risk, eh? Who do you think has been dealing with the Chinese while lying low to avoid the law?”
“George Lee been hiding y’all again?”
Charley glanced in Luke’s direction then focused his eyes back on Tex. “Don’t you worry about where I stayed in Lundy. I spent too much time dodging that fool, Kirkus Steves. I kept telling anyone who would listen that I was in Bodie, sitting in a bar, when this all happened. I can only hope nobody checks too close on the last time I was there.”
“Nobody but a few of his cronies listen to Kirk Steves. Don’t worry about Callahan or none of the others because you know them Chinese don’t go to the law for nothing. They got their own highbinders to get what they want. It’s them I’m fixing to stay clear of. That’s why I need my money. I’m not sticking around once I drop her off, and I don’t aim to come back this way until this whole thing blows over.”
His facial expression impassive and his thumbs hooked in his belt, Luke leaned back against the wall of the cabin and stared at the floor. As a part-Ojibwa living with the tribe, he had learned years ago how to be unobtrusive and appear to not be paying attention to the talk of white men.
“Where’s the money from the Chinawoman’s money belt, Boss? Y’all done spent it all?”
Charley snapped back at Tex. “No, I didn’t spend it all, only enough for my horse and food. And a drink or two. Took the belt back to show the Chinese so they knew I had her.”
“Reckon it’s time we see how much y’all didn’t spend.” Tex folded his arms, a look of determination on his face. “Show us what y’all got, Boss. Now.”
Charley glared at Tex, but did as the man commanded.
Luke watched Charley pull the silk money belt with its contents out of one of his saddlebags. Charley spread the fabric out on the hearth. He stacked the bills and coins on one of the log stools. Luke carried the kerosene lantern closer to shed more light on the transaction.
Tex turned to Charley, a question in his face. “Only two hundred bucks here, Boss. I recollect there was two hundred and ten plus thirty y’all held back from what was give to Shorty for grub, not counting what you got paid for the cattle. Where y’all got the rest stashed?”
“The money from the cattle is tucked away. Don’t worry. You’ll get your share. As for the rest of the money from her, like I said, I had expenses while in Lundy.”
“Forty bucks worth? I’m not buying it. We been eating off what Shorty bought with the twenty y’all left him.”
“Are you calling me a cheat, Tex?”
With a huff of disbelief, Tex reached down and swiped up the bills and a handful of gold coin. Except for one half eagle, the rest of the coins scattered on the ground. Charley lunged for Tex, but the next thing he knew, Tex drove his fist into his face. Luke ducked beneath the two men and scooped up the rest of the coin and backed away.
The click of the gun hammer told them all Tex had pulled his revolver. “Didn’t want it to end this way, but I’m takin’ my cut now, Boss. Y’all keep what you got from them cattle.”
Charley straightened up from where his body had slammed into the log wall, which caused the entire cabin structure to vibrate. “It isn’t over between us, Tex. You better sleep light.”
Tex laughed his deep rumble. “Y’all forget who’s holding the gun and whose place this is, Boss. Now, the way I figure it, y’all accept this…” Keeping his pistol in his hand, Tex quickly counted the bills and coin he had grabbed. “…hundred and eighty bucks as my share of the take. Y’all either settle on that or get your sorry hide out of my cabin and worry about getting the little Chinawoman back to Lundy yourself. If not, y’all’s going have more than Kirk Steves to worry about.”
At first, Charley’s eyes shot daggers of resentment towards Tex for besting him. Gradually, his expression reflected his acceptance of the situation. “All right. You keep the hundred and eighty. We’ll call it fair for your portion, eh? But, you still need to get this Chinawoman back to Lundy.”
Charley turned to Luke and held out his hand. “The rest is mine, Shorty. Hand it over.”
Luke had already shoved the twenty dollars of coin in his pants pocket. He folded his arms and widened his stance. “I don’t think so. You promised me a total of fifty if I stayed. This twenty is only a portion, but I’m keeping it. I want to know when I’ll get the other thirty.”
Luke wriggled the balls of his feet over the two half eagles in his boots. He had no intentions of admitting to Charley he held an additional ten dollars. He knew after years of dealing with his stepfather—a man who manipulated and wheedled as much as Charley—in order to not lose everything, he needed to demand more than he had coming and be prepared to settle for less.
Dumbfounded at first, Charley chortled with his high-pitched laugh. “So, that’s the way of it, eh? Are you saying you don’t trust me?”
“No, I don’t. Way I see it, you don’t keep your word about anything. You promise to pay, and then later you come up with excuses to put it off while you keep the money for yourself.”
“You calling me a cheat?”
“That’s generally what I call people who don’t pay up when they say they will. If Tex hadn’t insisted on taking what he had coming to him, who knows when you would’ve gotten around to paying him—if ever.”
“I resent that. I’m many things, but a cheat isn’t among them.”
“If you aren’t a cheat, put your money where your mouth is. Give me the rest of my fifty dollars, and I’ll be on my way.”
Charley’s eyes narrowed as he sucked in deep, angry breaths. “You have your pay. I already gave you twenty before I left for Lundy.”
“That was for food for all of us while we waited to settle with the Chinese, and you know it. You told me then it didn’t come out of my fifty.”
“He’s got y’all there, Boss. That’s what y’all told him.”
Charley spun to scowl at Tex. “Things changed. We didn’t settle with the Chinese, now did we? There’ll be no two thousand dollars.” He turned back with his arms akimbo and glared at Luke. “Besides, I didn’t see you willing to put that bearskin in with the profits.” Charley pointed towards the racks still loaded with strips of bear meat hanging from the rafters. “If you hadn’t stayed, you’d not have had the chance to get the meat, now would you, eh? The way I see it, it’s worth the rest of your portion.”
“The bear has nothing to do with this job, and you know it, just like I doubt you’d toss in any poker winnings you might have gotten while you were waiting on the Chinese.”
“You’ll not get another cent from me, Shorty. Settle for what you got and one last go-around with the Chinawoman tonight before Tex takes her back. If not, you can pack it up and leave now.”
With Charley there, Luke refused to leave until Loi was on the horse with Tex, and the two started towards Lundy. Without a word, and making sure to not turn his back on Charley, Luke walked
over to the bear meat and pulled the racks from the low ceiling. Since the rice had been eaten and he had made no tea since morning, he dumped most of what was left of the flour into his small, empty coffee pot. He dropped a small scoop of flour in Tex’s skillet. He slid some of the now-dried meat into the empty sacks that had held supplies and fastened them shut. He gathered the rest of his things and stuffed as much as he could in his saddlebags. Those he piled at the foot of the pallet where Loi sat. He would cut the grizzly pelt from its frame in the morning.
Wrapping his blankets around his shoulders and using his horse blanket for a cushion, he sat on the floor with his back to the wall. He kept his hat low upon his forehead as he watched the two men until Tex finally shut down the kerosene lamp. The pair settled in for the night and fell asleep. Only then did he shift his horse blanket between Loi and the other men. He wrapped himself inside his bedroll and lay down with his back to her.
Luke felt Loi rise up and lean over him until her lips pressed against his ear. She whispered softly in order to not wake the other two men. “Shorty, you go tonight. I worry Boss kill you.”
Loi lay back as Luke turned over to face her. He cupped her cheek in his hand as he pressed his face to the ear closest to him. “He’ll sleep until morning, Loi. I plan to be gone before they wake up. But I will try to stay close enough to keep an eye on you while Tex takes you back to Lundy.”
Luke leaned forward and kissed Loi’s forehead between her blindfold and her hairline. He longed to kiss her lips, but his feelings of guilt restrained him. Once more, he turned his back to her and struggled to fight down the growing desire he felt for her. As he settled on the hard ground to grab a few hours of sleep before leaving in the morning, he smiled as he felt Loi scoot her blankets closer to him until her body pressed against his back and legs. He marveled how he could feel her warmth through the layers of blankets.
Just before he fell asleep, Luke wiped his hand across his eyes and bit back a curse of frustration. He hated that he had looked like a coward giving in to Charley’s terms. However, his first priority had been—and still was—Loi. He would not give Charley any reason to turn his malevolence towards her.
Only after Loi arrived in Lundy safely would he hunt down Charley Jardine and deal with him so he could get the rest of his money. There was more than one way to skin a lying, cheating varmint.
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Chapter 26
~o0o~
A s he awoke, Luke lay still and realized morning light filtered through the cabin’s cracks. Both Tex and Charley slept, their snoring loud enough to scare a black bear away. He silently rose to his feet. He folded his blankets into a roll that he would secure once he moved outside where the light was better.
On his second trip to claim his possessions, Luke heard Loi’s soft voice call to him. He moved to her side only to feel her two blankets being thrust into his arms.
Loi reached her hand up and pulled Luke’s face close to her lips. “You take. No let Boss get blankets.”
Luke smiled as he once again brushed her forehead with his lips. Wordlessly, he moved her and the pallet closer to the fireplace. He stirred the few coals that remained as he added kindling and some small pieces of firewood. He found Tex’s coffee pot and the empty tin can he had been using as a cup. After going outside long enough to wash out the pot and fill it from the water barrel, he put it on the grate to heat. He cut off a chunk of black tea and put it in the empty can, plus another he put in his enamel cup. “Here’s some tea for you, Loi. The water will be hot soon. Hopefully it is enough to get you by until Tex gets you back to Lundy.”
Luke quickly saddled and packed his horse with all he could easily carry. He pondered how he would get the rest of his haul onto the horse without overloading it.
The horse made the decision for him. After cutting the grizzly pelt loose from the frame, his horse balked at having the skin that smelled of the predator close to her. Knowing it would mean an extra trip back, Luke wrapped the two blankets Loi had given him and some of the dried meat inside the bearskin and sought a place far enough from the cabin where he could tie it high enough in a dense stand of trees to hide it from view. Once again, that rope Charley had left for Tex to use as a leash on Loi came in handy. He grimaced with a dark sense of humor as he reflected on how that the bear had forced him to climb trees twice—once to help Loi escape its deadly attack, and again to secure its pelt. He foresaw a third climb in his future to retrieve the bundle.
Luke returned in the early dawn light to find both Tex and Charley still asleep. The water boiled, so Luke added some to his cup and Loi’s can and left them on the hearth to steep. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Be sure to hold that can with the edge of your coat. It will be hot.”
Unable to hide her distress, Loi studied her lap. “Ming baak. Understood.”
His forehead wrinkled with consternation, Luke slowly eased away from Loi. He felt struck by the impression she was angry with him. He believed, under the circumstances, he had done all he could do to help her. Her attitude puzzled him.
“Do you wish me to take you for a walk before I leave?”
In response to Loi’s nod, Luke helped her to her feet and guided her outside. As soon as he closed the door, she tore the blindfold from her eyes and broke away from him in the direction of the big rock at the side of the cabin. He let her go. He knew she had memorized the path. Besides, something ate at her, and he could not figure out what.
Luke waited until he heard her returning footsteps before he moved to her side. The smile on his face faded at the sight of the tears in her eyes. “Loi, is everything all right?” Luke watched her glance at him one last time before, without speaking, she adjusted the blindfold over her eyes.
Luke pressed two large pieces of jerked meat into Loi’s hand. “Loi, I’m giving you two pieces of dried bear meat. Put them in your waistband or up your sleeve or something. I know you don’t like the taste or the smell, but it will keep you from getting too hungry. One is for Tex. He won’t be tempted to get mean if he has food in his belly. Understand?” After Loi’s nod, Luke walked her back inside the cabin.
Luke guided her to her seat in front of the fireplace. After wrapping the bottom edge of her jacket around the can, he handed her the hot tea. Even with his leather gloves on, he felt something hard and unyielding sewn inside the quilted layers of fabric. He began to suspect where Loi had hidden the money she had offered to give him. He only hoped Charley and Tex would not figure it out before Tex safely returned her to the Chinese in Lundy.
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Chapter 27
~o0o~
G roaning, Tex rose from his blankets and stumbled over to the fireplace. He reached for his tin cup and the coffee pot. He mumbled a curse as he poured. “What y’all up to? Where’s my coffee? This here looks like water.”
“It was water for Ling Loi’s tea.” Luke pointed to a pile of coffee grounds on the edge of the hearth. “There’s enough coffee for both you and Boss.” Luke grimaced as he said it. He hoped it was the last time he called Charley his boss in order to protect Loi.
Luke’s gloved fingers gently trailed along the back of Loi’s neck as he rose to leave. Without a word, he lifted his cup to his lips, drained it of his tea, dregs and all, and walked out the door. He climbed into the saddle and rode out of the clearing until he was out of sight. He had never been a praying man, unless going on his vision quest not long before he left his family and his tribe counted, but he sincerely hoped that Tex had enough decency in him to not let Charley hurt Loi. As long as Charley didn’t interfere, he felt confident Tex would see she got back to Lundy safely.
~o0o~
After throwing together a breakfast from the little flour and bacon Luke had left behind, Tex tensed in anticipation as he listened to Charley grunt, pass gas, stretch, and roll out of his blankets. Hopefully, the man considered
the money situation all settled, and he had cooled off from the night before. Tex wanted no more trouble from him. He already had a big enough chore ahead of him returning the little Chinawoman close enough to Lundy she could walk to town while he made his getaway. He didn’t need the added bother of putting Charley in his place only to have to deal with the man’s explosive temper afterwards.
Charley walked past without a word and went outside. After he returned, he pulled his tin plate from his saddleback and sat on one of the logs.
“What’s this? You call this breakfast?”
“Y’all can eat it or not. It’s what Shorty left us, no doubt figuring we’d be long gone after sun-up. Bacon’s not bad.”
Charley woofed down his meal and rose. He shoved his dirty plate into his saddlebag. “I’m headed out. You can bet I’ll not be going to Lundy anytime soon. Are you really planning to pull up stakes and move on?”
“Yep. Figure after this here mess-up, I’d best high-tail it out of here once I finish with her.”
Charley studied Tex with a suspicious look. “You do plan to get her back to Lundy, don’t you? I’ve no desire to give either the Chinese hoodlums or the local law reason to come after us. I can count on you to not drop her along the way and leave her to die, eh?”
“Naw, I won’t leave her stranded. I don’t want nothing bad to happen to the little Chinawoman. I just want to be rid of her.”
“Just so she gets to Lundy.” Charley paused and studied Tex. “You planning on coming back when the weather gets warm again? This cabin is a good hide-out, and we can use it as a base while we rustle up ways to make good money, eh?”
“Reckon not, but don’t never know. If I do, I’ll look y’all up.”
Tex felt a sense of relief when Charley left with his gear to saddle his horse. He rose to his feet as he listened to Charley ride away from the cabin. He was glad to see the man go. Since this entire affair over the Chinawoman had turned out to be a mess, and as hard as it had been for him to get most of what was owed him, he hoped he had seen the last of Charley Jardine.