Series/Universe: Family Business
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings:Language, references to violence and other unpleasantness. Original characters abound (if you've read SG-7 series, the character of Dawn Jackson has been translated into Aurora Hutchins). Also, Buck and Nathan are very, very bad boys. You have been warned. Special thanks to Cin, and she knows why.
These stories are set after Serpents, so you'll probably find references to all of the episodes, at one time or another.
Continues: Road to Hell : Reunion.
Author's Note: This is the final story in the trilogy, but not the end of the storyline. It picks up in the first story of the Family Business series, tentatively titled 'Paying the Piper.' At some point, you'll meet the puppet master behind all this (nope, he's not anyone we met in the series ... someone I've totally made up), as well as witness Gideon's reckoning. Keep hands and feet inside the wagon at all times, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Thanks to everyone who emailed me while I was writing this, to let me know you were enjoying it. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks as ever to Elizabeth, for her archiving and coding, to Cin, for her support and encouragement.
"Tanner is still alive??? I gave you idiots a job. Set fire to that fucking prison camp where I spent the last few months. I gave you detailed directions, and you couldn't even do that right!" the man growled. He wasn't worried about himself. He just preferred to have a job done right the first time. And things had been going so well, up until this little bump in the road. The peyote-laced medicine he gave to that doctor not only put the tracker and second in command out of commission, but the darkie and one of the others caved when his 'bounty hunters' showed up.
That, in turn, fragmented his old enemies ... his source told him that Larabee turned against the ones left in the town, while he, the kid, and the preacher were transporting a prisoner. Things had been looking so well, right up until the time he sent these two morons to kill the tracker. If his dear former fellow prisoners died with him, so be it. That was of no concern to him. Making Tanner and Larabee, in particular, pay was the focus.
"It weren't our fault, boss! Some darkie and a bitch got Tanner out! Them, and that little brat we done tol' you 'bout! The bitch shot Doc Powell dead ... kept on shooting him, even after he was dead!" one man whined. The boss transferred his attention to the partner, who remained silent. It seemed to be his fate to have incompetent help. That was part of what brought the attention of the so-called Magnificent Seven to him.
"Found out the girl's name is Adriana Wilmington. I done some checking, she was an inmate in a nearby asylum for about six months. The one where you hired Powell from. She's the kid sister of that one peacekeeper, Buck Wilmington. And if I recall correctly, Wilmington was one of the ones who sold out Tanner when Neely and I went to Four Corners with the others," the partner said quietly. He was the more competent of the pair. Probably did the digging after his partner fucked up the simple task of setting the fire. He paused, then added, "Also found out, Wilmington left his sister there to rot."
Was that right? The man smiled very, very slowly, as something occurred to him. So, Wilmington left his sister with the loonies, then turned Tanner over to the bounty hunters without a fight. The man continued, "From what I could learn in town, the rumor is that she and Tanner were lovers. I do know that she didn't let anything stop her, when she and the darkie were getting him out. She shot every one of the men we hired for this job. Not that Doc Powell is much of a loss, not when even the loonies didn't want him."
"Wilmington abandoned his sister in a loony bin ... and she has a history with Tanner. Oh, this might work to our advantage after all. Larabee is still drowning his sorrows in that miserable little town. He's no longer speaking to the darkie or Wilmington. That only leaves the gambler, the preacher, and the kid. Not much to worry about, at all. I think I should journey into this town. Meet the young lady herself. A woman alone should be so careful about the company she keeps," the man said. The more competent one didn't seem to like that idea.
Moreover, he wasn't shy about saying so, observing, "That ain't right, boss. Larabee is in Pordios ... and he was pissed, but he sure as hell weren't drunk. He still ain't talking to Wilmington or the darkie, but Larabee is with the other three." The boss growled under his breath. Why, for once, couldn't Larabee do what he was supposed to! During the months of his own incarceration in the prison camp where Tanner was supposed to die, he learned a great deal about Larabee. Including his tendency to hit the bottle when things didn't go his way.
"But still, boss, what can one bitch and a darkie do? They cain't protect Tanner all by themselves?" the less intelligent one said. The competent one smacked his partner upside the head, and the idiot whined, "Why'dja go and do that for, Burke! She's just a little bitch, too. She ain't dangerous!" The man who was freed to help bring down Vin Tanner and Chris Larabee took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He would not shoot this idiot. He would not shoot this idiot! Tempting as it may be.
"Neely, you moron! That little bitch and darkie took out all our men at the prison! And in case ya didn't hear, Larabee is in town! We gotta play this smart, if we wanna take 'em both out!" Burke growled in irritation. He turned his attention back to the man who was paying them, and said, "What d'ya wanna do, boss? Way I see it, the Seven's still divided, and Tanner ain't gonna be real happy with any of 'em. Accordin' to what I heard, the darkie tol' Tanner that Larabee gave his okay when we showed up."
"Ohhh ... that's very good, Burke. Yes, I think I can find a way to exploit the divisions within the ranks. Divide and conquer. Stay here. I need to update the man who freed me. He will be very interested in learning of the newest development," the man said. Burke nodded as his boss left the room. The telegraph office was nearby, he had only to send a wire. Once, this headquarters was a booming town. But as was so often the case, it eventually turned into a ghost town, as more and more families went away.
The buildings and equipment remained, and it was his own boss who took over the town. The equipment was cleaned, and found to be in working order. His telegrapher straightened up as he entered, and the man said, "I need to send a wire to our mutual employer. Word it how you wish. Tell him that the end has begun for Larabee. Further updates as they occur."
The telegrapher nodded and the second in command left. Oh, that wasn't what he was, really, but he liked to think of himself that way. That was why he chose to attack Tanner first. Not just because the man was just as responsible for his downfall as Larabee, but because he was his new counterpart. Tanner had to die. After everything he had cost him, he had to die. But maybe it was better this way. Maybe now, Rupert Browner could watch him die. Yes ... yes, he would like that.
Chris Larabee followed the small mare through the woods surrounding the ranch where Vin had been recuperating for the last few weeks. He never lost sight of his little sister. But he held back, not wanting to give himself away. He held back, allowing her to dismount and give way to the fury he knew she was feeling. And sure enough, as soon as she dismounted, as soon as her horse was grazing, a scream of pure outrage exploded from that small body.
It was an amazingly stupid thing for her to do. Be out here by herself, where anyone could make trouble for her. But that was why Chris was here. To watch her back, even when she wouldn't. As if you have any room to talk, a little voice inside his own head, did you do any better after Sarah and Adam were killed? Chris tightened his hands into fists. He had done far worse, and he knew it.
Adriana fell to her knees, arms wrapped around her waist, and rocked herself. Sobbing like a child, as if her heart would break. Chris always hated to see her cry. He stepped forward carefully, a branch breaking under his foot. Adriana's head snapped up, and before he could take another step, she was leveling a pistol at him. He barely recognized her as even the young woman of a moment earlier. Her face was twisted with fury and grief. Adriana hissed his name, then, "Slowly. Don't give me a reason to shoot you, Larabee."
Chris carefully made his way out from his hiding place, watching her carefully. She wasn't crazy, she was in pain. But a wounded animal could be just as dangerous as a maddened one. He said softly, "Got no intention of giving you even a small reason to shoot me. But I think, little princess, that if you planned to shoot me, you would have done it already." She just glared at him, and Chris added, still in that soft voice, "What are you doin' out here by yourself, little princess?"
"Trying to clear my head ... trying to think past everything. I can't do that, if you people don't leave me alone, but you don't care about that. None of you do. None of you care about doing what's best for Vin, it's all about yourselves. It's always about your little band. About what you want, not about what he wants. Well, Laertes does care about what Vin wants. And if any of your little group of traitors tries to sneak past Laertes, there will be a reckoning," Adriana hissed, hatred burning in her eyes.
Chris took a seat on one of the fallen trunks, watching her carefully. He asked softly, "How many times have you come out here, since the night of the fire?" Her eyes narrowed, as if she was trying to figure out what he was up to, and Chris continued, "That wasn't your fault, you know. Josiah is at what's left of that place, checking into it. But a fire wouldn't have started that fast. It takes more than a bullet zinging past wood to start a fire."
The gun started to waver, but then her grip on it firmed once more. Her eyes narrowed and Adriana growled, "What are you up to, Christopher?" They were making progress. Whether she was willing to admit it, there was some part of her which trusted him. If she didn't, he would have been dead already. And she was calling him by his first name. Two very good signs. Chris just had to remember to be patient, instead of jumping the gun, as he had with Vin.
"Not up to anything, Adriana. The fire wasn't your fault. It started too fast, only seconds after you started firing. How was the first floor on fire, if the blaze started on the second? Fire moves upward ... heat moves upward. Trust me on this one, little princess, I know. I watched flames consume my house," Chris replied. Adriana stiffened and Chris added softly, "You did all you could. You got Laura and Vin out."
"I should have done more. I should have found a way to save the others. I ... my legs just kept moving forward. I wanted to go back, wanted to save the other inmates. They didn't deserve to die, Chris! It was a fucking work camp! Like that place, Jericho, where you were. Yes, I heard about that ... I heard all about the Magnificent Seven. But when I had a chance to do right ... I left those people to die!" Adriana fired back.
"Half of those inmates escaped, Adriana. You can't save everyone. Hell, most of the time, you're lucky if you can save yourself! You did that, time after time. You saved yourself after you were sold into slavery, you did it after you were left at the asylum. But that's not enough for you. Laertes has told me about all the people you two have saved over the last year, both from the asylum and the prison camp. Then, you saved Vin and Laura ... what more do you want from yourself? What are you trying to prove, little princess?" Chris demanded.
He should have seen it coming. Should have thought of it himself. But he didn't. Adriana screamed, "I want to prove you and Buck were wrong about me!" Chris thought he heard her wrong at first. Adriana took several deep breaths, then repeated, "I want to prove, if only to myself, that you two were wrong about me. That I don't deserve to be left, that I'm not an embarrassment. That I'm better than my father."
I don't deserve to be left. I'm not an embarrassment. I'm better than my father. Dear God. What did we do to this girl? Chris rose to his feet, exclaiming, "Little princess, you don't need to prove that! You are better than he is!" He ran his hand through his hair, wanting to go to her. He wanted to put his arms around her and hold her, wanted to tell her that he never stopped loving her, that she was never an embarrassment, that he had never been anything but proud of her. He didn't. Where he got the self-control, he didn't. But he just said softly, "I'm gonna say this again. I am proud of you. I'm ashamed of myself, and of Buck, but I'm proud of you. So proud of you."
She wanted to believe him. He could see it in her eyes. He held his breath ... was she ready to take the next step? Adriana mumbled, "I'm worried about Vin. Every time he gets upset, I mean really upset, to the point that he's shaking, he gets another fever. That's why I limited your ... the exposure y'all had to him. His body isn't recovered yet." She wasn't ready. But that was okay, because she was opening another door as that one closed.
"Because he gets upset if he sees me, or Josiah, Buck or Nathan," Chris said softly, sitting down again. She nodded, and Chris continued, "Which is why you were so furious with me and JD. You're worried that the confrontation will send his fever up again." Again, she nodded and Chris rubbed his eyes, sighing. When did he and the others become the enemy? When did this girl start seeing him as a threat?
"I have to keep him safe, Christopher. I let him down once already. I wanted to stay at his side after Eli Joe," Adriana spat the name out. Chris flinched. He had his own unpleasant memories of the bandit. She didn't appear to notice, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She didn't look any more than thirteen in that moment. Adriana said in a low voice, "I want to trust you, Christopher. But I swear to you now, if you ever hurt Vin like that again, I'll kill you myself. And I learned quite a few things about killing people."
"I have to win back his trust before I can hurt him again, little princess," Chris reminded her, and Adriana nodded. They both fell silent, Chris searching the area around them to see if they were still alone. He had to win back Vin's trust, as well as Adriana's. He didn't know how he would do that. Adriana was slowly starting to let down her guard, but it would be a long time before she fully trusted him once more. In the meantime, he was starting to see the cracks in her armor. He just had to be patient. Never an easy thing for Chris Larabee.
"Who is Charlotte?" she suddenly asked and Chris looked at her. Charlotte? Where did that come from? Adriana raised her head to look at him, and repeated, "Who is Charlotte? I've heard her mentioned twice ... once was a few days ago. I overheard JD and Vin. Vin said something about you letting the bounty hunters have him, as payback for what happened with Charlotte. He repeated that, just a few minutes ago. Who was Charlotte, and why would abandoning him be payback for whatever happened with her?"
"Charlotte is Charlotte Richmond. She was a young woman on the wagon train we escorted," Chris answered heavily, his best friend's words returning to him. Vin believed this was payback? God Almighty, he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to convince the tracker that Charlotte Richmond was in the past. He looked at Adriana, who was waiting patiently, and continued, "She lost her daughter some two years earlier. It shattered her husband ... who shut her out. For two years, she lived like that."
Adriana inhaled sharply, her hazel eyes filling with compassion. She whispered, "That poor woman. Losing her daughter and her husband at the time." Chris just stared at his little sister in wonderment. Somehow, that escaped him. But she was right. Charlotte had lost her child and her husband at the same time. True enough, she got her husband back eventually, but that couldn't take away the pain of those two years.
"She and Vin were attracted to each other. It's a long story, but at one point, they left the wagon train together. They came back, when they learned that the man who was threatening them had hired even more men. During the attack that followed, Charlotte must have realized that she still loved her husband. And I guess that her leaving forced him to see that he could have lost her for good. Mary heard from 'em a few weeks ago, before everything went to hell. They just got a telegraph office. Charlotte's expecting in the spring," Chris replied.
Adriana rose slowly to her feet, murmuring, "Poor woman. I know what that feels like. To grab onto something, because you've lost something you could believe in. I did that once. Not long after I had to leave Vin. I bet she was pretty and sad. Vin could never resist a woman in need of help, and if she was pretty, don't even think about getting in his way." She smiled at the memory of whatever happened.
"She was," Chris admitted honestly. Adriana's reaction startled him. Her compassion for Charlotte startled him. Mary felt sorry for the young wife of the wagonmaster, but this was different. It was almost as if Adriana knew Charlotte herself. And then Chris cursed himself. Of course she knew her. Hadn't she just said she did the exact same thing after she lost Vin? What was it that Koje told him, not long after Vin proved Chanu was innocent? Similar wounds cause similar scars, or something along those lines.
Another silence fell between them, then Adriana murmured, "I should get back. See how badly Vin's fever has gone up. I want your word that none of you will approach him unless he requests it." Chris looked at her, and Adriana added, "I don't trust you, Christopher, but I don't think you're a liar. But I will give you a piece of advice. Just telling Vin that you didn't given your okay when the bounty hunters arrived in town isn't gonna work."
"I know. I figured that out. I gotta win back his trust, just like I gotta win back yours. And little princess, in case you're wondering ... Nathan is gittin' nowhere near Vin," Chris replied. Adriana's face grew very still, then she nodded. With that truce in place ... and yes, that was what it was, wasn't it? With that truce in place, Chris and Adriana mounted their horses once more, and returned to the ranch house. To find another disaster waiting for them.
Adriana had no doubt that Chris meant what he said about keeping Jackson away from Vin. Unfortunately, if he wasn't there, he couldn't keep the so-called healer away from her friend. When she and Chris returned to the house, they found themselves in the middle of an argument between Jackson and Laertes.
Somehow, Jackson found out from Ezra Standish (the only member of the Seven currently with Vin, at the tracker's request) that Vin's fever was rising again. He insisted on seeing Vin, which Laertes steadfastly refused. As Chris and Adriana dismounted, it was just in time to hear Laertes warn, "Yer gittin' nowhere near that boy, ya understand me? Ya done enough to him, I ain't gonna let ya kill him."
Oh dear. This was bad. In the year she had known Laertes, she only once heard him speaking this way ... and that was when he was so angry, he wasn't thinking straight. Adriana slipped up the stairs, fully intending to check on Vin. She didn't talk to Laertes when he was like this ... because it was simply impossible. He wouldn't listen. As she got toward the porch, she turned and glanced over her shoulder.
She had never seen Nathan Jackson up close before. The day before, when she was on the porch, the sun was in her eyes, and she could only make out an extremely tall, dark man. Now she could see his face clearly. And suddenly, Adriana wasn't twenty-five years old any more, but fifteen ... being dragged away from her home by a man who hated her. A man who had never seen her before, but who hated her nonetheless.
She felt all the color drain from her face as remembered fists rose up to strike her once more. Hands going where they weren't supposed to. And she vaguely heard Chris calling her name, vaguely heard Laertes demanding that Jackson git the hell away from his Miss Adriana! A pair of arms went around her waist, supporting her instead of imprisoning her. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! She turned, trying to shut the memories out, and buried her face in the shoulder of her rescuer.
"Git her inside, Mr. Standish. Larabee, I swear, you keep your boy there outside! 'Cause the next time he comes back into the house, I'll blow his fuckin' head off!" Laertes shouted. Adriana was scooped up and carried back into the house, then gently deposited in a rocking chair. The roaring in her ears ceased, until the only sound she heard was her own harsh breathing. Ezra Standish knelt beside her, gently skimming his hand down her back.
Laertes sat down on the table, taking her hands in his own. Adriana struggled to bring her breathing under control, and Laertes said softly, "It's okay, Miss Drina, you're okay now." She nodded, taking deep breaths. Lord, she was embarrassed! Laertes went on, "Can you tell me what happened? You scared the hell out of all of us, especially me and Larabee. Thanks for catching her, Mr. Standish."
"There is no need to thank me ... are you all right, Miss Adriana?" Ezra asked. Adriana nodded, color flowing back into her cheeks. She did not do things like that. Until, at least, she came face to face with the spitting image of Gideon. Why hadn't she noticed that before? Stupid! She wasn't able to see his face before. She had to start thinking straight, if she intended to protect Vin.
"He looks like Gideon, Laertes. Not just his color, but his face, his eyes ... everything. And ... and it was like I was fifteen years old again. I ... I guess I panicked," she admitted.
Adriana ran her hand over her face, sighing, "I feel so stupid. I'm okay now. What about Vin? How is he doing?" Laertes and Ezra looked at each other, and Adriana realized it wasn't gonna be dropped. She said, "Seriously, I'm fine. I heard something about Vin's fever going up. How bad is it this time?" Again, Ezra and Laertes looked at each other, but this time, there was resignation in that glance.
"It isn't bad at the moment, Adriana, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask Aurora to come out. Mr. Sanchez just got back a few minutes ago, and said some of the ladies from Four Corners will be arriving the day after tomorrow. I recognized their names, Vin has spoken of them in the past. Mary Travis, her son Billy will be with her ... Nettie Wells and her niece Casey," Laertes replied. Adriana nodded distractedly. Yes, Vin mentioned Nettie Wells often.
"If you think Aurora can help him, of course. Did Mr. Sanchez say anything else?" she asked. Ezra gave a muffled laugh, and Adriana frowned, looking at the Southerner. She couldn't see his eyes, only the top of his head. Mystified, she looked next at Laertes, who was grinning broadly, white teeth sparkling in his dark face. What was going on here? Laertes was acting as if Ezra Standish was now his coconspirator!
"Mistah Sanchez is out, havin' a word with Mistah Dunne, showin' him the error of his ways," Ezra finally replied. Adriana blinked. Come again? Ezra explained, his gold teeth shining as he grinned impishly, "I believe Mistah Townsend heah called it a modified 'comin' to Jesus' meetin.' If that means anythin' at all to ya, Miss Adriana." The young woman swallowed hard. Actually ... it did. She had a few 'comin' to Jesus' meetings with Gideon before he delivered her to her former owners.
Laertes evidently realized this, for he squeezed her hands and said, "It's okay, Adriana. He's not hurtin' the boy. Just explainin' to him real carefully about gainin' someone's trust. After ya headed out earlier, Mr. Standish here came into the house, wantin' to know what happened and if he could do anythin' to help. Laura needed help with her chores, so I asked Vin if Mr. Standish would be an acceptable companion."
"The answer was 'yes,' and before he departed to aid Miss Laura, Mistah Townsend explained to me about the ugliness which occurred before your departure," Ezra put in. Adriana nodded her understanding. Ezra was silent for several moments, then said softly, "I should add, that Vin's emotions swing like a pendulum between rage and guilt. I believe on some level, he recognizes that Mistah Larabee is tellin' the truth. But thin's are happenin' too quickly."
"And that will just make his fever worse. Laertes, I don't know what to do. We have to help Vin, but he can't do that if people won't leave him alone and let him heal. I don't mean you, Ezra. Why is it that the only ones who understand that Vin needs to do this on his terms, are Christopher and Ezra?" Adriana exclaimed, rising to her feet. She began pacing, and continued, "My dear brother continues to want Vin's forgiveness on his own terms, and Mr. Jackson thinks he has the God-given right to storm in here." She was getting angry all over again. That was good. Anger was better than panic any day of the week. Anger allowed her to get things done. Panic caused her to freeze. Yes, she would much rather be angry.
"I do not believe I am sayin' this, but in all fairness, Miss Adriana ... Mistah Jackson is tryin' to make amends. In his own, rather clumsy way," Ezra replied. Adriana turned to him, wide-eyed with disbelief and just a little angry. Ezra blinked, then said, "Oh dear. I do believe you learned more than a few thin's from Vin. Your mannerisms are very much like his, includin' the face I saw just a moment ago."
"We rode together for two years, Ezra. Not just rode together, but worked together, fought each other, fought back to back. We learned what each other's expressions meant, body language, everything," Adriana retorted. She paused, then added softly, "You're a good man, Ezra Standish. You may pretend that you're not, but you are. As for Mr. Jackson and my brother. They can't atone. They can't make amends. Not for this."
But which 'this' did she mean? She felt a rage toward Nathan Jackson that she hadn't felt before. Was it because he had tried to force Vin into a situation he didn't want? Or was it because of his resemblance to Gideon? Adriana closed her eyes, sinking back into her chair. Laertes gave her hand one last pat, then said, "Speakin' of 'comin' to Jesus' meetings, I should hold one with Mr. Jackson. So he doesn't pull that again. Stay with her, Mr. Standish?" Ezra agreed. Adriana was grateful. With the memories returning, she didn't want to be alone.
Laertes Townsend was furious. Blood-boiling, vision turning red, furious. Larabee was sitting on the front porch, and quietly moved out of the big man's way as Laertes stormed down the steps. In two seconds, he had a hold of Nathan Jackson's collar and had pinned him against the wall of the house, their faces only inches apart. Laertes hissed, "If you ever go near Adriana or Vin again, boy, I will kill you with my bare hands."
Fire leaped into Jackson's eyes at the hated 'boy,' but Laertes didn't care. He growled, "Now, I'm only gonna tell you this once, so you listen good. I'm tellin' you this because I give a damn about that girl in there, and she don't need no more grief. There's a real good reason she don't like you, and it goes beyond the fact that you're a miserable traitor who abandoned one of the few people who ever treated her with respect!"
From the corner of his eye, Laertes saw Larabee rising slowly to his feet. The man didn't seem like he would interfere. Laertes would deal with him, even if he did. The man turned his attack back to Jackson, hissing, "She was sold to white slavers when she was fifteen years old, boy. Fifteen! They turned her into a goddamn sex slave. Oh, you know that, do you? You don't know nothing! It was a colored man who turned her over to those white slavers! A colored man who looks ... just ... like ... you!"
Laertes heard Larabee breathe, "Oh, dear God." The man was obviously putting two and two together. Satisfied that the leader of the Seven would stay out of this, the man turned his attention back to Jackson, who had turned gray. His lips worked frantically, and Laertes could see what he was thinking in his eyes. He was thinking that it wasn't possible, that a colored person would never do that to another living soul, not after being a slave.
Time to disabuse him of that notion. Laertes went on, "Oh, it happened all right. This sick son-of-a-bitch decided to make a little white girl pay for slavery, by turnin' her into a slave. A little white girl who never done nothing to hurt nobody ... a little white girl whose only crime was having a pa who thought of her as a possession. Oh yeah. She was a piece of property. Do you have any idea how long it took me to win her trust? Hmm?"
Laertes didn't wait for an answer. He went on, "So, you figure it out, if you're so damn smart. You figure out why she hates you. And then you figure yourself dead if you ever go near either of them again without permission." He released Jackson, shoving him back against the house. He turned to see Chris Larabee staring at him, his green eyes filled with understanding, horror, and rage. Laertes said softly, "I believe you're a good man, Mr. Larabee. But you gotta wait for Vin to come to you. Or it's no good."
"I know. What about Adriana?" Larabee asked hoarsely. Before Laertes could reply, Larabee went on, "I knew that she was sold to white slavers when she was just a child. I found that out a few nights back. But ... " He motioned helplessly with his hands. Laertes understood anyhow. And he wondered if anyone else had seen the legendary Chris Larabee this helpless. This distraught and angry.
"She's healing. Little by little. I think cryin' earlier helped her. And Ezra Standish helps too. Maybe 'cause he doesn't push her. Whether she wants to or not, she's already starting to let down her guard with you. Vin ... Vin is somethin' else. I can't read that boy, the way I can read Adriana. He's proud, and he's stubborn. I know that much. It ain't gonna be easy to reach him a second time. What did you do the first time?" Laertes asked.
Unexpectedly, Chris Larabee laughed and replied, "Not a damn thing. You know, I've never had to work for his trust. He just ... gave it to me. Oh, I've hurt him. God, have I hurt him. But until now, I've never had to work for his trust. His faith. And I don't know how to earn that. He told me about the bounty on his head, the second day after we met. Told me how it happened. How much it was. Everything."
The green eyes grew distant, as he said softly, "I remember exactly where I was standing, when it happened. When I saw him. I was coming out of the saloon, because of the gunfire. They were gettin' ready to string up Jackson, for allowing a white trail boss to die. Gangrene. Ain't nothing you can do in a case like that. Vin was standing across the street, this skinny kid in a white apron with a broom in his hands. Watching, like I was."
Laertes remained silent, sensing that he was being gifted with a memory that few others outside the Magnificent Seven ever heard.
Larabee went on, "A woman burst out of the newspaper office, carryin' a rifle in her arms. She was so damn determined ... and beautiful. Never told no one that before, but believe me, I noticed she was beautiful. They knocked her out of the way. This one woman, who had more guts than the entire town put together. Didn't know whether I wanted to shake her for puttin' herself in danger or ... "
He shook his head and Laertes smiled. Yes, he knew a few women like that. Infuriating, exasperating, but worth knowing, once you got past all that. Larabee sighed deeply, "That's when the kid went back inside and grabbed a rifle. He was still loading it when our eyes met. Christ, Laertes. That was a year ago, and I still can't figure out what the hell happened. I just looked at him. That was it. He knew, without me saying a word, that I would back him up. Never felt anything like that before ... or since."
Larabee looked down at his feet, murmuring, "I can't say he's perfect. He's not. Hell, it's like I told JD once ... if he was perfect, he wouldn't be one of us. But with only one exception, he has always been there when I needed him. No questions asked. And he's always been, or done, or said, exactly what I needed. And now, he thinks because of the one time he fell ... I let this happen to him. How do I make him see that I would never do that to him? That falling in love with the wrong woman is something totally different from selling out your best friend?"
Laertes didn't know. Josiah Sanchez was heading back over with a chastened JD Dunne. The big man sat down beside Chris, saying, "He understands a bit better now what he did wrong, brother Chris. His intentions were good, but it seems that from the moment this started, the old saying has been true. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The trouble is, the person paying for those bad decisions isn't the one ... or two ... who made the decision."
Larabee nodded, his green eyes darkening, and Sanchez continued, "Now, there's still the matter of whoever poisoned Vin. We were right, Chris. That fire was set deliberately." The blond head snapped up and toward Sanchez, away from Laertes. The former preacher continued, "Long story, but that girl no more caused the fire than you or I did. Now, the questions become, first, who did set it and second, what are we gonna do about it?"
"I had a talk with Aurora, day before yesterday. I should have another talk with her. Think something she said caused Jackson to try to push his way into the house earlier. But she told me she's noticed a few men around town she's never seen before ... and they give her the willies. I don't like involving her any more than she already is involved ... the town ain't easy with a young, pretty colored girl running a business. And eventually, she'll lose her business. But I don't want her to lose her life," Laertes explained.
Larabee was shaking his head, saying, "We'll leave her out of this. She gets any more involved, and she'll be in over her head. No. We'll get that information another way. Josiah, was there a wire of any kind from the Judge?" The big man adjusted his body on the porch, his blue-gray eyes growing distant. Laertes glanced around him at the gunslinger, and found that Larabee looked just as worried as Laertes himself felt. And if Larabee actually looked worried about what came next, that was not a good sign.
"Storm's gathering in town, Chris. Mary and Nettie left this morning with Casey and Billy. There was an ugly scene in town, when Conklin confronted Mary about her support for Vin," Josiah replied. Larabee responded with a number of inventive curses about the origin of this Conklin's parentage, none of which was humanly possible. Laertes waited patiently, then Josiah added, "Conklin's trying to stir up the townfolk against Vin. He ain't succeeding. Yet."
"Time's running out, Josiah. Time's running out, and we just took two steps back," Larabee muttered. Laertes felt something cold seize his gut. Larabee shook his head, then added, "All right. I gotta make a choice between Vin Tanner and Four Corners, there ain't a choice to be made. He was taken from me, taken from us, once, Josiah. It ain't gonna happen again. No one's taking him away from us ever again. Ever."
Mary Travis couldn't remember ever being so angry. She was a lady by upbringing, but she was a mother and she had learned that in her own way, she was also a warrior. Maybe not the same way as Chris Larabee or Vin Tanner, but she fought battles in her way. Just as the woman sitting across from her in the stagecoach did. Nettie's face was lined with worry and anger, the same anger Mary had been feeling for weeks.
Billy said softly, "Mama, does Chris think Vin's gonna be okay?" Mary forced a smile for her seven year old. She felt sick when she thought about what the tracker had been through lately. But she didn't want to frighten Billy, any more than he already was. The trouble was, if Mary couldn't control her rage, she would scare her son. And at the same time, how could she help being angry?
In the last year, ever since she first noticed him outside Watson's Hardware Store with that rifle in his hand, Vin Tanner had become part of Mary's family. She always wanted a brother or a sister, and somehow, in that slender, compassionate, and occasionally ruthless young man, she found the little brother she always wanted. Three years younger than Mary, Vin seemed both much older and much younger at the same time. It was the latter which drew the mother in Mary to him. It was the former which allowed her to lean on him when she needed help which Chris Larabee couldn't provide.
Nettie Welles had come to see Vin as a son. It began when Guy Royal was threatening the elderly widow, but it didn't end there. Her young niece Casey saw Vin as a big brother, one who didn't interfere in her relationship with JD Dunne. Unlike the well-meaning Buck Wilmington, who tried to 'help' the young sheriff court Casey. Mary had only to remember Casey's first time in a dress, and she winced.
Casey refused to speak of Buck now. Mary was still angry with him and Nathan, yes, and probably would be for some time. But she understood now a little better. She still thought they made the wrong decision, still believed they could have all gotten through it, if they just asked for help. She would have helped to protect her town. But when all was said and done, their intentions were good. She only wished she could help Billy to see that.
The little boy had decided he didn't like Nathan any more. Nathan hurt Vin, he sent Vin away when he was sick. What if Nathan tried to send Billy away when he was sick? He knew his mother wouldn't let that happen, that she would try to stop him, just like she tried to stop them from sending Vin away. But her child's trust had been shattered, and Mary had no way of knowing how to make that better.
Especially since Nettie's fury was as strong now as it was a few weeks earlier. Orrin reminded her gently that Buck and Nathan's actions were wrong, but their intentions were good. She fired back that the road to hell was paved with good intentions ... and that Vin was paying the price for their mistake. Or as Casey put it succinctly, their good intentions had paved the way for Vin's road to hell. Nettie had been furious enough with the two peacekeepers for her not to threaten to wash her niece's mouth out with soap.
She supposed she couldn't blame Nettie, not after the confrontation with Conklin before they left town earlier. That man would try the patience of a saint, something Mary never claimed to be. Mary took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She had to keep it together. Instead of Conklin, she thought about Chris, about Vin, and about this young woman who had rescued Vin, with the aid of her friend. Mary didn't know the whole story behind this man, but from what Josiah said, it sounded like he was her surrogate father.
Her name was Adriana. Buck's younger sister, and a friend of Vin's from his bounty hunting days. They rode together for two years, from the time they were nineteen, until Vin's path crossed that of Eli Joe's, when the pair were twenty-one. She was an inmate at a nearby asylum, where she supposedly died eighteen months earlier, shortly before Buck and the others arrived in town. What no one had known until about a week earlier was that she was alive.
It seemed that when Buck went to the asylum to retrieve his sister, he was told she was dead. That was a lie. Mary wanted to know the story behind that. Why did they lie to him? What else was going on? And then there was the whole matter of the fire at the prison camp. Josiah had been investigating that for the last few days. The original story was, it was an accident. Chris and the others believed it was arson.
The question which remained was, if it was set deliberately ... why? Was it tied to the bounty hunters coming for Vin, just when he was so ill? The peyote-laced medicine which Chanu told them about? Who was the doctor whom Nathan had trusted, enough to take that medicine from the man? How exactly did the pair find out Vin was in the prison camp? And again, the questions came back to Adriana Wilmington ... just what sort of woman was she?
Mary wasn't presuming to judge the young woman. But she was curious.
She wasn't the only one. Casey Welles asked softly, "Aunt Nettie, what do ya think this Adriana is like, the lady who rescued Vin and saved his life? Do you think we'll like her?" Mary glanced over at the girl, who was looking miserable in the cramped stagecoach. Casey's dark eyes flickered around, and she said, "I mean ... what if she don't like us? What if she thinks we shoulda protected Vin better?"
"It don't matter, Casey. She may be madder 'n a hornet at Buck Wilmington, but I don't think she blames nobody else for what he and Nathan Jackson done to our boy. But Casey, I want you to listen to me careful, and understand me. Right now, that girl thinks she's gotta protect Vin. So don't go makin' her mad. She don't know us, she don't trust us," Nettie replied. She paused, then added, "It don't matter. She saved my boy. That's all that matters to me."
"Me, too!" Billy piped up and Mary put her arm around her son, staring out the window. Once she was in Pordios, and they met up with this Aurora Hutchins, she had a lot of questions. Josiah told her that Aurora Hutchins was a young mulatto woman, who helped Adriana and the man in the rescue mission. Mary and the others would stay with her for a few days, while Vin recovered more of his strength. The newspaper woman hoped Aurora would answer some of her questions ... because Mary had the uneasy sense that this was far from over.
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