Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  A muffled sound met her ears. The noise was coming from underneath the bridge. Holding her arms out to keep her balance, she stepped carefully down the slope of the bank to the point where the water ran beneath the road. There wasn’t a lot of water in the creek, but she could hear the sound of it gurgling over rocks and debris. “Come on out, Willie! It’s Jewel!” as she called, her nerves were going crazy. Frissons of dread and alarm bloomed on her skin. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

  At that same moment, Jewel heard a footstep behind her and an unmistakable click. “Don’t move, bitch.”

  Everett Hill. This was a trap.

  As she stood frozen, another man led Willie Mae from beneath the bridge. She was gagged, her hands tied behind her back. Her hair was wildly tangled and her eyes were wide with fear. The man leading her was Oriental and the smile on his face could be described as nothing less than maniacal.

  “Come on, Zhang. Let’s get them over to my truck.”

  Jewel cringed as Everett poked the muzzle of a gun right at the base of her neck. “You’re a crazy man, Hill. Willie’s your wife.” Making him mad probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but she felt a little crazy herself. The sight of the terrified woman made Jewel’s blood run cold. And it wasn’t just the cuts and bruises on her body that made the scene so blood-chilling, it was the barely discernable spirits of dead women flanking Willie and the man who held her in his cruel grip. Seeing the hopeless looks on their translucent faces brought a scream to her lips. “Help! Help!”

  “Shut up, bitch!” Pain exploded in Jewel’s head as he cracked her skull with the butt of his gun. “Now walk, the fun is just about to begin.”

  Walking wasn’t easy with her vision blurry and her head aching, but Jewel managed. She kept cutting glances toward Willie who was being man-handled by the creep Everett called Zhang. “What are you going to do with us?” Yea, that was probably a dumb question, considering the entourage that accompanied them on their stroll to a nearby copse of cypress trees.

  “We’re about to play a game,” Zhang commented in a sing-song voice. “My favorite game.”

  Bile rolled in Jewel’s stomach. Easy! Easy! Help me, Easy! She just wished he was as connected to her as she seemed to be to him. At this moment, she could feel his contentment. Wherever he was – whatever he was doing, Easy was happy.

  Jewel took comfort in that fact.

  * * *

  “Let me see that one.” Easy pointed to a ring in the back of the case.

  The clerk picked up the jewelry tray and placed it on the counter. “This one?” She picked up a princess cut diamond. “White gold, one-carat. Nice choice.”

  Easy smiled as he examined the ring. “I like this part.” He touched the side beneath the set.

  “Yea, nice craftsmanship on the gallery.”

  “I’m not sure about her size. I didn’t want to ask.” He grinned, making the clerk blush as she returned his smile. “Didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

  “You can always get it sized.”

  “How about engraved?”

  “Sure, if you’d like. We can do that. After it’s sized, of course.”

  “And after she says yes.”

  “We do have a thirty-day return policy.” The woman cleared her throat. “Although, I can’t imagine any woman saying no to you.”

  Her comment made Easy chuckle. Used to be, if a woman who looked like this clerk made a comment like that to him, he would’ve had her phone number and a date before he walked out the door. “She’s amazing. If she says ‘yes’ I’m going to be the happiest man in the world.”

  After paying for the ring, Easy returned to his truck and checked his watch. Dammit. If he took time to take the horses back to Belle Chasse, he’d be late picking Jewel up for dinner. He patted his pocket to call her, then remembered he didn’t have his damn phone. “Hell.” What could he do? He thought a second, then decided to go pick up Jewel first to keep her from worrying. Once they delivered the horses to the barn, he would take the most beautiful girl in the world out to dinner – the woman he hoped would one day be his wife.

  * * *

  “I told you to shut your fuckin’ mouth. If you say one more word, I’ll pull over and gag you like I did my bitch of a wife.” Everett snarled as he gunned the truck down the highway in the growing dusk.

  “You’ll take the gag off your wife when we get there?” Zhang asked in an expectant tone.

  “Oh, yea. We’ll want to hear them scream, won’t we?”

  The man nodded with a gleam in his eye. “Big part of the thrill.”

  Jewel struggled with her bonds, but the ropes binding her hands were tied too tightly. She looked over at Willie who sat beside her in the same predicament. Tears ran down both of their faces. Jewel could see the wordless appeal in the other woman’s eyes. She wanted Jewel to do something to save them. Unfortunately, Jewel wasn’t sure what that something would be.

  “Where are you taking us?” she asked, sure they wouldn’t answer.

  To her surprise, Everett replied, “Laurel Plantation. Our favorite hunting ground. Seems appropriate, considering.”

  Jewel wasn’t sure what he meant, but all she could think about was Dana Norman. She’d been hit and killed on the eastern boundary of the plantation. “What do you mean about hunting?” As she spoke, she caught Willie’s eye and mouthed ‘turn around’. She halfway turned her back to illustrate to the other woman what she was asking her to do. When Willie complied, Jewel did the same, then began working on the knot at her companion’s wrist.

  “Shut up! That’s enough questions.” Unfortunately, Everett glanced at her in the rearview mirror about that time and saw what was going on. With one mighty backhand, he slapped Jewel so hard her teeth rattled. “Try that again and I’ll just stop and kill you here, witch!”

  “Witch?” The Chinese man looked concerned as he repeated the last word out of Everett’s mouth. “You just mean that as an insult. Right?”

  “She claims to have power.” Everett shrugged. “All of that mumbo-jumbo is fake. My wife just talks too much, so this whore knows too much.”

  Zhang turned around to look at her and Jewel held his gaze. She didn’t know exactly what these men had in store for her and Willie, but she knew it wasn’t good. They intended to them – if they got a chance. Focusing her mind, Jewel tried to summon all her know-how, strength, and power. She pictured herself and Willie free. She willed herself to be strong. She used every bit of her power to call for help. And the first person, the only person who came to mind was – Easy! Please come, Easy. I need you. Please come save me!

  By the time the truck came to a stop, Willie was crying so hard Jewel was afraid she might choke on the gag. Jewel was afraid too, but she was also determined that tonight would not be the night she died. Deep in her heart, she knew she had too much to live for.

  “You get the witch out and I’ll handle my lovely wife,” Everett grated the words between his teeth as he pulled a sobbing Willie from the back seat to the ground.

  “Come on, witchy-woman.”

  The Oriental man yanked Jewel by the arm. She remembered what she’d heard about Sheriff Hill selling some land to a Chinese firm to build a methanol plant. What was she and Willie in the deal – an incentive?

  “If you’re a witch, you can’t cast a spell without your magic wand. And you can’t hold a magic wand if your hands are tied. Right?”

  His teasing voice made Jewel tremble. He might sound playful, but every instinct told her the man was deadly. Like a beautiful serpent about to strike. Even with the looming threat, she couldn’t hold her tongue. “Maybe I’m like that witch you see on reruns. Samantha. What if all I have to do is wiggle my nose?”

  She’d barely got the words out of her mouth before Everett punched her in the face. Agony exploded behind her eyes. Jewel almost passed out from the pain.

  “That’s what I’d do, and I’ll do it again. Now. Shut. The. Fuck. Up! Until I tell you
it’s time to start screaming!”

  This tirade from Everett just brought a whimper from Willie. She had the distinct feeling the woman had already given up. With blood running over her lips, Jewel wondered how she’d be strong for both of them.

  After shutting off the pickup lights, Everett turned on a small flashlight and began leading them a good distance away. Trudging along on the uneven ground, she would’ve fallen a few times had Mr. Zhang not jerked her aright. Her heart was beating so loud, Jewel wondered if the others could hear it. Her fear grew with every step.

  “Is here a good place to begin?” Zhang asked in a low voice.

  “Won’t be long. Let’s go as far as that pecan grove up ahead. Besides our gear, there’s a table, two chairs, and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. We might as well wet our whistle while we give these two a good head start. Right now, we’re miles away from anything. Should give our girls enough room to stretch their legs.”

  The more they talked, the clearer image Jewel received of their fate. And the vision she saw was horrific. Unbelievable. When he said this was good hunting ground, Everett hadn’t been kidding.

  No. No. No. No. No. This one word was stuck in her mind. Jewel couldn’t think of anything else.

  “This is the place,” Everett said as he placed the flashlight on the table. “Now, let’s cut their clothes off.”

  “No!” Jewel couldn’t hold back, she had to fight. She had to stop this. “Please, stop!”

  No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t stop the men from stripping them naked. When they cut the ropes from their wrists and took the gag from Willie’s mouth, Jewel knew their time was short. What terrified her most was what she saw on the ground.

  Two crossbows with bolts and night vision goggles.

  Oh, my God.

  This couldn’t be happening. In total panic, she turned on the men – clawing and fighting. “No, you can’t do this!”

  “Oh, yes, we can,” Everett said calmly as Zhang held her off. “But…I can be generous. It’s your choice.” Everett reached behind his back and pulled out his gun to wave in her face. “You can either run or be killed where you stand.”

  “Hey, I don’t pay your fee unless I get to hunt,” Zhang reminded Everett. “Killing them pointblank is no fun.”

  “Oh, you know what choice they’ll make – the same as all the others. At least if they run, they have a chance,” he laughed as he said this, and his companion laughed too.

  “Not really.” Zhang giggled. “But, it’s more fun for us if you think you have a chance to escape.” He reached out and flicked one of Jewel’s nipples with his thumb. “You run harder and we get to chase you.”

  “You’re a maniac!” Jewel sneered at him. “Both of you.”

  “Maybe,” Zhang said with quiet menace. “But I’m a rich maniac. And that makes all the difference.” He picked up the flashlight and moved the beam up and down her body. “Funny, as good as your body is, whore. The sight of you naked is not nearly as exciting as the thought of trailing you.” He sniffed the air. “Tracking you. Piercing you with an arrow and watching your face as the light dies in your eyes.”

  The man truly was mad as a hatter. Jewel shivered at the realization of what was happening to them. Crossing her arms over her breasts, she searched her mind for an answer.

  “Jewel, please! Do something!” Willie whined.

  With Everett still holding the gun on them, Jewel didn’t see that they had a choice. The acceptance of her fate loosened her tongue. Facing Everett, she yelled in his face. “How can you do this to your wife? She’s having your baby!” Jewel fully expected to be backhanded again for the audacity of her question. Somehow, she wasn’t expecting the smile.

  “I’ve been spreading my seed around town for years. I’ve already got four boys.” He pointed at Willie’s slight baby bump. “The doc says this one is a girl. I don’t need some sniveling girl baby.”

  His cruel pronouncement brought another wail to Willie’s lips.

  “Don’t cry, Willie,” Jewel told her. “We’ll make it, somehow. I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, witch!” Everett picked up one of the crossbows and nudged Jewel with the cold steel. “We’ll give you a ten-minute head start. No…” He seemed to consider his options. “We have the four-wheeler and I’m feeling generous. We’ll make that a fifteen-minute head start.”

  For a long heartbeat, they all stood stock still. Until – Everett Hill laughed. “Well, what are you waiting for, girls? Go! Run!”

  Jewel grabbed Willie’s hand and pulled her as hard as she could until they disappeared into the shadows. As unbelievable as this nightmare was – they had to run for their lives. They were about to be hunted like animals.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  “Come on. Come on. We’ve got to put as much distance between us and them as possible.” Jewel ran with Willie not far behind. “We’re on the east side of Laurel. We’ve got to make it to the west side, where the highway is.” As she announced their plan, she realized that’s what Dana Norman had done – only in her panic, she’d run out into the road and been hit and killed.

  “I’m tired. And thirsty. My feet hurt!”

  Willie’s complaints didn’t fall on deaf ears. “I know. You’ll have to power through. If we stop, we’re dead.”

  “I’m sorry, Jewel. So sorry.” Willie began to sob again. “This is my fault. He forced me to call you.”

  She knew that. Cotton had warned her, but she didn’t understand. “Don’t worry. Not now.” Reaching out, she took the woman’s arm. “If we can reach the rows of slave cabins, we’ll have some cover.” But first, they had to get through the sugar cane – acres and acres of sugar cane. As they fled, Jewel was grateful for the moon lighting their way. At least she could see where they were going. Since Everett and Zhang had night vision goggles, the moonlight evened the odds a bit for them.

  “We’re going to die, aren’t we?” Willie wailed. “My husband is going to kill me. He’s going to kill us both.”

  “Hush, Willie! Please. They’ll hear us.” Jewel didn’t know how much time had passed. Every minute seemed like a year. As her eyes swept the landscape ahead of them, she tried to steer them on a path with less brush and rocks. All they needed was a sprained ankle to slow them down even more.

  “I don’t want to die,” Willie whispered in the smallest voice possible. “My husband and that crazy guy killed all those women, now he’s going to kill me.”

  She sounded so pitiful – Jewel’s heart went out to her. “We’re not dead yet, Willie. Just keep going.” Swirls of fog rose around them in wispy spirals. At first, she thought it was just the muggy Louisiana humidity – but as she looked more closely, Jewel could see faces and forms. They were not only being accompanied by the women Everett and his cronies had murdered, they were also visited by long dead slaves who would understand their plight. To her amazement, the wraiths seemed to form a line behind them, providing a bank of obscurity as they made their escape.

  “This place is so creepy. I feel like we’re being watched.”

  Despite the urgency, Jewel wondered at Willie’s insight. “Hush. It’s the living we need to fear, not the dead.” By now, their breath was coming in harsh pants as they plunged into the sea of sugar cane. Soon, their arms and legs were torn by the sharp blades scraping against their skin. A part of her was tempted to just sit down in the cane, try to hide – but she knew that wouldn’t work, they needed to get to the highway. To people. Clinging to Willie’s hand, she forced the other woman to keep going. Jewel didn’t know how much time had passed, but she was very afraid their fifteen minutes of respite was almost over.

  After breaking through the cane, the rows and rows of structures came into view. Laurel was a huge property, maintained as a non-profit. During the day, the place was full of activity. At night – it was deserted. Calling upon a reserve of strength she hadn’t known she possessed, she kept forging forward. Panic and exh
austion were robbers of strength, but hope and adrenaline kept Jewel putting one foot in ahead of the other. “This way.” She tugged Willie to the north. “We can huddle behind one of these cabins to catch our breath.” Everett and Zhang might have night vision, but they certainly didn’t have X-ray vision.

  As they neared the old slave cabins, valued for their historical significance, Jewel realized she’d never visited them before. Oh, she’d known they were here. These relics of shame were what made Laurel Plantation famous. There weren’t too many of these ramshackle structures still standing in the South. Most had succumbed to storms and time. Now that she was here in the midst of them, fleeing for her life – she understood her reticence to avoid them.

  Because – for her – they were still occupied. Jewel was thankful Willie couldn’t see the figures.

  Bent. Thin. Faces drawn. Eyes hollow.

  Some with whip marks. Some with lynch marks.

  A few carrying sacks of cotton. Others wielding farm tools.

  One woman carried a baby on her hip. A stooped grandmother washed clothes on a rubboard. An angry young man raised his shackled arms to shake his fists at her.

  All were weary and broken.

  Death had not brought its promised rest.

  Still…they presented no threat. They were shades of yesterday. Remnants of a time gone by.

  “Over here.” Jewel led Willie to the middle row of cabins. Darting to the side of one, she put the structure in between them and the men who would be hunting them down like dogs. “Let’s catch our breath.”

  They leaned against the rough wood. Breathless.

  “Let’s go inside. Hide.” Before Jewel could stop her, Willie darted around to the door, catching hold of the knob and rattling it hard.