Moss took a cigar from his pocket. “So, that’s it. I figured this train was carryin’ somethin’ special.” He lit the cigar. “I must be gettin’ too old. I suspected all along, but I got careless and didn’t pay no attention.” He puffed on the cigar.
“Well now, that’s where this pretty little lady was a help,” Weber told him. “You’ve been so wrapped up in Miss Boone here that you weren’t paying much attention to anything else.” He jammed the gun again and grinned when she jumped. Then he took his free hand and rested it on her shoulder. “Maybe we’ll get more out of this robbery than just money,” he added.
Moss’s eyes blackened with rage, and he slowly removed the cigar from his mouth.
“Get your hand off her!” he hissed.
Weber turned to look at him, still grinning. “I’d say you’re in no position to give me orders, Tucker,” he said, his eyes cold as ice. “One little nudge, and her insides see daylight. She’s got a small waist, so I’d guess a bullet would rip through her real easy, Tucker.” He let his hand fall, gently brushing over her breast and enjoying the fury in Moss Tucker’s eyes. Amanda sat frozen and speechless. Moss had been right. There were men who had not an ounce of good in them.
She tried to think clearly, but it was next to impossible. The touch of Sollit Weber’s hand on her breast had sickened her, and she felt ready to pass out from fear. But her fear was not just for herself. She knew now that she loved Moss Tucker, and she knew that before this was over the man would try something and perhaps be killed—and it would be because of her. She began to quietly pray and, oddly enough, she prayed for Moss rather than for herself. If God was going to act, He’d have to do it through Moss Tucker.
“So, you know Rand Barker,” Weber said to Moss with the ever present grin. “This should be interesting.”
The train began to slow down.
“Must be a barrier up ahead,” Weber said with a grin.
Amanda’s blood chilled at the sound of Indians’ war hoops, and people began to panic and look out their windows. Just then a tall, bearded man in buckskins charged through the rear door of the car, brandishing a Spencer carbine. Part of the Barker gang had already ridden up from behind and boarded the train.
“Everybody put their hands on top of their heads!” the man ordered.
Keller, the soldier who had been traveling with Weber, stood up and reached for his side arm. “What the—” he started to say. The Spencer boomed out a shot, and Amanda screamed and covered her ears. As Keller flew backward Moss leaned forward slightly, but Weber quickly jerked Amanda sideways in front of him, his gun now in her back.
“Don’t move an inch, Tucker!” he growled. “Check them out, Booner!” he shouted louder. “I’ve got the only really dangerous one covered down here!”
“Right, Sol!” Booner waved his rifle around, as some of the passengers stared in dismay at the bloodied and dead Private Keller. All the passengers but Amanda were male. None of them put up a fuss when Booner again ordered them to put their hands on their heads.
The train rumbled to a complete stop now, as Indians circled around outside and Rand Barker and the rest of his men approached the train. Seconds later pounding could be heard, as the Indians smashed tomahawks into a boxcar. Two more men entered the passenger car, and Moss recognized Rand Barker. Barker didn’t notice him at first.
“Me and Sol have them all covered, Rand,” Booner told the man. “Go ahead and have them empty their pockets.”
“Move it!” Rand ordered the other man who had entered the car with him. Moss’s chest suddenly tightened with dread. He recognized the other man. It was Duke Sage. If Duke saw Amanda…his mind raced. Why on earth couldn’t it have been their car that had been broken down and delayed? He had to do something!
Barker and Sage made their way forward, stealing wallets, rings, watches and anything else that appeared valuable.
“Now, wait just a minute!” one man objected. Barker’s gun smashed across the side of the man’s skull to silence him.
“Empty those pockets without no fuss!” Sage growled to the others. Then he spotted a hat—a woman’s hat. He forgot about the wallets and quickly moved forward. His eyes lit up as he stared at Amanda.
“Well, well, well!” Sage said with a grin. “What have we got here, Sol?”
Weber grinned. “A little something extra for you, Sage,” he replied, eyeing Tucker. Amanda let out a little whimper as Sage grabbed her from the seat. At the same time Moss lunged for Weber. Weber’s gun went off and Amanda screamed as Moss temporarily slumped against Weber. Weber shoved him off and Sage grabbed Amanda tight, her back to him. She was too frozen with fear to even struggle. All she could think of was Moss. Was he dead? She stared at him and began crying, and Sage’s hand moved up to grab a breast.
“I got me one!” he called out to Rand Barker. Moss was struggling to his knees, while Rand ordered Weber and Booner to finish frisking the passengers. He stepped up to Amanda and eyed her up and down.
“What’s your name?” Rand asked her.
Amanda just stared at him. Rand slapped her hard and she cried out, while Sage laughed.
“I asked you a question, lady!” Rand barked. “You got a name? You married? Got family?”
Amanda could not find her voice. Rand began running his hands over her body, reaching under her dress and feeling her legs.
“I think she’s fresh, Rand,” Weber called out. “She was traveling to California to be a nun of all things! She’s not married, and I don’t think she’s been had! That man there I shot, I think he had an interest in her. Calls himself Moses Tucker. Told me he knew you.”
Rand’s attention was immediately drawn away from Amanda. He looked down at Moss, who had now managed to get to his knees. Amanda began weeping as Moss grasped at his side, and blood poured down over his hand, staining the front of his shirt and jacket. He was trying desperately to get to his feet.
“Moss Tucker!” Rand said, smiling. “I’ll be damned!”
“It is Tucker!” Duke Sage said in surprise. Barker reached down and jerked at Moss, but Moss was too big for Rand to get the man to his feet. Rand let go of him, and when Moss realized who it was, he struggled to his feet by himself, determined to face Rand standing up. Sage was touching Amanda’s breasts, and Moss shook with rage.
“You’re gonna die for this, Barker!” Moss growled.
Rand laughed. “I’d say you’re the one who’s dying, Tucker!” he sneered. “I’d put another bullet in you, but I’d just as soon let you die slowly. It would give me more pleasure that way.”
“Leave the woman here, Rand!” Moss hissed. “Take me with you! Torture me if you want! But leave her here!”
Rand chuckled. “Come now, Moss. The little lady could be worth something.”
Moss looked at the weeping and shamed Amanda Boone. His fury knew no bounds! Men like Rand Barker and Duke Sage should not be allowed to desecrate something as precious as Amanda Boone! How could her God allow this to happen? He had to think! He had to protect her until he was able to help her!
“That woman’s never been touched, Rand!” he said in a weakening voice, blood now running down over his boots.
“Moss!” Amanda squealed, trying to reach out to him.
“You…remember that!” Moss went on. “She won’t be worth nothing…if you let men like Sage abuse her!”
“And I suppose you intend to rescue her before we get her to Mexico?” Rand said with a chuckle. “That way you’ll get her back untouched, right?”
Moss just glared at him. “I’ll find you, Barker!”
“You won’t live out the day, Tucker!” Barker glowered. “But if you do, I hope you do come after her. I’ll enjoy getting hold of you.” He turned to look Amanda over again, then lifted her dress and looked at her ruffled pantaloons. Amanda whimpered and began to struggle. Rand turned back to Moss. “All right, Tucker. Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you a few days. If you happen to catch up, then I’ll enjoy tying
you down and letting each of my men take a turn with her while you watch. That would give me more pleasure than killing you outright. In the meantime, if you should die, you can go out of this world knowing that in a few days your little lady friend here will either be getting broken in by Duke here and the others, or she’ll be sold for a tidy profit to a rich rancher in Mexico who’s tired of his fat wife.”
“You bastard!” Moss growled. He lunged forward, and Barker’s gun butt came down hard over Moss’s head. Amanda screamed out Moss’s name, and Barker laughed. Then he turned to Amanda and jerked her away from Sage.
“You remember what I told you!” he growled to Sage. “I’ll decide what we do with her, and she rides with me! Understood?”
Sage looked Amanda up and down hungrily, and she was sure she would be sick any minute. She struggled with Barker, trying to bend down to Moss, but he began pushing her forward to the door.
“Moss! Moss!” she screamed.
Moss could hear her, but he couldn’t move. And he hated himself. Never had he hated himself this much! Of all the scrapes and gunfights and fistfights he’d been in—run-ins with the law, all kinds of tough spots that he’d been able to get himself out of—now the one person he loved and who needed him most could not depend on him. He had failed her! He struggled to rise, but his body would not move. He could hear shouts outside now. Someone was yelling that he had the money. Indians were shouting and cheering and guns were being fired.
Sollit Weber stood over him now.
“Looks like the big, tough man wasn’t able to help his little lady, doesn’t it?” the boy sneered. “That’s what happens when a man gets too carried away with a woman. Takes away his ability to reason.” He heard Weber laugh. Then Weber reached over and picked up Amanda’s carpetbag, emptying its contents. He’d been curious as to why she’d been so possessive of it. The crucifix fell out.
“Well, look here,” he said with a chuckle. “The little lady was carrying something valuable and keeping it a secret. Looks like we’re getting a lot more out of this than we expected! Wait till Rand sees this!”
He chuckled again and went out, carrying the crucifix.
Outside the men waited. Weber mounted up and rode over to Barker, who had Amanda astride his horse in front of him, her hands now tied to the pommel.
“Look what I found in the lady’s bag, boss,” Weber told him.
“No, please!” Amanda wept. “Please put it back! It belongs to the church!”
“Well, then, we’ll just borrow it from God for a little while,” Barker told her, running a hand over the legs he’d deliberately bared. He had pushed her skirts and pantaloons up so that part of her legs were exposed for the pleasure of his men. Amanda wept, more for the fact that Moss was probably dead or dying than for herself. Barker’s men were stuffing money into saddlebags, most of them eyeing Amanda at the same time. Duke Sage sat on his horse nearby, licking his lips.
Just then an Indian rode up to Barker, sitting proud and straight on his mount and holding up a rifle.
“You did not lie!” he said to Rand. “The guns are here! It is good for you that you did not lie!”
“I told you they’d be here, Raincloud,” Barker replied. “Thanks for your help.”
Raincloud looked at the weeping Amanda.
“Who is the woman? Why do you take her?” he asked, frowning.
“Who or what we take isn’t your business, Raincloud,” Barker snapped. “You got your rifles. So get moving.”
Raincloud stared at Amanda another moment.
“You have no business taking the woman.”
“Butt out, Raincloud!” Barker growled.
Raincloud spit on the ground. “You are filth!” the Indian sputtered. “The white man lusts after women and gold! He not only rapes our squaws, but he rapes his own kind! A man who turns on his own kind is worse than a snake! I feel shamed that I have dealt with you. If my people were not starving, I would not have done so. But we need the guns!”
“Then take them and leave!” Rand sneered. He whirled his horse. “Let’s go, men!”
The others shouted, cheered, and laughed. The bounty had been good: money, a valuable crucifix, and a woman! They rode off, quickly disappearing in the dust. Raincloud sat there a moment watching.
“Scum!” he spit out again. But Rand Barker had kept his word about the rifles. Therefore, Raincloud would let him go his way. He let out a war cry and signaled his men to leave; they all rode off waving their new rifles.
Moments later the passengers began to cautiously exit the car. The train sat hissing and still, large boulders in front of it.
“Let’s get these rocks out of the way and get to Bear River City!” somebody shouted. “We’ve got to send a wire to the nearest fort for help. They took a woman!”
Inside the car someone knelt down beside the badly bleeding and now unconscious Moses Tucker.
“They’d better hurry up,” the man commented. “This man here needs a doctor real bad.”
Chapter Eleven
When Moss opened his eyes, everything was blurry. He moved to rise, and pain shot through his side and the room began to spin. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes, trying to think. Where was he? What had caused the pain? He heard a door close and then footsteps.
“You must lie still, Mr. Tucker,” came the soft voice. Was that her? A woman’s soft voice. Amanda! But no, it couldn’t be. Amanda! Amanda! They had taken her away!
He opened his eyes again to see a young woman standing over him, bending down to put a wet cloth to his head. He grabbed the woman’s wrist.
“Where is she!” he whispered. “Where’s Mandy?”
“You mean the woman the robbers took, Mr. Tucker?”
His eyes immediately teared, and the young woman applied the cloth to his head.
“I heard about it, Mr. Tucker. How awful! That poor girl. Soldiers are out searching for them now, Mr. Tucker.”
“No! No!” he groaned. He grabbed the washcloth, threw it to the floor and started to rise again.
“Mr. Tucker, you’re badly hurt! You must lie still!” the young woman protested.
“I’ve…got to go after her!” he groaned, managing to sit up. “I failed her! I failed her! God in heaven, she’s with Rand Barker! And Duke Sage! Jesus Christ, Duke Sage is with them!”
The young woman blushed when Moss threw back the covers, exposing his naked body. Moss was not thinking of anything now but to go after Amanda. The woman fled the room to get help while Moss stumbled around, searching for his underwear. Minutes later a man entered.
“Mr. Tucker, you must get back into bed!” the man ordered.
“I can’t,” Moss grumbled. “I’ve got to go after her!”
“But, Mr. Tucker—”
“Where’s my goddamned underwear?” Moss shouted.
The man sighed and went to a bureau, opening a drawer and taking out a clean pair of long johns.
“You’re making a mistake, Mr. Tucker. I’m Dr. Lumas. You’ve lost a lot of blood. The wound itself will heal if you’re careful, but you’re weakened from blood loss and a fractured skull.”
“I’ve been wounded before,” Moss grumbled, grabbing the underwear. He stumbled as he struggled to get it on. The doctor grasped Moss’s arm.
“Mr. Tucker, you can’t do the woman any good if you pass out and die on your way to get her. There are soldiers out searching, Mr. Tucker.”
“They don’t know where to find men like Rand Barker. I do. I rode with him once. I know where the man hangs out.” He pulled on his underwear. “Where’s my things?”
The doctor sighed in resignation. He walked to a corner of the room, while Moss’s mind whirled with rage, remorse, and terrible dread. Rand Barker had taken Amanda Boone! Would he save her for Mexico? Or would his lust—and that of Duke Sage’s—make Barker change his mind and take her himself, only to then turn her over to his men? The men would all want her, that was sure. And they’d do their best to talk Barker into let
ting them have her. But Barker liked money just a little more than women, and keeping her fresh would make her more valuable. That was Moss’s only hope. He felt on fire with vengeance. Amanda Boone belonged to him! Maybe not literally. But if the woman was ever going to give herself to a man, then Moss Tucker wanted to be first. And a woman like Amanda was not to be toyed with. For her to be forced and taken in the filthy way Rand Barker and his men would take her would drive her insane! What a horrible, devastating way for a girl like Amanda to be introduced to men! It tore at his guts and filled him with rage—such rage that he thought he might vomit.
“Mandy!” he whispered to himself, clinging to the bedpost. “Jesus God, Mandy!”
The doctor came over with Moss’s bag in one hand, and Amanda’s carpetbag in the other.
“The, uh, passengers—they said you’d been a friend of the young lady that was taken,” he told Moss, setting the bags on the bed. “They saved her things. Thought you might want them or maybe know where to send them.”
Moss stared at the carpetbag, and a tear slipped down his cheek. He hung his head and breathed deeply, wiping at his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tucker. Perhaps they’ll find her soon.”
“Where am I?” he asked in a broken voice.
“Bear River City. If you—if you need money, Mr. Tucker, I’d be glad to lend it to you. I think what those men have done is outrageous. If you intend to go after her, you’ll need weapons. The outlaws took everything.”
Moss looked at the baggage. Then he walked around the bed and tore through Amanda’s carpetbag.
“Damn!” he groaned. “The crucifix! They took that, too!”
“What’s that, sir?”
He looked at the doctor. “Never mind.” He wiped at his eyes again. “I, uh, I’d be obliged for the loan. I can only give my word that I’ll pay it back—whatever good the word of a stranger is.”
“Don’t worry about it. If you find her in time, it will have been worth it. But I must advise you that another day or two of rest is very important, Mr. Tucker.”
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