“I hadn’t planned on ridin’ three on one horse,” Adam said as he led the bay back to them.
“It’s not a problem,” Bonnie said once again. “I’ve got my own horse.” Astonished, Adam asked where it was. “I’ve got a little arrangement with Wilber Jenkins at the stables,” she explained. “Wilber ain’t got much money to spend on partying, so I made him a special deal. We swap rides. I like to take a little ride once in a while, so he lets me take one of the horses when Mr. Thompson ain’t around. Then every time I do that, I give him a free ride.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just a little side arrangement—doesn’t happen very often, and not once since I’ve been back this time. He oughta be ready for a ride.” When her explanation was met with doubting expressions from both Adam and Lacey, she insisted, “Wilber will still be willing to do it.”
“It’s nine o’clock at night,” Adam bluntly pointed out. “He’ll know somethin’s goin’ on.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Bonnie said, “I’ll take care of it.” She started out toward the stables, then stopped after taking a dozen steps and looked back at them. “Don’t get any ideas about taking off without me,’cause if you ain’t here when I get back, I’ll scream so loud I’ll wake up the whole town.” That said, she proceeded to the stables, leaving Adam to wonder if the hard-seasoned prostitute would actually do what she threatened. With an impatient sigh, he turned and helped Lacey up behind the saddle, and they waited.
Just as she had said, Bonnie appeared at the head of the alley a little more than a quarter of an hour later, riding a little chestnut mare. Adam could not decide if he was glad to see she had been successful or hoped that she wouldn’t show up. His immediate concern, however, was what Wilber Jenkins knew about their plans. A word from him and the sheriff’s deputies would immediately be upon them.
“I told you not to worry about it,” Bonnie said. “I told Wilber that I needed to take a little late-night ride to clear the smoke and sweat of the saloon outta my head—told him it was a female thing.” She laughed as she pictured him when she rode out the door. “He’s probably asleep, drunk as he was already. I told him I’d give him a free ride when I got back.”
An Irishman, three mules loaded with gold dust, and two whores, one of them a horse thief, was the thought that flashed through Adam’s mind as he guided the bay up the slope behind the alley.
Like Adam, Michael Finn was openly dismayed when he learned of the addition to their escape party. He had not been in favor of taking Lacey with them on a journey that might prove to be dangerous enough without having a woman to take care of. But he knew he had no say in that decision. He was the one who had asked to tag along. But Bonnie Wells? He wondered what Adam could have been thinking to agree to take her along.
The undisguised look of alarm on Finn’s face adequately conveyed his reaction to her presence. Bonnie was quick to address his concern before Adam had a chance to. “What are you looking like a bear with his foot in a trap for?” she demanded of the short, bull-like Irishman. “I’ll carry my weight on this trip, and I can shoot a gun as good as most men.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Finn said, relaxing his expression of apprehension, almost smiling in response to the brazen prostitute. “You just might get the chance to prove it before this little party is over.” He glanced over to exchange knowing looks with Adam.
“Let’s get movin’,” Adam said. “We need to be way the hell away from here come sunup.”
Since taking the regular road to Virginia City was out of the question, and an open invitation to bushwhackers, Adam and Finn had decided on a longer and decidedly more rugged route, planning to bypass Virginia City entirely. So Adam led the party directly north toward Badger Pass and the mountains. Proceeding at a cautious pace to avoid the risk of crippling any of the horses or mules in the darkness, they were unable to make very good time until, when about two miles north of Bannack, a three-quarter moon climbed over the crown of the mountains to the east of them. With a little better light to see by, they were able to pick up the pace to a fast walk. Dawn found them approximately ten miles from Bannack, just south of Badger Pass, safe enough to stop to rest the animals and eat breakfast.
Both women were quick to do their part, and soon had coffee boiling and bacon frying over the fire that Adam built. While Lacey tended the meat, Bonnie took the liberty to inventory the supplies Adam and Finn had packed. “Well, I’m glad to see you brought some flour and a little baking soda, but it looks like you didn’t plan to eat anything but bacon and coffee.” She glanced at Adam for comment, but he merely shrugged in reply. “Some dried beans mighta been nice,” she went on.
“We weren’t planning a picnic,” Finn responded abruptly, “or I’da brought some champagne for the ladies.”
“Hell, you didn’t even bring any whiskey,” Bonnie commented as she rummaged through the packs of food.
“You just don’t know where to look,” Finn snorted. “Now, just you keep out of the rest of my packs.”
Bonnie took the coffee Lacey handed her and sat down to drink it while she waited for more of the bacon to finish cooking. While she drank it, she studied the packs that the mules carried. After a few moments of silent speculation, she asked, “Is every one of those sacks filled with gold dust?”
“Whether they are or not,” Finn replied, “is no concern of yours.”
She counted ten bags. “Ten sacks,” she exclaimed, and took a loud sip of her coffee for emphasis. “You must be the richest man in the world. How much is it in dollars?” When he ignored her question, she commented, “No wonder we’re sneaking around in the mountains. I thought it was just because Ainsworth was after Adam. Does he know you’ve got this much gold?”
“I reckon he suspects it,” Finn answered. “And when he realizes I’ve packed up and moved out, he’ll have his men lookin’ all over these hills for me. You just forget about what’s in the sacks. Those sacks are filled with my blood and sweat and over two years of hard labor. You’ll be needin’ to worry about gettin’ shot.”
Preferring not to participate in the discussion, Adam got up to check on the condition of his horses. Satisfied that they were both healthy and rested, he helped Finn check his mules. All the animals seemed fit to travel. “I know we haven’t had any sleep, but I think it would be best to put a little more distance between us and Bannack. It’s probably a day’s ride to the Beaverhead River, so I think we should keep at it till we strike it. Whaddaya think, Finn?”
“Suits me fine,” Finn quickly agreed. “The farther we can get, the better.”
Adam looked to Bonnie then. “Think you ladies can hold up till we get there?”
“Don’t worry about us,” Bonnie replied, speaking for them both. “It’s sure as hell not the first time I’ve been up all night.”
“Well, I reckon we’ll get started, then,” Adam said. With breakfast over and the horses and mules packed, they changed their direction of march to an eastern bearing, planning to strike the Beaverhead River at the end of the day if everything went smoothly. A great deal depended upon the difficulty they might encounter trying to keep a constant course through a country of hills mostly barren of trees between there and the river. At least the weather was favorable, with chilly nights and mornings, and pleasant days, giving them one less thing to worry about.
In the saddle again, Bonnie brought her stolen mare up close beside Finn and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Ten sacks—you know, I never realized what an attractive devil you are, old man.”
“You go to hell,” Finn retorted, gave his horse a kick, and moved away from her. She threw her head back and laughed.
Unable to match the boisterous bravado demonstrated by her older sister in the service, Lacey endeavored to stay as close to Adam as possible, still fearful of what each new dawn might bring. She knew that, in the event of danger, it would be Adam’s strength that would decide her fate. The desperation of her situation lay upon her like a leaden shroud. It was no
t the possibility of death that frightened her, for she had decided that death was preferable to the prospect of spending her remaining years in the desecration of her young body. If they were fortunate to escape those who would do them harm, she would still have no notion as to what might lie ahead for her. At what point would Adam tell her that she was out of harm’s way, and was therefore on her own? What would she do? She only knew one occupation. The thought caused her to shudder. Sometimes she wondered if she could go back home to her parents in Kansas. But it had been so long since she had contact with them, and she was reluctant to return an abandoned wife, afraid they might be able to read the shame she had brought upon herself. As usual, thoughts of this nature brought only despair, so she moved even closer behind Adam, seeking solace in his strength.
Gathering darkness found them still in the hills, following a stream that they figured emptied into the Beaverhead, although there was no sign of the river yet. Adam stopped and waited for Finn to pull up beside him. “Looks like we’ve got a little piece to go before we strike the river valley,” he said. “Maybe we oughta just make camp right here while we’ve still got enough light to see what we’re doin’.” He paused to twist right and left in the saddle to take a longer look at the spot. The streambed was fairly wide there, with high ridges on both sides. “Won’t be much danger of anybody seein’ our smoke between these ridges.”
“Looks all right to me,” Finn said.
Pulling up in an effort to hear the discussion, Bonnie offered her opinion. “Good a place as any,” she agreed, and dismounted without waiting for a final decision from the men. “My ass is about to take root in this saddle,” she said, already regretting the fact that she had not stolen a saddle that was a little more comfortable for her behind. “Come on, Lacey. You can help me get a fire started, and we’ll get some supper going.” She cast an accusing glance in Finn’s direction and added, “Such as it is with what supplies we’ve got.”
Finn turned to Adam and remarked sarcastically, “The woman’s the very definition of the word lady.” Adam couldn’t help grinning. He had to admit that he had never met anyone like her. “I guess we’re campin’ here,” Finn said, and dismounted. He and Adam unsaddled the horses and relieved the mules of their packs, gladly leaving the cooking to the women.
After the animals were taken care of and left to graze, Adam took his rifle and climbed up to the top of the ridge to the south of their camp. Making his way through a scattering of pines that skirted the lower third of the hill, he found the upper part almost barren of trees. Near the top, he found a spot that allowed a long look over the way they had come, even though the rapidly growing darkness limited his vision. Still, he stood there for a while, wondering how clean a getaway they had accomplished, him and his little party of misfits. The thought caused him to shake his head in disbelief, and brought images of his father when they showed up at the Triple-B—if they showed up. Then a picture of Jake formed in his mind—wild and carefree; his younger brother’s need for excitement and adventure had led him to his ill-fated rendezvous. We’ve all got a path to travel, he thought, some more rocky than others. No use crying about it. Holding his rifle by the barrel, he propped it on his shoulder and started back down to the camp.
About a half day behind the fugitives, a posse of six men was also in the process of making camp. Deputy Sheriff Ed Bellou had been assigned by Sheriff Ainsworth to lead the posse. There was no doubt in Ainsworth’s mind that the mysterious stranger who had suddenly shown up in Bannack was a gunman hired by the vigilantes. The night before, the bartender at the saloon had happened to walk to the back door in time to see the two prostitutes follow the gunman, who had already seriously reduced the number of outlaws that preyed on the Bannack trails. Ainsworth had severely chastised him for not coming to tell him immediately, even to the point of threatening to hang him as an accomplice. It was Ainsworth’s feeling that the man was probably heading back to Virginia City to continue his stalking of Henry Plummer’s agents. He could think of no plausible explanation for taking the two prostitutes with him, but it was fairly easy to speculate on the presence of Michael Finn. Evidently, Ainsworth thought, part of the deal was to escort Finn out of the territory, for which he would be paid for his services with gold from Finn’s claim.
The mission of the posse was twofold, then: to eliminate the miners’ hired gunman and to confiscate Michael Finn’s gold. There was one other item: the theft of a horse from Art Thompson’s stable. It was of no real importance to the men of the posse, other than to lend an air of legitimacy to the job. Finn’s attempt to smuggle his gold out from under the noses of Plummer’s army of outlaws was not even known until that morning. Ainsworth had already given orders to find Adam Blaine, convinced that he had been hired by the vigilantes. One of three men who had been keeping an eye on Finn’s activities, a grubby little man named Blackie, rode in to town early that morning to report Finn’s departure. Blackie informed Ainsworth that there had been no fire or sign of life of any kind in the Irishman’s camp that night, so he had ridden down in the ravine to find the camp deserted. With something at stake of greater value than Adam Blaine’s life, Ainsworth hurriedly assembled a posse. He assigned Blackie to the posse, along with two more of the many outlaws in the gulch with only one name. One, a bony, bald-headed man called Skinner, was reputed to be an expert tracker. The other was a short, potbellied man named Cox. To round out the six, Jesse Doyle and his partner, Sykes, were added, especially since Jesse had talked rather loudly of his intention to settle with the rifleman himself. As soon as the posse left, Ainsworth went to the telegraph office to send a wire to Henry Plummer in Virginia City, informing him of the possibility of a huge gold shipment being smuggled out of Bannack. He assumed the fugitives would take the common road to Virginia City.
“There ain’t no doubt about it,” Skinner said after tracking the party of prostitutes and the gunman to a high ridge above the town where they hooked up with Finn. “That ol’ bastard is leadin’ three mules, and there’s three other horses with him.” It was a fact that the others could have figured out without Skinner’s unique tracking ability, for there had been little effort to hide the tracks in the dark.
It also took little thought to confirm that the hired gun was in cahoots with Finn, because he had been spotted leaving Finn’s camp the day before. As for the other two riders, there was little doubt of their identity, since the two prostitutes were still missing. “I figured they had to turn back east,” Jesse said when they came to the point where the fugitives had changed directions, “’cause they sure as hell weren’t gonna keep headin’ north into the mountains.”
“They’re headin’ for the Beaverhead,” Ed Bellou said. “We shoulda figured that. We coulda cut ’em off and been waitin’ for ’em at the river.”
“Why do you figure he took them two whores with him?” Blackie asked.
“Hell, who knows?” Bellou replied. “Maybe he’s got needs he can’t do without.” His comment caused a wave of chuckles among the group of men.
“He must have powerful needs if one whore ain’t enough,” Skinner remarked.
“We’ll catch ’em,” Jesse said, finding no humor in their task. “They can’t be makin’ very good time with them mules and two women along.”
Had they known how accurate Jesse’s remark had been, they might have been tempted to push on in the dark, for their prey was only a half day’s ride ahead. As it was, however, they decided it not worth the risk of losing them in the event they might have changed directions again, possibly intent upon heading toward Butte instead of Virginia City. So they went into camp where they were, with intentions of getting started again at first light. To a man, all silent speculation was centered upon the three mules and how much they might be carrying—and how much each individual’s share might amount to, especially if they were to decide not to cut Plummer in on a share. It was easy to figure that Plummer was not entitled to a share, since he had had no hand in tipping them off,
as he did in the stage and freight shipments. Then there was Ainsworth to be concerned with, making another split in addition to six ways already. Jesse realized that he was not the only one speculating on Finn’s gold when Sykes poured a cup of coffee and sat down beside him.
“Reckon how much gold that old fart has on them mules?” Not waiting for an answer, he went on, speaking softly lest he be overheard. “I wish to hell Ainsworth hadn’t sent them extra fellers with us. We coulda done without them three jaspers, split that gold three ways and skedaddled down to Texas.”
“Hell,” Jesse retorted, “we coulda done it with just the two of us. All we need is to get one clear shot at that damn big gunman. Settle his hash and the rest of ’em ain’t gonna cause no trouble a’tall.”
“That sure is a fact,” Sykes replied. “Somethin’ to think about. I reckon we’ll see what’s what tomorrow.” There was no more discussion between them, but the thoughts never strayed far from their minds. They were not alone in their mutinous thinking.
“Them two are sure doin’ some serious talkin’ over there,” Skinner commented as he and his two friends sat apart from Jesse and Sykes. Like them, the three had been watching the trails around Bannack and Virginia City, preying on innocent travelers, all under the direction of Henry Plummer. Plummer’s army of outlaws was so extensive, however, that not many of the smaller gangs had any real contact with the others. Consequently, there was a feeling of competition between them, certainly no sense of loyalty, and even a sense of suspicion. After all, they were all callous cutthroats and bushwhackers.
“They might be of a mind to helpin’ theirselves to that load of gold dust on them mules,” Cox suggested. It was an easy thought to speculate upon, since it was on his mind as well.
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