Southern Discomfort (14 page)

Victor grabbed a
fistful of her hair and pulled her to her feet. “That's right, my
precious beauty. I can't have you. Not until you are a widow.”

Realization hit
her. He honestly wanted to hurt her Nathaniel, so he could have her.

“Please, don't
hurt my husband. I love him so.”

“You love him?
That only makes this all the more fun. I'll take him away from you
and everything else you have. First when you are striped naked and
graveling at my feet will you realized that I am the one who has all
the power. You have been mine since the day your father sighed that
contract and you will continue to be mine until death do us part.”

He shoved her
into the dug out earth home and pushed her into a corner. “You are
going to be so sorry about this. Do you have any idea about the shame
and costs I have had to go through to get you back. I'm warning you
now. If you ever try to get away from me again. I will personally cut
off both of your feet.”

Victor paced up
and down in front of the door so she couldn't get out. He was
deciding how to continue. He had hoped that her husband would come
out and shoot the damn cat so he could shoot him, but instead his
little Emily had come out.

Victor had
grabbed her before she could get away again.

“I can't
believe that you would rather live with common whores and their
husbands than in my fine house.”

“They aren't
like that. Please, don't call them that. They are God fearing women.”

Victor had to
laugh. “Is that what they told you? Because it isn't true. They are
whores, plain and simple.”

Emily was
shocked. That couldn't be true. The Tates were good people and their
husbands were so strict. “You're lying. I won't go with you. No
matter what lie you tell me.”

He slapped her
hard. “I'm not lying. Never talk back to me again.” He grabbed
her by her hair again and pulled her face close to his. “You made a
huge mistake. When you try to leave me. You will pay the price for
that and then I will break you in to married life. I might even break
a couple of your bones, but you will learn your place.” He spoke
softly and clearly, but still a shiver went down her spine.

Victor let go of
her, thinking that she was even more beautiful than he remembered. “I
will pay your husband a visit. When I come back we will go home.”

Victor went over
to the corner with the tools and wood. He picked everything up and
went out, closing the door behind him.

He left Emily in
perfect darkness. She heard him nailing the door shut and putting up
boards. He nailed those into place, too.

Emily had no
chance of getting out. She was sitting on the cold dirty floor all
alone. Emily laid her head on her knees and cried. She never should
have come here. Because of her Nathaniel was going to die. She had
been selfish.

She regretted
coming here. Would Victor kill everyone? This was all her fault.

Bessie and Katie
had been at the window, watching Emily. When she turned around to
come back, they had gone back to work. When Emily didn't come in they
peeked out again.

“I can't see
her, anywhere,” Bessie proclaimed.

“Maybe she went
to the barn. She sure is looking for trouble. Nathaniel was really
clear. I should have gone out to get her cat. Bessie, go get her back
in the house before Nathaniel comes back.”

Bessie had a
feeling, like a goose walked over her grave. She went out and looked
for Emily.

Emily wasn't in
the barn or anywhere where Bessie could see her. She walked to the
water hole and then around the house. In the distance she heard the
cat crying. Had Snowball gotten away and Emily chased after her?

Bessie found
Snowball in the high grass. She picked up the animal, gently, before
she walked back to the house with the animal in her arms.

She had been gone
awhile. Bessie went in through the kitchen door. “I couldn't find
Emily, but I have her cat. The cat probably got away from her and she
is out looking for it.”

Bessie looked
around when her sister didn't answer. She saw her sitting in Emily's
armchair. She wasn't doing anything, just sitting still. That was so
unlike Katie.

“Aren't you
feeling well?”

A strange man
stepped out in between them. “If you would please be seated.”
Victor reached for the cat and took it away from her. He had wanted
to break its neck, but the creature had made his day very successful,
so he threw it out of the door. The creature landed on its feet and
trotted away on three legs. He was thinking about nine lives, when he
turned back to the whores.

“Tell me, when
are you expecting your husbands, ladies?”

Charles was the
first to near home. It took him a moment to realize that something
was wrong. He stopped his horse and stared at the house.

Nathaniel stopped
next to him. “What's wrong?”

“There is no
smoke coming out of the chimney. Why aren't the women heating up some
coffee?”

They both looked
over to Edward who was riding away from them. They watched him
dismount and pick up something in the grass.

“Charles,”
Edward called out.

They rode over to
them and saw Emily's cat in his arms.

Charles looked
her over and told them he needed his bag.

“Can you fix
her? Emily really loves Snowball.”

“Of course. It
looks like a clean break. I just have to set it. But that doesn't
explain what is going on at the house. Unless Bessie and Katie are
out looking for the cat and Emily is laying down.”

“What do you
mean?”

“The stove
isn't on. Look, there is no smoke coming out of the chimney. I didn't
hear Katie ring the bell either. Something is wrong here.”

“Charles, I
want you to stay here. If you see that we need help, then ride to
town as quick as lightning. Nathaniel, I want you to ride around back
and sneak up to the house. Make sure you aren't seen.”

“What are you
going to do?” Charles asked.

“I'm going to
go in the front door like I always do. There is a good chance that
this is nothing. If that is the case, I'll whistle for you.” Edward
laid Snowball in Charles arms and got on his horse.

Nathaniel got on
his and took off too. He made sure that he was riding out of sight of
the house.

Once Nathaniel
was in position, Edward slowly rode to the house. He went right to
the barn and got off his horse there. He had a bad feeling about
this. The hairs on the back of his neck were all standing on end.

Victor heard the
horse and peeked out of the window. Finally things were going to take
shape. Victor pulled out his pistol and took aim. He grinned as the
man appeared in the barn door.

Katie had
recognized the horse and knew that it was her husbands. She threw
herself at the strange man standing at her parlor window.

Victor had
already been pulling the trigger when the women pushed into him. He
saw the man, who he was aiming at fall to the ground. He turned to
the woman and slapped her.

Katie was already
screaming because she too had seen her husband fall to the ground.

Victor pushed her
back into her chair. He held his gun to her head. “Quiet, or you
are next.” He left the gun pointing at Katie, as he turned to look
at Bessie. “Who was that man?”

Bessie was
unsure, but judging by her sister's reaction it could only be Edward.
She cleared her throat so she could speak. “It was Edward. Her
husband.” She pointed at her sister.

Katie was
screaming all the more because Bessie was talking about her husband
in the past tense. He was gone. The man, who had loved her enough to
make her an honest woman. She buried her head into the sofa and
sobbed.

“When are the
other two coming?”

Bessie shrugged
her shoulders. Nothing was going as planned today.

“Are you lying
to me, whore?” He slapped her, too.

Bessie covered
her face and shook her head. Would this man kill her husband, too?
“Who are you?” she dared to ask. “And where is Emily?”

He slapped her
again. “That's none of your business, whore.”

Nathaniel hurried
into the barn when he heard the shot. Edward was laying still on his
back. He had one hand on his shoulder. He wasn't moving.

“Edward,” he
called out.

“He got me in
the shoulder. I'm fine, but they think I'm dead. I figured that
staying put until Charles has a moment to look at me would be best.”
He was pretending to be brave, but the truth was that he was scared.

“Nathaniel, I
told you to sneak around the house. Just shoot him. I want you to get
him away from my Katie. She needs to know that I'm okay. Go on, do as
I told you to.”

Nathaniel didn't
want to leave his brother, but he didn't want a madman by his wife
either. He backed out of the barn again and moved carefully around
the house. He saw that the parlor window was broken. That was where
his Emily sat to make clothes for their baby. She was in there with
him. Hopefully he hadn't hurt her.

Nathaniel
carefully peeked into the window. He saw a man looking at him.
Nathaniel ducked out of sight again. A second later the window broke,
sending splinters in every direction.

“Which one was
he?” he demanded of the women.

Nathaniel
listened, wanting to hear Emily's voice.

“I asked you a
question.” Nathaniel heard him slap one of the women. Was he
hurting his Emily? Would she lose the baby? Would he kill a woman?
The threat had been against him, not Emily. He had to hope that
because he hadn't shot them right away that he wouldn't.

“That was
Nathaniel.”

“And where is
your husband, whore?”

“I don't know.
Out on the range?” Bessie answered him.

“Nathaniel
Tate, are you going to hide outside like a little girl? Or are you
going to come in here and fight like a man?”

Charles looked
over his shoulder. He was still holding the cat. Were they being
attacked from each side? A carriage was coming closer to him. He
could clearly see the Brown family from the general store.

Mrs. Brown waved
and smiled at him. Charles, was completely confused now. He slightly
raised his hand to wave back. He could clearly see that Mrs. Brown
was holding a cake on her lap. She was smiling wider than the
Mississippi.

“Hello, Mr.
Tate,” she called out. “We just wanted to pay y'all a visit.”

Her husband was
rolling his eyes next to him.

“We brought a
cake with to share. I'm sure that Mr. Stuart will also like that.”

“Mr. Stuart?”

“Emily's
brother. He was at the store yesterday. I gave him directions out
here.”

“Emily doesn't
have a brother. She is an only child.”

“But he was at
the store yesterday.”

They all heard a
shot.

“Mrs. Brown
take your daughter and get help.” Charles turned to run down to his
wife and brothers. Mr. Brown followed him, also pulling out his
revolver.

Emily sat in the
darkness. She was getting so tired, but she didn't want to lay her
head down on the dirt floor. She was scared and she felt guilty.

Emily heard a
shot and her body slumped to the ground. She was a widow now, just
like Victor wanted. She cried as she thought about the loss of her
husband, lover and the father of her baby.

Even if Victor
didn't kill her he would kill the baby.

She had gambled
and lost. She would be left with nothing and everyone was going to
suffer because of her. Would he kill everyone?

She tried to be
quiet so she could hear Victor coming, but her own sobs were just too
loud.

Awhile later she
heard five more shots. Was everyone dead?

Nathaniel held
his pistol close to his heart. He was worried, because he still
hadn't heard a peep from Emily. He needed to know where she was and
if she was alive.

Nathaniel slowly
moved around the house, listening. The man, who he guessed was Victor
was still in the parlor looking out of the windows. He didn't leave
the women. Katie was crying because she thought that Edward was dead
and Bessie was trying to comfort her.

“I have to go
out to him. I need to see him. What if he is just hurt? He could need
me. I can't just stay sitting in here.”

“Katie, stay by
me. I need you. Please, don't leave me.”

Nathaniel was
worried that he was going to hurt Katie and Bessie, too. He needed to
get that man away from the women as quickly as possible.

“You will stay
right here. No one leaves this room,” the man told them.

“Please, I have
to go to my husband. Why are you doing this to us? We don't even know
you.” Katie was pleading with him and yelling at him.

Nathaniel took
that chance and opened the front door and slipped in. He saw Charles
doing the same thing. They gave each other a nod and each slowly
moved forward to the parlor, staying close to the walls, so they
wouldn't be seen.

Victor shoved
Katie down on the sofa and went back to the windows. He looked out,
getting more and more nervous. This wasn't going according to plan.
He should have just taken off with Emily and told her that he had
killed her husband. If he would ever show up in Boston he could kill
him then.

Victor heard a
revolver click. He turned back and saw Bessie pointing a gun at him.
“Stupid whore.” He raised his arm up to shot her. With in the
space of a few second five shots were fired.

Charles rushed to
his wife's side. He kissed her as she sobbed.

“Am I going to
die?” Bessie asked him.

“I won't let
you.” He worked on opening her clothes so he could see the damage.

“Where's
Emily?” Nathaniel asked Katie.

“I don't know.
He killed Edward.” She pointed to the body on the floor.