Clockwork Cowboy

Chapter 46

"Nova?"

She glanced up to find her husband's expression of concern.  The contrived look did little to calm her nerves. She emitted a wet sounding puff, in a pathetic attempt to sigh through her gag. While there appeared to be a rabble of men tracking her across the country - none were concerned with her wellbeing.

"Before I untie you, I need you to listen to me."

She shrugged petulantly.

"I can't have you drawing attention to this cart."

No he couldn't. God forbid he'd have to share her ransom with some passerby! Nova managed to appear suitably impressed. If she could convince him that she was in an agreeable mood then he would liberate her... and then her lungs could do the rest of the work!

"They're finishing their meal, if you so much as squeak Brandon and his cronies will be out here with weapons. You don't want a gunfight around your mother, do you?"

She bit on the fabric - digging into her cheeks - in frustration. Every one of the men tracking her seemed to be aware of her achilles heel, that she could be easily manipulated by mention of her mother. She only wished she'd hid Helaku on the ranch before setting off.

"You've a terrible opinion of me," Jese began.

Nova bristled in response.

"For which I haven't tried to redeem myself." His tone was apologetic. "But I need you to trust me now. Yesterday you asked me to tell you something about myself... you wanted to know anything. I can't tell you much but I can tell you where I was born?"

She gave him a distrustful look.

"Would it be enough?"

She nodded her head.

"Robeson County, North Carolina."

If her jaw wasn't tied open it would have dropped on its own accord. Who was this man? How had she never met him before?

"Now will you work with me?"

She thought about it seriously. Would she work with him? Could she trust him? If she did trust him and he betrayed her then she would be no worse off than where she was now. With the exception of possibly being able to make a break for it...

"What do you say?" He asked.

Nova nodded.

Pulling a knife from his boot Jese cut the gag free before slicing through the rope at her wrists. "There you go."

He's released me twice in one day. Her cheeks flushed, thinking of how he'd found her that morning, fully unclothed under the blankets, fast asleep. "My mother? Is she alive?"

"She's fine. But she needs a rest."

Pulling herself to sitting position, Nova saw her Mama weakly mouthing food from a small cast iron pot.  "We can't sleep, Jese. We don't have time!"

As Jese opened his mouth to answer the Hotel doors swung open and Brandon walked out, followed by his two henchmen. Coming to a shocked standstill at the scene in front of him, Brandon turned to the large man on his left. "Harry, why don't you show this man your gun?"

Harry, stumbling slightly from the outrageous amounts of liquor he'd obviously imbibed, yanked unsuccessfully at the gun in his holster. "Have you met my little friend?" He asked. Spittle landing on his chin. He tugged and tugged until the weapon dislodged - blasting loudly as it did so.

The gunpowder momentarily disguised the scene, but from the ear piercing screams, Nova could tell that something had gone awry.

Hearing the shutters opening on the Hotel windows, Nova saw an aging patron pop his head out. "Do you need a physician?" He called. His gaze on Harry, who was writhing around on the ground kicking and screaming as his hands clutched his groin. Blood oozed from between his fingers. "Oh, Martha! The man's blown off his scrotum!"