Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

"She's down there?" Chance asked nervously as he looked down at the camp full of men. Chase simply nodded and scanned the camp.

Tig had redeemed himself a little in the end by telling him where to find Leah but he had not redeemed himself enough to live. Chase did not allow anyone to double cross him and live to talk about it. Chase was not the type of man who wanted to have to watch his back every day of his life.

The camp was crowded and while Chase could not see Leah he knew she was here. He could sense her presence. He could feel in his soul that she was close.

There were two small wooden buildings, five tents and several wagons for supplies. Men and several women made their way around the camp. The men looked mostly like new hires, fresh to the rough world of outlaws. They lacked the rough edges and the ruggedness that men used to this kind of life had. Chase looked over at Chance and Paul and shook his head. The men in this camp looked like the men beside him.

Chase focused back down on the camp. Where would Leah be? He doubted they would put her in a tent. She would be too easy for him to get to in a tent. His gaze moved back to the two buildings standing side by side.

He had a feeling that Leah was in one of those. Only one door and one window on each and harder to get someone in and out of undetected. Though Chase had no plans on going undetected.. He would not kill everyone but anyone that tried to stand between he and Leah was going to wind up bloody, broken and, well, dead.

"Where the hell is she? How are we supposed to figure out where they're keeping her?!" Chance demanded in a low whisper.

"I say we go get some law and come back here with them." Paul added and Chase shook his head.

"Ask your son how that worked out before." he growled and then he shut out the other two men and focused on figuring out where his wife was.

Both buildings were being guarded by armed men so Chase searched for other clues and was rewarded when a man with a bowl in his hands went to the nearest of the buildings and walked in. He fought back amusement when the man came back out several seconds later looking much wetter and cursing as he covered a bloodied nose with his hand.

"Leah is in that building." Chase informed the other two men. Then Chase slid on his belly away from the edge of the ridge and headed back toward where they had tied their horses to nearby shrubs.

"Where are you going?" Paul demanded as he joined him. "Aren't we going in there?"

"We will wait until dark." Chase replied as he swung himself into Blaze's saddle.

"Wait until dark?!" Paul exclaimed and Chase sent him a sharp look to remind him to be quiet. They were fairly far from camp but noise could carry over these hills and plains. Paul clenched his jaw and continued more quietly. "Anything could happen to her before dark! Those men could be doing anything to her!"

"You think I don't know that?" Chase ground out and Blaze felt his rage and began to toss his head and stomp. "That is my wife they have. My soul. But it would do no one any good if we just charge in there in broad daylight with our guns drawn."

"I'm going down there and getting my daughter." Paul stated angrily and he turned and began to walk away. Chase was off of Blaze and had his knife against Paul's throat before Paul or Chance had time to react.

"I warned you last night that I am the boss. I warned you what would happen if you interfered or got in the way of me getting Leah safely."

"You wouldn't kill me." Paul said with a snort and then he stiffened and his eyes became as wide as saucers when Chase's knife tightened against his skin.