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Having quite enough of the woman’s thorough inquisition, I headed downstairs and outside to see the sights of old Silver Falls.
Common for most small, closeknit towns, any stranger drew attention and interest, and I was no exception. A few surprised bystanders politely greeted me as I passed, but many gaped after me, whispering to each other. I pretended not to notice those staring as I made my way down the street, but I was sure by the end of the afternoon I would be the first car on the town’s gossip train.
One particularly ragged teenage boy and two of his sidekicks catcalled and sniggered at me as I passed by the bank and livery. Ignoring them, I turned left on the main street just as shouting blasted from the Silver Nugget Saloon on the corner. Suddenly a cowboy dragged out a black haired saloon girl through the swinging doors, then roughly hauled her around the building.
The scene looked like some cheesy tourist trap act or western movie production. It was the young woman’s screaming “No!” that snapped me out of my trance and go into action.
I raced across the splashing, muddy road and around to the back of the building, then instantly froze. It was the sheriff himself ranting at the trembling saloon girl, shaking her hard by the shoulders.
“No, Ray, please!” the woman cried.
“Stay clear of the man,”Bryant had warned me.
And I should have. It would have been the smart thing to pretend ignorance, then turn around and run back to the general store.
“I said get rid of it,” the man spat at the tearful young woman.
He shook her again, loosening the woman’s braided black hair. She was very pretty, with sculpted, tanned features and bright green, almond shaped eyes that made me wonder if she was originally from the Snoqualmie village.
“Please, Ray, don’t make me kill our baby,” she cried. “I can’t do it. I can’t!”
“I said get rid of the thing now, or I swear—”
“No! If you make me, I-I’ll tell—”
The sheriff backhanded her cheek with a loud crack.
“Tell one person, and I’ll kill you,” Wilkens threatened with a pointed warning finger.
I couldn’t help it. When the brute lifted his fist to strike the girl again, I grabbed up a rock and shot out of my hiding place wielding it high above my head like a broadsword.
“Leave her alone, you dirtbag!” I yelled.
I really meant only to use the rock as a threatening bluff, but my reflexes had other ideas and it left my hands like a cannon, catching the man’s ear.
Shocked at the impact, Wilkens touched the scrape, then frowned at the blood dotting his fingers.
Vengeance and hate narrowed his eyes when he turned to me. A demon, my instincts warned. Run. Run now!
Because without a doubt, I was going to pay dearly for my feeble rescue attempt.
“I don’t know who you think you are, bitch,” he snarled, stalking towards me. “But no woman talks to me like that. And sure the hell one doesn’t bloody me for any reason.”
“Ray, no!” the woman screamed, running to clutch his arm.
He roughly shoved her aside to stumbled on her backside. Then he turned his black fury back onto me.
“Time someone teaches you your proper place,” he stated, unsheathing his hunting knife.
I turned to run, but the man caught and gripped my arm faster, pressing the blade again pressing my jaw. One bad move on my part, and he would easily slice and dice my features cleanly.
“Ray, please!” the saloon girl screamed, starting towards him, then halting at the man’s warning glare to back off.
“Manners, is what you need,” he hissed to me, tracing the blade tip around the edge of my mouth. “Maybe I should carve a nice little chunk out of that sharp tongue of yours. Remind you to hold it around me.”
I had no doubt that he would do it, too.
Unable to struggled from his iron grip, I squeezed my eyes shut, then braced myself for the worst. Maybe if he was content just to scar me for life instead of slice my jugular...
