Chapter 9
Heather opened her eyes. Nothing made sense. The last thing she remembered was being in the coach with Mark, yet that wasn’t where she was. Lying on a cot, she looked up at the tent fabric above her head. A tent? What was she doing in a tent, of all things? How had she come to be there?
Her body ached, and there was a sour taste in the back of her throat. She needed some water and air. It was so hot and stuffy in the tent. Heather tried to sit up and found she couldn’t move. Her hands had been bound to the bed. She tried moving her legs and found that they too were bound.
Heather’s mind reeled. What’s going on?
“Hey!” she croaked, her voice dry like sandpaper. “Hey! Is someone there?”
Fear gripped her. How she wished she had a knife or something so that she could defend herself.
The tent flap opened and a familiar person entered.
“Ah, you’re awake,” he said in a jovial, friendly tone.
Heather stared in disbelief, so stunned that speech deserted her for a moment.
“I can see you’re confused. It’s understandable after the nasty knock you had on the head,” he said.
“But … but … ”
Uncle Alex pulled up a stool and sat down. He placed something on the little table beside the cot and smiled at her. “I would have thought that was obvious. I found you all crumpled and bloody in that coach.”
Heather relaxed. Uncle Alex had simply stumbled onto the scene. He had nothing to do with it. Silly of her to assume that he was involved. Anyone could have come by and found the coach and the others.
“What happened to my friends?” she asked as Uncle Alex untied her hands and helped her to sit up. “Why was I tied to the bed?”
“You were thrashing around for a while, I’m afraid. We had to tie you down to protect you,” he said. “Now have some water.”
Heather sipped the water and felt her stomach and head begin to settle. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Only around two hours or so,” he said, placing the glass back on the bedside table. “Heather, I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am that you’re all right.”
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you found us. I thought we were dead the moment those bandits showed up and started shooting at us?—”
The tent flap opened, and a man dressed all in black came in. He had sharp features, dark eyes, and curly, dark brown hair. His smile was a sneer. “We’re ready for you,” he said.
“Oh good,” Uncle Alex said. “Come, Heather. I think you’ll find this most enlightening.” He untied her feet and then helped her to stand.
Heather’s legs were a little wobbly, but she soon regained her strength. Leaning on his arm, she let him lead her from the tent and out into the sunshine. It was still bright and hot, not much past midday, Heather suspected.
She was in a field of tents. On one side was a tall ridge, and on another, a forest of pine trees. Men leading horses, carrying water and baskets, crossed in front of them as they walked through the camp.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“My camp,” he said.
“Is this where you plan to build your factory?” she asked, looking around.
“In a manner of speaking,” Uncle Alex said.
“I’m afraid I wasn’t entirely honest with you, Heather, my dear.
I actually came out here to claim something that technically doesn’t belong to me yet.
So, this is the place from which I hope to get that thing I came for.
Yes, I know that was cryptic, but it will make sense soon. ”
Heather wondered if she had hit her head harder than she thought. That made no sense. “But you brought all of those crates with you.”
“Yes, I did, and thanks to you, I had to wait a week for the rest of them to arrive,” he said, glancing at her as they walked. “It put a little spanner in my works, but nothing I couldn’t work around. That’s why I thought you should be here when we carry out my plan.”
“What are you talking about?” Heather asked.
They had reached an open area surrounded by tents.
Heather’s heart jumped into her throat the moment she saw them.
Tied to poles in the ground were Mark, Ben, and Clary.
They were bloodied and bruised, and their hands were tied behind their backs.
Clary was hardly able to sit up, looking tired and broken.
Ben was slumped at his post, his head dripping blood.
Only Mark sat up, watching them. Seeing him, Heather reacted instantly.
“Oh my goodness!” she cried and ran forward.
Her arm jerked her back, and turning, she saw that Uncle Alex had a firm grip on her.
“No, no, my dear, I’m afraid I can’t let you get to them,” Uncle Alex said.
“What?” Heather asked. “What are you talking about? They’re my friends. That’s Mark, my beau. The one I told you about on the train. Why are they tied up?”
Some men approached the stakes with buckets in their hands. At Uncle Alex’s gesture, they threw water onto the trio. Ben and Clary gasped, lifting their heads. Mark just stared.
“Stop it! They need help! What’s wrong with you?” Heather asked, breaking down into tears. “What’s going on? I don’t understand!”
Uncle Alex looked disappointed. He let go of her arm, and Heather ran to Mark, dropping to her knees in front of him.
He glared at her. “Don’t touch me.”
“What?” she asked.
“He told us about you,” Clary said thickly. “How you told him everything about Unity and about us. You’re a spy!”
Heather couldn’t believe her ears. She sat back in the mud from the water that had been thrown at them. “A spy? But … but … I’m not.” Standing, she turned to Uncle Alex.
“What did you say? What lies did you tell them?” she demanded, fear turning swiftly to fury.
“Only the truth, Heather. That we know each other and that on the train out to Texas, you told me all about Mark’s letters to you.
You couldn’t wait to share them with me, and they are the reason that you’re all here today,” Uncle Alex said, beaming.
“You see, I’ve been trying to get into that town for far too long.
Every time I tried to get a foothold, somehow they managed to kick me back out again.
It was infuriating! I was planning to come here with all my forces and just pummel them until they broke,” he said, slamming a fist into his palm.
“Then at the train station, I found you. The Millers’ innocent, trusting daughter, on her way to Texas.
I remembered Mrs. Miller telling me that you had been corresponding with a young man from a little town.
I didn’t know which town until I read your tags on the crates.
You wrote Unity as the final destination.
“I couldn’t believe my luck! Little Heather, always so happy to help, so eager to please, was going right to the one place that I couldn’t seem to get into. Well, it was too good to be true. So I came up with a new plan, and now you’re part of it, dear Heather. You and your friends.”
“I won’t help you!” Heather cried.
There was a chorus of chuckles and guffaws around her. Uncle Alex’s men had gathered, and they all seemed to find her defiance amusing. Heather squared her shoulders and glared at the man she had thought of as a friend.
“I’ll never help you!” she spat. “So you might as well tie me up with them.”
Uncle Alex shook his head unhappily. “Well, that’s sad. It would be so much better if you could try and be cooperative. Oh well. Tie her to her beau’s stake and let’s see what happens.”
Heather was grabbed roughly by the man in all black. He grinned at her. “Come on.” He dragged her to the post and, pushing on her shoulder, which shot pain through her body, made her sit. Then he tied her hands behind her back and, laughing, walked off.
Uncle Alex moved to stand in front of her. Bending down, he looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry it came to this. I was hoping to recruit you on the train, but you’re far too simple a person for that. You’ll just have to serve another purpose.”
“What purpose?” she asked.
He laughed and patted her cheek. “You’ll see.”
Standing up straight, he walked away.
For a moment, no one said anything. Then Clary broke the silence.
“So, you know El Aguila,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
Heather sighed. “Does it help that I didn’t know he was El Aguila?
I swear, when he came into the Millers’ store for new suits, he was just Uncle Alex.
I didn’t know about all of this. He was just one of their favorite customers.
He brought presents at Christmas. I had no idea. I feel sick about it.”
“What’s in the crates?” Mark asked.
“What?” Heather asked.
“He mentioned crates. What’s in them?” Mark repeated harshly, his tone all business.
Heather tried to think. Her mind seemed to have shut down. He was angry with her for something that wasn’t her fault. How was she supposed to have known anything about Uncle Alex’s dealings? She hadn’t been around him that much, and he didn’t do anything on the train to raise her suspicions.
“Heather, please try to focus! What is in the crates?” Mark asked, speaking in a firm, impatient voice.
Heather swallowed, casting her mind back to when they had been standing by the crates. “Um … I don’t know. I swear. I only saw them all closed up. Oh wait. One broke open a little when we were at the station. I saw something black and long inside.”
“Could it have been a gun?” Ben asked, speaking for the first time.
After a moment’s thought, Heather nodded. Then, realizing that Ben couldn’t see her from his post, she said, “I think so. It could have been.”
“Oh great,” Mark snapped. “So, not only is El Aguila not in New York, where Mac can get him, but he’s here and he has a new plan and a crate full of guns.”
“Eight crates,” Heather said softly.
“What?” Mark asked incredulously.
“He has eight crates,” she repeated.
“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Mark cried, sounding angry and exasperated.
“Because I didn’t know that Uncle Alex is El Aguila!” Heather yelled. “I didn’t know!”
“Well, you should have! He’s a monster. Didn’t you notice that he’s evil? You spent a week with him on the train!”