Chapter Thirty-Three
It felt like an age before everyone congregated just out of sight of the Silver Lantern saloon, the sky getting lighter by the minute. The sun was almost fully out, not a cloud in the sky.
At least it didn’t look like there was going to be any snow today. That would’ve made things a lot tougher.
Sheriff Emmett Rogers was with Nate as he and his men, along with several of Mercy Creek’s townspeople, waited nearby, ready to be told what to do and when to strike.
In the distance, Nate could see the US Marshals lying in wait.
His contact said they would be there and make themselves known when ready.
Nate didn’t want to risk going over to convene, not when there was a chance he could be seen. It was mostly open ground.
That was likely why Pike had decided to build a saloon there. So there was little chance of anyone attacking them or lying in wait.
Nate knew they had to act quickly; otherwise, someone would notice them.
“I can go in the front,” Jack insisted, tugging his collar tighter around his neck. “I’ll pretend that I’m drunk and draw people to me. Then you can sneak in the back way Daisy described.”
“I don’t know if that will work, though,” Nate mused.
“We have to do something. And if we get the guards away from the back entrance, then it makes it easier.”
Sheriff Rogers snorted.
“We don’t have to worry about that. They’re going to have to deal with the mob coming to their front door.”
“We still need to get in there and find out what my wife is,” Nate shot back. “And make sure she and Daisy aren’t hurt.”
“And the quicker we get in there to tackle them, the quicker we can get her out.” Rogers rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t begin to imagine how you’re feeling right now, Nate. If it were my wife or daughters in there…”
“You’d be charging in, firing off your guns and demanding them to be returned while shooting everyone,” Nate finished.
Rogers grunted. It was no secret that when it came to his family, Sheriff Rogers was like an angry bear. He wouldn’t let any harm come to anyone in his family. Nate wondered if he would be able to get that one day with Rachel. He loved Rachel, and he was certain he would easily love their children.
The thought of being a father wasn’t as unsettling as he thought. Before, Nate had thought he would be a horrible father, given the role model he’d had. Now he didn’t think that. Rachel had made him change his perspective.
Another thing he had to be thankful for.
“Look, we need a distraction,” Jack insisted. “And I can make it look like I’m causing trouble. They can’t look in several directions at once.”
“We need to do something.” Rogers nodded at the saloon. “I’m worried that they might get spooked if we go in right now.”
Nate knew that, and he didn’t want to think about his wife dying from his inaction.
All he could think of was getting his wife back and into his arms as soon as he could.
She should be at home with him. Daisy should be free from what she’d been dragged into.
And as for the other girls… they should be free to go about their lives too.
They didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
His stomach churned at the thought of Sandra having been put in that position for so long.
Nate couldn’t let that happen to anyone else.
“All right,” he grunted. “Jack, you go in the front. Sheriff Rogers, your men and I are going in the back. The marshals will go in the front.”
“Fine with me.” Jack gave him a grim nod. “We’re going to get them out, Nate.”
“I know.”
Nate was grateful for Jack. He was the most loyal person he’d ever come across.
As Jack rode toward the front of the saloon, Nate beckoned Rogers to follow him.
They went toward the back, dismounting and moving as quietly as they could through the snow to get to the back entrance.
There was nobody in the courtyard, although there were a few horses in stalls.
None of them made a sound, other than the occasional snort, as the group spread out through the backyard.
Nate and Rogers pressed up against the wall by the door, and Nate gingerly tried the handle.
It turned easily, indicating it was unlocked.
It opened with barely a creak, and he peeked in.
Through the gap, he could see the back of a large man standing in the way.
He didn’t seem to have noticed that the door was open.
Then he heard a clatter and Jack shouting.
He sounded drunk, and he was crashing into things.
Nate wondered how Jack had become such a good actor, being able to divert people’s attention.
He’d been like that since they were children; it had always been Jack to think on his feet to get them out of trouble.
He could hear an argument, and a thump, followed by another crash.
Suddenly, there was a lot of shouting and more glass breaking.
The guard at the door hurried out of sight, and Nate opened the door a little more to stick his head into the corridor.
There was nobody there. He noticed the stairs to his left.
Beckoning Rogers to follow him, they entered the saloon.
He and Rogers stepped aside as the deputies charged past them toward the fracas.
Then the front door opened, and the US Marshals came running into the room.
There was a lot of screaming, and several of the girls were scrabbling away, hurrying up the stairs and knocking each other over in their haste.
“They’ve got to be upstairs,” Nate said, pointing upward. “We’ll try there first.”
“I’ll stay at the bottom of the stairs,” Rogers replied. “Now go. Shout if you find them.”
Nate didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried up the stairs, almost getting knocked over by one of the other girls rushing past him. He caught up with her at the top of the staircase.
“Where’s Daisy?” he demanded.
She looked terrified, her bottom lip trembling, eyes wide with fear. She couldn’t be any older than nineteen. Nate held up his hands.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve come to get my wife back. She was with Daisy.”
“I don’t know where they are.” The girl lifted a trembling hand and pointed at the far end of the hallway. “But if they are here, they’re likely to be in there. That’s where we go when we’ve been… you know…”
Nate didn’t need to ask. He could feel the rage in his chest. How could anyone treat women like this? It was inhumane.
“How do I get in?” he asked, but the girl flinched at another crash from downstairs. A door opened behind her, and a woman with graying hair stuck her head out.
“Mavis, get in! Quickly!”
Giving Nate a nervous smile, still looking scared, Mavis rushed into the room and closed the door.
Nate hurried down the hallway to the far door, noting that it was locked.
Then he noticed the stairs that disappeared down to his right.
He hadn’t noticed any other stairs. Curious, he made his way down them.
He reached the bottom, where a solid door waited.
He gave it a push, but it wouldn’t budge, so he put his shoulder to it.
That was enough for it to move, and cold air blasted him in the face.
He was surprised to see that it went to the outside, facing out toward the open ground with Leadville in the distance.
He could just about make it out in the dawn light.
Daisy hadn’t said anything about this. Maybe she didn’t know about it. But at least they had a better way to get out.
He made his way back to the door, and then noticed it was slightly open. There was a scuffling and thumping coming from the other side of the door. Nate froze. If Daisy and Rachel were in there, were they…?
He rushed inside and saw that Rachel was on the back of a huge man, her arms wrapped around his neck. He was gasping for air, reaching back to try and yank Rachel off him. Daisy had picked up a chair and was hitting him in the stomach.
Then Nate noticed the woman on the bed. She looked in bad shape. Why did she look familiar?
The large man gasped and fell to his knees, Rachel still holding tightly onto his neck.
His face was turning red, his eyes bulging.
Then Rachel glanced up at Daisy, letting go and pulling back just as Daisy took another swing, hitting the man in the face with the chair.
That knocked him backward, and he sprawled on the ground, unmoving as blood seeped from his head.
For a moment, Nate thought that they’d killed him, but the man’s chest was still moving. He was alive, at least.
That was when Rachel saw him. Her cheeks flushed and her hair wild about her, she rushed at him, flinging her arms around his neck.
“Nate!” She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. “I didn’t think I’d see you again!”
Nate managed a smile as he held her just as fiercely, pressing a kiss to her forehead and savoring the moment. He couldn’t begin to describe the relief he felt holding her again.
Then he caught sight of Daisy, who had sagged onto the bed and was sobbing quietly, her face buried in her hands. The emaciated woman was holding her gingerly, stroking Daisy’s hair. Nate stared. He couldn’t believe it. Now he was looking at her properly…
“Sandra?”
The woman looked up, and he recognized her. It really was Sandra.
“Nate!”
He hurried over, falling to his knees and stopping himself from throwing himself onto her; if he did, he was likely to snap her in half.
But Sandra didn’t seem to have the same qualms, hugging him tightly and suddenly sobbing into his shoulder.
Nate held her, shocked by how thin she was. Sandra had never been like this before.
“What’s happened to you?” He pulled back to look her over.
“I refused to do as I was told, so they locked me in here. They barely fed me, expecting me to break and do as I was told.” She shook her head. “But I didn’t bow down to them. This had been going on for too long. I want to get out of here.”
“Of course. Were they leaving you here to starve?”
“I assume so.” Sandra looked over at Rachel, who was crouched by their guard and taking something from his belt. “When she told me you were her husband, I was surprised. I didn’t think you would want to marry after everything…”
“Well, it’s a long story. We can talk about it later. Right now, we’re going to get you out of here. We’ve got backup, and they’re dealing with everyone downstairs. Pike and Vane are going to be arrested.”
The relief washed over Sandra’s face. She nodded and managed a little smile.
“Good. I’m getting too old for this. I don’t want to be a prisoner anymore.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Nate stood and looked at Daisy. “Do you think you’ll be able to get Sandra out of here on your own? There’s a set of stairs that go to a doorway that wasn’t on your map outside this room.”
Daisy frowned.
“I didn’t think that led anywhere. I tried once, but I was caught and beaten for going down there.” Daisy shrugged.
“Well, it’s a real door, and we can get out that way. We need to get Sandra as warm as possible before she leaves.” Nate turned to Rachel. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting his keys.” Rachel stood, holding up a set of keys on a chain. “I thought these might come in handy. There’s bound to be one for the office, and we can unlock the rest of the doors and help the girls escape
“Then let’s get started,” Daisy said, wrapping the blanket around Sandra’s shoulders. “Nobody’s here willingly. Even Olive doesn’t want to be here, but she didn’t want to leave the other girls behind.”
“Then we need to get them all out.” Nate nodded at Rachel. “You try all the keys up here. I’ll join you once I’ve gotten Sandra to safety.”
Rachel nodded grimly, and then she hurried out of the room. There was a sharp determination about her that he had to admire. She wasn’t about to back down, that much was clear.
He turned back to Sandra, who was being helped to her feet by Daisy. She was unsteady on her feet, but there was now a flicker of something in her eyes, as if she were coming alive.
“Let’s get you out of here,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about this place anymore.”
Sandra didn’t reply, but the smile she gave him said enough.