Chapter 8
I clucked at Francis, giving the reins a shake, moving him into a trot. He could hold that pace with this light spring wagon all day. I pulled up in the muddy road outside of Miss Emma’s. The shanties and tents were thick along here.
Miss Emma had an eight-foot high board fence surrounding her house on three sides, with a six-foot high wrought iron fence along the front. The front fence was cut by a small gate leading to the front door and a larger opening with a path next to the building leading to a barn and hitching rails in the back.
Dan and Jan rode up next to us observing the scene from horse back. Jan said, “It’s one thing to hear about our B&B being a whorehouse and quite another to actually see it in all its glory.”
Krista was giggling as she asked, ”If we work for Miss Emma do W and D get a discount for services from the ‘girls’?”
Jan answered quickly, “Discount! They should get freebies.”
Dan was laughing and I was confused. Just then we heard the scream followed by the glass breaking. We were all in motion. The livestock was tied to the fence. We were running for the front door
We walked in on an uprising. Four miners were trashing the place. The miner in the dirty red long johns was slapping one of Miss Emma’s female employees. Two fully clothed miners were behind the bar drinking from bottles then throwing them at other girls. The fourth with his pants round his ankles was roughly trying to force one of the girls to give him a blowjob.
I pointed at Dan as I said, “This is YOUR deal, big guy. Have fun.”
Dan tossed me his staff as he reached on his belt pulling out his aluminum PR-24 tee-baton nightstick. Dan proceeded to give us a demonstration of subduing multiple opponents with his favorite ‘tool.’
Dan started with the one in long johns slapping around the girl. Dan very expeditiously dragged ‘long johns’ unconscious body to the door. Dan stood on the stoop as he threw him out the front gate. Dan’s poor aim resulted in ‘long johns’ head bouncing off the wrought iron fence post as he went by.
Mr. Oral Sex went quick. It’s hard to maneuver with your pants shackling your ankles. His face skidded across the rocks covering the walkway as his unconscious body rolled through the gate.
The first of the bottle throwers went out the door just as quickly but his partner pulled a Green River butcher knife out of his boot. This was an error on an almost monumental scale.
Dan disarmed him, breaking his arm in several places. Dan played with him a bit striking him with each handle of the baton. Finally Dan drove into him hard enough to break a couple ribs, spinning into a headshot that knocked Knife Wielder unconscious, leaving several of his teeth on the floor.
Dan threw Knife Wielder over the wrought iron fence. He almost made it clean but one of the ‘spikes’ caught him right in the ass. He was bleeding profusely as he lay in the mud
I walked out until I was near our animals. I pulled my Yellow Boy out of its scabbard cycling a round into the chamber. I let one drive into the muddy street making a geyser of water.
That quickly had the attention of our four ‘fighters’, at least the conscious ones. I announced, “I want you down this road. Don’t ever come back here. MOVE.”
Punctuating that with one more rifle shot into the street.
The two who could move quickly grabbed their motionless colleagues, starting down the road. I helped them on their way with one more round at the heels of ‘long johns.’ Judging by his yelling and jumping around I might have been a tiny bit high with my shot.
Dan, observing his reaction, asked, “Hard to judge in the moonlight?”
I answered, “Just can’t fucking pull it down ‘fine’ anymore.”
We were both laughing as we lead the horses and mule into the back of Miss Emma’s yard. Dan gestured at the horses. I answered, “Loosen the cinches. I don’t know what our two ladies have in mind.”
I tied Francis to long hitching rail next to his three friends. Dan and I headed for the back door of Miss Emma’s House. As we entered the kitchen area Dan and I started to remove our muddy boots. We didn’t get far before a lovely young and nearly naked girl was kneeling at each of our feet pulling off our dirty boots. Another young girl led us into the parlor where we met Miss Emma.
Miss Emma was just slightly older than Krista. She was a long legged, black haired beauty with the long waist so fashionable for the time. She was wearing a long silk robe. Her naked breasts were perched on top of her whalebone corset.
She was sitting in an overstuffed chair. Miss Emma introduced her premier ‘lady’ Gabrielle kneeling on an ottoman next to her.
Gabrielle was a lovely young lady with a tawny burnished mane of hair swirling around her face. She had a voluptuous figure that was displayed to great effect by her negligee.
Jan and Krista were sitting on separate love seats facing Emma and Gabrielle. Dan leaned his staff against the wall next to Jan’s rifle. I followed leaning my Yellow Boy nearby as well. Krista asked, “We heard shooting. Is everything all right?”
Dan smiled, “Just W helping them find their way.”
Gabrielle giggled happily while she clapped her hands. “It was magnificent. I watched from the window as my hero chased them down the street.”
I turned to Krista. She pointed at me as she said, “That would be you, W. Emma has already chosen Dan as her hero.”
Emma reached to a small table picking up a tiny crystal bell. The sound brought the two ‘kitchen girls’ at a run. Emma asked, “Would you like any food or drink? Anything in my power to give is yours. I have no way to repay the boon that your arrival represents.”
I ordered a coffee, Krista brandy, while Dan asked for tea and Jan requested wine. Emma said, “We have wine, brandy and champagne with some of the finest vintages from the preeminent vineyards in France in our wine cellar. You will drink only from my personal vault.”
Jan asked, “France?”
Emma replied, “It has a long journey. Across the water to New York followed by railroad to St. Louis up the Mississippi to St. Paul by riverboat after that across the Dakota territory by wagon train to here.”
I asked, “You sell very much?”
Gabrielle laughed. “To a miner hitting that once in a lifetime gold strike, the only possible celebration is French champagne, and a couple girls worth five hundred dollars a night.”
Emma suddenly looked serious as she said, “That’s how it was. Then some of the town toughs decided we weren’t exempt from their bullying. They decided that my girls were working for free. They simply ran off or killed anyone who protested.”
I asked, “The town sheriff?”
Gabrielle spat as Emma answered hotly with her eyes flashing, “A pig. Only interested in exchange for a half interest in my house.”
Emma continued looking adoringly at Dan. “That is why your intervention was so noble. The word will spread widely. We will have no more incidents while you are living with us.”
I mused softly, “Until the ‘town toughs’ make their appearance.”
Krista turned to me as she said calmly, “We already have a problem with them since I shot Johnny boy. I’m guessing there is a payback for that waiting out there. Probably the same folks.”
I looked at her carefully, lightly touching her cheek with my fingertips as I whispered, “And you, my lovely K. Only you are important in all this. Are you all right?”
She smiled as we tuned everyone and everything out but each other. Krista whispered, “Yes, darling, W. I am fine. I thought it through. After talking to Emma I’m more than fine. I feel needed. We four may have found a calling.”
I admonished her softly, “Don’t be afraid to talk it through. You still might need to debrief. Talk to me. Please don’t ever hold it in. Promise me, K.”
She smiled as, leaning forward, she kissed me on the lips. She said, “Like many things that are happening -- there is a ’rightness’ to how that ‘Johnny’ incident turned out. I feel that rightness.”
The ‘kitchen girls’ were back with our drinks. Serving our beverages in crystal and china from their silver trays. Emma toasted our bravery. Gabrielle had a question for me. “William. My sister Jacinthe is on her way here from our home in New Orleans to work for Miss Emma. She will arrive in Fort Cheyenne by railroad from St. Louis; from there only by stage can she make the final journey to Deadwood. The stagecoach is dreadfully dangerous with the gold robbers everywhere about. Yet, your Krista tells me that you are a premier stagecoach shotgun guard. How could I possibly prevail upon you, my hero, to undertake this dangerous journey, bringing my sister safely here?”
Continued in Chapter 9
Post a comment