HELL HATH NO FURY (A Jess Williams western novel) (19 page)

             
“I saw that cute little behind of yours and I plan on gettin’ me a little of it,” the man said in a whisper.” Annie couldn’t respond since the man had such a tight grip over her mouth.

             
“Who else is in the camp with you, woman?” asked the man. Annie shook her head as if to say no one.

             
“Well, let’s go and see if you’re lying about it,” said the man.

             
He kept a tight grip on Annie as they slowly made their way to the light of the fire. When they got closer, the man, James Hawk, saw two bedrolls. He grabbed Annie by the hair with his left hand and pulled his pistol out with his right hand and cocked it and put the barrel against Annie’s temple on the side of her head. Annie started to yell out for Jess, but the sound of the pistol being cocked and placed against her head kept her from doing so.

             
Jess heard the can drop and he immediately threw his blanket off and stood up, his pistol in his hand and it was cocked. He looked around the camp, but he couldn’t see very well in the dim light. He backed himself away from the campfire and into a dark area and waited for his eyes to adjust. He heard some muffled sounds and watched in the direction the noise was coming from. Finally he saw the outline of Annie and a man slowly walking behind her, his one hand tightly holding onto Annie’s hair, the other hand held a pistol.

             
Hawk kept the pistol pointed at Annie’s head and hollered out. “Whoever else is here better come on out or I’ll blow this woman’s brains out and I mean it!”

             
Jess was standing in the shadows next to a tree and he wasn’t going to come out yet. He was simply waiting for the man to move the pistol enough so that it wasn’t pointed directly at Annie’s head so he could take the shot. Hawks kept the pistol tightly against Annie’s temple so Jess did the only thing he could think of at that moment. Jess holstered his pistol hoping to make the man feel more at ease about his situation, but it would prove to be a deadly mistake. Jess walked out from the shadows and the man instantly saw him. Jess saw the man move the pistol from Annie’s temple and toward him, but before the man got his pistol leveled with Jess, Jess slicked his pistol out and shot the man in the right side of his head. Annie quickly moved out of the way and before the man hit the dirt, Jess fanned two more slugs into him. Annie started to cry and sat down on a log, looking at the dead man who just had a pistol to her head. Jess walked over to the man and checked on him, but he knew he was dead. He checked his pockets and found fifty dollars and Jess pocketed the money. He walked over to Annie who stood up and hugged Jess tightly and Jess could feel her whole body trembling. Jess kept his pistol in his hand just in case.

             
“Oh Jess, I thought that was the end for sure. I’m so sorry,” sobbed Annie.

             
“You’re okay now, but we have to be quiet and watch because he might have a partner with him,” whispered Jess. “What in the hell were you doing out there at the edge of our camp?”

             
“I had to pee so bad that I couldn’t hold it,” whispered Annie.

             
“Well, lucky for you that I had those cans placed out there,” replied Jess. Annie was almost squeezing the breath out of Jess and he could feel her breasts pushing against him and it did in fact feel good. He quickly pushed the thought from his head and listened and watched for any signs of anymore trouble around the camp.

             
“I always thought those cans were kind of a stupid thing, but now I’m glad you do it,” whispered Annie, her mouth next to Jess’ ear.

             
“Annie, don’t take this the wrong way, but you need to let go of me so I can go and check around the camp for any more trouble before I can relax again.”

             
“Oh, I’m sorry, I understand,” said Annie, letting him loose from her grip. Jess looked at her and she had tears running down her face and he wiped them away with his left hand gently.

             
He walked over to his bedroll and picked up the back sling that held his shotgun. “Listen, you take this shotgun and stay in the shadows over there by those trees while I go and check around our camp. If anyone else but me walks back in here, you don’t ask any questions; you just shoot him, understand?” Jess pulled the shotgun from his back sling and handed it to her.

             
“Okay, I’ll do whatever you say,” replied Annie, the sobbing starting to subside a little.

             
First, Jess moved the lifeless body away from their camp and then he began checking around the perimeter. He found a single horse tied to a bush about a hundred feet out from the perimeter of their camp. He saw no signs of any other horses or anyone else. He looked through the man’s saddlebags and found nothing that would be of use to him, so he slapped the horse on his rear and the horse took off running. Jess walked back into their camp and when he did, Annie came out of the shadows still holding the shotgun. Jess took it from her and placed it back in his sling and he put the sling on.

             
“What did you find out there?” asked Annie.

             
“I found one horse and nothing else. I think he was probably alone and saw our fire and was sneaking up on our camp when he spotted you taking a pee.”

             
Annie had gathered herself now. “Yeah, and he got a real good look at my behind.”

             
“I would imagine so,” replied Jess.

             
“That was quite a risky thing you did shooting that man in the head while my head was less than a foot from his.”

             
“There wasn’t anything else I could have done. If I hadn’t, he would have shot me and then after he was done with you, he would’ve put a bullet in your brain and left you out here to rot and you know it’s true.”

             
“That bullet came so close to my face, I could feel the heat from it.”

             
“I’m sorry, but I had no other option at the time.”

             
“Well, I forgive you anyway and thanks for saving my life—again.”

             
Jess cocked his head and gave Annie a funny look. “You’re forgiving me for saving your life?”

             
“Well, I didn’t really mean it the way it came out,” replied Annie.

             
“Well, you go back to sleep. I’m going to stay up and stand watch the rest of the night.”

             
“You can wake me up in a few hours and I can take a turn at watch.”

             
“And what if you have to pee again?”

             
“Well, when you have to go you have to go,” exclaimed Annie. “Don’t you ever have to pee in the middle of the night?”

             
“Yeah, but I can do it while still wearing my pistol,” replied Jess, as he poured himself a cup of the strong coffee. “Damn, that tastes like that mud Sheriff Fowler used to make.”

             
Annie fell fast asleep and Jess went to making a fresh pot of coffee.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

              Annie woke up to the smell of salt pork and coffee. She sat up and yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Jess was sitting on the same log stirring up some pan bread that he would pour into the hot skillet after the salt pork was cooked.

             
“That sure smells good and I’m starving,” said Annie. “Why didn’t you wake me? I would have fixed that for you.”

             
“I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping like a bear in hibernation. You were even snoring a little,” replied Jess.

             
“I don’t snore when I sleep,” exclaimed Annie, getting up and tying her bedroll to her horse behind the saddle.

             
“Yes you do, I listened to it for five minutes before you finally began stirring.”

             
“You’re just kidding me to get my goat,” exclaimed Annie.

             
“Hell, I don’t need to do anything to get your goat,” Jess replied, a cocky smile on his face.

             
Annie walked over to Jess and slapped him on the top of his shoulder and he almost dropped the pan he was using to stir up the pan bread. “That’s for saying I snore,” exclaimed Annie.

             
Jess took the salt pork out and put some of it on each of the two tin plates and he poured the bread mixture into the hot skillet and the bread cooked up really fast in the hot skillet. They ate and Annie cleaned and packed everything up. The two of them climbed up in the saddle and headed for a place just outside of Devil Ridge that Jess had stayed at before. When they got there, they each ate a cold can of beans because he couldn’t risk having a fire. They waited until dark before riding into Devil Ridge. They tied up their horses behind one of the buildings and then they made their way between two others. Before they reached the opening to the street, he turned around to Annie, who almost bumped into him. “Remember, stay very close to me Annie,” he insisted.

             
“Hell, I was so close to you I almost bumped into you when you stopped. Next time warn me when you’re going to stop dead in your tracks,” replied Annie.

             
“Okay. There’s a saloon down the street and pretty close. I know the barkeep there. His name is Owen Hughes and I’m betting that he’ll know where Cliff Hunt is.”

             
“Are you going to make me stay outside of the saloon, because you told me to be your shadow?” Annie asked.

             
“You’ll have to come inside with me, because it’s not safe to leave you outside and alone in this damn town,” replied Jess. “And make sure you remove your hammer strap this time.”

             
Jess walked onto the boardwalk and Annie was surprised when he reached back and removed his two cut-down double barrels; one in each hand. “Okay, here we go and watch everyone in the saloon, even the whores because some of them use those little derringers and knives and they can hide them anywhere,” said Jess.

             
When Jess walked through the swinging doors, the saloon went completely silent because he was holding the two short shotguns and no one wanted any part of that. Jess scanned around looking at all the people in the saloon. He counted at least three men who might be trouble and two whores who were sitting on the laps of two men who had been engaged in a poker game.

             
“If anyone has a problem with me bringing a woman in here, speak up now or get the hell out! Anyone who tries to lay a finger on her will end up dead, understand?” exclaimed Jess.

             
No one said a word until Owen Hughes walked out from behind the bar and up to Jess. “Welcome back Mr. Williams,” said Hughes, putting his hand out to shake Jess’ hand, but Jess wasn’t ready to put the shotguns away just yet.

             
“Nice to see you again, Owen. I’d shake your hand, but I don’t want to put these shotguns away until I think it’s safe for Annie here,” replied Jess.

             
Owen looked Annie over. “I’ve seen whores wearing derringers and knives and such, but I don’t remember seeing one wearing a six-shooter before,” said Hughes.

             
Annie’s face got all red. “I’m not a whore! I’m a respectful woman who just happens to know how to use a six-shooter!” retorted Annie.

             
Owen felt embarrassed and you could tell by the look on his face. “I’m rightly sorry ma’am; it’s just the fact that usually the only women who come in here are whores. I’m really sorry,” replied Hughes.

             
“Well you should be,” retorted Annie.

             
Jess wanted to stop her before she started a long argument. “Annie, go and stand at the end of the bar there with your back to the wall,” demanded Jess. She started to say something, but the look on Jess’ face stopped her from doing so. She walked over to the end of the bar and he followed her by walking backward and scanning around the room. When he got to the bar, he placed the shotgun in his right hand on the bar and put the other shotgun back into the back of his holster. That left his right hand free in case he had to reach for his pistol. Owen walked over to them.

             
“So, what can I get the two of you?” asked Hughes.

             
“I’ll take a whiskey and make it the good stuff and she’ll take a cup of coffee if you have it,” replied Jess, still not turning around from the bar.

             
“I have coffee in the back and a good bottle of whiskey too,” replied Hughes. He went in the back and came back out with coffee and a bottle of good whiskey. “Not much call for this stuff. Most of the men who come through here can’t afford it.”