Whiskey Rose (Fallen) (29 page)

“
No, I will lead them where I want them to go
.
”

“
I can protect you
.
” He followed her down the hallway.

“
No you ca
n’
t
.
”

“
Yes I can
I’
m
a
…”

“
Yo
u’
re a Ranger I know I heard that, congratulations
.
” She walked into the store room and back to the little desk in the corner where she kept the saloo
n’
s books. She moved the desk revealing a safe behind it. She opened the safe and removed a small leather pouch from within.  

“
I wo
n’
t let him hurt you
,
” he said softly.

“
Ha. Hide behind you arrogance if you want to. Do
n’
t expect me to
.
” She straightened up and walked back toward him. He was standing in the doorway blocking her path.

“
So yo
u’
re just going to run
?
”

“
I am, and I will survive another day. I plan to head north. I would suggest you head south
.
”

“
I never run from a fight
.
”

“
Suit yourself. Mind letting me pass
?
” He stepped back out of her way.

“
Why does he want you so bad
?
”

“
I am expected to know what motivates a mad man
?
”

“
Expected? No. But you do know do
n’
t you
?
” She glared at him.

“
He wants me because he could
n’
t have me. Denial is a powerful motivator would
n’
t you agree
?
”

“
More to some than to others
,
” he said blandly
.“
You got away once
.
”

“
I did
.
”

“
So what happened
?
”

“Thought you knew everything Ranger.” He knew she was angry but he didn’t have time to resolve that right now. He wasn’t going to bite so he
just waited.  “He is my uncle, my mother’s brother. When he faked his death he miscalculated and ended up badly burned. He came to her. She was terrified of him so she patched him took care of him while he healed. She knew the way he looked at me. She told me never to be alone with him never to leave my door unlocked and I didn’t. But eventually he healed and then it didn’t matter how many people or locked doors stood in his way. He killed my entire family all the people that thought they could protect me. Then he stripped me and covered me in their blood.” Matt clenched his teeth as anger surged through him he kept his face passive, she knew she was watching him waiting for a reaction so he didn’t react. “I survived because one of his body guards turned on him. I have no illusions as to what he had in mind when he did. It was not by chance that I chose a cover that portrayed me as his daughter.  I don’t think I will be so lucky the second time around so I think I’ll take my chances on my own.”

“
I will protect you. Do you trust me
?
” She just stared at him so he repeated the question.

“
Do you trust me
?
”

“No. You haven’t given me a reason to trust you. But you’ve given me a lot of reasons not to.” She said quietly then she turned and walked out the door. He didn’t follow her this time. He was too shocked. The woman he had just watched walk out was not the same woman he had
gotten to know over the past few weeks. This new woman was cold and calculating. Rose had seemed so guileless and innocent but this woman knew exactly what effect she had when she had kept him at arm’s length. She had toyed with him, drew him in, but to what end? Ultimately she didn’t want his help at all.

Rose stayed close to the buildings as she walked along the boardwalk. When she reached the last building she ducked inside. She climbed the stairs and let herself into a room she kept just for this purpose. She changed her clothes into a black riding habit. She had a black hat with a veil too but she didn’t put that on yet. She peered out the window through a crack in the curtains. She could clearly see the front of the Whiskey Rose as well as the main road through town. She took a derringer out of the drawer and put it in her garter as well as a pistol in her saddle bags.
She placed a couple of knives into specially sewn in liners. Wouldn’t Matt be surprised to know that this room as well as its contents was paid for with what he had thought was payoff money? Sure Eddie Cannon got a fee but it was small compared to what the risk would have been if she had walked in and tried to rent this room herself.  Almost as great a risk as if someone she knew rented it.  Now all she could do was wait.

As the minutes ticked by her thoughts turned to Matt. She didn’t want to think about him. She tried not to but it was inevitable. She had been so angry when she realized that he had known about Kline. That he had known Izzy was behind the damage to the saloon and he hadn’t told her anything. It was hard to believe that he had gone to such great lengths to get close to her. It didn’t make a lot of sense. That was the hardest part. It wasn’t like she could have led him to Kline she didn’t know where he was. Sure he was still looking for her so there was the chance that he would come but it could have been years, it could have been never. Maybe it had been Izzy he had been tracking. He said someone had recognized him in Austin maybe Matt had caught his trail there. But then what about Ben? He had been in love with Pam he had been back to visit her
several times. He had written her letters. That was real and Ben had really been killed.  She sighed and relented that it was much more likely that he really had come looking for Ben’s killer and just stumbled upon her connection to Kline.

“Damn him,” s
he thought bitterly. She had been angry and hurt. Oddly it was the memory of the hurt she felt when he had put on that act with Katrina that had really bothered her. It hadn’t been real and she knew that and yet when it felt like he had been keeping things from her that perceived hurt was as fresh and deep as it had been the first time. She had wanted to hurt him as badly. She had wanted to tell him that none of it had meant anything but she couldn’t. She had said she didn’t trust him to hurt him but that wasn’t quite true. She trusted him more than she trusted anyone else. She had let him behind her locked door. Into her bed and into her heart. She loved him and she hated that she did because now as she watched the saloon and he didn’t leave she knew his life was in danger.

Matt sat at the bar drinking from a glass the whiskey bottle in front of him had been drained and replaced with sarsaparilla. The liquid made him think of Rose but it wasn’t like he wasn’t thinking of her already so it didn’t matter. Maybe she was right maybe he should have leveled with her, told her everything. But he had hoped that she wouldn’t have to know they were tracking Kline until they caught him. He thought it would be better if she didn’t know about the danger but maybe keeping the operation from her had been a breach of her trust. He never told anyone the full scope of his operation he just didn’t operate that way. If anyone knew the entire plan they could betray him. Benji operated the same way. Maybe that was why they worked so well together. Of course that could also be why no one else wanted to work with either of them. You had to give trust to get trust. He knew that but he hadn’t trusted her so she wouldn’t trust him. He took a drink from the glass and refilled it. He wished they would hurry up he hated waiting. He was going to kill Kline. His original intent had been to arrest him but now he knew he was going to kill him. Rose was gone, with any luck she would be far away if he lost the battle with Kline but he was going to kill him anyway, for her, for every other life he had destroyed. Maybe Rose would eventually forgive him. He doubted it but it didn’t matter he would love her forever either way.

The jingle of spurs was loud after the hours of silence.

“
Yer too late, s-closed
.
” Matt slurred
.“
All gone
.
” Matt gestured to the empty room with his glass.

“
I am looking for a woman
.
”

“You n-me both pal. No women here just booze.”  Matt refilled his glass. Kline didn’t look like his wanted posters. Rose had said he had been burned but she didn’t mention that his face had been scared. His left cheek,
neck and ear were badly scared. Part of his scalp no longer grew hair. He looked old. For a man whose legend had been told and retold growing with each retelling he seemed oddly diminished. Still Matt knew better than to underestimate him. His brutality more than made up for his small stature. He had several men with him. He directed his next statement to them.

“
Spread out, find her
.
”
 
The four men separated two went upstairs and two stayed down heading back into the hallway.

“
Drink
?
” Matt asked holding up the bottle.

“
No
.
” Kline curled his lip as if the very idea of having a drink with him was repulsive. Kline drew his gun and leveled it at him. Matt was mildly surprised, he had assumed the other man would be a bit more discreet.

“
Easy there friend I do
n’
t want no trouble
,
” he said still slurring his words.

“
What are you doing here
?
”

“
I own the place
.
” Matt said proudly
.“
Won it in a poker game from a man named Madison. Thought the women came with it. Turns out they did
n’
t
.
” Matt grumbled.  The two men returned from the back and it was all Matt could do to keep his back turned to them.

“
No one back there, boss
.
” One man said.

“
Get his gun
.
” One man pulled him to his feet and he pretended to stumble. The other relieved him of his gun.

“
Hey wha
t’
s your problem man
?
” Matt said indignantly. The man with his gun lifted the glass on the bar and took a mouthful he immediately spit it out and Matt knew his plan had just taken a serious blow.

“
Eck this ai
n’
t whiskey
.
” The man sputtered. Kline raised his gun again.

“
Wher
e’
s the girl
?
”

“
What girl
?
” Kline shot into the floor at his feet. He flinched involuntarily but his resolve fortified.

“
The next one goes in you. Where is the girl
?
”

“
Yo
u’
re going to have to be more specific. I know a lot of girls but they all left when they heard a freak show escapee was coming
.
” He saw the anger spark in Klin
e’
s eyes. Another shot rang out and the man holding his gun dropped to the floor like a stone. The man holding him jerked him backwards and Kline shot up toward the doorway at the top of the stairs before moving under the stairs with them.

“
What was that? Are your men turning on you again Kline
?
” Matt asked.

“
How many do you have up there
?
”

“
Do
n’
t know what yo
u’
re talking about. I
t’
s just me. One gang one Ranger. Hell we do
n’
t even need one whole Ranger for this gang of misfits and freaks but we have
n’
t figured out how to send less than one so here I am
.
” Kline fired one shot. It burned as it tore through his thigh he clenched his teeth barely biting back a pain induced groan.

“
Now yo
u’
re less than one
.
” Kline said and laughed.

“Oh guess I touched a nerve huh?
” Matt said panting slightly from the pain. He was leaning heavily on the man holding him now. Letting him hold him up while his good leg threatened to buckle. Between the pain and the blood he could feel running down his leg hot and sticky he knew he didn’t have much time left. “You hear that, sounds like the man that turned on you got the other one too. Kline looked up above his head as if he could see through the floor. Matt took advantage of the distraction and drove his knife into the gut of the man holding him. He lunged for Kline but his injured leg slowed him down and Kline dodged him. He landed on a table overturning it just as Kline fired at him. The bullet lodged in the underside of the table instead of his intended target. Matt’s vision began to dim and he thought he must be starting to hallucinate because he could swear he saw Rose. If that was the last thing he was going to see before he died it was almost worth it. She was dressed all in black but her long curly hair was flowing fanning out around her shoulders.