Unfinished Business

Chapter Two

by Alias

e-mail: [email protected]

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Vin knew something was up when he saw the man dressed in black- hat

pulled low over his face, hiding his features- leaning back in a chair

on the porch of the Marjorie. If Chris was going to be anywhere

around the saloon, it would be inside at the bar with his whiskey.

His relationship with the owner of the saloon made his being outside

even more unlikely.

"Chris." He said in passing as he headed inside.

He was halfway through the door before Chris said anything.

"You know, there are a few more boys in this town who’re afraid of me

than are of you."

Vin glanced into the saloon. Laurie was talking to Josiah, or rather,

he was talking, Ezra was playing poker, and there was no sign of

Collins. He stepped back, glancing at his friend, not surprised to

see cold, blue eyes trained on him. Chris went back to watching the

people in the street.

"Not that you didn’t do a good job." It had been four days since the

run-ins with Collins, and he’d made it very clear to everyone who had

been in the saloon that night and since that the bandages on Laurie’s

hand were caused by her being clumsy and foolish. He didn’t like

painting her that way, but it was better than the whole town saying

that the lady saloon owner had been scared outa her mind by some

drifter.

"I’m not Buck Vin, I don’t take every word out of that girl’s mouth as

God’s truth." Chris paused, and somehow Vin knew that whatever he was

going to say next was going to cost the gunslinger. "I’m gonna trust

you to take care of this Vin." And then the cold eyes were trained on

him again. "But if anything happens to her that you could have

stopped by coming to me or any of the others for help, I’ll kill you

with my bare hands.

Vin nodded, he was Chris’s friend, but Laurie…well, he’d only seen

that look twice before, once when they’d gone after the man who had

killed Chris’s wife and son, the other when Mary Travis had been

kidnapped.

Chris watched him go inside, then went back to watching the street,

looking for one man in particular. Something that he’d been told

about the man, about his left wrist looking like it had been broken

and then set badly, had brought up an old memory.

*******************************

Vin took another look around the room as he went in. Town was getting

to lively, he didn’t recognize about half the faces there.

He only got half of "Gut warmer" out before Laurie had set the drink

in front of him and hurried off. So she was still avoiding him, fine,

he’d been expecting it. For the last four days, she’d been avoiding

him like the plague anytime they were in the same room. Her not

wantin’ to talk wasn’t going to keep him from keeping an eye on her.

*******************************

Eric paused outside of the saloon. Something about the man dressed in

black seemed—

"Chris Larabee?" The man didn’t take his eyes from the street.

"Yup." Eric stiffened, feeling his wrist begin to itch. The man

glanced up, then back at the street. "I supposed to know you boy?"

The bastard didn’t even remember.

"Quemada ring any bells?"

"Yup."

"And…" Larabee looked up again, and something in the cold blue eyes

made him think that his days had just been decided, and that there

weren’t many left. The man leaned back, resting his elbow on the

railing, cupping his chin.

"Come to think of it, you do remind me of someone. A little brat who

tormented an innocent girl because the only better thing that he could

think of to do was jump in front of a moving wagon. Had bones like

twigs as I recall." He got up, walking into the saloon, but paused

and pointedly looked at Eric’s wrist. "Nice wrist by the way."

*******************************

Vin knew the second Collins came into the room. Most people wouldn’t

have noticed the change in Laurie, unless they’d spent the last for

days watching almost every movement she made. She’d been as skittish

as a colt before, but now her movements were guarded, as if she were

stopping herself from doing something. From the look in those light

green eyes, it was run until she reached the end on the world.

He shifted so that he could have a clear look at the room. Collins

had joined a group of regulars playing cards. Chris had come in

to-probably right on Collins’s tail-and had settled at the table where

Josiah and Ezra, along with two men he didn’t know, were playing poker.

*********

Eric knew that at least two people in the room were watching him.

Tanner at the bar, although he seemed to be paying more attention to

Laurie. And Larabee, who was playing poker with two of the towns

other peacekeepers. He’d found out a lot about them around town the

last few days. Separately, he might be able to handle most of them,

especially the kid, but the preacher, Larabee, and Tanner would

probably pose the most problems. Along with Laurie’s brother, if he

found out about their past.

Approaching the table, he gave his best smile. "You boys have room

for another?"

"You got money?" One of the men asked.

"Of course."

"Suit yourself." The men moved to make room at the table.

"So, boys, any excitement in this town?"

*******************************

"Mr. Larabee? Mr. Larabee?"

"Yeah?" Ezra sighed. Normally, he would have said that Chris’s lack

of attention was because he was watching Buck’s sister, but tonight he

had barely glanced at her, more intent on another table across the room.

"Your call."

Chris laid fifty cents on the table. The other two boys had sadly run

out of money after a bad string of hands, leaving only the two of them

and Josiah.

"Mr. Sanchez?"

"I’m out."

"You boys know that fella?" Chris asked, nodding towards a young man

at the table he had been watching. About twenty five perhaps, dark

brown hair and blue eyes, the only mark on his face was a small scar

on his left cheek.

"I believe he has been in town for a few days. Afraid I don’t know

anything about him however."

"What about you Josiah?"

"Been askin’ a lotta questions about us. First time I’ve seen him in

the saloon though. Name’s Collins I think."

Chris nodded. Nothing more than he had already known. He’d expected

that, but had hoped differently.

"So," Josiah said, "Why’re you so interested in that fella?"

"Don’t know ‘im."

"Don’t know half the town these days."

"So, gentlemen." Ezra finished gathering up the pot. "Shall I deal?"

*******************************

"So then, that idiot actually challenges Tanner!"

Eric hid his frown. He wanted nothing more than to shove the men’s

laughter back down their throats, but then he wouldn’t get the full

story.

"And then what?"

"Well, Tanner ignored him of course. Guy was dead drunk, and he

doesn’t go around looking for fights."

"Then what was the problem?"

"Well, Tanner started goin’ on inta the saloon, but the guy wasn’t

gonna take no for an answer, so he drew his gun, but Tanner was faster."

"And…" he prompted the man.

"Well, Tanner shot the guy of course. Stupid idiot anyways, people

tried ta tell ‘im when he started picking a fight, but noooo…." Eric

ignored the rest of what he said, that was all he had needed to know.

Instead, he watched Laurie.

Damn, but she was a fine sight, with that dark red hair and pale skin.

She’d done well in the past few years. He realized that the drunk’s

babbling had stopped.

"So, tell me more about the lady who runs the saloon."

*******************************

Vin watched Laurie close up from across the street. When he saw the

light in her room over the saloon go out, he went into the hotel.

*******************************

<

ready for, and into, bed before ma got home and realized how late

she’d been out. The last few days, she’d gone riding a lot on Buck’s

old horse, Araby(she suspected that the similarity to Chris’s last

name was intentional, since the horse hated him.) Somehow, riding the

old horse made her less lonely with them gone. She wished she could

take it with her when she and Ma went east, but knew she couldn’t.

She wasn’t paying attention to anything except getting home, and so

didn’t know that anyone was behind her until someone clapped a hand

over her mouth and around her shoulders, pulling her between the

buildings. She winced at the fetid, alcohol stained voice.

"You sure are uppity for a little whore, you know that?"

She glanced down, realizing through her fear that the arm around her

shoulders had a splint on it.

"Somebody really needs ta teach you a lesson, you know that?" The

voice got quieter, closer to her ear. "Maybe I should.">>

Laurie stifled the scream welling up in her throat. She hadn’t had

that dream in years. She turned on the lamp, feeling the tears that

had welled up spilling over.

*******************************

Vin watched the light in Laurie’s room go on, and then off a few

minutes later. Probably just a bad dream. Probably.

*******************************

<

her fear. She started kicking, happy when she felt her heel connect

with the bone of the man’s leg. She barely had time to register it,

however, before she was thrown against the wall.

Hard, cruel lips pressed against hers, and a voice whispered cruelly

in her ear. "Yeah, I should.">>

*******************************

Vin paused outside the door. He almost turned around until he heard

the soft cries from inside. He pulled out his sawed-off shotgun,

opening the door slowly. He didn’t know if she was being attacked or

having a bad dream. He hadn’t seen anyone come in, but that didn’t

mean no one had.

*******************************

<

was enough to make her attacker jump back when she used it on his

face. Unfortunately, it only made him more determined. She gasped as

his good hand closed over her throat.

"I’m gonna teach you but good you little bitch." He snarled in her

ear. "Just you watch.">>

*******************************

Vin looked at the girl thrashing on the bed for a moment. It was a

dream. He almost left, he didn’t like seeing her like that, and hated

to leave her like that, but he doubted she wanted to wake up with a

man in her bedroom.

He was almost to the door when he heard her start begging.

"No." It was barely above a whisper. "Stop, please." Her pillow was

wet with tears.

"Laurie?" He gently shook her shoulders. And then, slightly louder.

"Laurie."

He didn’t expect the reaction he got though. He barely realized she

was awake or what she was doing before one hand suddenly slashed

towards his face…with a dagger in it.

He barely avoided it, watching the blade swing by inches from his face

as he jumped backward. He caught her wrist before the second swipe

could connect with his face, but even as he did, her other

hand-thankfully daggerless-slashed towards his face, connecting with

his cheek.

Eventually, he had her calmed down enough to realize who he was, but

in the process had pinned her to the bed, a fact both realized at the

same time. Slowly, both of them breathing hard, he let her up.

After a few awkward moments, Vin was about to leave when Laurie

suddenly collapsed in his arms, sobbing. It took a few seconds before

he realized that he was supposed to put his arms around her.

Damnit! He didn’t know what to do with a woman. Oh sure, he knew

what to do in the bedroom, and how to be nice and polite and tip his

hat to the ladies and such, but when it actually came to dealing with

them…well, Nettie Wells was the only woman he’d gotten to know really

well in years, although he did like to think of Mrs. Travis as

something of a friend, but if she was gonna be crying in anyones arms,

it would be Chris’s.

He smoothed Laurie’s hair back from her face and began to slowly rock

her. "Shh." He whispered into her hair. "Shh. It was just a dream.

It’s all right now."

"No," she whispered. "No, it wasn’t a dream, it was real. And then,

without warning, without knowing why, the story that she’s kept

bottled up for ten years spilled out.

Afterwards, Vin kept rocking her. He didn’t know what else to do, or

how to express how he felt, or what he wanted to do to Collins. He’d

tried to stop her twice, but she didn’t stop, couldn’t have if she’d

tried. It had been inside her for too long. Halfway through, Vin had

started think of ways to kill Collins. He’d come up with almost

fifty, most of them slow and painful, but all still to good a death.

Eventually, he realized that she’d fallen back asleep. Slowly, as

gently as she could, he laid her back down, but was surprised when she

grabbed his arm when he tried to leave.

"Don’t go." He could barely hear her. Studying her face, he realized

that she was still asleep.

He looked around the room. If he tried, he could just reach the chair

at her small desk without pulling away. He pulled it over, settling

in for a long night.

*******************************

He glanced out the window. The sun would be rising in an hour, and he

needed to get a bit of sleep before the new day.

Slowly, he eased his arm from her grasp, noticing the slight frown

that almost instantly appeared on her face.

Pausing at the door, he took one last look at her. The moonlight made

he skin look paler, and her hair darker. She almost looked like a

fragile angel, even in her men’s clothes behind the counter, but right

now he was reminded of a story his mother had told him once, about a

beautiful fairy who was banished from their land for loving the

humans, and was worshipped for centuries on earth as queene of the

fairies.

Unfinished business chapter 3