~
Johnny returned to the fiesta looking a little downtrodden. I offered him a brownie, and he shook his head no. “Mr. Villa has requested I stay here instead of riding with the train.”
“Isn’t that better, considering the, um, state of health of the mules?” I asked, remembering the Alka-Seltzer potion Gertie had referred to earlier.
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to leave you and Miss Gertie without an escort.” This sweet boy was going to risk his life to save us from the Villistas and sex slavery. More than I could say for Caiyan.
A shrill train whistle sounded off in the distance, and Villa became excited. He jumped to his feet and motioned for Johnny to get the wagons down to the train.
The Villistas began packing up, and Mrs. Opal was wringing her hands. “I don’t know why Mr. Villa has to take these nice girls with him,” she said to Mr. Hawkins. “It’s so dangerous in Mexico, with that crazy President Carranza and his band of Carranzistas after Mr. Villa.”
“The Carranzistas won’t catch Mr. Villa. I’m sure he needs the girls to, um, help with the mules,” Mr. Hawkins replied hesitantly.
Help with the mules, my ass. He knew exactly what Villa had in store for us but was too afraid to help us. I guess I could understand. Pancho Villa was a scary dude.
I stood watching and waiting. Mitchell and Mahlia were getting their horses ready. There was no sign of Caiyan or Brodie. I thought it odd no one had noticed Paco was missing. I guess he wasn’t really liked all that much. Then it happened: one of the Mexican girls let out a scream, and they all went running to the barn. This would have been a great chance to get away, but I still didn’t have my key.
Villa came out, gun in hand. The two Mexican men who had been guarding the barn spoke to Villa and pointed to me. My heart skipped a beat, and I thought now would be a great time for Caiyan to rescue me. Where was the knight in shining armor when I needed one?
“The gringo has gone to report to the Carranzistas of our return. We leave now!” Villa yelled out to his men and women.
He pointed the gun at me and Gertie. “Let’s go.” This would have been a fine plan, except most of the Mexicans were stumbling around and giggling.
“What did you do to my people?” he said, aiming his gun at Mitchell. Mahlia stepped between them.
“We did nothing. Why don’t you ask the whores?” she said, pointing to me.
Bitch.
“You stay here.” Villa pointed to Mahlia.
“We’re not whores!” Gertie shouted, stalking toward Mahlia. I grabbed her arm, holding her back. “You Hells Angel slut thief!”
This got Mahlia’s attention. She had that “I know what you are” look on her face, but it was directed at Gertie.
Villa looked at me and huffed. He grabbed my arm and forced me up on a horse with one of his men. Then he did the same with Gertie. We made our way out through the back pasture, Mitchell riding close on our heels. Now I understood why the Hawkinses’ house made such a good rendezvous. The railroad ran at the back of their property. There was a steam engine train with two cargo cars for transporting the waiting animals. The mules were being loaded inside, and you could hear them stomping about. The other cargo had apparently been transferred from the wagons, which now sat empty at the side of the train.
Villa and his henchman took Gertie and me to the side of the train car.
“Up!” he demanded, pointing to the top.
“Oh no, I’m not gettin’ up there. I have acrophobia.” Gertie shuffled backward, asking, “How do you say fear of heights in Spanish?” The henchman pushed her in the back with his gun.
“Let’s go, Gert,” I said and began to climb up. My subconscious was also questioning the whereabouts of my knight in shining armor. If Caiyan let Villa take me to Mexico, I was really going to hate him. At the top of the train car, large sandbags were arranged around the perimeter. My guess was the sandbags were to keep us from falling out. One of Villa’s men pulled me over. Gertie tumbled in after me. There were six men and five women on top of the train car. Most were armed with rifles. All were smiling. They had enjoyed my brownies. I scrambled to the side so I could see what was going down. Some of Villa’s men were still on horseback. I guess they were planning to ride back to Mexico. I could see Villa and Mitchell standing next to the train beneath me. I strained to hear what they were saying.
“We have done our part, Villa,” Mitchell said in his scrawny voice. Maybe he would hit puberty soon.
“Very well, gringo.” And he pulled a small bag out of his pocket, then tossed it to Mitchell. Villa motioned for the train to go. Mitchell opened the bag and smiled. I saw the gleam of metal from my key. As I felt the train begin to lurch forward, adrenaline took over.
“Gertie, we have to jump,” I whispered.
The band of men on horses rode to the front of the train. This was our chance.
“No way in hell am I jumping off the top of a train,” Gertie stammered, “Did you see how high it was? Nope, no way. Not today, no how. Never.”
“It’s never. When I say go, grab for the big willow tree branches coming up on the side of the train.”
The train started to pick up a little speed. The flowing branches of the tree hung over the train, petting each car gently as it chugged along.
“Now!” I shouted as our train car went under the tree, and I dove for the nearest branch. I felt Gertie jump after me.
“SHIIIIIIIIIIIT!” I heard her yell as we slid down the tree’s limbs and landed, splat, on the ground. I’m sure I heard the words “crazy bitches” shouted in Spanish as we leaped to freedom. Darkness had finally taken over, but the Mexicans were shooting anyway. I stood and ducked into the tree line with Gertie by my side. My last vision of the train was Pancho Villa hanging off the side of the car, gun in hand, taking a shot at me. He was shouting in Spanish to his men, but his orders were drowned out by the train engine.
“I think I sprained my ankle,” Gertie said.
“Can you walk?” I asked, helping her up. I had skinned my knee, and my left arm was hurting.
We cut through dense brush and hobbled back toward the house. About halfway was a small stream. The water was knee deep, but we managed to make it across. We struggled up a small hill, then found our way through the back pasture. The glow from the lanterns still lighting the area behind the house welcomed us as we ran as fast as our injuries would allow. We came out of the trees just in time to see Caiyan take Mitchell down in the small yard. He was holding him face to the ground in a wrestler’s pose.
“Get the key,” Caiyan commanded. I ran to where Caiyan had Mitchell pinned and grabbed the pouch from his hands.
“Where the hell were you?” I stood over the two men, one hand on my hip, the other holding my precious key. “We were almost taken to Mexico.”
“Now is not a good time, lassie.” Caiyan tightened his grip on Mitchell, who was struggling fiercely. With both hands securing the younger man, Caiyan could not reach his gun.
“You were supposed to rescue us.” I kicked some dirt with my boot.
“Yeah, we had to jump off the top of the train. I sprained my ankle.” Gertie held her boot-clad foot up for Caiyan.
He looked up at the two of us and sighed. “What do ye think I am doing?”
It looked to me like he had been saving the key before trying to rescue us, but considering the situation, I decided to keep it to myself.
Caiyan managed to drag Mitchell to his feet. He was a skinny little thing but still continued to struggle.
“Where’s Brodie?” I asked.
“He is keeping Mortas company. I didnae want any surprises.”
I heard a rifle cock. “Let him go, Caiyan.” Mahlia came into the light. I bet that was a surprise.
“Criminy.” Caiyan sighed, then released Mitchell.
“About time, sis,” Mitchell scoffed.
He came over and jerked the pouch out of my hands.
“Sorry, babe, but that’s ours.”
His New York accent was revealed in its full intensity. He walked over and handed the pouch to Mahlia. She didn’t take her eyes or her gun off Caiyan. Mitchell pulled a small revolver out of his holster and waved it around in the air as he came and stood between me and Caiyan.
“Mahlia—” Caiyan started to say.
“Keep your hands up.” She moved her aim from Caiyan’s chest to right below the belt. I saw Caiyan’s eyes widen. “I know you are with her. I don’t know why, but they are from our time. This means she must be your new transporter.” Mahlia cut her eyes at Gertie, who was still recovering from the jump off the train.
“Mahlia, do naugh be ridiculous. We just picked them up on the way here.”
Never call a scorned woman ridiculous. I grimaced. Mahlia shot him in the leg. Caiyan went down but took Mitchell with him. I lunged at Mahlia. The gun went off in the air. Gertie stood frozen, and the Hawkinses came running out.
“What’s going on?” asked Opal.
About then all hell broke loose. The Villistas had come back to claim the white women. They were shooting haphazardly in all directions. If only I had a box of Twinkies; the brownie effect was at its peak, and they would have dropped their guns immediately. The Hawkinses ran back inside. I dove for cover under the porch. Caiyan had retrieved the gun from his boot and had it on Mitchell. I looked around for Mahlia, but I couldn’t see her. I also didn’t see Gertie. Mr. Hawkins and Johnny, armed with shotguns, came back out on the porch and started picking off the Mexicans. I guess Villa had gotten what he’d come for, because he didn’t return for us white women. I had a feeling he’d sent his Villistas but kept the train going full steam back to Mexico. They could catch up later with or without us.
“Where is Gertie?” I asked, looking around from my safe haven under the porch.
Two of Villa’s men came sneaking around the side of the barn. They were dripping wet and must have fallen in the stream while pursing us. One of the Villista’s had a six-shooter and sent a bullet toward Johnny.
As Mr. Hawkins got off a shot, Brodie came around the side of the house driving a wagon being pulled by Gypsy.
“Damn wetbacks,” Mr. Hawkins said. I thought maybe he had just coined a phrase. “You people all right?”
“We need to be going now, mate. Cover me while we get our guest in the wagon,” Brodie said to Mr. Hawkins as he helped Johnny load Mitchell into the back of the wagon.
“Are you OK?” I asked, belly-crawling over to Caiyan. His jeans were covered in blood to his midthigh.
“Just a flesh wound, lassie.”
I tore a piece of my dress and wrapped it around his leg.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
His green eyes held mine for a moment. “Thanks, love, now stay down.” He stood and limped over to Brodie. I immediately disobeyed and scurried over behind the wagon too.