Daring (11 page)

She watched the man turn and sprint down the alley. Ruby glanced along the path and could not see Hannah. On a whim, she went back to the sidewalk to the next open alley, and there was Hannah.

“What are you doing?” Ruby called.

The girl’s eyes widened, and she put her finger to her lips.

Ruby waved to the girl and motioned for her to run. The girl frowned and gazed suspiciously, but dashed toward her. When she reached Ruby’s side, she pulled her into the mercantile.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked.

Bruises marred the girl’s beautiful face, and her emerald eyes searched frantically about the store.

“I’m trying to escape,” the girl whispered. “I can’t do this anymore. I just can’t.”

“They’re hunting you. How do you plan to leave?”

“I…I was going to walk out of town,” the girl said, her voice shaky, her eyes wide with horror. “You don’t understand. I’m not this way. If I don’t leave, I’m going to kill myself.”

Shaking her head, Ruby frowned at the girl, warning her. “If you try to walk out of here, they’ll catch you. You think your life is bad now, they’ll make it even worse. You’re not prepared.”

There was no way the woman had a chance of escaping today. They were already searching for her; she probably wouldn’t make it out of town.

“I know. This is my third attempt. She said next time she’d kill me,” Hannah said, her emerald eyes dark with despair.

Ruby sighed. She had to help the girl; there was no way she could walk away from her, especially after viewing the bruises on her face. Women needed to know how to defend themselves, how to make a living without it being on their backs. And gosh, darn it, Ruby McKenzie had the secret.

“Deke is going to kill me,” she said with a sigh. She gazed at Hannah. “Just play along with me for now. Do what I say.”

Putting her arm through the whore’s, she strolled to the window of the mercantile where they could gaze out at the town and be seen standing inside the business. “Act like we’re shopping and you’re having fun. And for God’s sake smile. Maybe even laugh.”

The girl plastered on the most petrified smile Ruby had ever seen on a human being man or female.

“You've got to do better than that. Laugh.”

She laughed, the sound fake and brittle.

Ruby shook her head; she was in so much trouble. She could lose her job, her status with the madam if she helped this girl, but she couldn’t let them find out she was trying to escape. They would find and kill her. Whores were cheaper and more accessible than a gaggle of hens, and one missing would not create a shortage in this ruthless town.

“Have you tried this shade of color on your lips?” Ruby asked the girl. “It will make them stand out more.”

“No…I’ve only used what I’ve been given,” she said, her voice trembling.

The goon entered the mercantile, and Ruby continued as if she hadn’t seen him walk in. “You know I think with the coloring in your cheeks, this one would make you appear perkier and happy. I bet you’d make more money using this shade.”

“What about the powder?” the girl asked timidly. “Do you wear facial powder? It makes me itch.”

“What the hell are you doing?” the man said and grabbed Hannah by the arm.

“Ouch,” Hannah said, glancing up into his eyes; her gaze could have killed him if it had been a weapon.

Yes, Ruby had to help her. Teach her how she could make a decent living.

“I’ve been hunting for you,” the man replied.

Ruby slapped his hand away. “What are you doing? Can’t you see we’re shopping?”

The man appeared startled.

“I’m giving her some tips on how to look more appealing to the men. Then we’re going to have lunch over at the café. She’s not a prisoner, is she?” Ruby asked surprised. “I’ll have her back at the saloon before it’s time for her to go to work.”

The man frowned and stared between the two women. “I guess she’s not a prisoner. It’s just she’s never done this before, and Mrs. Hutchins was certain she was running.”

The women looked at each other and burst out laughing, their strained voices ringing in the small store.

“Like that’s worked for me before.”

Ruby shook her head. “Where would she go? To another whorehouse? How would she get there? You going to take her?”

Glancing between the two women, the man put his hands on his hips. “Mrs. Hutchins isn’t going to like this, but I reckon it can’t hurt. You ladies do like to shop. But I’m going to be watching you, so don’t try anything funny. I’ll be right outside the store, waiting to escort you back to the saloon.”

“You’re welcome to join us, but you have to try on a shade of this rouge pot. You might even look nice wearing this color on your lips and cheeks,” Ruby said, all innocent to the man who glared like an angry bear.

“I’ll be waiting outside,” the man all but growled.

“Too-da-lou. Will you be joining us for lunch at the café?” Ruby called.

He shook his head and continued out the door.

After he was gone, the girl sighed with relief. “Oh, my God, you were right. They saw me sneak out. Thank you for helping me. You didn’t have to do that.”

Ruby stared at the girl. “Why not? You were in trouble and needed help.”

“It’s just that I’m a whore, and most women avoid me,” she said softly, glancing around the small store.

The owner watched them carefully, and Ruby sent him her most charming smile, hoping he couldn’t overhear them.

“I’m a card dealer. I don’t care about the women who avoid me,” she said, lifting her chin, knowing she was so much more than just a lady who dealt winning and losing hands of poker. “And neither should you.”

The girl smiled. “I’m Hannah. Hannah Williams.”

“Nice to meet you, Hannah. I’m Ruby Callahan.” She took the young girl by the arm. “Let’s go have lunch. You can tell me all about why you want to run away when we get to the restaurant.”

The girl stopped in the middle of the store, her big eyes filling with tears. “I never wanted to be a whore.”

Ruby patted her on the arm. “It’s okay. We’ll talk when we get to the restaurant, where it’s more private.”

“I don’t know if they’ll let me into the diner,” she said, her voice breaking.

There was no way Ruby wanted to embarrass the girl, but it was the logical place for them to go and have lunch. They could sit down, and she could learn a little more about Hannah’s story. “Let’s try. If not, then we’ll just have a picnic somewhere.”

“And Madam’s goon will be keeping an eye on my every move.”

Glancing out the open door, Ruby could see the man leaning against the frame of the building, waiting, watching. Mrs. Hutchins was looking after her investment like a jailer scrutinized his inmates.

“Let him,” she said. “We have nothing to hide. Today is not the day you’re leaving town.”

They strolled out of the mercantile and down the sidewalk to the café. When Ruby asked for a table, the waitress seemed reluctant. She glanced at Hannah and then Ruby.

“We don’t serve her kind here,” the woman said, in a low shaky voice.

“You don’t serve women?” Ruby asked, feeling surly. “We don’t want any trouble. We just want to sit down and have lunch.”

The waitress glanced around. “Okay, but don’t take too long.”

Finally, they were seated, and Hannah peeked around the room. She shuddered.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve had sexual intercourse with half the men in this room. Some of them are here with their wives.”

Ruby laughed. “Don’t you think they feel a little nervous right now?” She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to look around the room and see cowboys who she’d known in the most intimate manner.

Scanning the restaurant, there were a lot of men in here that looked like a good bath, a shave, and a haircut would clean them up, but not enough to entice her to share a bed with them.

Hannah grinned, a real smile for the first time. “Good. They should have stayed home where they belonged.”

Laying her menu down, Ruby looked closely at the young woman. There was a slight bruise marring her face. She had long, dark lashes that curled around pretty green eyes, and her hair was a mixture of auburn with blonde highlights. A beautiful young girl, she couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

“If you hate the job so much, why did become a whore?” Ruby asked.

The girl tensed, and her emerald eyes flashed with rage. “Don’t assume that I wanted this. My stepfather owed the saloon a lot of money. After my mother died, he sold me to Mrs. Hutchins. If I want my freedom, I have to pay off my stepfather’s gambling debt to the madam, which will take years.”

Of all the rotten stinking things to do to a young girl. Ruby shivered at the thought of letting countless unknown men touch her because of her stepfather’s mistakes. No wonder the girl was filled with bitterness and rage and eager to escape.

“I was a virgin when he brought me to the madam. Told me we were going to town to pick out a tombstone for my mama’s grave and he needed my help. Stared me in the eye and handed me off to Mrs. Hutchins. Bastard.”

“Oh, my God,” Ruby said, swallowing the hate she could feel rising. “Have you seen him since?”

Hannah’s eyes turned colder than a blue northern dropping ice pellets. “A couple of times he’s come in, but they won’t let me near him. They know I’d kill him.”

Ruby startled. This soft-spoken quiet young girl had threatened to kill her stepfather, and Ruby didn’t doubt that she would. She couldn’t even blame the girl.

She glanced around to make certain no one had overheard her. They were receiving plenty of stares, but no one appeared to be eavesdropping. “I’m not going to help you kill a man, even one who deserves it. What would you do if you could get out of here?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I always thought I would get married, have some kids, and settle down. You have to believe me that this is not the life I would have chosen.”

Their waitress set plates of the special in front of them. Ruby watched the girl hungrily dig into the food, like she hadn’t had a good meal in a long time.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby smiled at the girl. She couldn’t imagine having to live this kind of life. “You’re going to need some help getting away from these people. You can’t do this on your own, or they’ll kill you,” she told the girl. “One day you’ll just disappear. Do you understand? You’re a liability, and Mrs. Hutchins will never let you leave.”

The girl sighed. “It’s already happened to one girl in the house. During the middle of the night she vanished, her room was cleaned out, and no one asked questions.”

“You could be next.”

Like a refined lady, she sat down her fork and pushed her plate away. Gripping her hands in front of her, her big green eyes pleaded. “I’m not going to spend my life having sex with strangers. One day it will kill me.”

Ruby knew she was right. Ruby had to help her, and she even knew how. A sense of purpose filled her, and while she knew this was dangerous, it sent a thrill zipping along her spine. “Look, I can’t tell you anything right now. Just do what you’re told. Don’t steal from anyone. Don’t argue with anyone. Just pretend you’ve accepted your life and you’re going to make the best of it.”

“And then what?” Hannah asked, staring at Ruby, her face intent, like she needed something to hold on to. Something to keep her from taking her own life. “I’ll never accept this life.”

“That’s the part I can’t tell you, but I won’t leave town without you. And I’ll help you learn how to make a living and get your revenge.”

Hanna frowned at her. “How do you know I’m not going to go running back to Mrs. Hutchins and tell her what you said?”

The question troubled Ruby for a minute, but then she realized the girl was testing her. Trying to make certain that what Ruby offered was real and not just a lie to keep Hannah on her back, instead of running for whatever safety she could find.

“I don’t. But just like you hate your stepfather for what he did to you, I have someone I hate. And I’m going to get my revenge,” Ruby told her, staring into the girl’s eyes so she understood Ruby meant every word.

Hannah smiled. “I’m not going to tell Mrs. Hutchins. Someday I’d like to return and shut her down. Give her what she deserves.”

A grin spread across Ruby’s face. “Oh, your list is growing.”

“First, I have to get away.”

They ate their food in silence, Ruby glancing around the restaurant occasionally, wondering if her man was here even now.

Then she returned her gaze to Hannah. “Have you seen a man named Rivera in the saloon? I know he likes to gamble.”

“Lately, he comes in about once every two weeks. One of the girls thinks he’s going to whisk her away. I think she’s dreaming.”

Relief flooded through Ruby, almost making her giddy. She’d begun to doubt he was in the area, but since he had a lady friend in the saloon, he should be coming in anytime, and she would be ready.

The waitress came by and picked up their empty plates, a clear signal she wanted them to leave.

“I better get you back before they come busting in here, trying to locate you,” Ruby said.

“Promise me you won’t forget me when you’re ready to leave town.”

“I won’t,” Ruby promised. “I won’t. Be patient and stay out of trouble.”

The door to the restaurant opened, and the sheriff strolled in. He looked around the place, and when he spotted Ruby, he shook his head and walked in their direction.

“Oh no,” Hannah said beneath her breath. “We’re in trouble.”

“Let me handle it,” Ruby whispered.

The sheriff stopped at their table and stood there, staring at them like they were naughty school children. If he’d meant to intimidate them, it wasn’t working on Ruby. The man was an irritating nuisance.

“Miss Callahan, why am I not surprised you are the one causing trouble again?” he asked, standing over their table, staring down at her, his arms crossed.

“Good afternoon, Sheriff. I have two responses to your question. One, how can having lunch with a lady be considered causing trouble? And two, haven’t you learned yet that I’m like a trouble magnet? It just seems to follow me, even when I’m good.”

Shaking his head, he laughed. “I have two things to say to you. Miss Williams is not a lady; she’s a whore.”