Gold Dust Widow: The Story of an Outlaw's Revenge

Chapter 28: Jasper

My heart seemed to stop beating the moment she disappeared into the night. I could feel Ares whining next to me, panting heavily.

There was little comfort I could give him. I could still hear my brother shouting for me, I could hear the men searching, banging on doors, forcing their way in.

I grimaced, slipping my empty pistol into my holster. I hadn't even had time to grab our saddlebags before we ran from the room. Clara literally had nothing to defend herself with, and less to hunt with. I could only hope she'd find her gang soon enough.

It would be stupid of me to charge into the gang, and yet I didn't have much choice. I needed to give Clara her head start. If any one of them caught her, I shuddered to think what they'd do to her.

She was mine now, in every way that mattered. I needed to protect her, even if she had no sense of self-preservation herself.

I swung up onto the stallion and grabbed Ares by the scruff, pulling him up behind me. He whined and tried to jump off again but I tied him to the saddle. I stroked his fur softly, calming the poor stressed animal.

"It's alright Ares," I murmured, staring at the fire as he destroyed the empty hotel. "You'll get through this with me," I promised him.

I gave the stallion a little kick and he stepped out of the stables. The burning hotel was billowing black smoke into the sky, doing a good job of hiding the stables behind. Clara had raced out the back, which meant I needed to lead them in the opposite direction.

I stroked the stallion for a moment, watching the fleeting shapes of the gang members running through the streets. I gripped the reins. Despite the blazing fire, my breath came out of a visible huff.

I steered the beast slowly towards the hotel, he neighed and tossed his head in protest, but obeyed.

As boys, Ian and I had once raced our ponies through a herd of buffalo. It had been one of the most exhilarating moments of my life, while also being one of the most dangerous. The great beasts had charged after us and almost knocked us off. We never told our mother about it. Ian and I had kept many of each other's secrets as we grew up.

I couldn't help wondering if racing the stallion through the gang would be exhilarating, or any less dangerous.

I took a deep breath and made sure Ares was securely tied on. And then I kicked the stallion into a gallop. The steed leapt forwards, and we thundered around the corner and took the back streets.

Clara's life was depending on me not making my plan obvious.

We careened towards the bank on the edge of town, I didn't look behind, but I could hear them calling. They'd spotted me.

"Jasper!" it was Ian.

I pushed the stallion faster, through the tiny streets and out of town. Behind me, I could hear them racing to catch up. The first bullets rained after me, a few ricocheted near the stallion's feet.

He neighed in terror and burst forward with renewed energy. I braced myself against the whipping cold air. Behind me, I could hear the thunder of their hooves.

I pushed the stallion further, onto the plains, veering towards the distant hills. Thoughts of Clara pushed me faster, she were worth the danger, and she was worth the pain. I wanted to laugh at the irony; an outlaw was the first and only woman who made me want to settle down. I had been ready to toss her into a prison, now I was praying for her. Praying that she'd made it out of town without being noticed.

We flew across the dark desert, the men behind me shouting and pushing their horses faster. I knew the stallion had it in him to go for hours, but he'd also walked all day, and he'd barely had a few hours to rest. He would give up before the horses behind us. Which meant I had to lose them.