Cowboys & Ghosts

14. Redemption Of Uncle Slim

It was the next day, having returned to the Arkansas territory in the mountains. Cody Lonergan wasn't so cooperative, as Daisy had him tied against an oak tree in the forest. He was struggling, but the rope was too tight to free him. "Why do I get the feeling of trust issues?" Asked Daisy, arms folded. "He's the ghost rider you're looking for!" Cody retorted, hissing at Rafael. "Why haven't you reported to Harrison?"
"You were about to do so," Daisy declared, shaking a finger at him. "No one's getting the reward." There had to have been something that changed the girl's mind, but what was it? It was a lot to endure, and showing off her revolver, Daisy didn't seem to take it all for granted. "Now, Uncle Slim thinks you died. You're stuck with us now."
"Jesus Christ," muttered Cody. "Well played, Daisy. You show up, save my life, and you stab me in the back." Turned out Slim had been lied to and stabbed in the back, too. So were the rest of his men. "I have my ways around me," Daisy said. "We do things our way."
"You were going to tell him I was there the whole time," added Rafael. "And that; not so goddamn right about it," Shaban said. He and Daisy exchanged hesitant and cautious looks, then looked back at Cody. "We're going to untie you now," Daisy mused. "And when we do, you stay right where you are or I'll have a bullet in your skull. Understand?" Cody nodded, fear crossing his features. He was untied, but afraid for his life. He flexed his wrists, fixed his hair. "What the boy says about Harrison is true," he said, changing the subject. "Big old man's a wanted one." Daisy was in her saddle, as she and her friends were carrying on with what journey was ahead of them. Rafael was leading the way, as he was the only outlaw trying to find his way home. He had told them that their next destination was the Ouachita Mountains, which was in the west part of Arkansas. It would be a several day journey, but once it was determined, what would Daisy do then? "It's where I will meet Dead Skull," said Rafael. Yes. There was indeed a message on paper from Dead Skull, who left it in a tree, so Rafael would find it and he did. Still confused, Daisy rode alongside Rafael in the eye of the out fields. "Slim wanted?" She asked. "For what?"
"Conspiracy to killing," Rafael said. He gave Daisy a cold stone glance. "The mob that killed me over a year ago. He hired them to kill my father." Daisy halted her horse, a soft gasp escaping her lips. "For whatever the reason, I don't know," Rafael went on. "His reputations of becoming governor proceeded him, and there's me; I'm in the middle of a voting scuffle." Suddenly, two bullets echoed through the thick September air. Daisy had done it with her revolver, angered at the fact that she was working for a criminal. She had her bowed to the saddle horn, tears stinging her eyes. For at least the second time in her life, she had been betrayed by someone, whom she thought she trusted. Like Meredith. "Has anyone else heard of what that old coward has become?" She asked. Rafael parked his horse alongside her own. "I'm sorry, Daisy," he replied. "I just thought you wanted to hear."
"Perhaps I had to," Daisy mused. "Now, I bear the burden." Then, she was surprised of how reliving it was to behold the compassion this boy had for her, despite the work that remained her undoing. There was no point in knowing she was indeed working for a murderous criminal in the beginning, up until now. "Insolent bastard!" Even Shaban was appalled. "How could we not have known?" He turned to look at Cody, who was riding the exact same horse as him. "How long have you been working for him?"
"For near two years," Cody said. "Now, I'm with you."
"We have to keep away from Harrison," Rafael replied. "The Ouachita Mountains proceed us." He urged his horse, who took off in a gallop. Daisy was close behind, Cody and Shaban following. The whole ride, Daisy thought of Slim. She had saved this old man's life from that mob, and this was what happened. Betrayal. It had been two days, when the four riders made their way in a forest, that was shone through by the sun. Daisy was growing sleepy, but she kept her head up. She thought different things would've been, if she didn't leave Batesville. She'd be sent elsewhere to live, after seeing her foster mother off to trial. Despite all that, Daisy missed Meredith, due to the growth of their relationship throughout her childhood. By now, Meredith would be back in Batesville, behind bars for life. While riding, Daisy took out her journal, writing out her thoughts. She and her friends were near a river, which would lead North. Suddenly, they had stopped. "Water the horses," Shaban told Cody. "If you're going to do it, we're not looking." Rafael was building a campfire, with Daisy and Shaban joining him. "How much farther are we?" Asked Shaban. Rafael had a map in his hand, still at the while of the campfire's construction. "One hundred more miles," he said. "We leave in the morning." Finally, the wood was set ablaze, sending a ten percent of smoke in the air. Rafael looked over to Daisy, who was still into her journal. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously. "I'm having some writing to attend to," Daisy said. Smiling, she handed the journal to him. "I wrote a story about the ghost riders, if you want to read it. It's on page 54." She watched, as the two boys looked through the journal, then read the story. Daisy was no secretive person, but in her own ways, she was just as sneaky around other people, even if they hadn't known. That was when a gunshot rang out, causing all four of them to duck down.