26: The Ladies Of The Evening

The horses were groomed and fed with the remainder of the oats in Phoenix's saddlebag while Rebecca and the other women washed up at the brook. Only Stacey and Josie remained behind. The prostitute tied her red hair up into a bun and pinned it into place to keep it off her neck in the heat of the late day sun. Josie leaned back against the wagon wheel her black hat pulled down far enough to block Stacey's view of her ice blue eyes. For the longest time, not one word had passed between them as the gunslinger methodically cleaned her weapons while the prostitute watched. It was Josie who finally broke the silence. "Something you find interesting about me?" she asked, her eyes never leaving her task.

"Actually there is."

"Yeah?" she asked with no sound of interest in her voice.

"Why would someone like you try to help someone like us?" the redhead asked, her tone indicating her fear as well as her feelings about the woman with all the guns that she assumed to be a common murderer.

Josie looked up, her blue eyes locking with the green across from her. "You mean a thieving, murdering pile of dung like me?" she said in mock distaste. The green eyes dropped immediately, guilty that her feelings were so obvious. Josie looked back down at her gun, spinning the barrel before snapping it shut and looking down the sight. She returned it to her holster and removed the other one before continuing. "I don't like to see women punished by the very men that put them in that position." In a lower voice she asked, "How many of the men in that crowd were regular customers?"

"More than I'd care to admit," Stacey replied. Her gaze drifted off to the clouds as her mind traveled back to a simpler time. "After my husband died, I didn't..."

"You don't owe me an explanation," Josie interrupted as she rose in one fluid motion. "I'd better go check on the others." She pulled the gun out of her left holster and held it out, butt first, toward the whore. "You know how?"

"Yes," the redhead replied, rising to her feet and taking the offered weapon. The gunslinger nodded and walked off in search of the rest of the group.

Two women were sunning themselves on the flat of a large rock. Their clothes were scattered nearby. Even in the distance, Josie was able to pick out the telltale criss-cross marks of repeated whippings on the back of one of the women. The black hair wasn't long enough to cover the red lines of a recent beating. Unable to look any longer, the gunslinger turned her attention to finding Rebecca. It took only a moment to spot the familiar blonde hair bobbing around, laughing and splashing with two of the younger women. The others were milling about in the water, enjoying the freedom of being naked without being pawed at. Josie called out, getting her attention. The women started getting out of the water, all naked save for Rebecca, who retained her thin cotton slip. The gunslinger smiled slightly at the young woman's modesty as she watched her gather her clothes and move behind the large rock to change. The others simply stood in the open and helped each other get dressed. Josie leaned back against a nearby tree and waited. She kept one eye on the rock that Rebecca was behind and the other on the naked bodies prancing about in front of her.

Josie discovered that Elaine, the woman with the whip marks, was an excellent shot and the two of them set out to catch enough meat for dinner. In less than two hours, they had caught plenty of jackrabbits to feed the group. Neither spoke a single word during the hunt, but both learned much about the other. Elaine remained focused on her task, refusing to allow herself to be distracted by the distant sounds of the coyotes or fooled by the wind rustling the leaves of the brush. Josie understood this woman's determination to succeed in securing dinner for her friends. Elaine was clearly the one they turned to for guidance and protection.

They were walking back toward the camp, each carrying three skinned and cleaned rabbits. The evening sun had set, the orange now only a slit on the horizon, the sky a dark gray, providing just enough light to see the camp clearly in the distance. "I could have caught enough for us by myself," Elaine said, her hazel eyes staring forward. "I didn't ask you to help."

"Didn't matter; I had to catch food for us anyway," Josie shrugged, not bothering to look at her.

"That Rebecca is quite the child."

"Meaning?" The gunslinger felt herself tense up, unsure of what the whore meant.

"Just that she is naive. She knows nothing of the world around her, yet she rides with you, a woman with a price on her head." Elaine held her hands up in a defensive position when the gunslinger stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "Don't take much to figure out you're wanted for something. Innocent people don't run around with that many guns."

Josie started walking again and the black headed woman fell into step. The bounty hunter's eyes stared straight ahead. "What I can't figure out is why you let that girl ride around with you. All you're going to do is get her an early meeting with Saint Peter."

"Would you rather she became a whore like you?" the gunslinger said with a sneer.

Elaine stopped and faced Josie. Her fingers dug into the carcasses as she fought to control her anger. "I guess that'd be a far sight better than being a murderer."

"Perhaps," Josie replied, her voice betraying none of her feelings. "But be either long enough and it makes no difference." She turned and started walking again, not waiting for a response.

The sun was low in the sky when they returned to camp. Josie deposited the dead animals near the fire and pulled Rebecca aside. "I have to go get the wagon."

"Now?" she asked, looking at the sky. "Josie, it's almost dark. Can't we go get it in the morning?"

"No. Stay here with them. I'll leave you the shotgun for protection."

"How long will you be gone?" she asked. The gunslinger caught the tinge of fear in her young friend's voice.

"I should be back by midnight." At her surprised look, Josie added, "I have to take the long way around the town coming back with the wagon."

"Josie?" Rebecca's``` green eyes locked with those of the gunslinger. "Promise you'll be careful?" she asked, concerned. The bounty hunter looked at her for a moment before answering.

"I promise, Rebecca. You try to stay out of trouble."

"Me?" she asked, feigning innocence. Josie arched an eyebrow before grinning with her friend. The mirth ended a moment later when the gunslinger whistled for Phoenix. She mounted the steed and with one backward glance, she took off to retrieve their belongings. Rebecca stood there and watched until Josie was no longer in sight before turning around and joining the rest of the women.

The aroma of roasting jackrabbit filled the air as the women circled around the fire and settled in for the evening. Victoria, the brown headed woman who was the last one rescued from the saloon, reached under the seat of the wagon and pulled out several bottles of whiskey and rum.

"Victoria!" Stacey exclaimed as she rose and took one of the bottles out of the younger woman's hands. "When did you hide these in there?"

"I been hidin' 'em there for a few months now. I take one every week or so. Nobody seemed to notice." Victoria looked over at Rebecca and added, "I got a few bottles of sarsaparilla too, if ya want."

Rebecca hopped up and moved over to the opposite side of the fire, joining Victoria next to the wagon. They were born only months apart, and the proximity in age helped to make them fast friends. Within minutes, bottles were passed around along with pieces of cooked meat, skewered on sticks. Elaine and Stacey dumped part of a bottle of sarsaparilla out and replaced it with rum before passing it to Rebecca. The young woman gratefully accepted the bottle and drank deeply. The sarsaparilla tasted a bit odd to her, but Rebecca was determined to be polite and took another sip and smiled.

As the evening wore on, Rebecca found that she liked the taste of the soda more and more. Victoria giggled slightly when she turned her head and saw Stacey pouring out over half of the remaining bottle of sarsaparilla and refilling it with the rum. One look at her new friend's green eyes in the firelight told her just how drunk she was.

"Give it a try, Rebecca," Victoria urged, nudging the blonde woman with the half-empty bottle of rum. While they all had a turn with the bottle, the majority of the missing liquor was used to spike Rebecca's drinks.

"Oookay, but only a slip," she replied, seemingly unaware that her speech was slurred slightly. All she knew was that she was feeling good and everything seemed funny to her. The others realized this as well and began to pepper her with jokes that no respectable woman would dare repeat, sending the young woman into fits of giggles. The soft laughter reached Josie's ears as she returned to camp with Flossy and the wagon. She looked up and saw Rebecca surrounded by the women she'd rescued, all laughing and giggling. Although she couldn't see her friend, Josie did see the almost empty bottle being passed around. She had no doubt that Rebecca was drunk. The gunslinger took a deep breath before walking over to them.

"Where ya going?" Stacey asked the slightly swaying Victoria, who had a firm grip on Rebecca's shoulder to keep herself from falling.

"I gotta pee," she said, her eyes closing for a moment as she fought to keep her balance.

"Ooh, me too," Rebecca said as she got to her feet a little too quickly and lost her balance. She unceremoniously flopped back down to the ground, taking Victoria woman with her, a feat that she found incredibly funny. The crowd of drunken prostitutes around her parted as the imposing gunslinger made her way through. Rebecca looked up, her head feeling twice as heavy as normal, to a not-so-happy pair of piercing blue eyes. "Uh...hi Josie," she said before breaking out into another giggle fit. Nervous looks were exchanged between the other women as they realized just who it was that had rescued them from the saloon, but their sense of fear was eased when they saw her squat in front of the drunken blonde and scoop her up gently into her arms.

"You're drunk," Josie said as she carried her friend off to a private area in the nearby brush.

"Am I?" Rebecca asked in all seriousness. She looked around and realized for the first time that she was being carried. "Oh...guess I am," she said softly before breaking into giggles again. Her sides hurt from the constant laughter. Josie smiled softly.

"You are. Here we go. I'm going to stand you up now; don't fall," she said as she set Rebecca's feet down on the ground. The drunken woman wavered for a moment before gripping the gunslinger's upper arm for support. The laughter ceased as a new feeling washed over her.

"Josie, I don't feel good."

The gunslinger watched the sudden change and recognized it for what it was. Without wasting time, she got Rebecca down on her knees and held her hair out of her face as the contents of her stomach churned out onto the ground. Josie was aware of the small crowd forming behind her. "How much did you give her?" she demanded.

"Enough," Elaine said.

"Too much," Stacey corrected with a touch of regret, noting the continued nausea that gripped the blonde woman. Josie shook her head in annoyance at their reckless actions as she continued to care for Rebecca. She leaned in closer and softened the tone of her voice. "You feel better, sprite?"

Rebecca nodded, but a moment later lurched forward for another round. The other women discretely left Josie to care for her friend.

Rebecca woke in the middle of the night to find a cool cloth on her forehead and a concerned Josie sitting next to her. "How ya feeling?"

"Awful."

"You should. From what I gather, you drank quite a bit tonight." She sighed at the thought of the hangover that would visit her young friend in the morning. The green eyes closed once more and Josie allowed herself to relax and lay down on her blanket, keeping herself a mere arm's length away from Rebecca.

Elaine watched the scene from her side of the fire. Although she couldn't hear the words exchanged, she knew how long the tall woman had been awake, watching over her friend. She remembered the conversation she had with the reclusive gunslinger earlier in the day. She never would have suspected the woman in black to be so understanding and compassionate toward someone who was simply drunk. Elaine fully expected Josie to have yelled at them or worse for getting her friend in such a condition. Yet she said not a word to them when she returned to the camp. All she did was help Rebecca into her blankets and sit next to her. No one dared to disturb them. There wasn't one of them that hadn't heard tales of Josie the train robber. They said she killed at will, sometimes just for target practice. Elaine looked over at the couple again. She had no doubts that Rebecca would be up during the night, nor did she doubt that the gunslinger would be right there to lend assistance if needed.

Rebecca covered her eyes with her forearm as the bright morning sun beat down on her. Her head was pounding so hard she was sure everyone could hear it. Her stomach ached, her throat was sore, and she was certain she'd never rid her mouth of the foul taste. She felt the soft leather of the canteen press against her elbow.

"Here," Josie said softly, although to the young woman it sounded much louder. Rebecca rolled onto her side, away from the offending sun and toward the woman who cared for her the previous night. She propped herself up on one elbow and took the offered water. With her eyes still shut tightly, Rebecca rinsed her mouth out, then took several long draughts before handing it back to the tall woman in black.

"I feel awful," she moaned as she rolled onto her back, one hand reaching down to cover her aching belly.

"You should," Josie said. "You were blind drunk." Her tone was not condescending, but it wasn't especially pleasant, either.

"Sorry," Rebecca mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. The gunslinger held out her hand and brusquely helped the young woman to her feet.

"Don't be sorry, Rebecca. Just improve."

The young woman let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine," she said as she turned and headed for the brush. Josie's blue eyes flashed a hint of anger as she followed with deliberate steps. The instant they were out of earshot of the rest of the group, the gunslinger reached out and grabbed Rebecca by the upper arm, jerking her around to face her.

"You listen to me, Rebecca. I'm not upset that you got drunk. It happens." From the look on the young blonde's face she realized the strength which she held her and eased up the pressure.

"Then what?"

"There's a time and a place for it. In the open with the possibility of a posse after us isn't it. What would you have done if something happened? By the skies above, girl, you can't even defend yourself," Josie said. She released her hold and ran her fingers through her raven hair, waiting for a retort from the young woman. Rebecca lowered her eyes for a moment as if lost in thought, then raised her head to face the gunslinger. Unsure what to say, the blonde nodded and stepped behind the brush. Josie turned and walked back to camp, but her ears still heard the ragged breathing that usually preceded sobbing.

Rebecca returned a short time later, her eyes a bit puffier than usual. Without looking at the gunslinger, she headed for the coffeepot and poured a mug for both of them. She walked over to Josie and held out the cup as if holding a peace offering. The gunslinger took it and nodded her thanks before indicating that the young woman should sit down next to her. Stacey and Elaine approached.

"Josie, we wanted to thank you for rescuing us and to apologize for getting Rebecca so drunk last night," Stacey said, her tone conveying her remorse. Elaine nodded. The gunslinger waved the apology off.

"We'll escort you to Truth or Consequences. If we follow the river, we'll be there in less than a week," Josie said as she stood up and headed to her own wagon. Rebecca tossed the remainder of their coffee into the dying fire and quickly followed. Within a half-hour, the two wagons started their trek westward along the Rio Grande. Elaine and Victoria rode with Rebecca while Stacey and the others rode in the larger wagon. Josie rode further ahead on Phoenix, her eyes constantly searching the area for any sign of trouble. Elaine held Flossy's reins while Rebecca and Victoria rode in the back, using the short sides of the wagon as a backrest.

"...so I moved to Rosewood," Victoria said, finishing her tale. She took the offered canteen from Rebecca and took a deep swallow. "So how about you? How'd you end up like this? Away from yer family and all."

"I ran away," she replied, her gaze fixed on a knot in the wood on the other side of the wagon. There was a long pause before the blonde woman spoke again. "How did you...?"

"Become a whore?" Victoria offered. Rebecca smiled, a bit embarrassed that she was even asking the question, and nodded. The brown headed woman took another sip of water and leaned her head back against the top of the wooden side of the wagon. "Well, I told ya that me daddy died. I had to feed myself someway."

"What will you do now?"

She shrugged as if to say there really wasn't much choice. "Prob'ly find me another whorehouse to work in."

"But you have another chance!" Rebecca exclaimed. "You can do something else."

"The only thing I'm good at is spreading my legs for men, Rebecca. I got no other skills." Victoria looked at her new friend and went on, "You're the lucky one. You got that big one to watch out for you. You'll be all right."

Rebecca didn't know what to say. She knew she was lucky to be able to read and write and that she'd be dead by now without Josie. But she was still afraid that the gunslinger would grow tired of her being around and just leave her someplace. Shaking her head as if to clear the negative thoughts, she decided it was time to change the subject. An impish grin came to her face as she turned and whispered to Victoria, not wanting Elaine to overhear. Of course the older prostitute wasn't paying a bit of attention to the two young women in the back of the wagon. "What's it like?"

"What?" Victoria replied. Rebecca turned a light shade of pink.

"You know..." she looked down at her boots, totally embarrassed to ask. "...sex."

The laughter that boomed from Victoria caused Elaine to turn around to see what was going on. From the wagon following, Stacey shook her head as if to say 'I don't know.' Elaine smiled and shook her head before turning around and paying attention to where she was going. Up in the distance, Josie kept Phoenix at a steady pace, never allowing herself to get too far ahead of the wagons.

Rebecca knew without anyone telling her that her ears were bright red from embarrassment. "Shh," she hissed, poking the prostitute in the ribs. Victoria snorted and fought to bring herself under control again.

"Heh heh, sorry, Rebecca," she said. "It's just that I ain't used to people not knowing about it."

"I know what it is, Victoria," she hissed. "I just don't know what it's...like." Her cheeks became flushed again as her friend let loose another round of laughter.

"I knew you was pure-like."

"Will you stop?" Rebecca asked through gritted teeth as she looked around to make sure the others hadn't heard. If Elaine heard, she made no indication of it and Stacey's wagon was too far away, the noise of the wagons moving along making it impossible for her to hear what was making the young blonde so red.

"Well..." Victoria said after she calmed down and took a swig of water. "...it depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on who you do it with. Most men don't care about ya, so it's mostly boring. If ya want it done right, ya gotta count on rosy palm and her five friends," Victoria said as she held her hand out in front of her as if inspecting her fingernails.

"Who are they?" Rebecca asked innocently, sending her friend into a bout of laughter and mirth so bad that tears were streaming down her cheeks before she could stop. Elaine turned to look at them. Victoria was holding her sides from laughing so hard and the poor blonde was scowling. "What is so damn funny?" she said, annoyed. "All I did was ask who Rosy Palm and her friends were." With the wagons stopped, all the women heard what was said and Rebecca found herself surrounded by hysterical women.

"Ask Josie," Stacey called to the wagon in front. "I'm sure she knows exactly who they are."

Josie looked back at the stopped wagons. There was no obvious sign of danger and no one exited either wagon so it couldn't have been a relief stop. She moved Phoenix closer and heard the peals of laughter. 'Great,' she thought as she rolled her eyes. The gunslinger let the horse nibble on the sparse grass for a few moments while she waited for the wagons to start moving again. Just as she started to head for them, Elaine snapped the reins and Flossy started moving again, most of the women having regained their composure. Rebecca quickly changed the subject to something she knew about while Stacey took pity on her and held her wagon back a bit, putting some distance between the blonde and the women who were still playfully ribbing her about asking the tall gunslinger who rosy and her friends were.

When they stopped for a break, Josie took the opportunity to scout ahead, resting Phoenix further along the trail while waiting for them to catch up. Rebecca entertained the women with a story while they ate and soon everyone forgot about the question the blonde woman had for the gunslinger. The routine repeated itself at every break with Josie remaining far away until they finally stopped for the night. The sun was a bright orange in the lower western sky when the wagons were unpacked and camp was set up while Josie and two other women went to the river to catch some fish. The gunslinger used her knives, throwing them with deadly accuracy as she pinned one fish after another to the sandy riverbed before scooping them up and tossing them on the bank for the others to clean. One of the girls found some wild scallions growing on the edge of the river and quickly harvested them for the evening meal.

Rebecca decided to wait and ask Josie after dinner. The gunslinger always seemed more relaxed after a good meal. Night had fallen and only the warm glow of the fire gave them any light. Josie tossed another log on the fire and settled back against the wagon wheel, mug of coffee in hand. Rebecca poured herself some and sat down next to her. "Josie, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she replied as she brought the cup to her mouth.

"Do you know who Rosy Palm and her five friends are?"

Coffee sprayed from Josie's mouth, dribbling down her chin to soak her neck and shirt with the hot liquid as she looked at Rebecca in astonishment at the question. Howls of laughter were heard around the camp as the other women realized what had happened. The gunslinger leveled a stern gaze at them that although diminished by the lack of light, still managed to quiet the group down. She grabbed Rebecca by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, forcing her to follow her until they were out of earshot.

Once Josie was certain they wouldn't be overheard, she stopped and released her grip on her friend's wrist. She kept her back to Rebecca. "What did they say to you?"

"Well...I asked Victoria...um...about sex." She was beginning to seriously regret having asked the woman about the subject. "And she said that only those people knew how to do it right." There was a long pause before Rebecca spoke again. "Josie, do you know who they are?" She watched as the gunslinger scratched her head while obviously trying to find the right words to explain. She turned around and grabbed the blonde woman's wrist, turning the hand around.

"You see this?" she asked, describing a wide circle with her finger in the middle of Rebecca's hand. "This is rosy palm, and these...." Josie pointed to her fingers and let her voice trail off as a look of almost comprehension came into the younger woman's eyes.

"Oh," Rebecca said quietly, still not quite understanding. She wiggled her fingers and thought about what Victoria had said. It finally came to her just what they were suggesting Rosy's "friends" do, and Rebecca's eyes grew wide. "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"Rebecca, it's a natural thing. Everyone does it," she said, although she found herself unable to meet the eyes of her friend. "We just don't talk about it," she added.

"Well...um...I see...okay, thanks for explaining that." She turned and started to walk briskly back to camp. It took only a few strides of the gunslingers longer, more powerful legs to catch up to her.

"Rebecca," she said softly, turning her around to face her. "You don't have to be embarrassed about this."

"W-we didn't talk about things like...like that."

Josie put her hands on the younger woman's shoulders and gently squeezed. "Rebecca, listen to me. Nothing that feels that good can be that bad." She let go and took a step back, her face betraying no emotions. "We need to get back to camp," she said firmly, ending the discussion.

The gunslinger was settled quite nicely into her blankets when Rebecca scooted up next to her and whispered in her ear. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" the half-awake woman mumbled before realizing what she meant. "Oh, sometimes," she said matter-of-factly. "Go to sleep, Rebecca."

"Sorry, good night."

"'Night."

"Sorry."

"Rebecca..." The gunslinger whispered in a low warning tone. The blonde quietly moved away and the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the banked fire and the soft snickers of the eavesdroppers to the conversation.

28: Making Friends

All the next morning Rebecca had a six-foot shadow. Once the gunslinger realized that all the laughter the previous day was at her friend's expense, she refused to leave her alone with the more worldly women. Despite her lack of education, Victoria understood the tall woman's actions and the reason why. Josie tossed the metal coffee mug into the back of their wagon and reached for Phoenix's saddle. "Let's try not to wake up the dead with all the noise today," she said firmly. The gunslinger made eye contact with each one of them, silently conveying a different message, one that was easily understood - no picking on her young friend.

The next three days passed quickly. The small caravan continued its trek westward until the river took a turn north. The breaks were less frequent as the women adjusted to the long ride and required fewer stops to rest. Rebecca and Victoria continued to ride in the back of the first wagon, although the conversation never went anywhere near the subject that embarrassed the blonde so much. Only Josie noticed the recent horse tracks that indicated another rider had passed this way recently. She shortened the distance between her and the wagons. Their route took them through a small canyon full of blind turns and twists, all of which served to heighten the gunslinger's anxiety. She quietly removed her remaining gun from its holster, wishing now that she had not given the other to Stacey and the shotgun to Elaine to protect the wagons.

The short hairs on the back of Josie's neck prickled, but it was too late. Three riders appeared in the path ahead, all fully armed and aiming straight at them. Her blue eyes narrowed when she realized that the leader was none other than Lefty Brown, the man she wanted to capture back in Rosewood. She pulled Phoenix to a stop, her mind calculating whether she could get all three of them before they managed to get a shot off. A commotion behind her caused the gunslinger to turn in the saddle. Two more men appeared from behind them, their shotguns pointed at the women in the rear wagon. Lefty laughed, showing a mouth of crooked yellow teeth. "Well, well...lookie what we found, boys." His brown eyes locked on the gun in Josie's hand. He moved his horse forward and disarmed the tall woman who offered no resistance. From the clothing, he assumed her to be the leader of the group and thus, the most dangerous. With a vicious laugh, he landed the butt of his gun against her temple, sending the gunslinger pitching forward into blackness.

The small adobe structure served as the gang's hideout. There was no roof to block the sun and draperies hung on ropes strung about served to separate the area into two rooms. The nine women were against one wall, pieces of rope keeping their hands behind their backs. The unconscious Josie was in the corner, her temple purple from the force of the blow. Lefty turned the bowie knife he had taken from the gunslinger's boot over and over in his hand, admiring the quality for a moment before turning his attention to something else he admired. "Hey Johnny, you picked one out yet?" he called to the short, squat man kneeling in front of the women.

"Oh hell, Lefty, you know they're all the same at the bottom," he replied, reaching out with a grimy paw to squeeze the redhead's breast. Stacey closed her eyes, knowing there was no way to avoid the inevitable as Johnny pulled her roughly to her feet. As they headed to the other side of the curtain, she put her mind into a working mode, pretending that this was just another paying customer instead of a man intent on raping her. One by one the other men stepped forward and chose their pleasures. The women went without protest, knowing from experience that it was of no use. As Elaine was being led away, she swore that they would all pay if any of her girls got hurt.

Victoria and Rebecca were sitting next to each other, the remaining two women several feet away. The gunslinger still had not stirred, heightening Rebecca's fear as Lefty moved forward and squatted in front of the two young women. It took all of her control not to cry or whimper when he reached forward and slowly ran the point of the blade across her right breast, not deep enough to cut, but firm enough to make his intentions clear. Victoria found her voice. "Sassy, did you get rid of that itch yet?"

It took only a second for Rebecca to understand what her friend was doing. "Uh...no. Doc says I need a cream or something," she replied, squirming slightly as if trying to ease the imaginary discomfort between her legs. The blade retreated as Lefty backed away from her. He didn't know if the bitches were lying or not but he had no intention of finding out. The little blonde wasn't worth it.

"Looks like yer it, sweet thing," he said as he turned his attentions to the Victoria.

Josie listened to the exchange with her eyes still closed to feign unconsciousness as her fingers worked to slip under her belt, finding the small slit that hid the secret compartment. With dexterity born out of practice, she released the small knife from its hiding place and sliced through the ropes soundlessly. The ropes fell loosely to the ground behind her as she gripped the tip of the blade between her right thumb and forefinger. The blue eyes opened and focused as she brought her arm around. With a flick of the wrist, she sent the small blade through the air with blinding speed and force, imbedding it deep into Lefty's neck, severing his jugular as well as his windpipe. In an instant she was upon him, taking the bowie knife from his hand and imbedding it deep into his chest. She took just a second to look at Rebecca before removing the weapon from his lifeless body. Josie cut the bonds that held the young women and retrieved her revolvers. Without a sound, she slipped between the curtains. Four shots rang out; the proximity hurt Rebecca's ears.

Elaine looked down at the man lying dead at her feet. Looking around, she saw Josie helping Stacey roll the dead man off her while the other two women ran from the room. The gunslinger didn't see the man slowly rising to his feet blood covering the front of his filthy shirt, as he brought his gun up, his dying energy spent trying to aim. Elaine reached down and grabbed the gun from the holster of the dead man at her feet and fired. Josie's head snapped around to see and her blue eyes locked with the hazel eyes of the prostitute. Both nodded slightly in silent appreciation of the other.

The women assembled in the larger room. Victoria had taken the knife from Lefty's throat and used it to free the other two women. Rebecca never moved from her position except to draw her knees up and bury her head in her arms as her body shook. Josie knelt down next to her, uncertain of what to say. The young woman sensed her presence and flung herself against the gunslinger with enough force to knock the older woman back on her rear. The events and emotions caught up with Rebecca as she wrapped her arms around Josie's neck and sobbed. Part of the tears were for her, for how close she had come to being raped, but the other part was for her new friends, and how they were. Prostitutes or not, they were still women taken against their will and Rebecca couldn't stop herself from crying.

Josie was clearly uncomfortable with the outpouring of emotions, but made no effort to extricate herself from her friend, instead placing a stiff arm against Rebecca's back and squeezing slightly. She waited a couple of minutes for the young woman's breathing to calm down before she moved her arm and stiffened her back, silently indicating the end of the embrace. Rebecca sniffled and sat back, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt. Josie looked over at Elaine, silently pleading for help. The black headed woman understood and whispered something in Victoria's ear. The young woman went over and sat cross-legged next to Rebecca and put her hand on her shoulder. Elaine followed and stood behind them, facing the gunslinger.

"Can you help me get the bodies on the wagon?"

"I guess we'd better," Josie said and rose a little too enthusiastically, grateful for the excuse to get away. Victoria spoke quietly with Rebecca for several minutes before she was assured that everything was fine.

The dead men were piled into the back of the whore's wagon while the women sat either in the back of the lead wagon or rode the men's horses. They used a piece of canvas found at the hideout to cover the bodies to keep the sun from rotting them any quicker than necessary as well as to keep the buzzards away. The gunslinger pushed the group hard, wanting to get to town as soon as possible. It was close to nightfall when they saw the first signs of Laramie. A collective sigh of relief was heard when Josie pulled the group to a stop a mile outside of town. She pulled Phoenix alongside the lead wagon. "We need to bring the bodies to the marshal. Elaine, you come with me. The others stay here," she leveled her gaze at Rebecca to make certain she was understood. Seeing her nod in assent, Josie looked over the rest of the group. "You might as well set up camp; I don't think we'll be back before morning."

Josie stopped the wagon in front of the jail and handed the reins to Elaine before getting out. She entered the building and returned a few minutes later with a stack of wanted posters and the marshal. He held a lantern up near the faces of the dead men. "Well, looks like Lefty, all right," he said, double checking his information on the wanted poster. "Them others look familiar too. Lemme see." He took the pile of posters from Josie and shuffled through them, pulling out the ones that seemed to be possibilities. Within an hour, they had identified three of the men as being wanted with the total sum running just over one hundred dollars. The gunslinger was a bit disappointed in the bounty, but said nothing as she followed the marshal and the wagon to the undertaker's place on the edge of town. Once their business was done, Josie made arrangements with the marshal to meet her at the bank in the morning while Elaine took the horses and wagon to the stable.

Josie had just enough money to get a small room in the flophouse after paying for the stable and a few drinks in the saloon. The room was lit with one small lantern, casting a dim orange glow throughout the room. "What are you going to do now?", Elaine asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. The gunslinger reached down and untied the leather straps that held her holsters to her thighs.

"We'll get the money in the morning and replenish the supplies. It'll take a couple of days to get to Cheyenne, and I have a friend there that can help." She removed her gun belts and set them on the floor next to the bed before sitting down and pulling her boots off.

"Josie..." Elaine began, not looking at the tall woman seated next to her. "I wanted to thank you...for everything." She turned to study the gunslinger's profile. As the bounty hunter tucked her boots under the bed, Elaine rose and removed her dress to stand before Josie clad only in the thinnest and most revealing of slips. "I really want to thank you," she said seductively as she moved closer and straddled the gunslinger's hips.

The women finished off the last of their liquor supply while Rebecca entertained them with one of her endless supply of stories, occasionally pretending to take a sip as the bottle was passed back and forth, but in fact carefully avoiding allowing the liquid to run into her mouth. The events of the day faded away as several women began to tell raunchy stories and jokes. While the conversation was slightly embarrassing to Rebecca, it wasn't as bad as when they first started and she had became comfortable enough to laugh with them at some of the jokes. They all settled in early, most because of the booze. Rebecca laid her blanket down next to the wagon wheel, apart from the others. She had a second blanket that she usually used as a cushion between her and the hard earth, but realized that the others didn't have true blankets. They used saddle blankets taken from the horses at the end of the day and some had no blankets at all. She took her spare blanket and both of Josie's and passed them out for the others to use.

She rolled up Josie's duster and used it for a pillow as she settled down onto the firm earth. Time drifted as her thoughts swirled aimlessly before settling on one thought. Rebecca opened one eye and looked about. The others were in various stages of sleeping and paid no attention to her. She nervously brought her hand under the blanket and unbuttoned most of her shirt. Slowly, her hand crept beneath the cotton material and her fingertips fluttered across her nipple, making the coral skin harden and contract to a point. Her fingers splayed out as she rubbed her palm across the tip before squeezing the whole mound firmly. She brought her other hand under the cover, giving both breasts equal attention. In her mind, she saw the knight ravishing the princess, with him still in his suit of armor, his face hidden. Her thumb and forefingers captured her hard nipples, rolling and pinching them as she arched into her own touch. Her breathing quickened as she continued to pleasure her breasts and the heat increased between her legs.

Oh so slowly she lowered her right hand down and unbuttoned her britches, her left hand never easing up on its assault of her nipple. She reached in beneath her under-drawers and let her fingers comb through her soft blonde curls. She let out a soft sigh as her fingertips touched the soaking ringlets. The tight britches denied her access to her most private area. Reluctantly, she brought her left hand down to help and pushed the clothes off of her hips and down until she could spread her knees apart. Rebecca lifted one knee up and braced her leg against the wagon wheel as her hand made its way between her thighs. She was surprised to find how wet and slick her thighs were until she touched her swollen outer folds and felt the flood soak her fingers. She pressed against herself, the palm rubbing back and forth against her aching sex. Her middle finger slipped between the folds and pressed near her opening. Rebecca began a slow exploration of herself, her fingertips tracing every fold, discovering what felt nice and what didn't. She focused on the image of the knight and princess as her middle and index fingers found themselves on either side of her most sensitive spot and squeezed rhythmically. Her breath started coming in short gasps and her hips moved of their own volition. She instinctively moved her fingers, pressing against the small hood of skin above the hard nub. Her blood pounded in her ears as she planted her feet and lifted her hips off the ground, her fingers never losing their position or pace as they swirled about. She gritted her teeth as time and space blended away and a wave of indescribable pleasure gushed through her body. She let out a small cry before falling limply back to the now damp ground.

Two of the women had been wakened by the sound, but seeing nothing amiss, rolled over and went back to sleep. Rebecca lay there, wide-awake, reveling in the new sensation. It was a long time before she found the strength to reach down and fix her clothing and even that movement caused a small shudder to pass through her. She finally got into a sleeping position, a lazy smile never leaving her face. Josie was right, she thought. Nothing that feels this good could possibly be bad.

Continued in Part Eight

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