[Fanfic] Red West III. - Chapter seven
Title: RED WEST III.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: What business has a certain quarry manager with Silver King?
What is going through Leo´s mind?
And whom will our two gunslingers meet, as they return to Kame´s hometown?
Enjoy this little preliminary X-mas gift, my dear readers. <3
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six //
The deal
Horace´s face suddenly acquired an excited expression, which was such a rare sight that it made Augusta curious.
After all those years of their marriage, she got to know literally everyone who had anything to do with her husband and were worth a second thought, but she had never heard the name which was just mentioned. She really wondered who this sudden visitor might be. A new lawyer?
“Great!” Horace stood up from his chair, quite cheerful all of the sudden. “Ask him to wait for a little while, Bernard.”
“Yes, sir,” the manservant nodded and backed out of the door.
“Robert, friend, I must ask you to excuse me. This will be a kind of private meeting.”
Augusta didn´t even need to look at Horace to know that the emphasis in his voice was directed to her as well. She was already on her way out anyway.
“Sure, no problem, Horace,” the mayor finished the drink and gestured at his stiff secretary to hand him his coat. “I´ll stop by some other day.”
This friendly assurance was the last thing Augusta heard before she left the office, leaving the door opened for the mayor and his subordinate. She walked across the corridor and stopped at the well-ordered table, which served as a workplace of Horace´s secretary and checked the box for any new post mails. It was empty.
Then she moved her look to the man standing close to the window at the opposite end of the corridor. Bernard had just informed the mysterious visitor that Lieutenant Governor would accept him shortly. Just that one look was enough for her to know that this man was no lawyer.
He was of average height, with short-cut gray hair, but his poise was still balanced, so it was hard to tell how old he might have been. Not even an ounce of excessive weight was seen under the neat suit of dark brown color, the leather - and surely expensive - boots were clean, and the man´s face smoothly shaved. It was the type of man who took care of his appearance, but not out of vanity. The look of this visitor was as sharp as a dagger, when he moved his attention to her and politely nodded.
Augusta put on her courteous face and nodded back, before she headed to the stairs with the voice of finally leaving mayor behind her.
There was something about that man what made her think that he was not always the master of his own life. He might have used to be a butler or something similar. But at the same time, she knew he was dangerous. It was a gut feeling not based on anything specific what could be seen, but during the years, she learnt to trust her instincts.
Augusta didn´t know what business this man might have with her soon-former husband, but in any case, she wouldn’t want him to be her enemy.
*
Before the door of his office got opened again and his visitor was showed in, Horace Tabor didn´t try to imagine what kind of man this Cameron Henderson would be.
He had always given the greatest consideration to the profit he might gain from any relationship, with whomever he maintained it; be it a US Marshal or a mere criminal. But later, he had to admit that this sandstone quarry manager was someone who could leave quite an impression.
“I´m pleased to meet you in person, Governor,” a gray-haired man with unreadable eyes approached his table by barely audible steps.
Horace reached out his hand, which was accepted in a firm, dry grip: “Likewise, Mr. Henderson. Please, sit,” he gestured toward the armchairs in the corner of his office. He didn´t know what to expect from this man, so he would rather have him further from his working table, but at the same time, he aimed for politeness, just in case.
His visitor seated himself with a motionless expression: “I greatly appreciate your invitation, sir.”
“Well, your messages definitely caught my interest,” Horace reacted in a perfectly aloof tone. He didn´t want him to realize how desperate he already was and what he was willing to do to finally catch those bastards and stop being a fool to the whole Colorado.
“I can imagine,” Mr. Henderson replied with a cold smile. “I´ve read a lot about these… issues you´ve got with the Black Riders and since it seems we have a common interest, I assumed I could be helpful to you in this matter.”
“And I´m eager to hear more,” Horace leant over the small table and poured two shots of his favorite whiskey. Alcohol usually encouraged people to talk more, so why not to try to use that fact? “So, tell me. How does it come you know so much about these outlaws?”
His visitor took the glass into his hand, but haven´t tasted it yet. Instead, he looked right in Horace´s eyes, as if to give more emphasis to his next words: “First of all, let me assure you that I´ve got a zero interest in the reward on Leo Akanishi´s head.”
Horace couldn´t help but smirk a little: “I admit that it crossed my mind…”
“I figured. But I´m more than well-secured and money is not what drives me forward in this case.”
“Good, good. Glad to hear that,” Horace nodded and sipped on the pleasantly burning liquid. “You manage Laporte quarry near Fort Collins, is that correct?”
“Yes. I assume you´ve already made sure to confirm that I wasn´t lying about that.”
It was almost unpleasant how closely the eyes of this man were watching him. Horace poured himself another shot.
“Of course I did. Just usual precaution before I deal with someone in person,” he admitted and even though he didn´t mean to sound apologetic, it turned out that way.
“That´s understandable,” Henderson nodded.
“Then… If you don´t care about the reward, what´s your real interest, Mister?”
“It´s his older brother whom I want.”
Horace finished his drink first, thinking through his next words: “Yes, I remember you mentioned this in your second telegram. And I can´t help but wonder - how did you acquire such a personal information about the leader of the Riders, Mister? I´ve been fighting those bandits for quite long and it´s very, very difficult to find out any details about anyone from that gang. You can imagine I´m surprised by the facts you provided.”
Cameron Henderson patiently waited until Horace was finished, put his glass aside and focused on him fully again.
“I know him in person,” he stated with strange glow in his eyes, which was definitely not there before. “I met the older Akanishi last year, while I was still residing in Montana.”
“Is that so?” Horace raised his eyebrows. “You´re from the north?”
“No.”
A short, cold response indicated that Mr. Henderson was very stingy regarding to his personal background. Not that Horace would mind it, unless it was something what could help him against that greedy gang.
“All right. And why do you want to get specifically this guy?”
“I won´t bore you with details, Governor, so I cut it short - it´s about payback.”
This time, the man´s reply hinted there was something dark what pushed him to chase Akanishis. Good, very good, Horace thought. Getting a vengeful person with good sense and abilities on his side would be a great profit.
“Revenge then. Interesting,” he noted. “You´ve got very personal reasons to go after him, I suppose.”
“I do,” another brief response came.
“I understand. And you think that both brothers are the members of Riders?”
“I don´t think, I know that,” Henderson stated with surprising confidence.
Horace narrowed his eyes: “How?”
“My apologies, Governor, but I will not disclose my resources,” the man stated a bit harshly. “I wouldn´t have got to where I´m now if I was not careful with information.”
That was something Horace could identify with. Good money and correct information were great power in this world. But that didn´t mean he wouldn´t try to pull as much of them as possible from this man.
“I see… What about those other details you promised then?”
Only now, Mr. Henderson raised the glass to check on the fragrance of the drink and tasted it, before he spoke again.
“Up until recently I thought that the whole gang, along with both Akanishis, was here in Colorado. That miraculous incident in Hereford fitted in with that, apart from those two farms, but I do not intend to question your methods, Governor.”
Horace hesitated if he should be upset or pleased, so in the end he maintained a cool face. Cameron Henderson seems to be smarter than one would think.
“But my sources in Montana informed me that the older Akanishi appeared in Billings,” the man continued.
“Montana? And just him?” Horace raised his eyebrows, not being able to cover that he was greatly surprised. Just what kind of resources this man had? “Nobody else was with him?”
“He was seen there with one companion, but that doesn´t necessarily mean, the rest of Riders hadn´t traveled there as well. It´s either that or they separated after they fled from Hereford.”
Horace frowned: “If what a certain useless sergeant said is true, his unit had the lead on the Riders just a few days ago, but they lost it. Unless they can fly like eagles, there is no way they would have made it to Montana in such a short time.”
“So, it´s just as I thought,” Henderson nodded. “They separated. For the time being at least.”
Horace reached for the bottle again, which was getting noticeably less full: “What do you suggest then?”
Henderson watched the liquid in his glass, as he replied: “It seems that these two brothers care for each other. When the older Akanishi was in trouble recently, the younger one rushed to help him. If we get one into our hands, we will get the other as well…”
“That makes sense,” Horace admitted, not bothering to ask, how the hell Henderson knew about such stuff.
“My suggestion then, Governor. You´ve got great influence in Colorado, moreover that special unit on call. So, while you will keep searching for them here, I will travel to Montana to make use of my resources there. If we keep exchanging any new information, there will be much greater chance for us to succeed.”
Horace pondered it for a while: “I admit, like that we will have much more possibilities to find out anything about them.”
“Exactly. Sharing all the information will be convenient for both of us. We can keep updating each other regularly by telegram.”
It all sounded quite good and well, but Horace suddenly felt suspicious again: “Let´s say I agree, Mr. Henderson. What would you like to get in return for cooperation on catching them?”
His visitor smiled again, and this time, it almost gave Horace the creeps: “Just your support, Governor, and possible financial assistance in case I´d need it. I will provide you the very same.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Horace stated and reached for his precious glass. “If your requests will be reasonable as well…”
“Don´t worry, Governor. I won´t travel to Montana unprepared…”
*
As he was leaving the Brown Palace Hotel, a satisfied smirk was playing on Cameron Henderson´s face. Everything was playing right into his hands.
At first, he couldn´t even believe that it paid off to keep some of former Karnaka´s men in Montana on his pay list not only for business purposes, but also to keep an eye over certain figures for him. What a luck that those two accommodated in Sammy´s Saloon. Especially after it seemed that both Akanishi and Kamenashi left Montana for good, for a more adventurous life in Colorado. It was like a divine sign.
Finally, he would achieve what he promised at the grave of his late master and mentor. He would fulfil his oath no matter what. That one telegram finally pushed into motion his plan, which he had been waiting for so long to realize.
Both of those brats came home. It was about time he would return there as well.
“Danny, good news for you,” Cameron stated as he settled in the saddle of his horse.
The boy keeping his horse in check looked up to him confused: “For me, sir?”
“Sure. You wanted to go home, didn´t you?”
“Well, yes… But you said I can go only after I work my debt off…”
“And who says you can´t do it in Montana?”
The young face, which was usually kind of gloomy, brightened up: “Really? You have some job for me in Montana, Mr. Cameron?”
“We both have it, kid. We both...”
***
Near the Colorado-Wyoming border
“Why such a long face?”
Leo took his eyes off the narrow road, where they expected Cullen and Ryo to appear, along with fresh supplies for their upcoming travels. His girlfriend kept looking in the same direction, but she was waiting for an answer; he could literally feel it. Leo reached for her waist and pulled the curious brunette closer.
“It´s nothing, just bad night´s sleep…”
A dissatisfied sigh was heard on his side.
“You should already know you can´t fool me, Leo Akanishi,” Jane informed him sternly. “What is it?”
He kept silent for a while, being aware that it was foolish to ponder so much about things that might have, but didn’t happen. But he also knew that Jane would hear him out anytime, without mockery or reproaches.
“I feel like a coward,” he admitted quietly. “After everything I had promised, what did I achieve? Just running off as a scared rabbit.”
“Leo… Don´t tell me that even after what we all agreed on in Leadville, you still brood like this.”
“I´ve got a damn good reason to,” he grunted gloomily.
The most important woman of his life observed him seriously, before she escaped from his embrace, only to stand right in front of him. Jane took Leo´s face into her palms, making him look her in the eyes.
“It doesn´t matter what we achieved or not. We did something and survived. That´s far more than most can say and it´s only thanks to you,” she stated firmly. “You´ve become a great man, Leo. The man I can be proud of calling my lover. So stop belittling yourself.”
Leo stared at her feeling somehow relieved, as if Jane removed something heavy from his back. He smiled and hugged her again.
“Are you so proud that you´d marry me?” he blurted the first thing which came to his mind. And at the second it was said aloud, he was damn sure it was the best question he could ever ask.
Jane´s eyes widened: “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Are you serious?” she breathed out totally surprised.
“More than ever before,” he nodded and continued before he could lose courage. “I know I´ve got almost nothing to offer you. No home, not even a safe place to spend a night, I don´t have a proper job or stable income. But I swear I´ll do anything to protect you and make you happy. So, once we get to Montana, because my brother wouldn´t have ever forgiven me if I had left him out of this, I´d like to make you my wife, Jane Briggs. Will you marry me?”
During his speech, the brunette´s expression gradually changed from shocked to a smiling one. Then she chuckled softly: “It sounds terrifying when you name it all out like this.”
“I know…” he agreed gloomily. “I´m sorry.”
“Don´t be sorry, silly,” Jane laughed and winked. “There´s no way I can refuse such a proposal.”
Leo almost didn´t dare to take a breath: “So…?”
“Yes, of course that my answer is yes!”
Flooded with joy, he grabbed Jane and raised her up, turning on the spot in fast circles, as she laughed happily. And the image of her bright face got burnt in his memory.
*
Once Cullen and Ryo got close enough to actually recognize what the other two members of their small company were doing, the sight made them exchange curious looks.
“Well, it seems that we missed something,” Ryo assumed, gently encouraging his fully loaded horse to faster pace, so that they could find out what that was.
***
Montana Territory
Bozeman City
A solid, red-painted door flew wide open, making way for a bearded man, who stumbled over the threshold, accompanied by an angry voice: “Out with you!”
Immediately losing his balance, the drunkard fell and rolled down the short stairs, landing in the dust on the street barely two feet in front of Kuro´s hooves.
The black stallion bent his noble head, to check the unexpected obstacle. He snorted contemptuously over the stench coming from that human´s mouth and made a careful step back, to let his master know that they should really avoid something like that.
Jin agreed with his faithful animal fellow, but at the moment, he was more interested in another person, who appeared on the fairly swept veranda.
“Don´t you dare to show your face here again, you sick bastard!” those rough words came from the lips of a lady in rich violet dress, which exposed rather than covered some of her benefits.
She scowled at the sight of the man still lying in the dirt, as he didn´t seem to be willing to move. Then her eyes focused at them and her expression changed so quickly that it seemed like the previous anger didn´t exist at all.
“Oh, good evening, gentlemen!” she greeted them with a coquettish smile. “My apologies for such welcome in our city,” with these words, she stomped down the stairs, revealing high boots of fine leather under her raised skirt. Right in the next moment, one of those boots was buried in the mumbling drunk´s ribs: “Get up, you useless piece of manure and stop degrading the name of my business,” she hissed in that spiteful tone again. “Move away! Now!”
Under her not very ladyish kicks the man gathered himself on all four, slowly straightened up and somehow, he managed to stagger across the street, mumbling some curses under his mustache.
Both Jin and Kame stared from their saddles kind of speechless. The woman, probably in charge of the two-store house on their left, which was not so difficult to identify as a brothel, altered her complicated hairstyle and turned back to them again.
“Welcome to Bozeman,” she addressed them in a friendly way, but her eyes were sharp as she looked through their outfits and saddles. “And I´m sorry once again.”
Jin shook his head, more amused than upset: “Don´t worry about it, ma´am, really.”
The woman flashed a smile at him, which almost made him feel nervous. He was actually surprised he didn´t remember her from his previous stay in the city; she was really pretty.
“Anyway, if you find yourselves to be in need of some amusement after your travels, do not hesitate to pay a visit to our house of pleasure. I´ll give you a discount,” she winked.
This woman knew quite well how to represent her business; Jin had to clear his throat, before he could reply: “Well, thanks for invitation.”
“That always comes for free, honey,” she informed him tilting her head a little, before she stepped out of their way.
“Can we go on?”
Only now, Jin tore his look off the leaving woman to glance at Kame who stopped with Ukushi by Kuro´s side. He looked kind of pissed, though Jin had no idea why.
“Yeah, sure.”
They were about to move on, when the woman reached the veranda and suddenly turned once again: “I´ve got a feeling I know you two… Have you ever been here before?”
“Actually, I´ve just returned home, Madame,” Kame replied politely, before Jin could open his mouth.
The woman´s face brightened up with recognition: “Ah! Yes! Kamenashi! Is that right?” she leant over the railing to check on his face in the deepening shadows from close up. “You got that bastard Grenet arrested a way back!”
Kame´s face stiffened, Jin could see it even in the poor light. That man was not a favorite topic for either of them.
“You´re damn right he did,” he confirmed instead of him.
“So, all the more - welcome back!” the brothel holder was grinning really widely now. “Gosh! We need someone like you here… Our new sheriff is useless, I tell you that. Well, looking forward to see you again!”
With that, the woman waved and the red door got shut with a heavy thud.
“Well, what a welcome,” Jin noted, as they made their animals move again finally.
“Yeah,” a quiet murmur came as a response.
Jin frowned. Obviously, Kame´s mood was still in the gloomy phase. And it was no wonder. To say they had no luck would be a bloody understatement.
At Fort Benton, the closest one to the Blackfeet reservation, they didn´t even let them through the main gate. In Helena, they had an unpleasant encounter with the military unit spending their time-off in one of countless local saloons and the lieutenant in charge of Fort Shaw shrugged their request off with a false apology that he was not authorized to deal with such issues.
Their next destination and hope was Fort Ellis, which was located in the same direction as Kame´s hometown, only further in the east, so they reached Bozeman first.
If felt like ages since the last time Jin had been there, especially when he noticed that the city changed quite a bit while he was gone. More people, new houses and stores. The word about the railway construction approaching spread and attracted new inhabitants.
But still, in comparison with Billings, Bozeman was just a small, quiet town, where most people knew each other by name, so their arrival attracted some attention. Not to mention those who remembered them just as that brothel manager…
“My! My! What a surprise!” a loud voice welcomed them as they dismounted in front of the saloon in the city center.
Both guys turned to face the sturdy, almost bald man who just came out of the batwing door, his hands full with tankards of beer.
“Mr. Harada,” Kame nodded at his former employer.
“Hi!” Jin also greeted him shortly, before he continued untying his sac from Kuro´s saddle.
“Welcome, guys!” the saloon´s owner thrust the beers under the noses of his guests who occupied the chairs on the veranda and rushed down the stairs. “Welcome back!” he repeated with a pleased smile, which was a very rare sight on the face of this rough man, as he patted Kame on his shoulder. “Akanishi! How long is it? Six months? Seven?”
“Just about to, yeah,” Jin confirmed, eyeing the saloon nostalgically.
“So, you managed to meet up, huh? It must have been hard…”
Kame and Jin exchanged a short look.
“It was, but somehow, we did,” the younger one assumed with a fleeting smile.
“Good for you, good.”
Harada seemed to be really glad to see them and it made Kame feel at home much more than a yet empty spot in the row of houses, where he used to live with his late mother.
Then Harada walked around them to the corner of the building: “Mike!!” he yelled suddenly, making the men on the veranda jerk their heads up from beers. “Move your lazy skin over here!”
“He still works for you?” Kame asked, while Jin turned away to cover an amused smile.
“Works, well, that might not be a proper word, but yes, he does,” the saloon´s owner grunted. “He takes every opportunity to slack off. He´s already fifteen, but just as irresponsible as ever before. Mike!” he yelled again.
After a few moments, the yawning boy, significantly taller than Jin and Kame remembered, appeared from behind the corner: “Yes, sir?”
“See? I told you! You were napping again!” Harada snapped. “We have precious guests, so take care of their animals properly, boy!”
“Precious?” Mike rubbed his eyes, before his jaw dropped. “Kame! Jin!” he literally jumped in the air with sudden enthusiasm. “You´re back!”
“And we´re so pleased you noticed,” Harada commented caustically, while the two greeted the boy. “Back to work or this is your last evening here!”
“Yes, yes, of course!” Mike was already almost dancing around Kuro. “He´s still so beautiful!”
“And also equally dangerous,” Jin reminded him tauntingly. “Be careful.”
“He knows me already, right, Kuro?” Mike took the reins over with a wide smile. “And Ukushi as well! Let´s go, I´ll give you two something veeery good.”
While the stable boy led their animals away, Harada already pushed them inside: “Come, you must be thirsty and hungry. Today was a goulash day and I´m sure Miss McBain has some left yet.”
*
Harada was right; there were some lunch leftovers to be found in the saloon´s kitchen and the creations of their favorite Miss Cook were just as delicious as they could only recall.
Even though the taproom was full of smoke and noisy as usual, it was not packed to the last spot, so Harada had some spare time at hand and he used it to ask them inquiring questions. Most of them, they simply couldn´t answer honestly, so they just did their best not to disclose any potentially dangerous details of their adventures in Colorado.
By the time their stomachs were pleasantly full and the second beers were served on their table, the taproom got almost emptied, and Harada finally raised the topic, which they could discuss with him freely.
“So, what made you come back actually?”
Kame raised his head from studying the latest newspapers, which he borrowed from one of saloon´s regular guests: “My friends, Mr. Harada. Blackfeets,” he replied seriously.
“Ah, those Indians again?” Harada shook his head, as he pulled a chair to their table to sit. “Will you ever let it go?”
“It wouldn´t be Kame if he did, Harada,” Jin, resting with his head leant on the wall behind him, noted calmly.
On that, the saloon´s owner nodded: “True, you´re right. Anyway… As far as I know, the rest of Blackfeet Indians are in the north reservation, aren´t they?”
Kame frowned: “They´re and we´ve already been there. They have quite difficult times because of the low rations from the government.”
“Ah, so, I understand… And you´re trying to figure out what to do about it, right?” Harada assumed.
“Almost exactly,” Jin spoke again, before Kame could react, his eyes fixed on the younger one. “We both´re trying that.”
The small wrinkles on Kame´s forehead got wiped away by those words: “Yeah, we are.”
Harada looked from one young man to another when they fell silent suddenly, staring at each other with a kind of… strange expression on their faces. He cleared his throat to attract their attention.
“And? You´ve got any great ideas?”
Kamenashi turned back to him, while Akanishi closed his eyes.
“Well… We´ve visited a couple of forts, but they didn´t hear us out in any… Actually… I have a small request, Mr. Harada. Can you navigate us to Fort Ellis? I´ve never been there and it´ll be definitely faster to find if we know the exact directions.”
“Sure, sure,” Harada nodded willingly and got up. “Just wait up until I show those last guests out and I´ll bring the map.”
“Thank you,” Kame appreciated and the saloon´s owner walked off to the bar counter.
Jin barely suppressed the yawn and drank up the rest of his beer at once.
“When do you want to set off tomorrow?” he asked then. “Right in the morning?”
The younger one eyed him warily.
“I think we can sleep in a little,” he assumed. “This fort should not be that far.”
The older one grinned: “You know how to make me happy. We´ve been rushing from one place to another for days. Long sleep sounds great.”
Kame repaid his smile and then he leant forward: “In that case, we should keep ourselves in separate beds.”
“No way,” Jin dismissed such a stupid idea right away. “I can sleep best with you right next to me.”
“But sleeping is not exactly what we would do in that case,” Kame reminded, lowering his voice even more than before.
Jin remembered the night two days ago, when a certain sneaky hand didn´t let him fall asleep for quite long and he created a calculative smirk on his lips: “We can always sleep after that,” he objected whispering. “Not to mention that some proper bed will be a nice change. You will have no reason to complain about your poor bottom.”
Kame chuckled and averted his flushed face from the taproom to the wall.
“You´re exaggerating…” he objected faintly.
Jin was glad he managed to improve the younger one´s mood and happily continued mocking him: “Am I now? Last time, you desperately insisted on me taking you from…”
“Jin!” with a seriously reddened face, Kame hastily hushed him. “Consider where we´re, damn it!”
“Sure, sugar,” Jin winked at him.
Kame tried to kick him under the table, but Jin expected that and promptly avoided it by getting up.
“Well, after you solve the course of our tomorrow´s adventure with Harada, come upstairs,” he snatched their room key off the table. “I´ll be waiting…”
Kame smirked in a way, which looked almost evil: “Don’t fall asleep then.”
Jin leant toward him suddenly, making the younger one flinch back: “Then come quickly,” he stated in a husky voice. Then he grabbed both their sacs from the floor, pretending that was the very reason he bent down, and headed to the stairs, grinning satisfied, as he felt Kame´s burning stare on his back.
- To be continued -
Credit for banner:
witchann2
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: What business has a certain quarry manager with Silver King?
What is going through Leo´s mind?
And whom will our two gunslingers meet, as they return to Kame´s hometown?
Enjoy this little preliminary X-mas gift, my dear readers. <3
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six //
The deal
Horace´s face suddenly acquired an excited expression, which was such a rare sight that it made Augusta curious.
After all those years of their marriage, she got to know literally everyone who had anything to do with her husband and were worth a second thought, but she had never heard the name which was just mentioned. She really wondered who this sudden visitor might be. A new lawyer?
“Great!” Horace stood up from his chair, quite cheerful all of the sudden. “Ask him to wait for a little while, Bernard.”
“Yes, sir,” the manservant nodded and backed out of the door.
“Robert, friend, I must ask you to excuse me. This will be a kind of private meeting.”
Augusta didn´t even need to look at Horace to know that the emphasis in his voice was directed to her as well. She was already on her way out anyway.
“Sure, no problem, Horace,” the mayor finished the drink and gestured at his stiff secretary to hand him his coat. “I´ll stop by some other day.”
This friendly assurance was the last thing Augusta heard before she left the office, leaving the door opened for the mayor and his subordinate. She walked across the corridor and stopped at the well-ordered table, which served as a workplace of Horace´s secretary and checked the box for any new post mails. It was empty.
Then she moved her look to the man standing close to the window at the opposite end of the corridor. Bernard had just informed the mysterious visitor that Lieutenant Governor would accept him shortly. Just that one look was enough for her to know that this man was no lawyer.
He was of average height, with short-cut gray hair, but his poise was still balanced, so it was hard to tell how old he might have been. Not even an ounce of excessive weight was seen under the neat suit of dark brown color, the leather - and surely expensive - boots were clean, and the man´s face smoothly shaved. It was the type of man who took care of his appearance, but not out of vanity. The look of this visitor was as sharp as a dagger, when he moved his attention to her and politely nodded.
Augusta put on her courteous face and nodded back, before she headed to the stairs with the voice of finally leaving mayor behind her.
There was something about that man what made her think that he was not always the master of his own life. He might have used to be a butler or something similar. But at the same time, she knew he was dangerous. It was a gut feeling not based on anything specific what could be seen, but during the years, she learnt to trust her instincts.
Augusta didn´t know what business this man might have with her soon-former husband, but in any case, she wouldn’t want him to be her enemy.
*
Before the door of his office got opened again and his visitor was showed in, Horace Tabor didn´t try to imagine what kind of man this Cameron Henderson would be.
He had always given the greatest consideration to the profit he might gain from any relationship, with whomever he maintained it; be it a US Marshal or a mere criminal. But later, he had to admit that this sandstone quarry manager was someone who could leave quite an impression.
“I´m pleased to meet you in person, Governor,” a gray-haired man with unreadable eyes approached his table by barely audible steps.
Horace reached out his hand, which was accepted in a firm, dry grip: “Likewise, Mr. Henderson. Please, sit,” he gestured toward the armchairs in the corner of his office. He didn´t know what to expect from this man, so he would rather have him further from his working table, but at the same time, he aimed for politeness, just in case.
His visitor seated himself with a motionless expression: “I greatly appreciate your invitation, sir.”
“Well, your messages definitely caught my interest,” Horace reacted in a perfectly aloof tone. He didn´t want him to realize how desperate he already was and what he was willing to do to finally catch those bastards and stop being a fool to the whole Colorado.
“I can imagine,” Mr. Henderson replied with a cold smile. “I´ve read a lot about these… issues you´ve got with the Black Riders and since it seems we have a common interest, I assumed I could be helpful to you in this matter.”
“And I´m eager to hear more,” Horace leant over the small table and poured two shots of his favorite whiskey. Alcohol usually encouraged people to talk more, so why not to try to use that fact? “So, tell me. How does it come you know so much about these outlaws?”
His visitor took the glass into his hand, but haven´t tasted it yet. Instead, he looked right in Horace´s eyes, as if to give more emphasis to his next words: “First of all, let me assure you that I´ve got a zero interest in the reward on Leo Akanishi´s head.”
Horace couldn´t help but smirk a little: “I admit that it crossed my mind…”
“I figured. But I´m more than well-secured and money is not what drives me forward in this case.”
“Good, good. Glad to hear that,” Horace nodded and sipped on the pleasantly burning liquid. “You manage Laporte quarry near Fort Collins, is that correct?”
“Yes. I assume you´ve already made sure to confirm that I wasn´t lying about that.”
It was almost unpleasant how closely the eyes of this man were watching him. Horace poured himself another shot.
“Of course I did. Just usual precaution before I deal with someone in person,” he admitted and even though he didn´t mean to sound apologetic, it turned out that way.
“That´s understandable,” Henderson nodded.
“Then… If you don´t care about the reward, what´s your real interest, Mister?”
“It´s his older brother whom I want.”
Horace finished his drink first, thinking through his next words: “Yes, I remember you mentioned this in your second telegram. And I can´t help but wonder - how did you acquire such a personal information about the leader of the Riders, Mister? I´ve been fighting those bandits for quite long and it´s very, very difficult to find out any details about anyone from that gang. You can imagine I´m surprised by the facts you provided.”
Cameron Henderson patiently waited until Horace was finished, put his glass aside and focused on him fully again.
“I know him in person,” he stated with strange glow in his eyes, which was definitely not there before. “I met the older Akanishi last year, while I was still residing in Montana.”
“Is that so?” Horace raised his eyebrows. “You´re from the north?”
“No.”
A short, cold response indicated that Mr. Henderson was very stingy regarding to his personal background. Not that Horace would mind it, unless it was something what could help him against that greedy gang.
“All right. And why do you want to get specifically this guy?”
“I won´t bore you with details, Governor, so I cut it short - it´s about payback.”
This time, the man´s reply hinted there was something dark what pushed him to chase Akanishis. Good, very good, Horace thought. Getting a vengeful person with good sense and abilities on his side would be a great profit.
“Revenge then. Interesting,” he noted. “You´ve got very personal reasons to go after him, I suppose.”
“I do,” another brief response came.
“I understand. And you think that both brothers are the members of Riders?”
“I don´t think, I know that,” Henderson stated with surprising confidence.
Horace narrowed his eyes: “How?”
“My apologies, Governor, but I will not disclose my resources,” the man stated a bit harshly. “I wouldn´t have got to where I´m now if I was not careful with information.”
That was something Horace could identify with. Good money and correct information were great power in this world. But that didn´t mean he wouldn´t try to pull as much of them as possible from this man.
“I see… What about those other details you promised then?”
Only now, Mr. Henderson raised the glass to check on the fragrance of the drink and tasted it, before he spoke again.
“Up until recently I thought that the whole gang, along with both Akanishis, was here in Colorado. That miraculous incident in Hereford fitted in with that, apart from those two farms, but I do not intend to question your methods, Governor.”
Horace hesitated if he should be upset or pleased, so in the end he maintained a cool face. Cameron Henderson seems to be smarter than one would think.
“But my sources in Montana informed me that the older Akanishi appeared in Billings,” the man continued.
“Montana? And just him?” Horace raised his eyebrows, not being able to cover that he was greatly surprised. Just what kind of resources this man had? “Nobody else was with him?”
“He was seen there with one companion, but that doesn´t necessarily mean, the rest of Riders hadn´t traveled there as well. It´s either that or they separated after they fled from Hereford.”
Horace frowned: “If what a certain useless sergeant said is true, his unit had the lead on the Riders just a few days ago, but they lost it. Unless they can fly like eagles, there is no way they would have made it to Montana in such a short time.”
“So, it´s just as I thought,” Henderson nodded. “They separated. For the time being at least.”
Horace reached for the bottle again, which was getting noticeably less full: “What do you suggest then?”
Henderson watched the liquid in his glass, as he replied: “It seems that these two brothers care for each other. When the older Akanishi was in trouble recently, the younger one rushed to help him. If we get one into our hands, we will get the other as well…”
“That makes sense,” Horace admitted, not bothering to ask, how the hell Henderson knew about such stuff.
“My suggestion then, Governor. You´ve got great influence in Colorado, moreover that special unit on call. So, while you will keep searching for them here, I will travel to Montana to make use of my resources there. If we keep exchanging any new information, there will be much greater chance for us to succeed.”
Horace pondered it for a while: “I admit, like that we will have much more possibilities to find out anything about them.”
“Exactly. Sharing all the information will be convenient for both of us. We can keep updating each other regularly by telegram.”
It all sounded quite good and well, but Horace suddenly felt suspicious again: “Let´s say I agree, Mr. Henderson. What would you like to get in return for cooperation on catching them?”
His visitor smiled again, and this time, it almost gave Horace the creeps: “Just your support, Governor, and possible financial assistance in case I´d need it. I will provide you the very same.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Horace stated and reached for his precious glass. “If your requests will be reasonable as well…”
“Don´t worry, Governor. I won´t travel to Montana unprepared…”
*
As he was leaving the Brown Palace Hotel, a satisfied smirk was playing on Cameron Henderson´s face. Everything was playing right into his hands.
At first, he couldn´t even believe that it paid off to keep some of former Karnaka´s men in Montana on his pay list not only for business purposes, but also to keep an eye over certain figures for him. What a luck that those two accommodated in Sammy´s Saloon. Especially after it seemed that both Akanishi and Kamenashi left Montana for good, for a more adventurous life in Colorado. It was like a divine sign.
Finally, he would achieve what he promised at the grave of his late master and mentor. He would fulfil his oath no matter what. That one telegram finally pushed into motion his plan, which he had been waiting for so long to realize.
Both of those brats came home. It was about time he would return there as well.
“Danny, good news for you,” Cameron stated as he settled in the saddle of his horse.
The boy keeping his horse in check looked up to him confused: “For me, sir?”
“Sure. You wanted to go home, didn´t you?”
“Well, yes… But you said I can go only after I work my debt off…”
“And who says you can´t do it in Montana?”
The young face, which was usually kind of gloomy, brightened up: “Really? You have some job for me in Montana, Mr. Cameron?”
“We both have it, kid. We both...”
***
Near the Colorado-Wyoming border
“Why such a long face?”
Leo took his eyes off the narrow road, where they expected Cullen and Ryo to appear, along with fresh supplies for their upcoming travels. His girlfriend kept looking in the same direction, but she was waiting for an answer; he could literally feel it. Leo reached for her waist and pulled the curious brunette closer.
“It´s nothing, just bad night´s sleep…”
A dissatisfied sigh was heard on his side.
“You should already know you can´t fool me, Leo Akanishi,” Jane informed him sternly. “What is it?”
He kept silent for a while, being aware that it was foolish to ponder so much about things that might have, but didn’t happen. But he also knew that Jane would hear him out anytime, without mockery or reproaches.
“I feel like a coward,” he admitted quietly. “After everything I had promised, what did I achieve? Just running off as a scared rabbit.”
“Leo… Don´t tell me that even after what we all agreed on in Leadville, you still brood like this.”
“I´ve got a damn good reason to,” he grunted gloomily.
The most important woman of his life observed him seriously, before she escaped from his embrace, only to stand right in front of him. Jane took Leo´s face into her palms, making him look her in the eyes.
“It doesn´t matter what we achieved or not. We did something and survived. That´s far more than most can say and it´s only thanks to you,” she stated firmly. “You´ve become a great man, Leo. The man I can be proud of calling my lover. So stop belittling yourself.”
Leo stared at her feeling somehow relieved, as if Jane removed something heavy from his back. He smiled and hugged her again.
“Are you so proud that you´d marry me?” he blurted the first thing which came to his mind. And at the second it was said aloud, he was damn sure it was the best question he could ever ask.
Jane´s eyes widened: “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Are you serious?” she breathed out totally surprised.
“More than ever before,” he nodded and continued before he could lose courage. “I know I´ve got almost nothing to offer you. No home, not even a safe place to spend a night, I don´t have a proper job or stable income. But I swear I´ll do anything to protect you and make you happy. So, once we get to Montana, because my brother wouldn´t have ever forgiven me if I had left him out of this, I´d like to make you my wife, Jane Briggs. Will you marry me?”
During his speech, the brunette´s expression gradually changed from shocked to a smiling one. Then she chuckled softly: “It sounds terrifying when you name it all out like this.”
“I know…” he agreed gloomily. “I´m sorry.”
“Don´t be sorry, silly,” Jane laughed and winked. “There´s no way I can refuse such a proposal.”
Leo almost didn´t dare to take a breath: “So…?”
“Yes, of course that my answer is yes!”
Flooded with joy, he grabbed Jane and raised her up, turning on the spot in fast circles, as she laughed happily. And the image of her bright face got burnt in his memory.
*
Once Cullen and Ryo got close enough to actually recognize what the other two members of their small company were doing, the sight made them exchange curious looks.
“Well, it seems that we missed something,” Ryo assumed, gently encouraging his fully loaded horse to faster pace, so that they could find out what that was.
***
Montana Territory
Bozeman City
A solid, red-painted door flew wide open, making way for a bearded man, who stumbled over the threshold, accompanied by an angry voice: “Out with you!”
Immediately losing his balance, the drunkard fell and rolled down the short stairs, landing in the dust on the street barely two feet in front of Kuro´s hooves.
The black stallion bent his noble head, to check the unexpected obstacle. He snorted contemptuously over the stench coming from that human´s mouth and made a careful step back, to let his master know that they should really avoid something like that.
Jin agreed with his faithful animal fellow, but at the moment, he was more interested in another person, who appeared on the fairly swept veranda.
“Don´t you dare to show your face here again, you sick bastard!” those rough words came from the lips of a lady in rich violet dress, which exposed rather than covered some of her benefits.
She scowled at the sight of the man still lying in the dirt, as he didn´t seem to be willing to move. Then her eyes focused at them and her expression changed so quickly that it seemed like the previous anger didn´t exist at all.
“Oh, good evening, gentlemen!” she greeted them with a coquettish smile. “My apologies for such welcome in our city,” with these words, she stomped down the stairs, revealing high boots of fine leather under her raised skirt. Right in the next moment, one of those boots was buried in the mumbling drunk´s ribs: “Get up, you useless piece of manure and stop degrading the name of my business,” she hissed in that spiteful tone again. “Move away! Now!”
Under her not very ladyish kicks the man gathered himself on all four, slowly straightened up and somehow, he managed to stagger across the street, mumbling some curses under his mustache.
Both Jin and Kame stared from their saddles kind of speechless. The woman, probably in charge of the two-store house on their left, which was not so difficult to identify as a brothel, altered her complicated hairstyle and turned back to them again.
“Welcome to Bozeman,” she addressed them in a friendly way, but her eyes were sharp as she looked through their outfits and saddles. “And I´m sorry once again.”
Jin shook his head, more amused than upset: “Don´t worry about it, ma´am, really.”
The woman flashed a smile at him, which almost made him feel nervous. He was actually surprised he didn´t remember her from his previous stay in the city; she was really pretty.
“Anyway, if you find yourselves to be in need of some amusement after your travels, do not hesitate to pay a visit to our house of pleasure. I´ll give you a discount,” she winked.
This woman knew quite well how to represent her business; Jin had to clear his throat, before he could reply: “Well, thanks for invitation.”
“That always comes for free, honey,” she informed him tilting her head a little, before she stepped out of their way.
“Can we go on?”
Only now, Jin tore his look off the leaving woman to glance at Kame who stopped with Ukushi by Kuro´s side. He looked kind of pissed, though Jin had no idea why.
“Yeah, sure.”
They were about to move on, when the woman reached the veranda and suddenly turned once again: “I´ve got a feeling I know you two… Have you ever been here before?”
“Actually, I´ve just returned home, Madame,” Kame replied politely, before Jin could open his mouth.
The woman´s face brightened up with recognition: “Ah! Yes! Kamenashi! Is that right?” she leant over the railing to check on his face in the deepening shadows from close up. “You got that bastard Grenet arrested a way back!”
Kame´s face stiffened, Jin could see it even in the poor light. That man was not a favorite topic for either of them.
“You´re damn right he did,” he confirmed instead of him.
“So, all the more - welcome back!” the brothel holder was grinning really widely now. “Gosh! We need someone like you here… Our new sheriff is useless, I tell you that. Well, looking forward to see you again!”
With that, the woman waved and the red door got shut with a heavy thud.
“Well, what a welcome,” Jin noted, as they made their animals move again finally.
“Yeah,” a quiet murmur came as a response.
Jin frowned. Obviously, Kame´s mood was still in the gloomy phase. And it was no wonder. To say they had no luck would be a bloody understatement.
At Fort Benton, the closest one to the Blackfeet reservation, they didn´t even let them through the main gate. In Helena, they had an unpleasant encounter with the military unit spending their time-off in one of countless local saloons and the lieutenant in charge of Fort Shaw shrugged their request off with a false apology that he was not authorized to deal with such issues.
Their next destination and hope was Fort Ellis, which was located in the same direction as Kame´s hometown, only further in the east, so they reached Bozeman first.
If felt like ages since the last time Jin had been there, especially when he noticed that the city changed quite a bit while he was gone. More people, new houses and stores. The word about the railway construction approaching spread and attracted new inhabitants.
But still, in comparison with Billings, Bozeman was just a small, quiet town, where most people knew each other by name, so their arrival attracted some attention. Not to mention those who remembered them just as that brothel manager…
“My! My! What a surprise!” a loud voice welcomed them as they dismounted in front of the saloon in the city center.
Both guys turned to face the sturdy, almost bald man who just came out of the batwing door, his hands full with tankards of beer.
“Mr. Harada,” Kame nodded at his former employer.
“Hi!” Jin also greeted him shortly, before he continued untying his sac from Kuro´s saddle.
“Welcome, guys!” the saloon´s owner thrust the beers under the noses of his guests who occupied the chairs on the veranda and rushed down the stairs. “Welcome back!” he repeated with a pleased smile, which was a very rare sight on the face of this rough man, as he patted Kame on his shoulder. “Akanishi! How long is it? Six months? Seven?”
“Just about to, yeah,” Jin confirmed, eyeing the saloon nostalgically.
“So, you managed to meet up, huh? It must have been hard…”
Kame and Jin exchanged a short look.
“It was, but somehow, we did,” the younger one assumed with a fleeting smile.
“Good for you, good.”
Harada seemed to be really glad to see them and it made Kame feel at home much more than a yet empty spot in the row of houses, where he used to live with his late mother.
Then Harada walked around them to the corner of the building: “Mike!!” he yelled suddenly, making the men on the veranda jerk their heads up from beers. “Move your lazy skin over here!”
“He still works for you?” Kame asked, while Jin turned away to cover an amused smile.
“Works, well, that might not be a proper word, but yes, he does,” the saloon´s owner grunted. “He takes every opportunity to slack off. He´s already fifteen, but just as irresponsible as ever before. Mike!” he yelled again.
After a few moments, the yawning boy, significantly taller than Jin and Kame remembered, appeared from behind the corner: “Yes, sir?”
“See? I told you! You were napping again!” Harada snapped. “We have precious guests, so take care of their animals properly, boy!”
“Precious?” Mike rubbed his eyes, before his jaw dropped. “Kame! Jin!” he literally jumped in the air with sudden enthusiasm. “You´re back!”
“And we´re so pleased you noticed,” Harada commented caustically, while the two greeted the boy. “Back to work or this is your last evening here!”
“Yes, yes, of course!” Mike was already almost dancing around Kuro. “He´s still so beautiful!”
“And also equally dangerous,” Jin reminded him tauntingly. “Be careful.”
“He knows me already, right, Kuro?” Mike took the reins over with a wide smile. “And Ukushi as well! Let´s go, I´ll give you two something veeery good.”
While the stable boy led their animals away, Harada already pushed them inside: “Come, you must be thirsty and hungry. Today was a goulash day and I´m sure Miss McBain has some left yet.”
*
Harada was right; there were some lunch leftovers to be found in the saloon´s kitchen and the creations of their favorite Miss Cook were just as delicious as they could only recall.
Even though the taproom was full of smoke and noisy as usual, it was not packed to the last spot, so Harada had some spare time at hand and he used it to ask them inquiring questions. Most of them, they simply couldn´t answer honestly, so they just did their best not to disclose any potentially dangerous details of their adventures in Colorado.
By the time their stomachs were pleasantly full and the second beers were served on their table, the taproom got almost emptied, and Harada finally raised the topic, which they could discuss with him freely.
“So, what made you come back actually?”
Kame raised his head from studying the latest newspapers, which he borrowed from one of saloon´s regular guests: “My friends, Mr. Harada. Blackfeets,” he replied seriously.
“Ah, those Indians again?” Harada shook his head, as he pulled a chair to their table to sit. “Will you ever let it go?”
“It wouldn´t be Kame if he did, Harada,” Jin, resting with his head leant on the wall behind him, noted calmly.
On that, the saloon´s owner nodded: “True, you´re right. Anyway… As far as I know, the rest of Blackfeet Indians are in the north reservation, aren´t they?”
Kame frowned: “They´re and we´ve already been there. They have quite difficult times because of the low rations from the government.”
“Ah, so, I understand… And you´re trying to figure out what to do about it, right?” Harada assumed.
“Almost exactly,” Jin spoke again, before Kame could react, his eyes fixed on the younger one. “We both´re trying that.”
The small wrinkles on Kame´s forehead got wiped away by those words: “Yeah, we are.”
Harada looked from one young man to another when they fell silent suddenly, staring at each other with a kind of… strange expression on their faces. He cleared his throat to attract their attention.
“And? You´ve got any great ideas?”
Kamenashi turned back to him, while Akanishi closed his eyes.
“Well… We´ve visited a couple of forts, but they didn´t hear us out in any… Actually… I have a small request, Mr. Harada. Can you navigate us to Fort Ellis? I´ve never been there and it´ll be definitely faster to find if we know the exact directions.”
“Sure, sure,” Harada nodded willingly and got up. “Just wait up until I show those last guests out and I´ll bring the map.”
“Thank you,” Kame appreciated and the saloon´s owner walked off to the bar counter.
Jin barely suppressed the yawn and drank up the rest of his beer at once.
“When do you want to set off tomorrow?” he asked then. “Right in the morning?”
The younger one eyed him warily.
“I think we can sleep in a little,” he assumed. “This fort should not be that far.”
The older one grinned: “You know how to make me happy. We´ve been rushing from one place to another for days. Long sleep sounds great.”
Kame repaid his smile and then he leant forward: “In that case, we should keep ourselves in separate beds.”
“No way,” Jin dismissed such a stupid idea right away. “I can sleep best with you right next to me.”
“But sleeping is not exactly what we would do in that case,” Kame reminded, lowering his voice even more than before.
Jin remembered the night two days ago, when a certain sneaky hand didn´t let him fall asleep for quite long and he created a calculative smirk on his lips: “We can always sleep after that,” he objected whispering. “Not to mention that some proper bed will be a nice change. You will have no reason to complain about your poor bottom.”
Kame chuckled and averted his flushed face from the taproom to the wall.
“You´re exaggerating…” he objected faintly.
Jin was glad he managed to improve the younger one´s mood and happily continued mocking him: “Am I now? Last time, you desperately insisted on me taking you from…”
“Jin!” with a seriously reddened face, Kame hastily hushed him. “Consider where we´re, damn it!”
“Sure, sugar,” Jin winked at him.
Kame tried to kick him under the table, but Jin expected that and promptly avoided it by getting up.
“Well, after you solve the course of our tomorrow´s adventure with Harada, come upstairs,” he snatched their room key off the table. “I´ll be waiting…”
Kame smirked in a way, which looked almost evil: “Don’t fall asleep then.”
Jin leant toward him suddenly, making the younger one flinch back: “Then come quickly,” he stated in a husky voice. Then he grabbed both their sacs from the floor, pretending that was the very reason he bent down, and headed to the stairs, grinning satisfied, as he felt Kame´s burning stare on his back.
- To be continued -
Credit for banner:
witchann2