Maude paced the small space of her prison and tried to devise a plan to escape. For several hours—she didn't know how long for she had no way to measure time— she had been confined in the room in a warehouse in Ciudad Juarez.
Maude's Mexican captor had not spoken to her as they rode his horse through the night. He had held her against his chest, and at times had fondled her breast. She had made no resistance to his touch, thinking that perhaps he would become careless and she could run into the darkness and hide.
She had studied the stars and knew they were traveling south. Also, she recognized the rough, stream-cut land with the gullies running from right to left, and knew it lay just west of the Rio Grande. Toward midnight they entered a town and she recognized Ciudad Juarez. They were now in Mexico and her chances of escape had been greatly reduced.
They had crossed through the town and come to the warehouse, where her captor had awakened an old man sleeping in a room on the end of the building. The man had not appeared surprised at seeing Maude. Rather, he had seemed sad.
"Miguel, light our way to the room," Leo had ordered the old man.
"Yes, Señor Valdes," the old man replied. He took a lighted lantern and guided the way into the depths of the warehouse.
As they moved through the building, with Leo holding Maude firmly by the arm, she surveyed her surroundings, looking for something that might aid her in escaping. The main part of the structure was high-ceilinged and held many piles of freight. In a cleared area near the entrance of the building was a stagecoach, its body painted a deep red and its wheels a bright yellow. Many horses were in stalls on the far left, while on the right side was a row of strongly built freight wagons.
At the rear of the warehouse, the old man entered a small room, lit a coal-oil lamp, and returned to the outside. Maude knew they planned to imprison her in the room, and she tried to draw back. Leo tightened his grip on her arm and propelled her inside.
"You must stay here for a time, Maude," Leo said. "Everything you need is here. Food will be brought to you in the morning."
"Please let me go, Leo," Maude pleaded. "Take me back across the river and I'll never tell anyone what you have done."
"No."
"Why not? I've done nothing to you."
"I'm going to keep you for what you can do for me," Leo said.
"What is that?" Maude asked, but she knew the answer.
"We will talk later," Leo said. He reached out and ran the tips of his fingers along the curve of Maude's chin and across her lips. "Yes, later, but soon."
He left the room and closed the door behind him. Maude heard a heavy bar drop into place to lock her in. A chill ran through her.
She turned to inspect her surroundings, and was surprised at the furnishings of the room and its cleanliness.
It was obvious that the space had been prepared for her, or some other woman. A wool carpet of good quality covered the hard-packed dirt floor. A wooden-framed cot had a feather-tick mattress and snow-white sheets freshly washed and ironed. A table held an earthen pitcher full of water, a porcelain cup, a washbasin, and a coal-oil lamp and six matches. A chamber pot sat in a corner.
The room had no windows. The walls were made of thick boards, rough and splintery. The door was of the same material. The room smelled of horses, leather, and saddles. Maude judged it had been used as a tack room prior to being emptied and prepared for a prisoner.
She had listened at the door, and now and again heard movement, as if someone was stationed to prevent her from escaping. Still, even with the presence of a guard who might hear her efforts, she had tried to find an avenue of escape. She had tested every board of the walls, pushing on them with all her strength. Not one had budged the slightest degree. She had considered digging out under one of the walls, but had nothing with which to dig. Dejected she was resolved to the fact that the only route to freedom lay through the door.
A crack high in a wall began to show a little light, and Maude knew daylight had come. Soon Leo, or somebody, would come to do whatever they planned to do to her. Dreading the future, she sat down on the edge of the bed.
* * *
Maude had not waited long when she heard the bar on the door being removed. The door opened moving outward and a thin, brown-skinned man wearing a pistol strapped to his waist stepped into the opening. He had jet-black eyes set in a face deeply pockmarked like brown mud trampled by horses. His sight fell upon Maude sitting quietly on the bed and he studied her for a moment. Then he motioned at someone Maude could not see to come forward.
The old man who had guided Maude and her captor through the warehouse in the night came into the room with a tray of food. He placed the tray on the table beside the lamp and hastened from the room. The pockmarked man closed the door, and it rattled on its hinges as the bar dropped back into its slot.
She eyed the food, not wanting to eat something her captors had given. Still, she was ravenous, having missed supper, and she would need her strength for the ordeal that lay ahead. She ate, and then lay down on the bed and rested. She had a plan for what she would do the next time the door opened.
* * *
Maude heard voices outside in the warehouse, and rose to her feet and took up the earthen pitcher. She had emptied out the water, and now held the heavy pitcher ready to use as a weapon. She would strike her captors and run. If she could reach a horse before they caught her, she would give them a hard chase.
She heard the bar being removed. Then the door began to open. Maude rammed the rough wood with her shoulder, striking it with all her strength, and it flew wide. She charged through, the pitcher held cocked in her right hand and ready to swing.
Maude was startled to find a white-skinned woman standing directly in front of her. Behind the woman were the two men who had kidnapped her. She swerved around the woman and charged on. She hurled the pitcher at the head of the nearer man, Leo, who had carried her into Mexico.
Leo ducked the pitcher, then quickly moved toward Maude as she hurtled past. He hooked her around the waist and stopped her wild flight.
Rachel was frozen in place for an instant when Maude exploded from the room. Then she whirled and dashed across the warehouse. Carlos had anticipated Rachel's attempt to run. He leapt after her and dragged her to a stop.
"None of that, Rachel," Carlos said as he propelled her back.
"They are spirited ones," Leo said, smiling.
"I like that," Carlos said. "They’ll give spirited colts. Now don't let them out of your sight at any time."
"They won't get away from me."
Maude listened to the two men talking and looked around the warehouse. The old man she had seen before and a younger man were hooking a second team of horses to the stagecoach. It appeared she and the other woman would be hauled away in that vehicle. She had wanted to leave Canutillo and Lester, but not like this. The man with the pockmarked face stood off by himself and watched her and the other woman with his black, coal-chip eyes.
The two kidnappers lapsed into Spanish; however, Maude understood enough of the language to get the gist of what they were saying. She wanted desperately to know what they planned for her.
"Travel as fast as you can," Carlos said to Leo. "Most likely no one will know what has happened to the women. Still, there may be pursuers, and so the farther south you go the safer you will be. Change horses at every one of our stations."
"I'll travel today and through the night, and not rest until dark tomorrow. If I need fresh horses between stations, I'll buy them. Emanuel is our best driver and no one will catch us."
"Leave at once. Guard the women closely for they will try to escape. And watch for bandits."
"Rafael is worth any three other pistoleros and will help me keep the girls safe," Leo said, and nodded at the pockmarked man. "What about you?"
"I'll find Tattersall and we'll kill Hawkins. Then I'll follow behind you to stop any gringos who chase us."
Maude heard the name Hawkins. She recalled that the old man had called Leo Señor Valdes, and that Ben had stolen Valdes horses, and the connection came together for her. Carlos and other men planned to kill Ben. He was in danger and she had no way to warn him, nor to tell him she had been taken captive and to come and rescue her.
Carlos spoke. "Arrange for our priest to conduct a wedding as soon as I arrive back at the rancho."
"Two weddings," Leo said.
"Right. Now get the women into the stagecoach and be on your way."