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“I swear, I don’t know where they went!” Silvia sobs before her head slams to the side from another blow.
Boyd Baker stares at the scene taking place in the trashed kitchen with increasing anger. He finally has enough and steps forward with a wave of his hand to back his man off before he can hit the sobbing woman again.
“Clearly this isn’t working so let’s try a different line of questions. Where do you think she would go? Who does she know that she could run to?”
Silvia raises a hand to her throbbing cheek and cups it before answering.
“Her Mom, Monica maybe? I don’t even know where she is. Bonita never said. Just that she had gone north to try and find her father’s people.”
Boyd shakes his head. “No, they didn’t go north so who else is there? What about her father? Where’s he at?”
Silvia shakes her head in panic that she doesn’t have the answers this cruel man wants. “He’s just some guy Monica hooked up with. He’s never been in their lives.”
Boyd throws up his hands. “Fine! What about her grandmother’s people?”
Silvia heaves in a shaky breath and shakes her head. “Bonita’s family were all from Mexico. They disowned her when she married Lucas. They didn’t approve of her marrying a white man.”
Boyd kicks a table chair across the room to crash into the wall.
“East! They went east! What reason would she have to go east?” He bellows, just inches from Silvia’s face. When she just shakes her head frantically that she doesn’t know, he shoves away from the table and turns to one of his men. “Go get one of the kids!”
Silvia screams out, “No. No, please! Wait, just wait! I’m trying to think. Please don’t hurt my kids!”
Boyd stares down at her in annoyance. “If you don’t want me to have a little chat with one of your brats, I suggest you think real hard about what I want to know!”
She holds up her hands and takes a few deep breaths. “Mr. Lucas worked in the east when he was still alive. I don’t know where exactly but I’m pretty sure it was out of state.”
Boyd stares down at her in thought before pulling a chair around and straddling it backward.
“I’m listening. Tell me about this grandfather. What did he do for work?”
Silvia tries to calm her breathing as she wracks her brain for memories long forgotten then nods at Boyd.
“Ok, he was a prospector. He had some claims in Arizona, I think. He must have done well because they were a wealthy family when I was a child. My mother worked for Bonita as a maid and baby nurse when Monica and I were little. He would be around for a few weeks at a time and then leave again for his claims. I remember one time we all stood by the tracks waving goodbye when he left in his little train car. He always went east until he died out there. That’s all I know!”
Boyd leans forward when she mentions the tracks and train. “A train? He had a train? No, we would have heard a train leaving last night!”
At his angry look, she shakes her head. “No! No, it wasn’t a train like in the books. It was just a little car that sat on the tracks. There was no engine to make it go. Miss Bonita told me Mr. Lucas would pump a handle to make it move. I remember I was disappointed there was no train whistle.”
Boyd leans back and rubs his mouth in thought before glancing over at one of his men with raised eyebrows.
Marco shrugs and says, “I don’t know. Maybe a handcart?”
As soon as he said the word handcart, an image of two men see-sawing a handle to move a small platform with wheels down a track fills Boyd’s head. He nods at Marco and looks back at Silvia.
“Alright, but where were they going?” When she just shook her head, he stands up and pushes the chair away. “One last question. What did the grandfather prospect for?”
Silvia hesitates for a beat, praying for forgiveness. She knew this man would go after the children and hunt them if she said the one thing he wouldn’t be able to resist. The sounds of her kids crying in the next room firmed her resolve and pushed away the guilt before answering.
“Gold.”
As the light of greed fills Boyd’s eyes and a grin spreads across his face, Silvia looks away in shame. She tries to console herself that he has no way to go after them and he would never be able to survive the desert on foot. A commotion at the front door has those thoughts proved wrong. With much shoving and swearing, Silvia’s husband Juan is pushed into the kitchen and onto his knees.
Boyd looks him over with contempt and nods to Peter, the man who brought him in.
“What’s this all about?”
Peter gives Juan’s head a shove. “It’s the husband. He says he came to take his family back to the ranch he’s been working at.” An ugly laugh rolls out of him. “Says it’s not safe here anymore!”
Boyd waves his hand dismissively and starts to turn away but Peter’s next words have him turning back in interest.
“This guy’s got wheels! He drove right up in a weird looking car.”
Boyd looks Juan over with a frown. “How’d you get a car to work? There hasn’t been any gas around here for years.”
Juan glares up at Boyd and stays stubbornly silent until Boyd walks over and wrenches Silvia’s head back with a handful of her hair.
“I can add a few more colors to her face if you’d like or we can bring one of your kids in.”
Juan takes in the bruised and swelling face of his wife before he slumps in defeat and shakes his head.
“It doesn’t run on gas. It’s solar powered and it’s not a car. It’s a dune buggy.”
Boyd releases Silvia and walks back over to Juan. “See, that wasn’t so hard. Now, where did you get it? Did you steal it?”
Juan shakes his head. “I don’t steal! El patrón of the ranch I’ve been working at lent it to me to bring my family back. He’s letting all the workers bring their families back. The government won’t be giving rations or water out anymore so to keep his workers he offered them and their families sanctuary.”
Boyd laughs. “What an idiot! All those extra mouths to feed?”
Juan’s expression turns to one of contempt. “He’s a good man! It’s smart business too. His operation is the last major ranch left in this state so if all his workers leave to try and help their families find food and water, the ranch will be done for. This way he takes care of both his workers and his ranch.”
Boyd shrugs indifferently. “Whatever. I guess it’s lucky for you that you have a place to go. I just hope for your kids’ sake it’s not that far to walk!” He waves Peter off. “Let him go. We’re done here.”
As the gang files out of the house, Boyd turns to Marco with a grin. “How much gold do you think we’d need to buy passage over the wall?”
Marco stands beside him on the top step looking down on the rest of the men who are checking out the strange looking vehicle in the street. He lowers his voice so only Boyd can hear him.
“That depends on how many you want to take with you.” He turns to him with a shrewd look. “You’d also want as much as possible left once you’re over the wall to set up for a new life.”
Boyd studies his man with consideration before turning away with a slow nod then goes down the steps to the yard and calls all the men over. Once they have gathered around him, he speaks.
“Alright, listen up! Marco, Peter and I will be taking this dune buggy and going after the girl and my coward of a brother for a little payback. The rest of you need to continue stripping this town of all the food and water you can find. Stock pile it up at the house. We’re going to need it. When we get back, we’re leaving this deathtrap and headed north!”
Most of the men cheer at this but a few of the smarter ones look unconvinced. One of them steps forward and asks, “Why do you need to waste time going after them? They’ll just end up dead out there anyway. If we’re going north, then we should just clear this town and go.”
Boyd scowls and snarls at him. “I’m the leader of this gang! You don’t get to question me!”
A few more of his men frown at the non-answer and step forward so Boyd lets out an annoyed sigh.
“Fine! One, that little brat shot me and my brother betrayed me. They need to answer for that by my hand. Two, they have something that will pave our way to a new life up north. I’m going to get it for all of us. Three, anyone who has an issue with my decision can just stay here and starve to death! Anyone got a problem with that?”
His explanation seems to appease most of them so he waves his hands to get them moving. Once they’re out of earshot, he turns to Marco.
“I think three passes over the wall will do.” When Marco smiles and nods his agreement, he continues. “Good, let’s get loaded up. We need to catch up to those kids. They’re the ticket to us finding some gold!”