Chapter 13

(Chapter song ‘Jerk It Out' by Caesars)

JESSE “I want to!”

This woman is right on my heels. I knew this was a bad idea bringing her in here.

“No, Penelope. There’s going to be shooting and all that violence you hate. No!” I say as I rip open my saddle bag.

With a clenched jaw, I pull out the purple silk dress. I look at it and breathe deep. I can’t believe I’m doing this.

I hear snickers from around the camp. I lift my head and shoot glares at all of them “Knock it off! Right now!”

“Two women are more believable then one, Jess.” Harley offers.

“Shut up!” I yell.

“Alright. Hey, get in character, Jesse. Woman’s supposed to be soft.” Dakota snorts.

“I’m killin’ you. Ya know that right?” My brow goes up and I nod with an angry frown.

He makes kiss lips at me and laughs.

I groan as I shake my head.

Penelope lifts the skirt. “What? You’re wearing a dress? I’m sorry sir, but you really don’t have the delicacies to pass for a woman.” She smiles.

I lean to her, my eyes glow and my body melts to the brunette in town. “I don’t?” I smirk with her voice.

Penelope’s jaw drops. “You need to tell me how you do that.”

“No, I really don’t.”

I unbutton my clothes when I hear whistles. I cover myself back up and point. “EYES TURNED!!” I yell to my boys.

“Sweetheart, if you weren’t a 6 foot 4 bastard…” Justice cackles.

“You’re next on the killin’.” I point to him and growl. He puts his hands up and goes back to packing.

Penelope is looking me over. “This is amazing.” She says in wonderment as she feels my hair.

I sway her hand away. “Stop touchin’ me, woman!”

She leans back and crosses her arms. “You are in no condition to be acting of the female persuasion. You need help…from a real woman.”

I pull up my corset and try to figure it out. “I’v been with enough women. I can be a woman.” I grit as I get tangled in the damn contraption.

“Being with women and being one are two completely different things, sir.”

She spins me around, jerks me around as she adjusts the corset. She grabs the laces and pulls tight. I groan and hold my stomach. “Shit.” I wince. “I think I got this.” I groan.

She leans to my ear. “You really don’t.” her eyes meet the girls brown ones. “I’ll do all the talking.”

She helps me with the dress and ties it up.

“Damn. It’s hotter than Satan himself in this thing.” I wince.

“Welcome to womanhood.” She smirks and walks away.

I fix my hair and hitch my damn skirt. I feel really weird and I am getting madder than a cornered rattler at the eyes my boys are making. I shoot them death glares as they turn away.

“Ok. We got ten minutes. Let’s go.” I grit as I lead them out to the old Granger road. The stage coach runs through here once a month. Harley has connections to when the next one will be, but I don’t want to screw this one up.

Mutt directs us to the spot where the boys will be ambushing from. Penelope and I will be waiting until we hear the thunder of hooves. It moves fast so we have to be quick to not startle the horses too much.

“Ya know what yer doing?” I say to her as I look up the road and watch for dust clouds.

“I think I know how to be a damsel in distress, Mr. Ferguson. Just look pretty, but upset. Try not to lose your senses. Walk with poise, but not too much.”

“Ok. Ok. I’m not living like this. Enough schooling.” I grind.

“Soften your voice. Women don’t talk like men. Remember that.” She warns.

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” I say. Up ahead, I see the cloud. The sound of whips cracks through the air. The ground vibrates as the four horses hooves pound the hardened dirt road.

“HA!” The driver yells.

“NOW!” I grab Penelope’s arm and pull her into the road, trying not to trip myself on this dress while in these fucking heeled boots.

Penelope looks distressed and disheveled. I mess my hair a bit and prop up my chest. Might as well look sexy while I’m distressed.

She steps forward, waving her arms in the air. “HELP! PLEASE HELP US!!”

“WHOA!!!” I see the coachman pull the reins and the horses in front rear back with loud whinny’s and grunts.

The coach comes to a stop a distance away. Penelope pretends to be out of breath, holding her chest and holding my arm.

“I know him.” She whispers. “He’s a nice man. Do not hurt him.” She eyes me.

“Penelope?”

She steps forward more. “Oh, thank goodness.” She breathes. “Please…You must help us, Mr. Davenport.”

“Penelope? What in Lords heaven are you two doing out here?” Mr. Davenport jumps down as well as the carriages driver.

“We’re but two humble women spreading God’s word and we were attacked! By brutish, awful men! They were rough and big!”

My eyes go to my boys in the woods. They shrug.

“Very big…and mean! Yes, mean, brutal, uneducated…ugly…very ugly men! Especially the leader! He was the ugliest of them all!!” She pants.

I press my lips together and lean to her. “Layin’ it on a little THICK, aren’t ya?!” I snarl quietly in her ear.

“Shush.” She pushes me back as Mr. Davenport walks our way.

“We barely escaped with our lives!” She says with a puppy dog face. He’s in for it now. That face crumbles mountain peaks.

“Alright, woman. Don’t lose your head. Where are they now?”

I nod and my boys rush out of the woods with red, black and blue bandanas on their faces. “Right here!” Dakota growls as he cocks his trigger.

The rest follow suit.

Mr. Davenport looks at Penelope with shock as he reaches for his weapon.

“Ah! Wouldn’t do that. Hand it over.” I say as I pull Penelope behind me and grab my gun from the back of my skirt. I cock the trigger, aim and throw out my hand, crooking my fingers. “Do as I say and no one gets hurt.”

“A woman! Robbing a coach?!” He says with shock.

“Yeah, well, times changing. Woman should be allowed to outlaw like the rest, don’t cha’ think?” I can’t believe I’m even saying it.

“Penelope? Your father…”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Davenport.” Penelope says behind me.

“Pay her no mind. We made her do it.” I shove Penelope to the side of the road. She stumbles a bit and scowls at me. “Thank you, ma'am. Your service was much appreciated.”

“No. I did this of my own accord. Mr. Davenport, I implore you to give them what they want.” She steps back to me.

Davenport flips his head between us.

“No, ya didn’t. Go away!” I grit.

“Yes. I’m prepared for full recourse of my actions. Now, please. Let’s conduct this robbery in a civil manner” She holds her hands out to both of us.

I scrunch my face and turn to her. “What?”

“Women, are you out of your mind?!” Davenport glares at her.

“I assure you…”

“Penelope! Step back!” I yell. “Quit getting in the way!”

“Fine. Please. Just, please, satisfy their request so you can go home to your lovely wife.” She nods to Mr. Davenport, glares at me, hitches her skirt and stomps to the side of the road “Listen to the lady and stand back while we take that weight of silver off yer hands.” I nod slowly to the man.

Dakota grabs the driver’s gun.

“There’s a man in the back.” Harley says.

“No, there’s not.” Mr. Davenport chuckles nervously.

“He’s lying. It’s banking requirement there be three men on every run.” Harley counters.

I eye Davenport. “Bill. Check it out.” I order.

“No names!” He yells back.

“There’s a hundred Bills! Keep yappin’ and they’ll be one less!” I growl back.

He shoots me a glare and walks to the coach.

“Come out! Hands up, toss yer iron!” He says as he walks to the door.

He side steps and reaches for the handle. I see a shadow move behind the black drawn curtains in the window. “BILL! GIT DOWN!”

Just as I say that, a shotgun shot blasts the wood of carriage door.

Bill hits the dirt and the guy kicks the door open. He cocks and fires again at Bill. I shove Davenport to the side and fire at him, hitting the man in the shoulder and he falls out the door.

“GIT THE MONEY!” I bark.

I took a step to run and a bullet ricochet off the dirt in front of my foot. I look up to see men running up the road.

Bandits.

“DAMN IT! IT’S RED!” I run to Penelope.

“Red? Who’s red?” She asks as I pull her deeper into the woods.

“Pissed off Irishman. I kind of cleaned him out while he was passed out.”

“You have no shame.” She says.

“Only when it counts, sweetie.” I pant. I sit her on a log. “Stay here, Penelope. I mean it.”

“But…”

“EH! Stay out! PLEASE!” I throw my finger in her face and she presses her lips together. Gun fire rings out behind me.

My eyes glow and I look back. I leap into the fights direction and tear out my clothes, landing my giant tiger paws in the soft forest soil. I breathe a giant sigh of relief to get that damn corset off.

With a loud cat growl, I bound out of the trees to the fight.

Red Huston. Evil, twisted and holds a grudge better than a mama grizzly. He’s been after me for years. All for a lousy 100 bucks. He wants my head, but he isn’t getting it today.

His six guys are firing on mine when I hit the road. I maul one of his men to the ground. He screams as my teeth tear into his skin. His gun fires into the air as he hits the dirt.

“A fucking tiger?” One bandit shouts.

“IT’S JESSE! KILL HIM!” Red says. His fire red hair is disheveled and his angry blue eyes flare when I connect with them.

See this is why I hate people knowing who I am. It ruins the surprise.

My tiger lunges for him and he shoots my feet.

I jump the side of the carriage and dig my claws in. It rocks something fierce as I quickly climb to the roof and jump off with claws and jaws open. The horses start to panic and Harley keeps them from running with Dakotas help.

I land on another bandit as my boys pin the rest with gunfire.

While they reload, my tiger is grabbing legs and tearing off meat.

Screams and cries come fill the area as they die.

With three left, I get fired on.

My quick cat reflexes dodge bullets as I run around them in the rising dust cloud.

I go to lunge and suddenly I’m tackled to the ground by a wolf. A big, black wolf. What the actual fuck?

We roll around the road until he falls off and I land on my feet. My tiger eyes the wolf down. He larger than a regular wolf. Wolf shifter. At quick glance, he’s not one of Red's. He ain’t Mutt. This is someone else who joined the party. His eyes glow yellow and he growls.

Artemis.

My tiger growls and hisses. He takes a swipe at the wolfs muzzle.

Art barks and snaps at my paw. He lunges and I fall to my back. My front claws dig into his back and my teeth sink into his neck. He yelps and kicks me right in the gut. My cat lets go and he bites my leg. I swipe at his head and claw across his cheek.

He howls in pain and backs off.

He shifts to a lioness and now it’s a fight. Both of us clash and try to tear at each other. I was doing good, wrestling the lion to the ground and holding her throat in my jaws, cutting off her air until a stray bullet caught my leg. I fall off onto the ground and shift.

I grit as I look at the hole in my thigh.

Art shifts too. “Figures you’d be on this coach. You really are dumber than a fence post, aren’t ya? You know this coach is timed and the sheriff would be alerted when it didn’t show.” His sheriff form stood naked in front of me.

Fuck. Forgot about that.

The hole in my leg closes as the human bullet pushes out and falls to the ground. I stand with a slight groan. “If ya gonna stand there naked as a Jay bird, at least put on somethin’ half decent instead of that crusty old man. Come on.” I motion to him.

He tilts his head. “You got a lot more to worry about than my suit, Jesse.”

The gunfire ceases when the last of Red’s men and Red himself, fall. I look behind me as my men line up reloading their weapons.

I turn back and squint in the sun. “I’d say it’s you who need to worry, Art. Out here. No one will here the sheriff screamin'.”

My men stand beside me and aim their guns at his head while I stood with my hands on my hips.

He eyes us all and I lift my chin. Daring him to make a move.

“Those won’t hurt me.” He says low.

“One might. I loaded it with enough iron to drop ten of you. Make a move and find out which one.” I smirk.

He chews his cheek. “I’ll pin ya. I promise you that. Enjoy your silver.”

Artemis knows I ain’t fooling when it comes to knowing how to slow him and kill him. The problem is we’re are so alike, we can end up in stalemate for centuries and we have. Each time we come in contact all we end up doing is pissing each other off. We never get what we want. Either he runs or I do.

If I want this war with Art to end, I need something else. More power from somewhere. The only thing I can think of is my sisters and I’m not about to use that.

Dakota emptied the carriage. “Maybe 2500.” He grumbles.

I walk to where he’s holding the money sacks. I look in and grab a handful of coins. “Must have been an emergency run to shore up what the bank lost. How much was that?”

“5000.” Bill supplies.

I nod. “Ok. I need to see Mason. This sheriff. He’s like me. I need Mason to design a bullet for me. It won’t be cheap, but this will put a kink in a lot of plans of we don’t stop ‘em. Wrap up 3000. Get back to the ranch and store what’s left. Think of another plan. A good one this time.” I wipe my brow and walk away.

“What are you going to do?” Dakota says to my back.

“I need to take a little lady home.” I say as I walk into the woods.

I see her waiting patiently for me on the log as I approach.

The sun touches her hair and kisses her lips. Making her look like a dream or some sort of beautiful vision.

She turns to me, her eyes widen and she shields her eyes. “Oh…oh my…Mr. Ferguson…” She places her hand on her chest and sits away from me. I see her cheeks turn as red as summer apples.

I stand covering my manhood. “I…um…I ripped my dress as you saw. I just…I want…” I swallow and look around. “I’m taking you home.”

I feel like blubbering idiot right now and I don’t like it.

Her hand lowers and she quickly glances my way. “You’re welcome. Was anyone hurt?”

“A few. Red and his men are dead. They got the other coach driver, but your friend is fine.” I say.

She lowers her head and makes a cross over her chest. “Thank you for sparing his life.” She looks my way again.

“You’re welcome. Now, about that ride home.” I state.

“I don’t want to go home.” She turns to me and locks her eyes. “Mr. Davenport will surely tell my father of my actions. I’m afraid of what awaits me when I get home. His anger can be fierce.” Her voice cracks just a bit.

My face falls. I know that look. “He beats you.” I say quietly as my brows soften up.

Her chin trembles as she slowly nods yes.

My mind drifts back to my own father strapping me to the floor on my stomach bare backed. Whipping me with a silver whip to break my skin then pouring mercury in the wounds.

A boy of six doesn’t have much of a voice after that.

Artemis is a sick and twisted man. He knew standard beatings wouldn’t pack as much punch.

“Alright. You’re coming with me, little girl. Don’t you worry your pretty head about that." I try to keep my own emotions as I shift to a black stallion.

I trot to her and huff a grunt. I shake my mane waiting for her to jump on.

She stands and walk to me. She reaches out places her hand on my nose. Gently petting it. My horse eye sees hers as she carefully feels her way down my large neck, shoulders and back. I turn and lower my nose to her. She grabs my mane and back, placing a foot on my muzzle. I give a quick lift and she mounts my back. I feel her lay down on me.

“Thank you.” She whispers.

‘You’re welcome, Sweet Pea.’ I think.

I navigate the trees being mindful of the delicate creature on my back.

I’m not supposed to be soft. I’m not supposed to like her. I’m not supposed…

Damn it. I slightly shake my head as I feel her arms slide around my neck.

She laid her rope and I’m about to grab it unless I stop this…

Somehow.