Gun Law of Phoenix Cline Page 2

  The unfortunate girl and her companion arrived only moments ahead of four men. Phoenix had been seated at a table with Charlie. By the time they stood up, the man was babbling wildly in his native tongue and the girl had thrown herself at Charlie’s feet.

  ‘What’s going on, Charlie?’ Phoenix asked, confused by the scene unfolding.

  Charlie listened to a bit more of the other man’s hasty chatter and then held up a hand to silence the panicked gent.

  ‘It would seem, Baihu, that a vexing situation has arisen. Su Lee came to this country masquerading as a boy, but her secret is out.’

  ‘So she’s a girl, so what?’

  Charlie’s expression was grave. ‘Two of the local tongs are claiming her. Each side wants her to go to work at one of their Joy Houses, so they might sample her charms. Because of all the fuss, the overseer has discovered Su Lee is a girl. I’m sure they have their own idea about what she can do to earn money for him.’

  ‘What kind of idea are you talking about?’

  Charlie said. ‘It is probable her owner will put her to work in a brothel somewhere. There is a shortage of Chinese girls in this country. She would be an exotic novelty, likely to be worth thousands of dollars to them.’

  Phoenix looked down at the girl. She remained prostrate on the floor at Charlie’s feet, her hat lost during their run, with her forehead placed right on top of his sandals. Her hair was in a single braid, but unlike the men, she had not shaved the front part of her head. She gasped for breath and wept with fear.

  ‘What can you do for her?’

  ‘She is indentured, Baihu. I can do nothing.’

  The other Chinese looked over his shoulder and spied several men approaching the house. He cried something in his own language and ran to hide in one of the back rooms.

  ‘What are our options here, Charlie?’ Phoenix wanted to know. ‘I’m not going to stand by and watch anyone be forced to work at a brothel.’

  ‘The men approaching are not Chinese. I have no authority to do anything to prevent this from happening. I would be imprisoned or possibly hanged for opposing them.’

  Phoenix knelt down at the girl’s side, placed a hand beneath her chin and gently lifted her head up until he could look at her face. Terror glistened in her youthful eyes and tears wet her cheeks. She gave him an imploring look – a helpless fawn, awaiting death at the jaws of a wolf pack. The single expression inflamed Phoenix with a mixture of outrage and compassion.

  ‘There are four of them,’ Charlie warned. ‘These are hard men, used to doing whatever they please. Only a fool would stand against such devils.’

  Phoenix slid his hand to the girl’s cheek and offered her a grim reassurance. ‘You are safe with Charlie, little lady.’ The words were gentle and calm. ‘No one is going to harm you, not while I’m here.’

  ‘Baihu, if you do this, there will be severe repercussions,’ Charlie warned.

  ‘Best start thinking of how to deal with them,’ Phoenix told him quietly. ‘I remember your quoting Confucius to me, something about, To see right and not to do it is cowardice.’

  ‘I believe I also mentioned the one about, When anger rises, think of the consequences.’

  ‘The consequences will be up to the men chasing this young lady,’ Phoenix retorted. Then he stepped into the doorway and removed the thong from his gun. Indenture was one thing – slavery and forced prostitution was something else.

  The four men had been running to catch up with the girl and her escort. The group lumbered to an uncertain stop, seeing an armed white man stationed at the door. As Charlie had cautioned, each of the pursuers wore a gun and looked to have had experience in a fight. Phoenix wished he was wearing his dual holster rig. A second gun would have been handy, when facing four men. Too late to worry about it, he sized up the quartet with a glance. One man was darkly tanned and looked like he’d been in his share of scrapes – he would be dangerous. Two more were Mexican toughs, probably used as physical bullies. The last was fair of skin, with long, greasy brown hair. He stood in front of the others and looked to be the big-mouthed leader of the bunch.

  ‘State your business, boys,’ Phoenix invited, his voice masking the adrenaline surge which invaded his body. It caused an immediate prickling along his spine and every nerve seemed magnified and tensed for action.

  ‘We’ve come for the Chink girl,’ Big-mouth sneered.

  ‘I find that term offensive, fella. What are you – Swede, Dutch, Irish, or just white mongrel trash?’

  The man bridled, glowered at Phoenix and put a hand on the butt of his pistol. He was confident, having four to one odds. The two Mexicans showed wicked grins, whereas Dangerous appeared more wary. The dark-tanned man would be the quickest and most deadly of the four in a gunfight.

  ‘I’ve got a paper here that shows I own that girl,’ Big-mouth said importantly, patting his jacket pocket.

  ‘Show me,’ Phoenix said.

  ‘I don’t have to show you anything!’ Big-mouth spat out the words. ‘Get the hell out of our way . . . or we’ll stomp you into the dust.’

  ‘You’ll find I’m not as easy to push around as the Chinese.’

  ‘Look here,’ Big-mouth snarled the words. ‘The girl is legally ours and there’s nothing you can do about it.’

  ‘I can take her away from you,’ Phoenix suggested easily.

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ was the man’s clever retort.

  ‘Question for you, mister. . . .’ he leveled an icy stare at the man, ‘Do you want to sell me this girl’s indenture for a reasonable price, or do I get it for free when I take it off of your lifeless body?’

  Big-mouth started to reply, but Dangerous put a hand on his arm to stop him. He was the one to ask, ‘Just who are you, buster? And why are you taking the side of this here Chinese gal?’

  ‘The name is Phoenix Cline,’ he tossed out his name. ‘And these people are friends of mine . . . including the young lady.’

  Dangerous took a step back. ‘Phoenix Cline,’ he repeated the name as if it were hallowed. ‘You’re the man who tamed Waynesville and killed the Santa Fe Kid in a street gunfight?’

  ‘I’m the one.’

  Dangerous looked at Big-mouth. ‘Maybe you ought to name a price for the girl, Zack. I ain’t looking to lock horns with Phoenix Cline.’

  Big-mouth snorted his contempt. ‘Fer hell sakes, he’s only one man!’

  ‘I’ll give you two hundred dollars to sign over the girl’s release,’ Phoenix offered. ‘That ought to be more than fair.’

  But Big-mouth was not interested. ‘She’ll make more than that for me each and every night at one of the men’s social clubs in town, Cline. Now, either you step aside or we’ll walk over your dead body and take the girl. Choice is yours.’

  Phoenix swept over the four men with a cool appraisal. He knew the time for talking had come to an end. Dangerous was obviously apprehensive about his speed with a gun, but the odds were heavily in their favor. Suddenly, like a man thinking he couldn’t be killed, Big-mouth grabbed for his gun. Dangerous had been ready; he was already clearing leather—

  Phoenix put a perfectly aimed round into the chest of Dangerous, then sprayed the other three . . . firing with extraordinary speed and marksmanship. Dangerous dropped like God had stuck him down from the sky with a big hammer. Big-mouth also took a bullet to the chest, hit hard enough that he lost his gun. He staggered to his knees as the other two targets were each stung by a lead missile from Phoenix’s gun. Both of the Mexicans got off a single shot. One had panicked while hurrying his draw and fired right into the ground, while the bullet from the other missed Phoenix by two feet and sank into the wooden doorframe.

  Poised, ready to expend his last round, Phoenix stood facing the four men. Dangerous lay dead and Big-mouth was close on his heels, mortally wounded. The two Mexicans each had wounds to their gun sides, one with a bloody shoulder and the other with a hole in his upper arm. Neither showed any interest in continuing the fight.

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; ‘I’ll be taking that indenture,’ Phoenix told Big-mouth, holstering his pistol and stepping forward. ‘Doesn’t look as if you’ll be needing it any more.’

  Big-mouth had one hand over the wound – the bullet had entered to the left of his sternum and pierced his lung – and his other was planted on the ground to keep himself upright. He rocked back on his heels and glared up at Phoenix. ‘You stinkin’ Chinaman lover,’ he rasped.

  ‘Yes, well, I obviously have a better taste in companions than you.’

  ‘My brother . . .’ he coughed up a mouthful of blood. ‘You . . . you’re dead, mister.’

  ‘I’ve been dead before,’ Phoenix told him dryly. Then he reached inside the man’s jacket and removed the indenture. As he glanced over the contract, Big-mouth slumped over on his side, coughed once more and died. The two wounded men uttered not a word, but left their guns in the dust and staggered away into the night to find a doctor.

  ‘You have sealed my fate, young Baihu,’ Charlie said from behind him. ‘I must leave this city or my residence will become a local cemetery.’

  Phoenix turned to look at him. The girl had gotten to her feet, stunned by what had happened and staring mouth agape. She regarded him with wide eyes of wonder and something else . . . gratitude.

  ‘I’m the one who did the fighting, Charlie. I’ll go clear this up with the chief of police. He isn’t going to bring charges against me for stopping four men from forcing an innocent girl into prostitution.’

  ‘The law doesn’t affect the tongs, my son. They have their own rules of enforcement, and they have claimed Su Lee. It makes no difference that you were the victor in this fight, I will be killed for interfering with their business.’

  ‘Then you’d best throw your things together. Looks like you’ll be riding with me for a spell.’

  ‘What about the indenture you forcibly extracted?’

  Phoenix glanced at the paper again. ‘Must be about a dozen names on this list.’ The Chinese escort had reappeared from the back room, now that the fight was over and, indicating the man, Phoenix said, ‘Send your pal there to gather them. I’ll visit the authorities, tend to the indenture, and clear my name over this little fracas. You pick up a wagon and some supplies. Better plan on us all leaving town in it as soon as I get back.’

  Charlie uttered a sigh. ‘I always knew you would one day darken my doorway and bring trouble.’

  ‘What are friends for?’ Phoenix asked with a grin.

  Chapter Two

  Rachel stood rigid, arms folded, her posture displaying her ire and grim determination.

  ‘I know how much this place means to you,’ Don Baylor said carefully. ‘But I don’t want to see you get hurt. Hildebrand’s men will keep pushing, and you’re alone now. The dentist next door lost his place and the owner of the bath house up and moved away. You’re all alone down here and certainly don’t have enough business to hire any help. It’s doubtful anyone would work for you under the circumstances anyway. With the Palace Saloon sitting on the corner of Main Street, your place is barely visible from the walkway. As for the railroad passengers, Hildebrand built a covered walk on the next block, so it leads customers directly to his Palace Inn. He’s got you cut off from the rest of town. How do you expect to keep the business going all by yourself?’

  ‘I don’t have anywhere else to go,’ she replied curtly. ‘My father-in-law is on his deathbed. His sister is living with him until he passes. I can’t go stay with him, cause he don’t have nothing left. We was supposed to help support him with the money we were going to make with this business. Now he’s broke and dying, and my folks are poorer than a beggar’s dog. They sold me off as a bride to be rid of me. I got no place to go back to.’

  ‘Maybe you should take the money offered by Hildebrand?’

  ‘I don’t want no measly handout, just so it can ease his conscience!’ Rachel hissed her reply, ‘I’ll die first!’

  Baylor’s shoulders sagged with the weight of defeat. ‘I don’t know what I can do, Mrs Pomeroy. Hildebrand owns the judge, the sheriff and those other two oafs who pose as deputies. He’s got that massive ranch outside town and owns the Palace Saloon, the Silver Springs Pharmacy and the Palace Inn. When you look at the fact he has controlling interest in the bank and leases several other buildings in town, the guy is just too big and powerful to oppose.’

  ‘I won’t close my doors and give up,’ Rachel vowed. ‘If the bank forecloses on me, they’ll have to drag me out of here.’

  Baylor sighed. ‘All right, Mrs Pomeroy. I can see that talking isn’t going to do any good. And, to tell the truth, I understand your position. If I didn’t have a wife and three kids, I’d be inclined to join you.’

  ‘I ain’t expecting no one to help,’ Rachel said softly. ‘I wouldn’t ask you to get involved. I know you got a family to think of.’

  ‘Even if I dared, I owe a fair-sized mortgage on my store. The pharmacy Hildebrand built carries a lot of the same merchandise as I do. They’ve undercut my prices on most of those things, so we’re struggling to make ends meet.’

  ‘Hildebrand moved in and wants to build himself an empire,’ Rachel said thickly. ‘And he don’t care how many people he has to step on to get it.’

  Baylor didn’t argue the point. ‘I wish you luck, Mrs Pomeroy. If there’s anything I can do, you only have to ask.’

  ‘Thank you, Mayor,’ Rachel said. Then he left her at the walk and made the trek back up the street toward his store.

  She stared after him and noticed he began to blur before her eyes. Only then did she realize tears had formed and were slipping down to wet her cheeks. She hadn’t cried at Grant’s funeral. She had just felt a great sense of isolation, not from losing Grant, but because she was left totally alone in her battle for survival. She would miss the security of having a man around, but she would not miss his sullen moods, nor the contempt in his voice when he complained of how he had been roped into a position he hated. The man had never treated her like a wife. She had been a chore, a burden, a cross he had to bear. Even when he touched her, she felt only anger and resentment, never affection. They had shared the business and their daily lives, but they had never shared even a tiny bit of love.

  Rachel entered the café section and walked toward the kitchen. She would prepare chili con carne for anyone who stopped by for lunch. Chili or stew was about all she could afford to make and there were few customers – sometimes a freighter, a couple of cowboys or drifters. They chose her small eatery over the larger places because of the price – two bits for a bowl of chili or stew, along with a third of a loaf of bread and coffee to drink. She wondered how much longer she could afford to offer that much.

  Zeke Lichen stood at the foot of the newly covered grave. He and Zack had been the only sons to Zeb Lichen and Mad Martha Granville. Although never married by a parson, Martha added Zeb’s last name to the end of her own and the two of them stayed together for over twenty years. They had two boys and lived next to the Chinese district, where the kids grew up rowdy and enjoyed picking on their passive and usually submissive neighbors. Zeb had a job on the docks, while Martha worked at a nearby saloon. Between father and mother, they always managed to keep the boys fed and housed. Neither was around much for supervision or discipline of the pair, so the boys ran wild in their youth. They soon learned it was easy to get away with theft or robbery, so long as the victims were Chinese. Those people seldom contacted the law and, even if they did, the law usually ignored their complaints.

  The years passed and Zeb had an accident and died several weeks later from the injuries. The boys were eighteen and twenty at the time. Martha had never been quite right but, while she had her looks, she earned money keeping lonely men company at the gambling tables and helping them drink up their money. Once her youth was lost, she became a cleaning woman at the saloon. That came to an end three years after Zeb’s death, when she tried to roll a drunk. He woke up and stuck a knife into her chest, killing her instantly. Zeke and Zac
k handled that bit of retribution. The man died a horrific death, placed inside a coffin with several rattlesnakes and was buried alive.

  The Lichen brothers continued their life of crime but, as time went on, they faced new dangers; the Chinese developed more unity and had an odd sort of brotherhood, organizations called tongs. And while they seldom risked anything against an outsider, they had a few enforcers among them. Growing weary of persecution, some of those in the ‘fighting tong’ dared to strike back against known thieves, regardless of race. Rather than risk that kind of trouble, Zack suggested buying a Contract of Indenture and putting the Chinese to work for them.

  Zeke went along with the idea, but found it was too much like work, searching out various jobs and then overseeing a labor gang for days or weeks at a time. He let Zack handle that end of things, while he started up a small gang of his own. They robbed stagecoaches, the occasional trading post, and a few travelers or payrolls. No longer restricted to Chinese victims, his crew stole whatever they could. It was profitable, and both boys had been making plenty of money.

  Zeke reminisced about the good times in his mind, standing there at his brother’s grave. Whether Zeb came home after too much drink and felt like beating his boys, or Martha suffered one of her mental lapses and ran through the streets naked, they had endured as a family. He and Zack had grown up wild and free and people quickly learned not to mess with the two Lichen boys. They were tough, brutal, and took no lip or insult from anyone. It had been a good life for him and Zack.

  ‘You gonna’ run that killer down?’ A voice of one of his gang, Chips Longmont, asked gently.

  ‘You and the others don’t have to trail along,’ Zeke replied. ‘This is personal.’