word.”
Myghal grinned as he ambled alongside David. “I see yer takin’ my advice. Ne’er let a day go by without seein’ her face, that’s me motto.”
David nodded, anticipation churning in his gut. They turned toward Jacob and Annabelle’s house as the stars slowly appeared, the moon nowhere in sight. As they approached, he noticed the silhouettes of two people on the porch.
Suddenly Myghal grabbed his arm.
“Perhaps we better pay ’ er a visit tomorrow, my friend. Didn’t ya say there was a lot ye needed to do tonight?”
David made no reply. The sound of his own breathing and slowed heartbeat drowned out the other noises. His fists clenched at his sides, and in a flash his heart sped back to life. A red haze covered his vision, brighter than any remnants of the sunset.
Instead of running the rest of the way to the porch and pounding that no-good Joe into a bloody heap, as he wished to do, he spun around and headed farther down the mountainside. His little Liz had made her choice then.
“Where are ya goin’?”
The nimble Cornish man caught up with him, but David had nothing to say.
“C’mon, David. What’s say we go back to the boardin’house?”
David shrugged off the hand Myghal placed on his arm. “I have a promise to keep. I told her I would find out what her dad-blamed brother was up to, and I aim to do just that.”
“Perhaps another day? Ya didn’t tell her when ye would find out.”
David halted and stared into his friend’s worried gaze. “I’m not going back to sit and stew over this in the boardinghouse, all right? I’ve got to do something, and I might as well be doing this. If you’re not going to help me, then just leave me alone.”
“Maybe this is a big misunderstandin’. Ya don’t want to be doin’ somethin’ ye’ll later regret.” The wiry man spoke calmly, soothingly. His boyish face appeared much older tonight, with more lines around his light brown eyes that held an ancient knowing. “I know what trouble can be gotten into when yer hurtin’ o’er a woman…”
David’s heart twisted painfully, making him wonder if perhaps he did need to calm down and not charge headlong into disaster.
The thought flitted through his head in a moment’s time, the trail of its wings overtaken by that blood-red haze. He needed to do something. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts. So he strode purposefully down to C Street, leaving his friend behind. He didn’t bother to glance back, knowing that Myghal stood where he left him, looking on helplessly.
That thought didn’t deter him from his mission, though. He patted the holster at his hip, making certain the revolver he had bought days ago was right by his side. Who knew what he would encounter this evening? Beyond the loss of his green-eyed forget-me-not…
Hot anger fueled David as he barged through the door of Jacob’s business. The man had to be somewhere close by, as Jacob supposedly worked all hours of the day and night. Darkness met David’s eyes, except for a glow coming from the back of the store.
He made his way slowly toward the faint light, every thought focused on finding the brother that had led Elizabeth to this hellish place. He could take his rage out on the man after he discovered whatever awful secret he was hiding.
An empty back room with only a cot in the corner and several boxes of supplies met his scouring gaze. But it was the door on the other side of the room, standing slightly ajar, which caught his attention. Opening it the rest of the way, he walked into a very short hallway lit by kerosene lamps, with several rooms off of it and a stairwell going down to a lower level.
Going down to D Street. Sporting Row.
He took a deep breath, finally putting the pieces together in his mind. Jacob’s store on C Street was the same building that housed a brothel on D Street. Only a town built on a hillside could manage something like that. He was certain Jacob owned both
Myghal grinned as he ambled alongside David. “I see yer takin’ my advice. Ne’er let a day go by without seein’ her face, that’s me motto.”
David nodded, anticipation churning in his gut. They turned toward Jacob and Annabelle’s house as the stars slowly appeared, the moon nowhere in sight. As they approached, he noticed the silhouettes of two people on the porch.
Suddenly Myghal grabbed his arm.
“Perhaps we better pay ’ er a visit tomorrow, my friend. Didn’t ya say there was a lot ye needed to do tonight?”
David made no reply. The sound of his own breathing and slowed heartbeat drowned out the other noises. His fists clenched at his sides, and in a flash his heart sped back to life. A red haze covered his vision, brighter than any remnants of the sunset.
Instead of running the rest of the way to the porch and pounding that no-good Joe into a bloody heap, as he wished to do, he spun around and headed farther down the mountainside. His little Liz had made her choice then.
“Where are ya goin’?”
The nimble Cornish man caught up with him, but David had nothing to say.
“C’mon, David. What’s say we go back to the boardin’house?”
David shrugged off the hand Myghal placed on his arm. “I have a promise to keep. I told her I would find out what her dad-blamed brother was up to, and I aim to do just that.”
“Perhaps another day? Ya didn’t tell her when ye would find out.”
David halted and stared into his friend’s worried gaze. “I’m not going back to sit and stew over this in the boardinghouse, all right? I’ve got to do something, and I might as well be doing this. If you’re not going to help me, then just leave me alone.”
“Maybe this is a big misunderstandin’. Ya don’t want to be doin’ somethin’ ye’ll later regret.” The wiry man spoke calmly, soothingly. His boyish face appeared much older tonight, with more lines around his light brown eyes that held an ancient knowing. “I know what trouble can be gotten into when yer hurtin’ o’er a woman…”
David’s heart twisted painfully, making him wonder if perhaps he did need to calm down and not charge headlong into disaster.
The thought flitted through his head in a moment’s time, the trail of its wings overtaken by that blood-red haze. He needed to do something. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts. So he strode purposefully down to C Street, leaving his friend behind. He didn’t bother to glance back, knowing that Myghal stood where he left him, looking on helplessly.
That thought didn’t deter him from his mission, though. He patted the holster at his hip, making certain the revolver he had bought days ago was right by his side. Who knew what he would encounter this evening? Beyond the loss of his green-eyed forget-me-not…
Hot anger fueled David as he barged through the door of Jacob’s business. The man had to be somewhere close by, as Jacob supposedly worked all hours of the day and night. Darkness met David’s eyes, except for a glow coming from the back of the store.
He made his way slowly toward the faint light, every thought focused on finding the brother that had led Elizabeth to this hellish place. He could take his rage out on the man after he discovered whatever awful secret he was hiding.
An empty back room with only a cot in the corner and several boxes of supplies met his scouring gaze. But it was the door on the other side of the room, standing slightly ajar, which caught his attention. Opening it the rest of the way, he walked into a very short hallway lit by kerosene lamps, with several rooms off of it and a stairwell going down to a lower level.
Going down to D Street. Sporting Row.
He took a deep breath, finally putting the pieces together in his mind. Jacob’s store on C Street was the same building that housed a brothel on D Street. Only a town built on a hillside could manage something like that. He was certain Jacob owned both
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