Page 87 of Native Hawk
Meanwhile, Claire told her the story of what had happened after Chase had stolen her from her home. They had had a few rough days of wandering in the wilderness. But it seemed the woman had fallen hopelessly in love with her captor.
Catalina couldn’t say she was surprised. If Chase was anything like Drew, his charm was probably impossible to resist.
Unfortunately, Claire’s father had finally managed to track the couple down. He’d had Chase arrested and intended to put him on trial for kidnapping.
Claire had come to The Parlor to ask for Drew’s help in freeing his twin brother, with whom she intended to run away.
The romantic story served to restore Catalina’s faith in Drew. He hadn’t been untrue to her after all. He didn’t intend to abandon her. He was a good man. He’d only gone to help his brother. Everything was going to be all right.
Then her glance fell on Drew’s gun.
She bit her lip.
Drew was unarmed.
Chase probably didn’t have a weapon either.
That meant it would be up to the two ladies to work together to save them. She hoped Claire was up to the challenge.
After many attempts and much cursing, Catalina managed to pick the lock and free Claire. Then Chase’s woman and Drew’s lady stole off into the night, two fierce allies determined to find and rescue their half-breed heroes.
Drew hadn’t played the two-spirit game since he and Chase were boys. He hoped he wasn’t too rusty.
Since neither of the brothers had weapons—Chase didn’t care for guns and Drew had left his in Catalina’s room—they would have to rely on their wits.
Fortunately, Drew’s wits were as sharp as those ofXontehl-taw,Trickster Coyote. He’d already lured the jailer away so Claire Parker could let Chase out of the cell. The look on the jailer’s face when he saw the man he believed was his prisoner suddenly outside the jail was almost comical. It would have been funnier if the man hadn’t been waving around a loaded Remington as he pursued Drew.
He’d given Claire specific instructions. Still, he wasn’t convinced Chase’s little Calamity Jane of a sweetheart would follow them. If things went as planned, once Chase was free, he was to strip down to his drawers so the brothers would look exactly alike. Then he’d head south and meet up with Drew in the woods for the two-spirit game.
The game was a ruse Drew and Chase had invented to pull on visiting tribes when they lived in Hupa.
In some tribal communities, twins were considered a terrible curse. When twins were born, often one or both infants would be killed, sometimes along with their mother. This was so for the Konkow, his father’s people, which was why their parents had fled to Hupa shortly after Drew and Chase were born.
Instead of fighting against the superstitious nature of the tribes, whenever there was a gathering, Chase and Drew would simply pretend to be one person. It became a source of great amusement for Drew to be able to magically appear in two places almost simultaneously. Chase wasn’t quite as fond of the game, mostly because he was usually the one forced to hide while Drew explained to the wide-eyed girls of the visiting tribes that he was endowed with two spirits.
They hadn’t used the ruse in years. Never had they attempted to carry it off while being pursued by a gunman. Worse, the jailer seemed a little trigger-happy. So Drew figured the best strategy was to draw the man’s fire and empty his revolver before Chase got there.
His tactic of rustling bushes and throwing rocks to spook the jailer into shooting was working well until after the fourth shot, when Drew heard his brother arrive.
To distract the jailer, Drew immediately let out an eerie moan and streaked across the clearing.
An instant later, Chase echoed the sound from the opposite side.
To the panicked jailer, spinning back and forth, it likely appeared that his prey was either possessed of incredible speed…or he was a ghost.
Concealed behind a manzanita, Drew suddenly felt a sharp punch to his gut, followed at once by the close crack of gunfire.
Xongquot!Had Chase thrown a rock at him? That only worked when you threw themawayfrom where you wanted someone to shoot. He grimaced from the impact, limping through the brush. Damn, his blacksmith brother sure had an arm on him. That was going to leave a mark.
Soon after, the jailer fired his last bullet.
While the man reloaded, Drew crossed the south side of the clearing with a moan that was only half simulated. The place beneath his ribs where Chase had hit him with the rock hurt like the devil, making it hard to walk upright.
Chase moaned in answer from the north side, startling the jailer.
Drew rattled the bushes, peering over them, then ducking down.
Chase imitated his moves.
