Eldorado-3

Daniel Scott…

Dammit I’m actually pretty mad at this whole thing. One I don’t take kindly to someone…anyone laying hands on me especially if it’s a man. I’ve got lots of reason and lots of memories of those reasons to haunt me the rest of my life.

I’d be taking my ire out of him if it wasn’t for him savin me and using himself as a shield. Well he didn’t go down and I’m hoping he’d not too badly hurt unless he’s wearing an armored longcoat.

And then well there’s Damon.

Between all of the stuff he’s already done today and stabbing Jade and betraying us I’m really ready to lay into him and the fella’s he’s got with him.

I’m already drawing as Daniel pulls me around in from to face then and the fella with the double barrelled get’s it first and I shoot the gun out of the hand of another and there’s a bullwhip uncoiling fast at my face and I stop breathing and just let everything slow down to a crawl and I bring my right gun up and I put a bullet it the whip as it’s uncoiling slicing it’s braid to bits…kinda like that trick when a bowman uses an arrow to shoot another arrow to split it.

After all y’all I might not be in the shows anymore but I’m still Nikki Steele.

And dammit if Damon’s not high tailing it outta here again and shoving people in our path as he’s running. I really do hate men like him that see nothing wrong with using others as shields or weapons or toys.

I’m chasing him using my smaller size to try to get past folks in the crowds and the Canadian boy’s right on my tail until he isn’t and I see him run up a pile of sacks in the street and from that ontop of a wagon full of barrels heading down the street and he yells down at me.

“Miss Steele use your whip!”

“Pardon me sir we just met.”

“I’ll pull you up!”

I slip my guns back and pull my whip and if I’m higher I might be able to get a better shot off at the snake.

I snap it out and he catches it around the sleeve of his longcoat and he…holy crow he pulls me right off my feet and swings me through the air past him and the wagon and onto the awning of one of the shops. Now just like home most places have a good awning and now I’m up and above the crowds I start running and reloading and taking deep breaths and jump from on to another and another like I’m hurdling fences.

I see Damon making his way clear and he’s running hard with a couple of those fella’s yet and he’s heading for a ship that’s looking like it’s pulling off the pier and leaving.

And since it’s opening up to the docks I’m running out of road right fast.

Breathe Nikki, breathe you got the time. Bullets travel fast and just slow it down.

I look around me taking it all it as I’m running and the best chance is…

I pull my guns and I take aim and I fire at a net crane one of them ones that’s run by a mule on a turnabout. My first shot hit’s the brake on the crane and my second right at the hind feet of the mule getting it to start hoofing it and the next shot to the gear stick on the crane to get it swinging my way.

Damon looks at me hearing the shots and he’s cussing and my next shot clips him tearing a nice slice across his right cheek.

I was going for the kill.

He needs t’be put down.

And I only winged him because that sonofabitch has to have viper in his blood or something he’s that quick.

Quick enough that he grabs a girl slips a knife from his sleeve and turn on Daniel.

“Stop right there or I slit the girl’s throat from ear to ear.”

“Let her go Damon you’re bound by law there not good to keep trying to escape.”

“Now see here’s were you and I differ maple-butta, I’m not trying and I’m not bluffing.”

I see the muscles twitch and scream. “No!!!”

I’m fast but there’s no shot to take not without him using her…closer it’d be different but at this range.

I’m already swearing that I’m going to feed him his balls as he cuts the girl’s throat and he shoves her at Daniel.

He runs to catch her in his arms and he’s tryin to stop the bleeding and…and…

Dammit!

Dammit! Dammit!, Dammit!

I jump and catch the rope and swing out on the crane using my jump and my weight to swing me out….I could make the ship.

I could cut him off and take him there and then but I’m watching Daniel and this young local girl and she’s still alive…I can see her eyes and her arms moving a little as Daniel’s got his hands over her throat and…

I let go and drop and roll beside him.

“She’s not going to make it.”

“She can.” He looks at me and there is just this look in his eyes that…I’m biting my lip and my mouth goes dry from the intensity.

“What can I do?”

“Sugar, I need sugar and lots of it white if you can get it.”

“Right sugar…”

“It’s aright Daniel’s just fine.” He says and even with what’s going on right now somehow there’s a bit of a smile in his eyes.

Dammit, I just blushed.

Serves me right for that crack about my whip.

I run around looking and asking for sugar and I see that damned bastard Damon on that boat he got on with his two amigo’s holding the crew at gun point already outta range but there’s no mistaking the smug smile on the bastards face as he’s getting further and further away.

I’m not religious by much means compared to some but I think God would have a few questions about me pursuing revenge over me not helping the girl.

I get lucky and there’s a man from Greece with a shop here that had the sugar and he and his sons come with me back to Daniel and the girl and I’m kinda at a loss at what they’re doing until I see them pouring sugar carefully into where Daniel’s been holding her throat.

“Sugar?”

The Greek nods. “It’s an old trick from the wars. It clots the blood. She is lucky the main artery was not severed and that you were there my friends.”

“I honestly thought she was a goner myself.”

It’s still not over that quickly as it takes a good deal of sugar a few times before they get it stopped. They might not have hit the big sprayer veins but she still woulda bled out and it’s a real careful go of it to get her moved onto a wide plank and then to a cart and from there to the doctor.

It’s bad when we get there because there was a lot of damage that Damon caused and more than a few injuries from this whole mess and the local doctor is also a priest and it’s really slow going for them to keep her stable and to get her sewn shut and bandaged.

Hours and I’ve for all the shooting and fighting have never really been in a doctor’s place and seen the other side of things. I stay because there ain’t enough hands, and there’s bandages needed and water to be boiled and all sorts of other odds and ends that I’m feeling now that I’ve gotta make amends for.

Daniel even while still in there gets things square with the local law and the priest to help out as well.

The Greek fellow even went and found us a place to settle for the night in a hacienda close to his own for cheap.

I’m hugging myself feeling the chill of the night and then everything that happened after the fighting and saving the girl and helping out here. I wait for Daniel to come out because…well I’m not really sure. I’m not sure why or what’s going to happen next in all of this.

Part of me wants to just go home and part of me want’s Damon to face justice and part of me…

“Nicole…”

I stop thinkin and my heart does a lurch…Nicole’s not my name not even before I was Nikki it wasn’t my name and I’ve never been called that before and just the way it sounds on his voice.

I turn and look at him. “Daniel.”

He passes me a mug of coffee and I take it and cradle it loving the warmth it’s really welcome being hot and freshly made. And honestly my hands hurt like hell. “Thank you, thank you for everything that happened today.”

“You shouldn’t since you save my life there but you’re welcome.”

“We should get our things and get to Mr. Thematopoliss’s place.”

“Oh okay right.”

We finish the coffee and he takes them into the church and we head to get my things and then his at the bar where he left his bags and after checking on my horse we head to the hacienda.

The Greek fellow and don’t ask me to try and say his name’s been a really good host and his wife and his daughters whipped us up some stuff to eat and it was odd but pretty tasty. I never though I’d like spinach worth a damn but I think I might try making that spinach pastry thing back when I get home. And those grape leave with the meat and the rice were pretty tasty too. And I even liked the potato and garlic soup.

But the bath they had set up for me was just amazing.

Nothing special except a good deep tub and a dandy sponge to go with it all. It’s just after everything that’s happened it feels damned good.

I almost fell asleep except for the sound of Daniel getting undressed through the wall.

Now I said I’m not too fond of men and that’s been my thought for most of my life since all the things that happened. I will admit that there was one or two of those fellows that paid to have me were better, cleaner and nicer by far than most and I do enjoy what I do with Dove and Jade.

But my thoughts are right now drifting to Daniel.

He’s easy on the eyes that I’ll admit and he’s polite which is always a good thing in a man but the thing I can’t let go of and making my tingly parts tingling is the fact unlike so many men he has this honor about him that.

He took a shotgun blast to me and saved my like and more than that…yeah more than that he gave up his mark, his fugitive and all that ego and pride to save that girl.

Putting others even your own life before your own glory now that to me says that Daniel’s a real man and not some fella that claims to be one.

I climb out of the water and dry off and slip myself into knickers and a shift and I slip out of the bath and to his room and the door’s open and he’s undressed down to his pants and there’s a large dark bruise all over his back where he was shot and he’s got lots of old scars like a soldier would.

I slide in quietly and he notices me but I’m still close enough to touch him and stand tip toe and give him a kiss.

“Good night Daniel.”

“Uhm….wow…”

I turn to leave but he gently takes hold of my arm.

“Nicole…”

Damn me why does that thrill me as much as it does? Some other person and I’d be feeding him his balls.

I bite my lip and look at him. “Yeah…?”

“Can I kiss you again…I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since we’ve met.”

“You have?”

“I admit yes…who wouldn’t want to kiss Nikki Steele?”

“Okay…”

No sooner than I get in out he pulls me to him hard and fast like a ball room dancer and he kisses me full on the lips and it’s softly and it’s hard…and it’s deep and over and over and my hands settle on him and that hot…he feels so warm to my touch and his leg brushes my “other gun” and I break the kiss.

He’s looking at me and I’m looking back and biting my lips. “I’m sorry Daniel I’m kinda a freak.”

He stares at me and then smiles at me a little and says. “Nicole…I like you and not some bit of you…”

“Thank you…I’m not used to being treated with something approaching kindness and dignity from regular folks.”

He looks deeply into my eyes and his hands move to my girls and he cups them really gently and so completely… “I’d like to show you some kindness.”

I look up at him and lean into him and his hands and it feels good and so different than my other times already. “I’d like that too Danny.”

He kisses me just like before and my body heats up and I feel that swoony wave roll over me as everything gets heated up from his kisses and his touch and his hands slid down and take my shift slides off my shoulders and he lifts me to the bed.

I want this…for the first time in my life with a man and not my girls I want this...Oh!