Page 21

I carried the lantern to light our path to the Soiled Doves. We passed tents with groups of men biding their time by cleaning guns, gambling at cards, and playing music. The sweet, bluesy sound of a harmonica played an upbeat version of a tune I recognized as Dixie. Gertie was right. It would be hard to give Longstreet the order to move more of these men to the front lines.

As we approached a cluster of wall tents, a sturdy woman dressed in satin and lace sat in a high-back chair outside the first tent. I didn’t miss the pistol holstered on her belt, or the knife secured to her right leg that peeked out from the ruffle along the hem of her dress as she uncrossed her legs.

Grunting and moaning came from the tents around us and I felt Sam cringe beside me.

“You men looking for a go with a few of my doves tonight?” the woman asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Caiyan responded. “Are you Miss Maggie?”

“The one and only. Show me your money.”

Caiyan retrieved a small roll of Confederate dollars, and the woman licked her lips.

“They’re busy. Wait over there by the tree and I’ll call you when one’s available.”

We moved to the location she indicated. I overheard the woman holler into the tent. “Make it quick, we’ve other customers.”

Sam opened a pocketknife and began to whittle at a limb he’d picked up nearby.

Caiyan took another pull from the flask and handed it to me. As I tipped back the flask, out of the corner of my eye I saw him rip the pocket from his coat.

A few minutes later, a small man stumbled from the tent. It was Gerry, my irritating teammate. Caiyan saw him and moved under the shadows of the tree.

He was much younger, and his hard lines hadn’t reached their full potential. He buttoned his trousers and the girl who followed him from the tent giggled.

“You git that Billy Yank tomorrow, ya hear,” she hollered after Gerry.

I watched Gerry waltz down the row of tents. Some agent he was, getting his rocks off instead of searching for his mark. Caiyan was practically gift wrapped and wearing a bow.

My future teammates were scattered throughout Gettysburg searching for Caiyan. I’d have to keep close quarters to protect him until I was ready for him to be arrested. The idea of Caiyan carted back to the WTF against his will made me smile, a Soiled Dove indeed.

“Let me have a go at him, Miss Maggie,” the girl said running her gaze up and down Caiyan’s sexy body. Her gown dipped low exposing the ample cleavage of her milky white breast.

Miss Maggie waved us over. “Sugar’s ready for ya, she’s my best girl, a real professional.”

Caiyan kept his gaze focused on the girl’s ample bosom.

At first, I was appalled at the behavior of these soldiers on the night before a major battle. Where was their focus? Hadn’t they ever heard of being prepared mentally?

And what was with Caiyan’s ogling of the Soiled Dove? Then I caught that glint in his eyes. The one he gets when he’s searching for a mark.

“Change the bedding,” Caiyan said, adding another bill to Miss Maggie’s chubby, outstretched hand.

“Victory!” The woman bellowed.

I stood speechless as a beautiful girl with milky brown skin rounded the corner. She carried a basket full of clean linens. The message on the sword wasn’t the key. It was Victory. And Victory wasn’t a key, but the name of the seer. I felt her presence the minute she came into the light. Unrestrained power.

She dropped her basket when she saw Caiyan.

He gave a slight nod at her.

Those amber eyes I recognized from Salem lit up, and then darkened. She was angry with him, and she was older than the woman in Salem. I hid my excitement as my mission unfolded in front of me.

“Clumsy girl. Change the bedding,” Miss Maggie ordered. “I don’t like keeping paying customers waiting.”

Victory gathered her basket and ducked inside the tent, returning moments later with a basket full of dirty blankets.

“I don’t think I wanna go inside,” Sam whispered to me.

“Ready for a go?” the young prostitute coaxed Sam.

“I’ll wait my turn,” Caiyan said. The Soiled Dove frowned, then shrugged.

Miss Maggie pointed to Sam and me to enter the tent.

“Together?” I asked her.

“My girls ain’t got all night,” Miss Maggie said. “One of you can go first, then you swap and the other can watch. It’s an easy way to get things going, if ya git my meaning.” She threw her head back and cackled, showing sparse, yellowed teeth.

I frowned and Caiyan gave a low chuckle.

“Be brave, soldier,” I said to Sam. I, on the other hand, was going to find a way out.

The prostitute huffed as if dragging us into the tent spent too much effort. She took him by the hand and towed him inside. I followed, holding my lantern with white knuckles.

On the way, I overheard Caiyan ask Miss Maggie if she had someone who could repair his torn pocket while he waited.

I ducked through the flap, allowing it to drop behind me. That was my cue. Caiyan was going after Victory, and I needed to be there.

Sam and I sucked in air as we stood taking in the stale scent of sweat and sex. The aroma wasn’t masked by the heavy French perfume the dove sprayed from a glass perfume bottle.

She spritzed the cot and Sam tensed beside me. I took the chair in the corner of the room and set the lantern down next to me. An orange glow cast shadows over the walls of the tent.

“I’ll sit here,” I said. “And snuff the light. Some things are better in the dark.”

“Suit yourself,” she said.

While Sugar removed her gown, Sam’s eyes grew wide and the scared shitless look on his face told me I should move quickly, because this might be over sooner than later.

When Sugar started to fuss with his clothing, I extinguished the lantern, and slipped out the back of the tent.

Tiptoeing past the watchful eyes of Miss Maggie, who was attempting to persuade a flirtatious Brodie into tasting her wares in exchange for information.

Not good. He was getting close.

A sharp slap of skin to flesh had me pause; around the corner from the prostitute’s tent, a lean-to provided shelter for washing and sewing. I hunkered down at the side and peeked through the branches of a squatty bush.

Victory stood in front of Caiyan; a red handprint burned his left cheek. I was sorry I missed the show.

“Where have you been? You told me you’d return months ago.”

“Aye, ye were no in Baton Rouge, where they left ye. I didnae know where to look.”

“How did you find me?”

“Boon sent word.”

It wasn’t Boon, it was me.

“Boon,” she huffed. “I haven’t seen that no good man in days. He’s a sorry soul. I sent him to deliver a message and he hasn’t returned.”

“Vic,” Caiyan placed a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry to tell ye, Boon’s dead.”

“Dead?” Tears pricked at her eyes. “It can’t be, how?”

“Dinnae kin. I found him in the woods. Shot.”

She lost control of her tears and Caiyan pulled her to him. She sobbed and he held her. I was watching two people who had history. My inner voice turned green and I told her to slow her roll. Maybe Caiyan was a good friend to this woman.

She pulled away from him. “Do you think the Federation was involved?”

“No,” he ran a thumb across her tear stained face, lifted her chin and kissed her.”

My inner voice screeched Nooo!

“Stop it. You can’t be coming on to me now.”

“Why are ye always turning me oot?”

Because she just lost someone important to her, you horny bastard.

“’Tis too dangerous for ye to stay, ye need to come with me, away from here. I must find a way to transport ye to safety.”

“I can’t leave.”

“Why the hell naugh?”

“Because of this.” She lifted her apron to reveal a round belly.

Caiyan’s eyes grew wide. Mine did too.

“Is it—?” Caiyan couldn’t finish the question, but I could. The child was his. He was a father, and he never told me. My heart did a swan dive. Somewhere in the eighteen hundreds, Caiyan and Victory had a baby together. Is that why he needed to come back here?

“I wanted to tell ya, but you didn’t return the next moon cycle, and then they sold me. I thought you’d be upset.

“I could never be mad at you.” He embraced her and kissed her on the mouth, again.

Suddenly the hazy battle smoke cleared. Mortas was here to kill her and their child. The child must have incredible powers, or was the child a parent to one who endangered the Mafusos’ existence? I had so many questions, and the two people who could answer them, I couldn’t ask. The worst part was Caiyan hadn’t trusted me enough to share this part of his life with me. I held back the tears of anger that threatened to spill out.

“So ya prefer the darkies, do ya?” Miss Maggie’s bulk moved in front of the lean-to.

Caiyan froze, his hand went to his revolver. Fumbling in my medical pouch, I extracted a bottle and a piece of cloth and poured the bottle’s contents into the cloth. I stood from my crouched position behind the bush and rushed around to where Miss Maggie stood, hands on hips.

“Excuse me, I’ve got an issue with your girl.”

Miss Maggie turned and moved away from the couple. “What problem you got with my Sugar?”

“She bit my hand.”

As Miss Maggie bent her head down to view the damage, I clasped my hand over her mouth and wrapped my body tight to her. She struggled for a few minutes.

“Go down, go down!” I said. I wrapped my legs around her and held on cowboy style until she went lights out.

Caiyan and Victory stared wide eyed watching the show.

I asked for Caiyan’s help to drag her under the shadows of the canopy.

Victory, eyes like saucers, reached out for me.

No, you don’t. I avoided her contact, wiping my hands on a dry cloth. I wasn’t sure if she could read me or if she only saw visions of the future, but I knew our contact would spark.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Seemed like Sergeant McGregor needed a hand. We’d better get Private Raney and skedaddle before the chloroform wears off and Miss Maggie regains consciousness.”

I removed my cravat so both could see I wasn’t wearing a key. Dabbed my face with it. My ruse needed to continue as long as possible, or until I could get a grip.

“Wait, I need to gather my uhm, things.” Victory began stuffing pieces of cloth into a knapsack.

One dropped to the ground, and I saw the map of Gettysburg sewn on it. The placement of Lee’s army, and the red heart she had cut to sew into the jackets of the soldiers. She glanced my way as Caiyan bent and picked it up, studied it. She yanked it from his grasp and stuffed it alongside the rest of them.

Miss Maggie made a low growl, and I chloroformed her once more.

We retreated toward the tent where I had left Sam and found him leaning against the tree.

“C’mon, we need to leave, quick like.”

Sam’s gaze stopped on Victory.

“She’s coming with us. Miss Maggie didn’t treat her well,” I explained.

“You’ll get in trouble taking someone’s property, Doc.”

“I’m no one’s property,” Victory said.

“She’s my property,” Caiyan said. “I’ve been searching for her. We can discuss this later, right now we need to hide.” He glanced behind him, and I saw what he did—Mortas spoke with Sugar, at the entrance to the Soiled Dove’s tent.

We detoured three rows over and walked at a brisk pace toward out tent. When Caiyan was positive we weren’t being followed, he slowed his pace for Victory.

Sam was quiet. Possibly in shock from his first sexual encounter. Say something manly, I told myself.

“Did ya ride her like a hog?” I slapped him on the shoulder, then immediately regretted my redneck banter. What was wrong with me? The anxiety of this mission combined with Caiyan’s secret past caused me to act like a jerk.

Sam’s eyebrows raised. “Never ridden no hog, but I told her I wasn’t ready to have relations. Just didn’t feel right, besides, my mamma would tan my hide if’n she found out.” He glanced sheepishly toward Caiyan. “I hope you’re not mad, Sergeant, ’cuz she kept the money. I can pay you back.”

“Not necessary,” Caiyan said.

“You’re lucky you didn’t have relations with that one, she’s got syphilis,” Victory said to Sam.

Huh, maybe that’s why Gerry is such a pain in the ass.

“We need to find Lee’s Old War Horse; I’ve got a message for him.” I used the nickname the soldiers gave General Longstreet. Keeping my identity safe just became more difficult. My inner voice slapped on a pair of black rimmed glasses and gave me a thumbs up. I reminded her Superman was a comic book. Batman, now he was the real deal.