Clouding: Day 2

Word Count: 12,019

Summary of Events:

Asher discovered he'd been kidnapped by Butler Whitney, a notorious bank robber, who offered him a handsome reward to kill the notorious killer Bullseye, who had killed Butler's brother; not trusting Butler, Asher kidnapped Butler's son to guarantee he'd get the money he was promised. Theresa had tea with the doctor's nephew. As evening neared, Asher continued riding, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the Whitney gang as possible . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

The boy moaned. He glanced over as the boy rolled his head and tried to pull his hands free of the leather that tied them to the saddle horn to stretch.

After a few moments the boy opened his eyes and looked around in all directions. It took him some time before he settled his gaze on the spotted horse beside him.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"Who do you think?" he asked.

"An enemy of Butler," the boy replied.

"Isn't Butler your father?" he asked.

"He says we're supposed to call him Butler like everyone else does," the boy replied. "You're an enemy of Butler aren't you?"

"He's more an enemy of me than I of him," he replied.

"Why'd you take me?" the boy asked.

"To guarantee your father will pay me what he's promised he will for doing what I fully intended to do without him commanding me to," he replied.

"What does that mean?" the boy asked.

"Your father wants me to kill the notorious Bullseye," he replied. "I had full intentions of killing Bullseye myself, however, your father has promised me a good quantity of money for when I achieve the task, and I'd like to get that money from him. I don't trust your father, though, so I've taken you to make sure your father pays me what he's said he'll pay me."

"Don't we need to stop and make camp now, before it gets dark?" the boy asked.

"No," he replied. "We're riding all night."

"Why?" the boy asked.

"To put as much distance between us and your father as possible," he replied.

"I don't want to ride all night," the boy complained.

"And I don't care what you want," he replied.

"Butler will come and kill you dead for doing this," the boy said.

"Because there is the possibility that he could, just maybe, kill me alive," he said dryly.

"Butler!" the boy shouted. "Butler help me! Help me! The mean enemy is going to kill me!"

"Quiet," he ordered.

"Butler!" the boy shouted. "Butler shoot him!"

Brandishing a gun, he deftly brought the butt into contact with the base of the boy's skull and the boy immediately slumped over in his saddle and groaned.

Aside from the fall of the horses' hooves all was silent again, and he couldn't complain, he'd much rather silence than noise whenever he could. Butler's son was going to be nothing short of a pain in the neck unless he could find some way to keep the boy sleeping. Maybe he could stop in at a town somewhere and get some laudanum to keep the boy quiet.