Leoti Read online

  The man held the gun continuing to glare. The alcohol made him even more dangerous. In that exchange she understood the propensity of his evil. This man could take her life and be sorry about it later. Rex snatched on him and Jeffery went. He reached in for Josie, who fought him, kicking trying for the other door. But he caught her bare foot and dragged her to him. Dragged her out of the open car door. “You want to know about your Indian? Let me show you who he really is.”

  When Elu stopped the truck Po leapt out barking. He ran up the front steps then stopped short of the door. The dog sniffed at the edge and his head lifted to the neighboring forest.

  Elu ignored Po. He wasn’t led by instinct. If he was he would have seen or cared when Po raced off the porch and ran into the forest. No he was led by his love and mounting fear that Rex would be fool enough to harm his Leoti. He threw open the doors never breaking stride, eyes wide with alarm, searching for his beloved. He shouted her name, his voice bouncing off the cabin walls like thunder. Eddie must have followed him. He walked in behind him searching the cabin as well.

  “She’s not here. She’s not here.” Elu panted.

  “Who?” Eddie asked.

  “Leoti. She’s gone, and her car is out front.” Elu stopped and saw her shoes by the door of the bedroom. She was barefoot?

  “Elu, over here, I think you need to see this.”

  Eddie had picked up a letter that was left on the counter. Elu snatched it and read it. It was the contract and at the top it said: sign it. “I know where he took her.”

  Eddie shouted more questions to his back and Elu ignored them all. He had to get to the caves.

  “Should we show her? Bet she won’t think so good of Elu then.” Jeffery taunted.

  “Shut the hell up!” Rex barked. “How the hell can we show her? You bring a shovel to dig them out of that cave?”

  Josie stood at the foot of what could be an opening but there was a wood platform sealing it. She feared it was unstable. Each step she took it creaked noisily under her bare feet. The weathered surface was splintered and cracked. Even from where she stood she sensed the depths that lay beneath her and the danger of her predicament. She was too close to Rex and Jeffery to flee and not close enough to grab either of their weapons.

  “What is this place?”

  “Chicatee Caves. This land belongs to Elu. His grandfather lorded over it. Until his drunken son, my friend, sold it for next to nothing to Kingsley Mining Corporation.”

  Josie hugged herself against the cooling wind that pushed at her from all angles. She shivered in her bare feet. “Kingsley started mining here? That’s why they bought the land?”

  “Good girl.” Rex said as if he were the instructor and she the student. He walked over to the boarded up excavation entrance. “We started to set up the tracks to run through the cave to mine for coal deposits. Hit this patch of earth here and found the bottom to hell.” He kicked at the wood.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Because you ain’t listening!” Jeffery sneered. “They found Indian bones and got scared.” Jeffery nodded, taking joy in telling his story. “They laid off the men in this town and eventually closed up construction altogether. Elu’s grandfather convinced this town to keep the strangers away. Kingsley wanted nothing to do with it and most folks around here are natives. So it wasn’t hard to keep their secret. No one, not even the government, cares what happened to those people. And Elu walks around here like he’s some kind of protector. Chased his father away, he did. He’s a fraud. He bought this land to keep the secret for the Blackfoot tribes. Savages!”

  Rex nodded. “He can have this land. We don’t care about his dirty secrets. He just needs to get the hell out of the way. Or we go to the media and tell them to start digging.”

  “Elu would never cover up a sacred place. You’re lying.”

  “Sacred?” Rex laughed. “This ain’t no holy ground. This here is a conspiracy that goes back over a hundred years. It was his people that killed those Indians and buried them here. The tribe even sold off the land to distance themselves from it. Elu’s family and a few others bought land near Blackfoot. All of them agreed to keep their dirty legacy a secret.”

  Josie shook her head in disbelief. She had too much faith in Elu. Too much belief in the man he was to believe their twist on this tale. There was something more to this, a reason why Elu would keep this secret. Why he wouldn’t share this part of him with her. There had to be.

  “So you’re going to use me and this to get him off his land? That’s your plan?”

  Rex clapped his hands. “Give the lady a gold star. She finally got it.”

  Suddenly the roar of approaching trucks echoed in the distance. The men immediately swung their guns in the direction of the arriving vehicles. Josie exhaled a deep sigh of relief to see Elu behind the wheel of one of the cars. “Right on time.” Rex chuckled.

  Elu got out of the truck. He had his shotgun with him. He had a mean hungry look in his eye and it was aimed directly at Rex.

  “That’ll be far enough. Drop the weapon!” Rex ordered. Elu nodded and lowered it to the ground, but he kept marching toward them. His gaze connected with hers. She thought she saw a hint of a smile on his lips. It was brief, and helpful.

  “I said stop.” Rex ordered and Jeffery nervously lifted his gun.

  “It’s okay, Leoti, I’m here. Rex let her go.” Elu kept approaching.

  “Don’t make me hurt her.” Rex warned, he then turned the gun on Josie. Elu, only a few feet from the both of them, stopped on the platform and froze.

  “This is between me and you. We’ve already called the Sheriff on the CB radio. He’ll be here soon.”

  Rex smirked. “He won’t be here soon enough. We’ll have this resolved shortly. Now tell her, tell her about these caves. Tell her your dirty little secret.”

  Josie’s gaze volleyed between the men, resting on Elu. As much danger as they were in at the moment the need to know his truth burned hotter than fear in her gut.

  “Tell her. Your people killed those Chicatee Indians.”

  “Did they, Elu?” she stammered.

  “No.” Elu said softly. “Chicatee are my people too. My grandfather married a descendant, one of the last. They were a noble people and my blood. Just as Siksikáwa is my blood.”

  “Tell her the truth!” Rex shouted, he swung the gun in Elu’s direction. “Tell her why you are protecting this place.”

  Elu spoke directly to Josie, ignoring Rex. “We were all displaced once. Even Rex has family who had to cross-shores to this land from Ireland. No one is where they belong. But the Chicatee did belong here. They were here first. And neither the government nor the other tribes placed here respected that natural law.”

  “So it’s the white man’s fault?” Jeffery spat at Elu.

  Elu shook his head. “The blame is a human failing in all of us. Not just yours, Jeffery Henry. I believe when the Confederation of tribes were founded, the natives had intentions of living in harmony. But they failed. There was infighting and bickering and the Chicatee weren’t willing to give up what their ancestors had bled and protected for centuries to share these mountains. These caves were sacred to them once. Unfortunately they were forced here. It was an unstable place to live, the climate is harsher, the farmland is dry, and the caves were the only viable shelter in winter. One winter they suffered the greatest loss, a cave in happened, sealing families inside. Hundreds. The few survivors froze to death in these forests trying to make it out, and even fewer made it to safety. Now they are all gone, except for the blood in my veins. It’s an awful history and a great sorrow to the tribes.”

  Josie nodded, her eyes misting over. She could see the pain on his face and hear it in his voice. She didn’t need to hear anymore but Elu continued. “The land was sour but my grandfather loved my grandmother, and vowed to heal her and the past. He came here to release their spirits. After my grandmother’s death, and during my grandfather’s grief, his only son
sold the caves. It broke my grandfather’s spirit. That is the truth. I carry that shame. That is why no one will help in this fight. We were dishonored.”

  “That’s a fucking lie! You killed your own people. You covered up what happened here and Mission Creek pretends to not know your secret.”

  “It’s the truth, Leoti. I’m sorry you had to hear it this way. I didn’t want you to know. The Chicatee, my people, are lost because of fear, pride, and greed. Their souls need to remain at peace. They died wrong. This land is all they had left. I’m here to make sure it remains theirs. If strangers come and disturb them…it’s hard to explain. Rex wants you to know this to justify his greed. He thinks my shame is his weapon, but he doesn’t know me well enough to understand his mistake.” Elu narrowed his gaze on Rex. “Po and I have a purpose, I’m the protector and Po the guardian. My shame is my conviction, and I won’t let him or Jeffery here do anything to take what is not theirs. I bought this land back and kept it preserved along with the help of my wife. People respect our wishes. Rex you should have done the same.”

  “Go to hell. You will sign that contract and move your ass back here if you want. If not I will destroy Mission Creek and tell them all what you got here. The media will come, strangers, Elu. They will trample these forests and dig up those dead bones. They’ll put them in a museum on display. The Confederacy will be blamed and mocked. You will be homeless, left with nothing. Look at her, Elu. Look at your girlfriend! Even she doubts you!”

  Elu opened his mouth to reply when barking came from the left. Josie almost expected to see Po charge from the trees it sounded so close.

  “What the fuck is that?” Jeffery looked around, aiming the gun left then right. The temporary distraction was all Elu needed. He charged forward. Rex swung his gun to fire but Josie reacted just as Elu did. She shoved him hard and Rex fired in the air instead. Po charged out from the trees and took Jeffery by surprise. The animal drove him to the ground as Rex and Elu struggled for the gun that Rex held on to.

  “Go! Now!” Elu shouted at her. Josie stumbled back.

  “Help him! Help him!” Josie shouted to the other man who had just been a bystander up until now. The stranger stayed near the trucks and looked on with wide eyed fright, unsure what to do. Josie turned to a snarling Po who kept Jeffery pinned to the platform screaming, snapping his jaws. He then ripped into the terrified man’s neck. Jeffery fired in the air during his death throws and went still.

  Elu and Rex fought. They whirled in a circle and the gun was thrown free of the struggle. Elu’s hands closed around Rex’s throat. He was choking Rex, who had dropped to his knees.

  Josie scrambled and got the tossed aside shotgun. She tried to aim but her hands were shaking so badly she could barely keep it raised. “Elu, stop!” Josie yelled. The platform buckled beneath them. It began to groan and creak. Elu released his chokehold and slammed his fist into Rex’s face. The man crumbled back but Elu grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the ground. Josie lowered the gun in shock at Elu’s strength as he held Rex up and the man gurgled with a bloody nose and kicking feet.

  “It’s going to cave!” The other man shouted. He was running for them. Before Josie could heed the warning or Elu could react properly the platform did as the stranger warned. Josie fell back on her hands and butt as the center fell inward and the men both dropped.

  “No!” Josie shouted. She ran for the edge. His hands gripped the rocky surface. Half his upper torso was wedged on a protruding rock to give him some stability, but his arms and shoulders trembled with strain of Rex. The bastard clung to his legs screaming and howling not be dropped into the oily black abyss below. The opening of the cave was a ground tunnel that had caved in over the years. Josie couldn’t assess how deep the cavern was.

  “Hold on!” She reached for Elu, but if he moved to reach for her they would drop. All he could do was hold on. The man who arrived with Elu dropped at her side and tried to reach as well.

  “Hold on, Elu!” The man yelled. He turned and ran for the truck. Josie reached for Elu. His face was contorted with pain as he tried to hold on but she saw his fingers trembling. “Please! Please don’t let go! Please!”

  “Help us!” Rex cried out in horror. “Help!”

  Josie knew Rex would pull Elu off soon. “You can’t hold him, Elu. Save yourself, please. For me.”

  “I won’t let go!” Elu said, his voice quivering and his face drenched with sweat. He continued to struggle to balance them both. “I won’t let go!”

  Josie dropped her head and wept. Po barked frantically. If she lost him she’d never recover. Never in her life had anything been clearer than her heart at that moment. She prayed silently for help, for God to give them just one more chance at love. Then she heard the shouts of men. She lifted her head and looked back. Eddie came with a rope but the Sheriff and three of his men were with him. How did they get there so fast? Josie rose to her knees to get out of the way. A rope was tied to a man’s waist and he and another reached into the gaping hole. Po circled her legs. He was as nervous and panicked as she was. She heard the men shouting instructions to each other and to Elu and Rex. Then came a sharp cry of terror echoed up. It had a fading wail as if someone was slipping away. Did Elu fall? Did he? Josie put her hand to her mouth and stumbled back a few steps. Shock and fright had a strangling hold on her heart. She couldn’t take a breath. Then men slowly pulled Elu up, but he was alone. Rex was gone. Josie raced over to reach Elu and the men let her through. She threw her arms around his neck and held him.

  “I’m okay.” He panted. “I’m okay.”

  After the Rescue

  The chaos ended as the sun began to sink lower in the sky. She answered so many questions from the Sheriff that her voice went hoarse. Elu was despondent, barely speaking. He kept glancing to the hole where Rex disappeared, and then to the sheet covering a dead Jeffery Henry. They were told they could go and silently held each other up returning to his truck. Po rode in the back bed of the vehicle. Josie sat close to Elu, keeping her arm around his waist. They didn’t speak. They were sick of talking.

  Once they arrived to his home they showered and cleaned each other. Josie broke down in tears twice and Elu comforted her. She should be comforting him. She knew he was tortured over Rex’s death. She knew he tried to hold on to save them both, but fatigue and shock made her weak and clingy. They spent the rest of the day in bed with each other. Only leaving to get food or use the bathroom. And when night came she gave in to exhaustion and slept. She didn’t know how long she slept but she woke to Elu kissing her face. He cupped it in his hands. His hair fell over to her pillow and she stared deep into his eyes.

  “I saw my life flash before my eyes,” he began. “I tried to save him. He slipped from my legs. There was no hope.”

  “I know you did what you could, baby. I’m so sorry that he died that way. I thought I lost you.”

  “I have to tell you something,” he said. “When I thought all hope was lost, when Rex let go, I slipped and nearly lost the battle too. I looked up into the light, to my rescuers and there was another with them. My grandfather. I saw him. He told me why I had to climb out, why I had to come back to you.”

  Josie listened intently. “To protect this land? Keep others from disturbing the resting place of the Chicatee?”

  “No. He told me I had another purpose.” Elu smiled. “You.”

  “Me?”

  “Our future.”

  “So we have a future?” she gave him a teasing smile.

  “We do, you and I.” Elu nodded.

  “Tell me more,” she said growing weak and sleepy.

  Elu’s face lowered and he brushed his lips over hers. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip for a final taste before drawing away. “You touched my soul,” he said. Elu’s face grew serious. He pressed his hand to her belly. Josie looked down at his touch and then back up to him curiously.

  “We are going to have a child,” he said.

  Josie blinked u
p at him in surprise.

  “That’s what my grandfather told me. Another protector. With a strong spirit and loving heart. Just like you, Leoti. I’m here because you have given me the greatest gift. A girl. She’s coming.”

  She gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m not pregnant.”

  “Yes, you are. I promise my life to you both.”

  Elu rested his face on her breasts and lay between her legs with his arms wrapped around her waist. Josie stroked the top of his head, adjusting to the news. The idea of a baby was so overwhelming she felt humbled with hope that his news was true.

  “A baby?” she mumbled.

  “A girl.”

  “Our baby?”

  “Our baby.” Elu said, with such contentment it covered her like a warm blanket.

  “Our baby.”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  She was making him crazy. Then again when you loved a woman as much as he loved her a little insanity should be expected. Their marriage was quick. Quicker than he knew she’d like––it was her first after all. That was his fault. He just couldn’t stand another day without her being his wife. Surprisingly she understood. She was good at understanding. They were married on his land, a simple ceremony with a holy-man from his tribe. She wore a white dress with a crown of white roses on her head and an anklet made by women in their community. Her sister and mother were in attendance, and the rest of the small town of Mission Creek. They were married near Chicatee, in the open prairie he once was lost in as a boy. She stood before him on a cloudless day and said words that he’d carry in his heart to his grave.

  It took place six weeks after the terror at Chicatee, four weeks after the Blackfoot tribal council joined them in the fight to preserve all rights to the land in and out of Blackfoot Mountain––another victory in his life thanks to his wife. And now she was his.

  Elu pushed up from his pillow angling on his side to get a better look at her. Josie had rolled over to her back, which was rare. She mostly slept on her side due to her size. She pouted constantly over the changes in her body and how uncomfortable she was in her expanding skin. But he loved the change. In fact he found her even more beautiful. His eyes went over her. One of the commandments in their marital bed was they slept in the nude. It just added to his torture, having her warmth so close.