She tried to sit up, but that was a mistake. The dizziness got worse and she sank back down on what felt like a scratchy piece of cloth.
"Just keep your eyes closed, kid," said a voice nearby. "You're okay. It'll take a few more minutes for it to wear off."
As if she'd been slapped, full consciousness returned. She remembered being grabbed from behind, trying to get away, and then the white cloth over her face.
"Where…where am I?"
"A cabin up at the old silver mine."
"I don't understand."
"Just lie still, kid. For the moment, you're my guest."
* * * * *
Something jolted Lara Croft and she woke with a start. Slowly she became aware of movement and for a moment she was disoriented. She opened her eyes and realized she in was a vehicle. Headlights punched their way through the darkness and it appeared that she was deep in the woods.
"Have a good nap?" asked a quiet voice beside her. Startled, she glanced to her left and saw Spade. He was looking out the windshield, but she could see the smile.
She stretched, made somewhat difficult by the cab of the truck. "How long was I asleep?"
"Not long, maybe half an hour."
"Where are we?"
"Almost to the area we're gonna check, the line southwest of the ghost town." He glanced over at her. "There's a canteen on the floor by your feet if you're thirsty."
She was. Unscrewing the cap, she took a long pull. She replaced the cap slowly, thinking about the last few hours. It was a real shock to learn Spade knew who she was. A surprise, too, to find he was not the slightest bit intimidated, like most men when they found out who she was. And he wasn't staring at her chest all the time either. That alone was a refreshing change of pace.
She glanced over at him. Strong profile. Not handsome so much as rugged. He seemed perfect to be an outlaw.
"Spade?"
He chuckled. "I'm still here."
"You were a Navy Seal?"
"Yeah. I was a lieutenant, a team leader."
"But you're not any more?"
He shook his head. "I got tired of blowing up worthless things. Got tired of goin' on missions with rules of engagement so restrictive we couldn't do the job without taking needless casualties. So I resigned my commission and left the navy. Now I still get to play with guns, but nobody gets hurt." He smiled. "I've always considered myself a cowboy, Miss Annie. So now I get paid to do something I'd do for free."
"But a western theme park?"
"Why not? Jason Trimble's a great guy to work for. He listens. Asks good questions. If I need something, he gets it for me. And his assistant, Alison, is a good lady, too. Works hard. Not afraid to get her hands dirty. Not only that, she's a good sport." He grinned suddenly. "Unlike some people."
She chose not to respond to his dig. "She hinted that you gave her a hard time when she first came here."
He grinned as he looked out the windshield. "Yeah, we did. Alison came straight from a corporate background. She was pretty sophisticated. Never been on a horse or fired a gun in her life. We had her doing both the first day. It took a while, but she's actually pretty good."
"I'll bet you didn't drag her out in the middle of the night, Spade."
"True," he allowed. "But at the end of the week we made her ride down to The Bottoms all by herself. Three of the boys were waitin' for her, but she came back with her nametag still dark."
Lara's eyes widened. "She did?"
Spade nodded. "I told them to go easy on her, but she did all right just the same. She came back with the biggest grin on her face. Wanted to join my outlaws, too, but Mr. Trimble wouldn't let her go." He glanced over. "And speaking of being in town, what brings you here, Miss Annie?"
"You don't have to keep calling me Annie Oakley, you know."
"Better if I do. Otherwise I might slip up when others are present."
Lara accepted the logic of it, but somehow she found herself wanting to hear him say her name.
"So what brings you to Silverado?"
"Mr. Trimble wanted me to evaluate the place and give him a report."
"Want a suggestion?"
"Certainly."
"We need to find a better way to recruit people, so we don't get folks like Doc Holiday and his wife."
"I could see they were frightened."
"We need to make sure folks understand before they come. We sure can't afford to give refunds all the time."
"Is the park in trouble financially?"
He glanced over at her. "Just between you and me? I think it is. I don't see the figures, but I hear talk about layoffs and cutbacks. Several of my men left just last week, concerned about it. That's tough, 'cause I was already short handed. "
"Surely something's being done?"
He nodded. "They're bringing in tour buses. We've got one coming on Saturday. Nobody likes the idea, but we need the money."
Not good, thought Lara. A shame, too.
They came to a ten-foot high chain-link fence, which seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions. Spade turned left, following a dirt access road that ran next to the fence.
They'd only driven a few minutes when Spade stopped the truck in front of a gate.
"Where does that go?" Lara asked, seeing the dirt road on the other side of the fence.
"It leads up to the old silver mine." He opened the door. "I'm gonna check the lock." He stepped out and the beam of his flashlight crossed to the gate.
Lara got out, too. It was good to stretch her legs for a moment. Suddenly she realized it was cold. She hadn't thought to bring a jacket and now she wished she had.
"Take a look here, Annie," Spade called.
"The chain's been cut," he said when she joined him. "Whoever did it draped the chain back in place to make it look as if it's still in place."
Lara picked up the chain. "The metal is still bright. The cut must've been made recently." She looked up at him. "Maybe today?"
"Could be," he replied. He swung the flashlight around and it only took a moment to locate the tire tracks leading through the gate toward the dirt road beyond the fence.
Lara glanced up the hill, trying to locate the mine, but she couldn't see it because of the trees. "Think we should take a look?"
"Yeah. But first I think we call for some backup." He walked back to the truck, leaned in the window, and pulled back out with his cell phone. "I hope the thing will work. There are some areas where we don't get coverage because of the ridge line."
He opened the phone and powered it up. "Nah," he growled after listening a moment. "Just as I thought. We're in the wrong spot." He tossed the phone back in the truck. "Looks like just you and me against the bad guys." He stood up and turned to face her. "Unless, of course, you'd rather fly solo."
"Solo?"
"I've read all of your books, lady. And most everything written about you. Inside that no doubt beautiful body of yours beats the heart of a tiger." He leaned against the hood of the truck and crossed his arms in front of him. "A tiger always hunts alone. So I'll just wait right here. When you and Britches come back, I'll take the two of you to breakfast."
Lara regarded him for a moment. "That sounded suspiciously like a compliment, Mr. Spade. But under the circumstances, the tiger sees nothing wrong with being accompanied by a seal. Especially if the seal is carrying that rather ugly looking automatic pistol."
Spade smiled and pushed himself away from the truck. "Very well, Miss Annie, I accept your invitation to the party." He struck his head back in the cab and turned off the truck's headlights. "I'll lock the truck and leave it here, blocking the road. Assuming there really is somebody up there, it should slow 'em down some if they happen to get by us."
* * * * *
How long have I been asleep? Britches opened her eyes and it took her a moment to realize that she was indoors. The room was about twenty by thirty and lit by a single kerosene lantern hung from the wall by one of the two doors. The room was filthy and trash and debris lay everywhere. She noticed the moldy blanket she was lying on and her nose curled up at the odor coming from it.
"Welcome back to the living," said a voice nearby.
Britches shifted her position and saw a man sitting at the crude table on the other side of the room. Suddenly it all came back to her and she sat up in alarm. A sudden stab of dizziness reminded her that she had not come here voluntarily. Who was this man and why had he kidnapped her? She swung around and put her feet on the floor.
She had just started to get up when the man picked up a rather large pistol from the table. "Hold it right there, kid."
She sank back down on the bed. He was maybe thirty-five and dressed as one of the park employees, but Britches thought she'd seen him somewhere before.
"But why…" she began.
Her cut her off. "Let's get a few things straight, girl. This ain't pretend. We're just gonna sit tight and wait 'till the boss shows up. And we can do it easy or hard, your choice. You behave and I'll let you move around. Try anything stupid and I'll tie you up. If I tie you up, you won't like it. Trust me. Are we clear about that?"
She nodded. "But I don't understand. Why...?"
He shrugged. "Not my department, kid. Offhand, I'd say your old man is gonna have to pay to get you back. It don't matter. Long as I get paid it's fine by me."
"Can I get a drink of water?"
"Help yourself. Just remember what I said." He set the pistol back on the table, but Britches felt his eyes following her as she went to the sink.
She worked the handle of the old hand pump and let the water run while she tried to think. What could she do? Escape seemed out of the question, at least for the moment. She'd have to bide her time and watch for an opportunity. Only bad part was that no one knew where she was. How long would it be before Annie missed her and started looking?
She filled a mug she found next to the sink and drank deeply. When she turned, he was reading a dog-eared magazine. "Do you kidnap people all the time?"
He looked up. "Don't mess with me, kid. Else you'll find yourself with a gag in your mouth." He looked back at his magazine. "Consider yourself fortunate. You're a pretty gal. I know some guys who'd like nothin' better than to have a little fun with you." He glanced up. "Know what I mean?"
Britches paled and turned back to the sink, her hand trembling when she put the mug back on the counter.
* * * * *
They'd walked about fifty yards up the road when Spade suggested they could save time by heading straight up the hill rather than following the road. It was an easy climb compared to some of the mountains Lara had scaled in her various adventures. Spade was no slouch either, she discovered, and the two them made rapid progress.
Sometime later they paused in the trees near the abandoned silver mine. With the moon illuminating the area, Lara could see the mineshaft buried in the side of the hill. Nearby were several buildings, two of which had collapsed. The third building looked to be in pretty good shape and the soft glow of a lantern could be seen through the curtain in the window. A truck was parked about halfway between the building and the mine.
"Looks like someone's home," Spade observed.
"Let's get closer."
They got up and were moving toward the building when Spade stopped and his head snapped around behind them.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Back to the trees! Hurry."
Not understanding, but trusting his judgement, Lara ran with him. Spade didn't stop until they'd reached a thick cluster of bushes.
"What is it, Spade?"
"Listen."
Lara heard a whop-whop-whop noise. Faint at first but growing steadily louder.
"He-lo," said Spade. And no sooner were the words out of his mouth when the helicopter broke above the ridge line to their left and crossed the valley right toward them.
Lara turned to Spade in awe. "How did you know?"
"You learn to listen," he replied. "When you're in-country, a helicopter is one thing you learn to fear. It can come outta nowhere. And if you get caught in the open, things can get to be dicey in a hurry."
The chopper came toward them, it's anti-collision lights blinking brightly again the dark sky. Lara gasped in surprise when a big white light stabbed out from the bottom of the aircraft. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Spade pushed her down a little further.
"Don't look at the light," he cautioned. "You'll lose what's left of your night vision."
* * * * *
In the cabin, Britches heard the helicopter approaching. She had ridden with her father a number of times in the company's helicopter and recognized the sound at once. Her captor heard it, too, and crossed to the window.
"The boss is right on time," he said, pulling back the curtain.
But Britches only half heard him, for her eyes were fastened on the pistol he'd left lying on the table. If she could get it before her captor's friends arrived, she might have a chance of escaping. The sound of the approaching aircraft grew louder and Britches moved as quietly as she could toward the table.
Six feet.
Four feet.
Three feet.
She was almost to the table when the man glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes widened and he sprang toward her just as Britches snatched up the gun. She swung the muzzle toward him. The front sight centered on his chest and she saw the anger on his face.
"Stop or I'll shoot!" she stammered, backing up. Her heart was pounding. She had to get away. Right now, before the others arrived.
"No, you won't, kid," he replied with sneer, coming toward her. "Gimme the gun."
She kept moving until her back was against the wall.
"Stop!" she cried. The gun centered right between his eyes.
"You ain't got the guts to shoot, kid," he replied.
Desperate, she pulled the trigger. Or rather, she tried to. The trigger wouldn't pull. Britches glanced down at the gun in disbelief. What was wrong?
She didn't get a second chance. He wrestled the weapon easily from her hand and backhanded her hard, spinning her head around. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her toward him.
"I told you not to mess with me!" he yelled and struck her again.
Britches felt the pain in her face as she hit the floor. Her eyes watered and she lay there stunned. Suddenly she was yanked to her feet again and shoved hard. She stumbled backwards and lost her balance. But instead of hitting the floor, she sprawled across the bed.
"Now stay there," he told her angrily. He shoved the gun into the waistband of his jeans and turned back to the window.
Her face on fire, Britches did as she was told. What had happened? She had the gun in her hand. She didn't want to shoot. But she just had to. And the gun wouldn't fire and…
Britches paused when the truth struck her. The safety was on. The stupid safety! She had not thought to check it. That's why the gun wouldn't fire. Her shoulders slumped. She'd had her chance and she'd blown it.
* * * * *
Lara and Spade watched the helicopter settle in a big cloud of dust thrown up by its rotor blades. The engine noise decreased and soon it was quiet again.
"It's a Bell Jet Ranger," whispered Spade. "The army has one like it. They call it the Kiowa. They use it for scouting."
The side door of the aircraft opened and two men got out. One was a big, mean-looking man. About forty years old, he was wearing a leather jacket and jeans. The other guy was a portly, executive-type. Maybe mid-50's, he had on a business suit. A strangely matched pair.
The pilot came around the nose of the aircraft. He was a short, slender man wearing a flight suit, and something about him drew her attention at once. He paused, as if looking for danger and when he turned in her direction, Lara could see the Uzi in his hand.
The three men walked toward the cabin, but the pilot trailed behind, continuing to search the area. The machine gun swung back and forth, following his gaze.
Lara couldn't stop looking at him and slowly a chill came over her, almost a premonition, if you will. She couldn't see his face very well in the dim light, but something about him drew her in, almost like a moth is attracted to the fire.
Go to Chapter Ten.