“Yes, she’s unloading now and will have to be refueled. It will be on track six for boarding soon.” The man points and gives her directions.
Savannah glances around, looking for Fred, “Thank you,” she murmurs and sighs in relief, hurrying in the direction he gestured.
One side of the station is heavy with people unloading and collecting their bags, while the other side is empty as it waits for the refueled train to arrive.
A hand seizes her arm and shoves a sharp object into her side. “Thank you, indeed. S. E. Ward, you’ve made my job very difficult.” His hand squeezes her arm tightly when she starts to struggle.
“What do you want?” she stammers.
“Walk, or I’ll blow a hole clear through your side, Miss Ward.” He starts walking, keeping Savannah close to his side. Soon the crowd of people begins to thin as they all hurry to their destinations. “I’ve had enough trouble from women,” he hisses marching her along to the empty tracks.
“I’ve got money,” Savannah offers.
“Not enough,” Fred snaps and keeps walking, ignoring her stumbling beside him.
“How did you find me?” she asks, hoping to buy some time.
“Idiot said, red-hair. I never said that my wife had red hair.”
“Please, let me go. I don’t know what this is about, but I can pay…”
“Savannah?” A man’s voice shouts from behind her.
Fred whirls and watches as Eli gives a wave of his hand to the men, he’s with, and they start to spread out.
“Eli!” she whimpers and sags with relief.
“Stay back!” Fred snarls, and he counts. Six men! Rooster and four men have blocked the exit, and all of them are holding pistols.
“Release her!” Eli demands.
Fred backs away, jerking her in front of him to shield his body. He pulls the pistol from her side and shoves it under her chin, causing Savannah to gasp in terror.
“No!” she cries.
Dayton is collecting his bags when the crowd starts to shout and run towards the street. “They’ve got guns!” A women screams and runs.
“What’s happening?” Someone shouts and his heart stops when he hears, “A man’s taken a women hostage!” Savannah?
Dayton runs through the thinning crowd and almost shouts out loud. He’d know that hair anywhere, a man is holding Savannah with a gun shoved under her chin. The armed men spread out. Dayton draws his pistol, meeting Eli’s eyes with a nod.
Fred watches Eli’s eyes flick behind him, and he whirls around screaming “Get Back! I’ll shoot her!” and backs up towards the train tracks.
Savannah frowns in confusion for a moment when she sees him. Recognition has her blue eyes flying open wide with relief, “Dayton!” she sobs, and tears fill her eyes at the sight of him. When she tries to walk toward him, Fred squeezes her arm tighter.
“Don’t move!” He shoves the pistol under her chin again, pausing all movement and backs away towards the vibrating tracks. A train is coming!
“Release her, and we’ll give you whatever you want!” Eli pleads.
“Trust me, she’s not worth the trouble,” Fred snaps.
“Dayton,” she pleads, jerking on the arm choking her.
“You want her? Catch!” Fred shouts, and everything happens at once. Fred whirls and shoves Savannah screaming onto the tracks below.
Without a second thought, Dayton runs and jumps the four feet to the tracks below. The whistle on the approaching train blows as Dayton reaches her. “Savannah!”
Her eyes flutter open for a second, only to roll back when he scoops her up and runs out of the path of the train onto the empty tracks beside it. The wind buffets his body, and he shields her from as much of it as possible.
Fred runs, shoving into the group of people watching, only to have a punch sending him flying back to the ground at Eli’s feet. Rooster and the men close ranks on Fred. “You like to hurt women and children?” Rooster demands and flicks out his rope. In a matter of seconds, he has Fred flipped and tied like the animal he is.
Eli leans down and growls, “No one hurts my family.”
Fred starts screaming and cussing, but Rooster shuts it down with a dirty cloth shoved into his mouth.
Dayton struggles to the other side of the tracks towards the service steps and climbs up with Savannah. Gently, he places her on the ground, taking in the condition of her body. He runs his hands over, pleading with her to wake up.
“Come on, Savannah, open those beautiful eyes for me.”
Her eyes flutter again and fly open wide with panic before she starts to struggle. “It’s alright, you’re safe,” Dayton murmurs.
Savannah stills, and lifts a bloody hand to cup his scruffy face, “Dayton?”
“Yes,” he laughs, covering her hand with his, “I found you.”
“You look terrible,” she mumbles and starts to sob. She tries to pull away, but he’s not ready to let her go yet.
“You scared ten years off my life. I need a minute, please.” He lowers his forehead to hers and presses a kiss to it just as a large shadow falls over them.
The click of a pistol has his blood, running cold. “Savannah, is this man a friend of yours?” Eli demands.
“Yes,” Savannah weeps, “he’s from Kentucky.” She laughs at the absurdity of the moment, and just before the pain hits her she hears Eli shout.
“Let her go, Kentucky! The doctor’s here,” and the world fades to black.
Dayton glares at the men surrounding them and sighs with relief when a doctor pushes them back. “Give me some space,” he shouts and turns to Dayton.
“Son, you’re going to have to put her down and tell me what happened.”
“A man threw her back onto the tracks,” Dayton answers as he lays her
