‘Just in case you were lucky enough to see that big knife once more!’
Bronnah laughs and dresses quickly, finishing with her black boots. She tucks the knife back into the sleeve of her dress and smiles when she picks up the pillow and smells it. Chase. God, he smells almost as good as he feels. Glancing around the lighthouse, Bronnah has to force herself to leave and pack food for the trip. Who knows how long till they eat again? After straightening the bed and picking up any trash, the house looked almost as if it hasn’t been lived in.
When the door opens to the tower, she turns with a smile expecting Chase. Bronnah whirls to run and the window explodes in front of her. "Don't make me kill you!" The man snarls cocking his pistol once more.
Bronnah freezes and faces him, "What do you want?" she demands. He stomps towards her and grabs her by the upper arm, and his stench causes her to gag. She knows that smell, he's using the drug they gave her.
“You.”
Chase steps inside the barn and to saddle the horse. "Damn," Leo is a pig. He likes to slaughter for fun, and he's a mean drunk. Chase met him on a job in San Francisco, and he was horrified by the man's treatment of the prisoners.
He pulls the horse around front and ties the rope to the front post, before heading back to the barn to clean it up. Captain Perry was kind enough to let them use stay, and he wants to leave it for the next person who might need a refuge. Glancing at the soft light through the window he smiles. This has been an amazing few days. Bronnah is a puzzle that he's not sure he would ever be able to solve, but it would damn sure never be boring. She is soft, sweet, and vibrant. One second, she's all sugar and sweet, but watch out if you piss her off. "I love that about her," he whispered. He goes pale when he realizes he loves most things about her.
Chase steps towards the lighthouse when her scream cuts through the air and the window explodes from a gunshot. He drops to the ground, roaring out her name. “Bronnah!”
Her scream almost stops his heart. "No!" Leaping to his feet, he rushes inside and tells himself to calm down. Leo is counting on him rushing inside to save her, and he has Bronnah in a choke hold with his pistol trained on the door.
Bronnah panics, she can’t let him shoot Chase! Dropping one arm, she shakes the knife down into her waiting palm. The moment the door opens, she shoves the blade into Leo’s thigh, just as he pulls the trigger. Chase falls to the ground as Leo screams in pain and releases her. She bolts for the spiral staircase running, hoping to draw him away from Chase.
"You Bitch! I'm gonna make it hurt! I'm coming for you!" he screams and jerks the blade from his thigh. Stalking over to Chase he grabs him by his hair and lifts his head. Chase's eyes snap open, and he grins.
"Got you," he seizes Leo by his throat and throws him back over the dining room chair. The bullet winged Chase's arm, but it missed anything major. Chase isn't expecting Leo to rush at him with full strength, he's like a raging animal, screaming, spitting and beating at him. A chair hits Chase and sends him crashing into the small table. It explodes under his weight.
“I’m gonna get her!” Leo’s spits and runs for the stairwell, ignoring the blood streaming from his thigh and runs up the stairs two at a time, to catch his prey. Bronnah circles around the light, weeping and rushes outside into the deck surrounding the lighthouse.
"Chase," she whimpers as she Leo stalks her. His greasy hair flies around his wild eyes, and he approaches her slowly.
“Don’t worry, he’s dead. You’ll be joining him shortly,” he laughs at her gasp of horror and runs straight at her. Bronnah swings the piece of wood she found and slams it into his wounded thigh. This time, the pain seems to register. He falls screaming to the deck and kicks her feet out from under her. Bronnah falls hard that her ears ring when her head strikes the wooden deck. Leo rolls on top of her and seizes her throat.
Two dirty hands close over her throat, and he squeezes, choking the life out of her. Bronnah fights, scratching and beating at him but nothing stops him. A shot sounds out and Leo jerks, staring down at his chest in horror. “I’m killed.” He slumps over as Chase shoves him off her. Coughing she sits up and stares at Chase.
“Chase!” She sobs, scrambling to her feet she runs to him. He catches her with his wounded arm but does not take his eyes or gun off Leo.
"I thought… you're okay!" Holding her trembling form against him, he snarls, "I need you to go pack and clean up what you can. No matter what you hear, do not come back up here." He shoves her towards the spiral stairs.
"I thought he was dead, Chase?" She coughs and wipes at her eyes.
“Not yet. First, I need to have my questions answered. Go now, Bronnah.”
Gone is the gentle lover, kind soul, justice-seeking Marshall and, in his place, is… the soldier. Slowly, she descends back down into the house and shuts the door to the tower room behind her.
Bronnah does as Chase demands, cleaning the house, packs food, and cleans up her appearance. When the screaming starts, she blocks it out as she learned to do in the workhouses. After ten minutes of grunting, screaming, and wild laughter, she decides to walk to the beach. Sitting in the sand with her arms wrapped
