Chapter 2

Five years later,

Time flew and several years had passed since that very day. As he'd pledged to himself, Matthew had managed to survive on his own. Well, at least he was still alive, although his life was nothing but a string of misfortune. He'd just settled into a new job, after the last one -a proper and legal job, came to an ignoble end. He lost his previous job, and nearly lost his life as well. It seemed he wasn't meant for a righteous life. He returned to his old ways, wandering anchorless in the street with no other purpose than to survive. A few days ago, after helping a young thug escape pursuit from the mad town folks, he was being recruited into a gang of robbers. This was the first time he took part in their act.

Hiding his uneasiness in front of his fellow thugs, Matthew shifted nervously in the saddle. There's a significant difference between thieving and robbing. Doing the former, he didn't need to confront his prey directly. He simply bumped into them, took what he wanted and disappeared before they even knew it. Robbing was a whole lot different thing.

Seven thugs on horseback, including him, hid behind the trees in the edge of the woods, lying in wait for their unsuspecting victims. An hour had passed when finally rumble of hoofbeats sounded in the distance and a stagecoach came into view. A scar-faced man, the leader of the gang, motioned to his friends and the thugs scattered out onto the road.

The gang leader pulled out a gun and fired a shot up into the air. Bringing the horses to an abrupt halt, the coachman jumped out of his seat and raised his hands in surrender. Blanched with fear, he stuttered pleas for mercy as he backed away a few steps. Mouth twisted into a sneer, the scarred man turned his gun at the frightened man.

Matthew had led a harsh and unforgiving life, but nothing could have prepared him for what he witnessed next. For no reason at all, the thug pulled the trigger and a deafening gunshot split the air. Blood spurted from the coachman's chest and his body thudded helplessly to the ground.

Matthew froze, staring at the dead man before him. He'd been thieving all his life but he'd never done anyone any harm. He'd just thought to try something new. It never occurred to him that this daring adventure would require taking an innocent life.

A feminine scream jolted him out of his initial shock and he turned to see one of the thugs pulling out a young woman in a fine traveling dress from the stagecoach. The girl struggled in her captor's clutches, causing her bonnet to fall to the ground. At the sight, Matthew was spurred into action. He had to stop this even if it meant putting his own life at stake. He jumped off his horse and launched himself toward them, but just before he came to her rescue, the girl had sunk her teeth into her attacker's hand.

With an abrupt jerk, the thug shoved the girl toward Matthew, who automatically caught her, keeping her from crashing to the ground. The girl lifted her head, looking back at him with wide, defiant eyes, and he immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

Matthew couldn't remember if he'd ever seen anyone, or anything that lovely. He'd always thought beautiful women only existed in paintings, since in real life he rarely met a woman as perfect as ones he'd known in canvas. But this raven-haired beauty was lovelier than any picture he'd ever seen in his life. He'd never known the true meaning of the word "enthralled" until now. For a moment, time seemed to stand still and the rest of the world disappeared. It was as if there were just the two of them and the surroundings faded into a blur.

Until a hard blow to the jaw nearly knocked him out. He staggered back a few steps, his head reeling as he tried to regain his balance. It was hard to believe that dainty little hand was able to launch such a powerful punch.

Managed to get herself out of Matthew's grip, the girl rushed to flee, but the angry thug pounced on her and spun her around. Spitting curses and profanity, the man slapped her hard in the face, sending her falling to the ground.

"You nasty bitch!" The villain lunged towards the girl, grabbing the hem of her skirt and pushing it up her legs.

"No, don't touch her!"

Another thug rushed to the scene, pulling his mad fellow from the girl, who was kicking and clawing frantically at her attacker.

"Get your hands off her. She's worth a fortune only if she remains untouched."

"How so?" The scarred man scoffed.

"We'll sell her to the brothel next town. I heard they pay handsomely for virgins."

Holding back, Matthew watched warily as the other thug continued to reason with the scarred man. He wished the argument would stall the scarred man until he figured out a way to help the girl escape. To his great relief, the scarred man eventually agreed with his friend.

"Hey, Matty," He pulled the girl off the ground and threw her at him. "Bring this little spitfire with you."

The girl shrugged him off when Matthew took hold of her arm.

"Get your filthy hands off of me, you blackhearted scoundrel!!!"

"Lady, if you don't stop making a fuss, that scarred man will come and take you with him. Trust me, you don't want his hands all over you."

The girl clamped her mouth shut, and it seemed like the warning was enough to silence her. Still, his attempt to help her mount the horse was rebuffed. He let her get on the back of the horse by herself, then climbed after her. Along the way, he tried in a vain attempt to take no notice of her sweet female scent, or how her small buttocks slightly brushed his crotch with each bounce.

They headed back to their den, an unused cabin in the middle of the woods. Some other thugs took over the girl, putting her in the shed at the back, tied and gagged. Afterwards they gathered in the cabin, celebrating their plunder with stolen liquors. Most of the men buried their nose in the cups, while some of them sought for other entertainment out in the town nearby. Blending with fellow thugs and pretending to enjoy his drink, Matthew waited until the men were well gone in their cups. After he was certain nobody paid attention to him, he sneaked out of the cabin to the shed.

The rickety door swayed creakily when Matthew pushed it open and peered inside. A shaft of moonlight streamed into the empty room from the gap between the planks, falling upon the overturned chair where the girl were tied to just a few hours ago. The discarded rope lay some inches away. Impossible as it was, the girl had somehow managed to get herself out of the restraints and fled. The problem was, a sheltered young woman getting caught in the wilds without supplies was even more dangerous.

Not wasting another minute, Matthew ventured into the depth of the woods. Navigating the dark path with light, soundless steps, Matthew strained his ears for any sound. Finding it difficult to trace the vanished girl that way, an idea popped into his head. Quickly he climbed a tree and perched on a high branch, observing the forest below like a hooted owl. Soon he caught the girl's pale colored dress flashing between the trees, moving to the north. He was about to climb down when he glimpsed small beams of light approaching from afar. He squinted his eyes to see better and soon recognized his fellow thugs, each of them carrying a torch, coming back from the opposite direction. The girl headed right into their path.

When she set off her flight from home, Lady Arabella Winthrop never imagined her little adventure would involve an encounter with some notorious outlaws. Fortunately, with some sneaky tricks, she had somehow managed to escape. She thought she'd run far enough from the thugs when suddenly she heard a twig crack softly somewhere near.

Before she could turn around, somebody had come up behind her. Her startled shriek was muffled by a large hand and she was pulled into the shadowy shelter of a tree. She twisted frantically, trying to wrest her arms out of her captors' grip, but they were held fast.

"Shhh!!! Be quiet!"

Matthew whispered into her ear.

"Calm down, lady! I'm not going to hurt you. The thugs are coming."

To be continued