Dusty Haven#2 - AP & Epi 10/30/'13 - Page 41

Chapter 24 - Final Countdown

Shashi Gupta wasn't expecting to see Arnav Singh Raizada riding up with a posse of men, especially when they were all armed to their teeth. The other hands that were working in the stables and the corral stopped what they were doing and stared at the group as they rode up. Slowly they all gathered around, leaving their work. Shashi and Happy stood on the verandah watching them walk their horses to the steps, before swinging out of their saddles.

Akash joined Arnav at the bottom of the steps.

'Good afternoon, sir,' Arnav's voice was low but carried over to the rest of the people gathered around. 'May we come in? We need to speak to you, sir,' he said.

'Of course, Arnav, come on in,' Abeja had appeared behind Shashi on the verandah and it was she who spoke. Garima stood at the door looking worriedly at him, her fingers twisting and making little wringing motions.

The small group moved inside into the living room.

'Have a seat,' Garima offered. She waited till everyone had sat down before she asked. 'What happened? Is everything okay? Khushi..?'

'... is fine, ma'am,' interrupted Arnav as he ran a tired hand down his face, wondering how to approach the topic. 'She's staying at our house tonight.'

'She's been gone two nights now,' Garima worried her lip.

'She's fine, ma'am,' Arnav said firmly. 'And safe,' he met her eyes directly as he spoke. He could see the way her body loosened as the tension seemed to lessen in her. She seemed to understand the sudden protective stance he'd taken towards her daughter. She leaned back a little.

Akash looked around. Payal was nowhere to be seen.

'There is something you should know,' Shashi began.

'About Shyam?' Arnav asked. 'Khushi told me about Donny,' he added as Happy and Shashi frowned.

'She did?' Shashi asked. 'What did she tell you?'

His daughter had dealt with her demons and her nightmares without ever discussing them. Yet she'd decided to open up to Arnav. Garima felt a small twinge in her heart as she understood where her younger daughter's thoughts lay.

'Yes. She told me that she'd seen Shyam kill Donny. We've kept her at Circle-R, and NK is there. He will ensure her safety.'

'But Shyam is your brother-in-law-to-be,' Shashi made a small frustrated gesture.

'Not anymore,' Arnav vowed. 'My sister is not marrying that murderous scum.'

'But, Arnav,' Akash wanted to remind him of how Shyam had actually saved Arnav's life - in a way.

He looked at Akash sharply and his brother promptly shut up.

Arnav was having none of it. He'd thought about it on the ride over. The two most precious women in his life were in danger from this man. There was no way he was making Shyam a part of their family. Who knew what he would do when he came to know that Khushi was the woman he'd chased with the intent to kill? Would he hesitate to harm her? He had to doubt that Shyam would not. It was inconceivable that he, Arnav, would allow a hair on Khushi's head to be harmed. Anjali would be hurt. Undoubtedly. And it broke his heart. But time would heal, as it always does.

The other four looked at them, wondering what they were not talking about. Shashi however, decided he had to tell Arnav about Shyam's offer. It was long overdue, but Arnav needed to know about it.

'There's something else that perhaps you should know,' he began. Arnav raised his eyebrows. 'Shyam had come here, soon after you had come to me. He also made an offer to buy Box-Lightning,' he added.

'What?!' Arnav asked.

Shashi nodded. 'He tried to be very persuasive, and he wasn't pleased when I told him that you'd invested in the Box-Lightning.' He sounded worried as he recounted the entire conversation with Shyam.

The two brothers exchanged glances. Neither wanted to go into the details of Arnav's escape from death nor Shyam's disappearance. Nor did they want to talk of El Coyote. There was no point in worrying the Guptas. Time enough for that later, when they'd dealt with the problems ahead.

Shashi shook his head as he finished speaking. Arnav sat there his eyes narrowed, thinking.

'We have to leave,' he abruptly stood up. 'We need to be in Yerba. I need to meet up with Aman.' All of what Shashi had said was ringing in his ears. The whole scheme was clear now.

It seemed that Shyam had extended a veiled threat to Shashi, just as he had to Arnav. Only in Arnav's case, he'd taken it one step further. He'd actually tried to kill Arnav - or had he? How else did one explain his strange warning to Khushi?

****

Dust motes floated lazily in the shafts of sunlight coming in through the windows where the shutters were drawn low. The saloon was almost empty at this time of the day. A couple of men sat quietly talking at a table in a shadowy corner of the room. Big Jim and a friend of his. They tried to look like they did not notice the three men clustered around another table in the center of the room, sipping beer as they conversed in low voices. One of the big guards sat on a stool at a far end of the bar, one eye on the three. They might have been wearing a brand on their head that stamped them outsiders Surprisingly, none of them seemed to realize how much they stood out.

Ela sat at the bar, sipping a cup of coffee, seemingly relaxed as she looked out over her domain. But that was only a faade, as she was acutely conscious of the three men - Dumas being one of them.

The saloon door swung open just then, and Shyam walked in, Rocky following on his heels. He stopped for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim coolness of the saloon, before walking over to Ela.

'Two beers,' he said.

She nodded her head and watched as he walked over to where El Coyote sat.

'Where have you been?' Dumas asked, his voice even, cold.

'I left. You asked me to leave.' Shyam met El Coyote's eyes, his tone even, without the faintest trace of any emotion in it.

'So what was your plan to get your hands on Box-Lightning and the Circle-R?' Dumas asked.

Shyam looked around unable to believe the incredible arrogance of the man, as he sat in the one place which was owned by a friend of ASR's. But of course, no one would have told Dumas about this.

'Why did you want me here?' he asked instead of answering Dumas.

Dumas raised an eyebrow. 'You need to get ASR out of the way.' His lips had thinned. 'Then make it a point to get rid of the family in Box-Lightning. I need that land. And you are going to get it for me.' He leaned closer, his voice dropping forcing Shyam to lean forward as well.

Ela placed the beers on a tray and walked over to the men. She placed the beer slowly on the table, waiting with lowered eyes as Shyam flipped a coin on the table. She picked it up and sashayed away. Putting the coin away in her cash-box, she picked up her coffee and sipped again. Then she looked over at the guard, and nodded shortly at him.

He looked back impassively at her, his eyes moving over to Dumas and Shyam. Two minutes later, he got up and came over to the bar. Ela flapped her apron as she took it off.

'I'm off, boys,' she declared to the room in general. 'Tim here'll take care of your drinks. Just let him know what you want.' She went out through the door at the back which led to her office and her rooms.

****

Arnav walked into the Sheriff's office and looked around. Aman was nowhere to be seen. Akash had gone back to his clinic, and he was alone.

'Aman!' he called.

That worthy came out from the back, hitching his trousers up. 'Come on in, ASR,' he called. The two of them settled into chairs around the desk.

Arnav brought Aman up to speed with what had happened. They now had the full story. Shyam's involvement with Dumas was very clear.

'I have an arrest warrant for him, signed by the magistrate,' Aman said, pushing a piece of paper across to Arnav.

Arnav felt a lump in his throat. In his hands, he held the key to his sister's happiness/unhappiness. He read the paper and then nodded. 'Khushi will have to give her statement?' he asked rhetorically.

'She already has done so. Now, we need to find him,' Aman put the paper away in his drawer.

The door pushed open and Ela stepped in.

'Aman,' she walked across to him, not noticing Arnav lounging in the chair behind the desk. 'Dumas is in the Wild Bull and Shyam is with him.'

'Dammit,' ASR sprang to his feet.

'ASR! I didn't see you,' she exclaimed.

Aman pushed to his feet too. 'When did he get in?'

'Just now,' she said, absently picking up his jacket and handing it to him. 'They were talking about taking out Arnav. El Coyote had begun to just tell Shyam what he needed to do when I slipped out.'

Aman turned sharply to her. 'Did anyone see you leave?'

She shook her head. 'Not that I know. Shyam knows my office is at the back. So he would think nothing of it.'

Arnav narrowed his eyes. 'I don't trust Shyam. We need to leave right now, and get to him.'

The two men headed out for the street, Ela following closely behind. Aman stopped, turned around.

'Stay!' he told her.

'No!' she glared at him. 'I'm not staying.'

'Ela,' he protested.

'Please, Aman. Let me come with you.'

He shook his head. Adamant. 'No. Go back to the Wild Bull and close it down,' he told her.

She looked at him, her large eyes expressing her disapproval of his words.

'Please,' he added, softly.

She drew in a quick breath. 'Okay,' she was ready to concede that much. Besides who knew? The bad guys were holed up right there. So..

Through the back, Ela,' he said, as she moved towards the street leading to the front of the saloon. She spun around, flounced, picking up her skirts and going back the way she had come.

Even with all that was happening at speed, Arnav was amused with their exchange. 'Marry her already,' he murmured as he and Aman swung up on their horses.

Aman glanced balefully at him, before jerking the reins in his hand and executing a tight turn, galloping off down the road towards Wild Bull.

As they drew up in front of the saloon, Tim came rushing out, having heard the horses.

'Sheriff!' he was gasping as he stood there holding on to Aman's horse's reins.

'Where's Shyam?' asked Aman urgently.

'They left, just a little while ago,' Tim told them.

'Which way?' Arnav had pulled up by now.

'Towards their hotel. They talked about an attack on the Circle-R,' Tim grimaced.

Jim and his friend had followed Tim out. They stood there looking at Aman, waiting on him. Arnav and Aman exchanged glances, and Arnav gave a short nod.

'Let's go,' Aman said. The men rushed towards their horses. They all knew something was going down, and their sheriff and his friends needed backup.

'Get Akash,' Arnav instructed Tim. He nodded and left.

They wheeled their horses and turned towards the hotel. The short distance was covered in a matter of minutes. They dismounted and walked into the hotel. The lobby was elegant, discreet, comfortable settees dotted the room with a bar at the far end. A set of stairs led upstairs to the rooms. A man stood behind the small reception desk just inside the door.

Aman walked up to him, Arnav standing to one side. 'Where's El Coyote?' he asked the pale faced man.

'El Coyote?' the man peered through his thick glasses, his bald pate shining in the shaft of light through the glass door.

'Dumas,' growled Arnav.

'I can't tell you,' the man began.

Aman shoved aside his jacket, his sheriff's badge gleaming against the black shirt.

'Room 5, Sheriff,' the man gulped out. 'But he isn't there now,' he added as Aman started moving away.

Arnav narrowed his eyes. 'Where?'

A quick glance at him and the man swallowed and said, 'they just went out again. They came in for about five minutes before they left.'

'They're headed to Circle-R,' Arnav murmured.

'The stables. They needed their horses,' the man muttered. He was sweating profusely now, wanting the sheriff and his posse to leave the hotel.

En masse, they turned around, running out the door. By now, Akash had also arrived just outside, along with a couple more men. Quietly they headed towards the stables. Aman gave low voiced instructions to all of them. The men spread around apart, further down the street, and towards the back. Aman and Arnav stood across the street from the stable doors, waiting on the men to come out. Akash stood back. He understood that now they had no need of him to step up. If they needed him, he would step in.

They didn't have to wait long.

Dumas exited the stable first, followed by one of his men, then Shyam and finally another of Dumas' men. They were leading their horses out and stopped at the sight of the sheriff.

'Going somewhere, Dumas? Shyam?' asked Aman casually, flipping his jacket back, his gun and badge in full sight.

Dumas turned to him his eye light in the late afternoon sun, flat and cold as a snake's. 'Do I need your permission to leave town, Sheriff?'

'Not at all,' Aman was courteous. 'You can leave, but Shyam stays. I need to talk to him.'

Shyam stepped forward, standing by Dumas' side. 'What for?'

'You're under arrest, Shyam,' Aman moved forward a step.

'For what?' Shyam asked again, his face as bland as Dumas', looking genuinely puzzled.

'For the murder of Donny Roy,' Arnav answered, his hands clenching into fists, his voice hoarse with suppressed rage. 'For attempting to kill Khushi Kumari Gupta. For attempting to murder me.'

The crowd grew around them, murmurs greeting the announcement;.

'You're mistaken, Arnav,' Shyam's voice was smooth, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. 'I did nothing of the sort.'

'Give it up, Shyam,' Arnav gritted out, a vein throbbing in his temple. 'You were seen.'

'Really?' Shyam asked, one eyebrow rising in disbelief. 'Who would have seen me commit a crime that I never committed?'

'Khushi saw you,' Arnav jabbed a finger towards the ground to emphasize his words.

For a tiny moment, the veil dropped from Shyam's eyes. They flickered, and then went flat again.

'What did she see, Arnav?' he asked genially.

Dumas stepped back as Arnav stepped forward, his hand lightly brushing over the mother-of-pearl handles of his Colt, hanging low on the holster on his hip.

'She saw you, Shyam,' Arnav gritted out. 'Saw you shoot Donny in cold blood. Then you chased her, into a barn. But she hid and you didn't find her. You didn't know it was her, did you? That she, Khushi Kumari Gupta, was the only witness to your cold-blooded, lily-livered murdering self!' Arnav spat out.

Shyam's face had grown whiter with each word. He recalled her, looking aghast at him at the Wild Bull. Looking ready to run from him when he'd called her to help Arnav. Now he knew why. Why she had looked frightened to death of him. He smirked at the irony of it all. He'd never known it was her. If he'd known ...

'You would've killed her,' Arnav spoke low, his eyes sharpened to points, finishing his thought almost as if he could read Shyam's mind.

The entire town stood around them, as the two men faced each other. No one noticed Dumas take a step back and another, as the crowd closed in front of him.

'You're going nowhere, Shyam,' Arnav continued, 'except to jail.'

'You'd have to take me in first,' Shyam countered, his eyes narrowing.

The crowd fell back, lining the street, almost as if they knew where this was going. The two men stood in the middle of the street, a hush around them, as a soft breeze blew down the center. All eyes were on them, waiting with bated breath.

Akash stood on the sidewalk, knowing he had to trust his brother to do what was right. He stood with his hands on his hips, his coat flipped back, one hand close to the handle of his revolver.

'Don't do this, Shyam,' Aman warned from his spot just to the right of Arnav.

'I'm not going to jail, Aman,' Shyam laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head slightly. There was a tinge of sadness in his tone. He flipped the end of his jack aside, his hand hovering over his gun. 'You're beef is with me, Arnav. Stay out of this, Aman,' Shyam said.

With a little over thirty paces, the crowd held its breath, quiet, knowing that it would have to be Arnav who would have to avenge the wrong done to his sister and his nephews.

Or die trying.

***