Shanghai Series

Chapter 7

Peaches paced back and forth in her cell. She was angry at Roy for getting her into trouble and angrier still that he seemed to be taking it all in stride. He had been lying on his cot sleeping since they'd first gotten locked up.

"How can you just lay there?" she wanted to know.

"What do you want me to do? Break out?" It wasn't as if he were happy with the situation. He just didn't see the need to rant.

"I never should have listened to you. Thanks to you I'll probably go to some horrible work farm". She could picture herself in rags, bent over in the fields. "My skin will look like rawhide. What man wants that?"

Roy sat up. He wanted to go back a sentence. "What do you mean "thanks to you"?" He eyed her warily. "We wouldn't be here if you hadn't taken something that didn't belong to you".

She threw her hands in the air. "Here we go again. It's all my fault".

"That's right. It is". He was on his feet now. They're voices had been slowly increasing in volume. The sheriff sat nearby, trying to ignore their bickering, but it was getting harder to do.

"You two settle down in there" he warned.

They both went silent. After a minute the sheriff went back to his paper and they resumed their argument with lowered voices.

"If you hadn't stolen from me on the train, none of this would have happened in the first place". He and Peaches stood face to face at the bars.

"You're the one who insisted we break into that man's shop".

"Because you stole the necklace from Pepe's house", he reminded her.

She scoffed. "Because you rejected me".

"What?" The word came out much louder than Roy had anticipated. The sheriff shot them a look. Roy lowered his voice and continued. "What has that got to do with anything?"

Peaches' face was pressed against the bars. Her nose nearly touched his. "We could have had a wonderful night but you blew it".

"Oh my God. You're crazy". They were starting to get loud again. Roy couldn't help it. This girl drove him nuts. He moved away from her to the back of his cell.

"If we had been making love, I wouldn't have had time to take the necklace. That's why it's your fault".

Roy couldn't help but laugh. "Do you even know how crazy you sound?" His head wagged from side to side.

"Come on Roy. You wanted me. I felt it". She purposely egged him on. "You were just too chicken to follow through".

Roy grabbed hold of the bars. Instinctively Peaches pulled back. "You wanted to have the kid watch. That's disgusting, even for a whore".

The last word stung. Her face showed it. "Who are you calling a whore? You were paying for it at the saloon. Maybe you're the whore".

"Shut up". Roy was getting tired .

"I'm not such a whore that you wouldn't have jumped me back at the house if we'd been alone. Right?" It was a question that needed no answer. "You men are all the same".

Maybe Roy should have known what she meant by that, but he didn't. Furthermore he was too tired to care. All he knew is that she wouldn't shut up and he was getting a headache. He went back to his cot to lie down. His head felt good on the pillow, even if it were kind of flat.

"Why don't you go to sleep? Leave me alone" he told her.

"Stop telling me what to do".

Before Roy could respond, the sheriff jumped up. His face was red. "For Christ's sake. Both of you shut up!" They looked at him, stunned. "I swear to God I've never heard anything like it in my life. I can't take it anymore". He set his hat on his head and walked out.

The jail was silent. No one moved a muscle. For a while Roy thought the worst was over. Maybe he would finally get some peace and quiet. Unfortunately it was short lived.

"Now where do you think he went?" She looked towards the door in amazement.

"I don't know but I wish I were going too".

Once again the argument was on. Peaches ranted while Roy tried his best to ignore her. It just didn't seem to be in him to let a woman win. They were still verbally volleying when Ting came in. He rushed up to Roy.

Roy was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Ting. How did you know I was here?"

The little boy looked sheepishly at him. "I watched you. I know I promised to go home, but I did not".

Roy wanted to be angry but it was hard to do under the circumstances. "It's a good thing you didn't".

"The man from the store came back with the sheriff. He took the necklace away with him".

"Shit". That meant he had probably taken it home for safe keeping.

Peaches interrupted. "Hey kid. Can you get us out of here?" The necklace was pretty low on her priority list at the moment.

Roy hated to admit it but Peaches had the right idea. "The sheriff keeps the key in his desk drawer. Bring it over here and unlock the door".

The boy did as instructed. Roy stepped out of his cell and stopped Ting before he could unlock Peaches' door.

"What are you doing? Let me out of here". Her face was beet red.

Roy held his hands up, trying to placate her. "Listen. I have a plan. Just play along and we'll be out of here in no time".

After sending the boy home for real this time, Roy set his escape plan in motion. He waited patiently until the sheriff returned. When the sheriff arrived he found Peaches alone.

Seeing him, she jumped up. "Oh sheriff. You'll never believe what happened?"

The sheriff made his way closer to the cell. He was so enthralled by Peaches that he didn't see Roy coming up behind him. With a swift hit the sheriff was on the floor. Roy hurried to tie him up and gag him. He dragged him into his old cell and locked the door. Then he unlocked Peaches' door and let her out.

"Come on. At least he won't be able to follow us".

She looked at the sheriff, who was unconscious. "You sure he's all right?"

Roy shrugged. "He'll have a hell of a headache when he wakes up". Roy hurried out with Peaches close behind. For once she didn't fight or argue with him. They ran as fast as they could back to Pepe's. A soft bed and a good night's sleep was looking pretty good to both of them.

Ting wasn't comfortable letting Peaches back in the house. Roy had to promise not to leave her alone for a single second. Only then would the boy settle down and go to bed. Peaches herself didn't waste any time going straight to Pepe's room and closing the door.

She was taking off her shoes when Roy entered without knocking. She gave him a questioning look.

"I'll sleep in the chair". He moved over to an overstuffed seat and sat down.

"What's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

Roy figured she was being facetious. "What do you think?" he answered, rolling his eyes.

She flashed a cocky smile. The thought of having Roy watch her was thrilling. She was sure he wouldn't be able to resist her the whole night and she'd do everything in her power to make sure he didn't. Slowly she began unbuttoning her dress. Roy was pretending not to look but she saw his eyes wandering towards her. She made sure to go nice and slow. One by one her dress and undergarments fell to the floor. Soon she was standing naked in front of him. She waited for a response but Roy wasn't speaking.

"I'm cold", she told him. She batted her eyes and swayed her hips for emphasis.

Roy barely looked at her. "Then get into bed".

Her eyes widened. "You can join me if you'd like". The thought stirred those deep longings inside her.

"No. Now get in bed and go to sleep". He yawned and stretched out. "I'm tired".

She watched him for a minute before giving up and hoping in bed. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to put her off. What kind of man was he? Pouting, she lay still for a while before turning over and staring at him.

"Roy?"

"What?"

"I can't sleep".

Roy let out a long sigh. "Try harder".

Peaches sat up in bed, sheets pulled around her. "Why don't you want me?"

He looked into her eyes. They were sad. That old guilty feeling settled in. "I'm just tired, that's all". He wanted to make her feel better so she would quiet down and let him sleep.

She seemed satisfied with his answer. Before long Roy drifted off. He figured he would be too tired to dream but soon he felt warm hands stroking his body through the dreamy haze. His heart raced. A sweetness touched his lips. Roy's hands reached out and felt warm skin. It was then he realized it wasn't a dream at all. The flesh was real.

Peaches kneeled in front of Roy. Her naked body sat between is outstretched legs. Her mouth found his as she stroked the hardness behind his trousers. He was responding to her the way she knew he would.

His eyes opened to watch her unbutton his shirt. He ran his hands over her soft skin. God help him, he did want her. He put his head back as her tongue traced along his bare chest down to the soft hair above his belt. With his shirt off, Peaches began to remove his pants. Roy lifted his hips as she pulled them off. He stood erect, waiting for her. She came forward, searching for his mouth once again. As she pulled herself against him, her hips rested over his. His hardness touched the soft mound of flesh between her legs, moist and waiting for him. The taste of her tongue made Roy ache. Holding her by around the waist, Roy came out of the chair and carried Peaches to the bed. She stretched out underneath him, hips poised for his entry.

Roy couldn't wait to be inside her; this tease, this girl who had driven him close to the point of insanity. He didn't know what it was but he couldn't deny the attraction. She gasped when he entered her. He wasn't taking his time. It was hard and rough, matching the pent up energy that had built up inside him. Peaches felt his thrusts jar her body. She wanted to tell him to stop but it felt so good. She bit her lip as the thrusts came harder and faster each time.

Roy's head was back, his eyes closed. He no longer felt in control of his own body. Peaches moved underneath him, pulling him into her harder. Her nails dug into his buttocks. It only made him thrust harder. Soon everything became a blur as Roy came inside of her. When he had forced the last bit of himself inside her, Roy rolled over and lay on the bed. Soon Peaches lay against him, head on his chest. She listened to the beat of his heart as he slept. Before long the beating would carry her off into dream world to be with Roy again.

Chapter 8

Roy was very quiet the next morning. He got up quickly and dressed without saying a word. Peaches wondered if he was angry at her but in reality he was ashamed of himself for giving into her so easily the night before. She caught up with Ting and Roy in the kitchen.

"Morning" she said to them both. Ting offered a smile but Roy only muttered a response without looking. She sat down so that she could see his face. "I've been thinking. I should be the one to get the necklace back". Roy's eyes lifted. "It is my fault it's gone".

Finally she had admitted it. Deep down that's all Roy had wanted in the first place; for her to take responsibility for what she had done. He looked at her now.

"That's not going to be easy" he said.

"Maybe not, but I know I can get into his house".

Roy shot her a look. Of course he knew what she meant by that. He just wasn't sure he liked the sound of it. "And how would you get out? It sounds dangerous".

Peaches liked the concern in his voice. Last night had changed things a little. He was beginning to feel protective of her. "I've got myself in and out of a lot of trouble, Roy. This is no big deal". He wished he felt as positive as she did. "You've got to let me try".

He thought about it. Really he didn't have a choice. He was all out of fresh ideas. Peaches came around and kissed him on the lips. "I'll be fine". She was hallway to the door when he jumped up and ran after her.

"Now? You're going now?"

"There's no time like the present". She gave him a wink. "I'll expect a huge reward when I get back". With that she was gone leaving Roy to wonder what he should do now.

Peaches went straight into town to wait for the shop to open. Roy tried to be patient but he couldn't stop pacing. Eventually he headed off after her. If nothing else, he would be around in case something went wrong.

Doing his best to stay hid, Roy watched as Peaches went in to the gallery and began to work her magic on Mr. Shroud. Surprisingly Roy felt a pang of jealousy as Peaches went to work, putting her best assets forward. Mr. Shroud would have to have been a dead man not to be interested in such a fine woman. After a while, Peaches and the man disappeared from view. He patiently waited for a sign of them but none came. He was about to move in closer when they reappeared from the rear of the store. Peaches smiled and smoothed out her dress. It was obvious what they had been doing. He swallowed hard. Well, he told himself, at least it was working.

It apparently worked so well that Mr. Shroud decided to close up early. Peaches stood waiting outside as the man locked up his shop. Then the two of them walked away with Shroud leading his horse by the reins.

So Peaches had managed to get herself invited to his home after all. Roy was glad but didn't trust the Shroud man enough to relax. Carefully he followed them out of town. Nothing was settled yet. She still had to get the necklace and get back out. That part wouldn't be easy, regardless of what Peaches believed.

Roy waited all day behind a small wooden shed near the big clapboard house. He tried not to think about Peaches and the man but it was difficult. Peaches was using the one weapon she could count on. Roy didn't know why that bothered him so much. After all, she was a whore. She slept with hundreds of men for money. What was one more? But somehow it was different. Maybe because it felt like she was bailing him out instead of the other way around.

As darkness began to fall, Roy grew worried. There had been no sign of Peaches or the man, for that matter. He wondered if something had gone wrong. Before he had a chance to decide, Roy saw a side window opening. To his relief, Peaches stuck her head out.

She called out in a whispered voice. "Roy?"

He hunched down and moved forward. She had something in her hand.

"Hurry" she told him. Clearly Mr.Shroud was not far behind.

Roy was almost within reach when Peaches head suddenly jerked back. She let out a scream as Shroud grabbed a handful of hair. "What have you done you little bitch?!"

Peaches threw the necklace as hard as she could. It landed in he dirt in front of Roy. "Run" she cried.

He snatched it up as the angry man thrust his head out the window. "What the..." He stopped midsentence after seeing Roy with his jewelry.

Roy was struck between getting away with the necklace and rescuing Peaches. The site of a gun coming through the window made up his mind quickly. The first shot just missed him. He saw Peaches trying to grab the man's arm. "No!" she screamed. "Don't hurt him".

Roy couldn't risk firing back for fear of hitting Peaches. The man shoved Peaches to the floor and fired at Roy again. Thanks to the girl, it was too late. Roy and the necklace were out of his range.

Holding the necklace in his hand should have brought relief. Instead he worried about Peaches. It was untelling what the man would do to her now that she had betrayed him. He wanted to race back and confront him but he had to return the treasured necklace to Pepe first. Then all bets were off.

Ting's eyes lit up as Roy placed the necklace in his outstretched hand. Once again his hero had been redeemed. Although he felt bad about Peaches, Roy felt a rush of pride. The boy meant a great deal to him.

"I knew you would find it" Ting said.

Roy clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't have done it without you". An added wink made Ting smile.

"I will put it back in the Princess's box. She'll never know it was missing".

Roy liked the sound of that. It would save having to give a lengthy explanation to Chon. He was sitting quietly when Ting reentered. The boy could see something was wrong. He watched Roy quietly, hoping the cowboy would open up.

"Peaches got caught stealing the necklace. I got away but she's still there".

Ting heard the concern in Roy's voice. Though he had no idea what kind of trouble the girl was in, he knew Roy wouldn't worry for nothing. "Maybe you can help her?"

He had thought of nothing else. There was no way the boy could understand how bad he felt for leaving her in the first place. "I have to do something. I just don't know what".

The boy came over and put his hand on Roy's. "Don't worry, Roy", he soothed. "You'll think of something".

It was a sleepless night for Roy. His mind kept flashing on the big man pulling Peaches by the hair and knocking her to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the image. Come morning he headed into town. He had to see if Shroud showed up at the gallery and if Peaches were with him.

Mid morning the man appeared. To Roy's surprise he was alone. Roy watched him unlock the shop door and go in. If Peaches weren't with him, then she had to be back at the house. He rushed off to find her before Shroud returned.

The house was the same as the day before. It was quiet. No signs of Peaches anywhere. Roy walked around the house, looking in each window. He was in the back of the house when he came to a small room. Through the window he could see Peaches laying on the bed. Her back was to him. He tapped on the window, but the girl didn't move. Using his fist this time, he hit the window again. Slowly she lifted her head. Peaches looked towards the window with bruised, puffy eyes.

The sight caused Roy's stomach to turn. He swallowed back the taste of bile that rose in his throat. Shroud had beat the girl up. He lifted the window pane, pushing it high about his head. Peaches didn't move as he climbed into the room and rushed to her side. Lightly his hands cupped her face.

"Oh my God. What did he do to you?" His voice was nearly a whisper. He wanted to kill the man, but right now, Peaches needed his help. Roy looked around. He had to find a way to get the girl away from here. He leaned over her, whispering in her ear. "Don't worry. I'll be right back". She barely whimpered in acknowledgement.

Roy rushed out of the house and ran into town. He feared the man would cut his day short at anytime and return home. It didn't give Roy much time to free Peaches and get her away.

In a short time he was back in town. He checked to make sure that Shroud was still inside his shop. A couple stood inside admiring a painting. That was a good sign. They would keep the man busy for a while. Roy quickly hurried around the side of the building and untied the man's horse. In a flash he was riding back to Peaches side.

Back at the house Roy carefully lifted Peaches in his arms. He could see bruises on her arms and chest through the tatters of her dress. She moaned when he placed her in the saddle. Getting up behind her, he tucked her body into his arms as he spurred the horse on. He would have to be careful going through town. He couldn't risk Shroud or the sheriff seeing them. Making his way through the side streets and alleys, Roy managed to avoid being spotted by Shroud.

At Pepe's, Roy carried Peaches into the house. The frightened boy stared. Roy sent him off to hide the horse. At least he could get Peaches cleaned up a little before he returned.

Roy filled the bathroom tub, adding as much hot water as he thought she could stand. He carefully undressed her before lifting her into the soothing water. Fully naked he could see how much of her body had been abused. Only an animal would treat a woman that way. It made Roy hate the man more.

Peaches stirred a little. The hot water bathed her aching muscles. She looked at Roy through puffy eyes. It was difficult to talk through bruised and bleeding lips. "I knew you'd come" she told him.

Roy wetted a cloth and held it lightly to her lips. "Shhhhh. Don't talk". He sat with her until the water turned cool. Then he lifted her up and wrapped her in a blanket. He carried her like a baby in his arms. Laying her on Pepe's bed, Roy curled up beside her, arms around her waist. He thought he heard her crying. Thinking he was hurting her, he started to pull away, but Peaches grabbed his hands and pulled him tighter. She needed to feel his arms around her to chase away the ugliness. She cried not because he hurt her, but because he gave her love.

Chapter 9

For the next few days Roy took care of Peaches. She was healing well with the help of Ting's herbal teas. The boy himself was starting to grow fond of her. Roy couldn't help but be surprised at his own feelings for her. She wasn't like other woman. Peaches did whatever she wanted without thinking of others. It was hard for people to get close to her because of it. She had developed a pretty good defense system. In that way she was a lot like Roy.

Roy got to know her better than anyone else probably would in those few days. She opened up to him as much as she could. He was glad to hear her apologize for the trouble she had caused him, although she had to admit it turned out to be a pretty good thing in the end.

With Pepe coming home soon, Roy needed to know what Peaches planned on doing. She couldn't stay in San Francisco. Shroud would kill her and the sheriff would arrest her. She had refused to let Roy go after Shroud himself. She didn't want to be responsible for the death of anyone. On top of that, she had put Roy through enough already.

"Why don't you come to Carson City?" he suggested after a long quiet spell. She eyed him curiously.

"What's in Carson City?"

Roy tilted his head, squinting at the light. "I don't know. Probably the same things that are in San Francisco". He chuckled. "At least there's no Shroud".

The idea did appeal to her. "New place. New faces. It could work". She couldn't help but wonder how far the invitation went. "What about you? Are you staying there?"

He smiled. "I don't stay anywhere for too long". Her face dropped a little. "It just never seems to work out".

The both fell quiet. At last it had been said. No two people deserved each other more. They were two of a kind but would never be able to admit it. In the end Peaches would ask a lot of questions about Nevada and Roy would tell his tale tales. At least they wouldn't be bothered with feelings. Those always ended up getting in the way.

Roy nervously waited for the passengers to board the train. Ting waited with him. He was sad to see Roy go. The cowboy had brought unexpected pleasure and excitement into the young boy's life. It would be hard to let go.

Roy reminded the boy to give Chon's message to Pepe. Nothing else needed to be said about Roy's visit; at least to Pepe. Ting took Roy's hand, slipping a small stone into it. Opening his hand, Roy admired it.

"It's beautiful but what's it say?"

Ting explained the significance. "It is a stone from my garden. The writing says "friend". That way you will always remember I am your friend".

Roy knelt down till he was even with the boy. "Do you think I could ever forget you?" he cocked his head to the side. "You're my partner. My buddy".

Ting threw his arms around him. Roy hugged the boy tight. He had no idea it would be so hard to say goodbye. After he hugged him, Ting broke loose and ran away. It was more that he could bear. Roy stared at the stone in his hand. As Peaches approached Roy quickly tucked it into his coat pocket.

"You ready?" he asked. She had borrowed a dress from Pepe. Ting was sure it would never be missed. Even though she had small bruises, Roy thought she looked great. He was proud to have her on his arm.

"You bet. Let's get out of this crazy town". She took his arm and stepped up to the train.

They walked to the back of the train and took a seat. It was deja vouz. Only a handful of days had passed since their first encounter on the train to San Francisco. Now it was reversing. Only this time the train was carrying two very different people away. Peaches chatted away as the scenery rushed by Roy's window. "You know I can't ever thank you enough for giving me a new start. I'm so excited about Carson City".

Roy smiled. The girl had thanked him a million times. Eventually he had to believe she was sincere. As her voice drifted further and further away, Roy went to sleep. At last a peaceful moment.

The train pulled into Carson City with a whistle. Rousing himself up, Roy looked around. Outside people waited for the passengers to disembark. Inside people gathered their belongings. Taking a minute to stretch, Roy noticed the empty seat beside him. Quickly looking around he saw no sign of Peaches.

His first instinct was to check his pockets. Afraid he had been taken again, Roy was pleased to find everything in it's place, including the stone from Ting. So she hadn't tricked him after all. He was more than relieved.

Getting up he followed the rest of the passengers off the train. The platform was crowded. Searching for Peaches wasn't easy. He bobbed up and down, his eyes taking in the moving throng. But the girl was nowhere to be seen.

He was wondering if he should keep looking for her when he heard a man cry out, "I've been robbed!" People stopped dead in their tracks and looked at him. He was ghostly pale, frantically rummaging in his pockets. Roy winced as a pang of guilt pricked him. Had he set Peaches loose on Carson City? Hoping no one would find out, Roy quickly moved down the platform. Hopefully Peaches had moved on. God knows she can take care of herself, Roy reminded himself. God help everyone else.

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