The girl did as she was told. Isidro towered over her, a pistol pointed right at her heart.
“What’s a pretty little girl doing way out here?” he asked, rhetorically.
Anna was silent. The man’s eyes traced her figure. “You’re that British spy the alcalde’s been yelling about, aren’t you?”
Anna said nothing, setting her jaw. The man huffed and pulled a rope from his belt.
“Turn around,” he ordered, sliding his pistol in his sash and stepping forward to tie her. Anna complied, and as he put his arm around her to bind her, she jabbed her elbow into his ribs and pulled out of his grasp.
“
Why you little…” he growled. Anna fled headlong down the hill. She could hear the man yelling to his companions. The girl looked back over her shoulder as she half ran, half slid to the bottom of the hill. The men had grouped together and were in swift pursuit.
Anna ran as fast as she could along the edge of the brush line. Her lungs burned, but she willed herself to go on. She could hear one of the men closing the gap, but she refused to look back at him and lose speed. Anna’s fists were clenched, her feet pounded the dry grass, and her breath escaped in short, fearful gasps.
Lights exploded in her head as Abejundio slammed into her and crushed her to the ground. The girl’s body was pressed into the dirt, her face into the sand. The immensity of the weight on her back did not allow her to breath, until Abejundio grabbed her arms and pulled her to her knees.
Coughing and spitting sand, Anna sat back on her ankles as her wrists were bound tightly behind her. She heard the other two men run puffing up behind her.
Isidro stepped to her side and grabbed her hair, pulling her face to his.
“That was a mistake, Senorita. Be glad the alcalde wants you alive,” she felt the barrel of his pistol behind her ear, “or I would kill you right now.” He shoved her head away.
“Luis, finish cleaning that deer while Abejundio and I take this wench into town.” Isidro said, pulling Anna roughly to her feet as she glared at him. He dragged her to his horse with her fighting every step to no avail. Isidro motioned to Abejundio and then mounted his horse. The other man picked Anna up like a sack of potatoes, plopped her down in front of Isidro, and then mounted his own horse.
They trotted out to the road and waited in the stand of trees. A caballero in a blue suit cantered passed them towards the hacienda on the other side of the hill. Anna opened her mouth to scream, then arched her back in pain. Isidro’s knife had pricked her side and drawn blood.
“No, Senorita,” he seethed, his mouth disgustingly close to her ear, “No screaming or the alcalde will have to make do with your early execution.” Anna trembled in pain and revulsion. With the caballero out of sight, the two bounty hunters and their captive urged their horses into the road and traveled towards the pueblo.
Felipe pressed the button on the fireplace and ducked into the entryway to the cave. He walked down the stairs and looked for Anna. He bent and pick up her book, running his thumb along the edge as he looked around the cave. Thinking she might be taking a nap, he walked to her cot. It was empty. Anna was not in the cave. The young man looked over at Toronado, who pawed the ground. With knots growing in his stomach, Felipe ran back up the stairs to find Diego.
Diego dashed down the stairs into the cave with Felipe right behind him. Felipe showed him the book and the empty cot.
“Surely she didn’t leave.” Diego said, eyeing the book.
“*Then where is she?*” Felipe signed, panicked.
“I don’t know. Did you two have a fight?”
“*No!*” Felipe began searching under tables and in Toronado’s stall. He walked down the passageway to the other cave entrance. Diego stood thinking in the cave proper and absent-mindedly thumbed through the book.
Felipe ran back and pointed frantically to the passage. Diego followed him and looked out the view hole. He, too, saw the darkness on the dirt outside. Diego pushed the button on the floor and the two men went outside to investigate.
Felipe raked his hand through his hair as Diego knelt and touched the darkened ground.
“Blood.”
Felipe was abruptly calm. With a level look at Diego, he strode back into the passageway. Diego knew he would have to saddle Toronado himself.
Felipe whipped the reins on the side of his pinto as hard as he could, but the horse could not gallop any faster. They flew down the road towards the pueblo, then pulled up short at the hidden turn off to the cave. There were tracks on the ground, and Felipe jumped down to examine them. Two horses had recently left the trail and headed towards town. As Felipe climbed on his horse, the sun dipped below the horizon casting shadows across his face.
DeSoto sat at his desk reading his nightly chapter of The Prince. He leaned back in his chair absorbing the genius of the text, a smile playing on his lips. The door to his office swung open with a bang.
“Alcalde!” Isidro yelled, dragging a struggling prisoner with him.
The alcalde stood, indignant at being disturbed, and he watched as the bounty hunter threw his captive to the floor. Surprised, he realized that the mound on the floor was the British spy.
“What’s all this?” he demanded, watching the girl collect herself, climb to her feet and stand dignified before him, her head held high.
“That Brit you had a warrant for. I want my reward. All 1,000 pesos. Now.”
“How do I know that this is her? This could be any girl!”
“No stalling, deSoto. I want my money now!”
“Oh, fine.” the commandante said, opening the safe and handing a sack of coins to the hunter. Isidro took the bag and strode outside to where Abejundio was waiting.
“Yah!!” Isidro crowed holding up the bag.
“To the tavern!” cheered Abejundio.
Zorro knelt to examine more thoroughly the blood in front of the cave. The pattern was strange. He mounted Toronado and followed the tracks down the hill. He smelled smoke and, in the clearing below, saw a man cleaning a deer.
Luis muttered to himself as he sliced the meat. “Stay and clean the deer. Stay and clean the deer. I bet they are in the tavern celebrating without me.”
“Just what are they celebrating?”
Startled, Luis turned to see the voice.
“Zorro!” he cried, and lunged for his pistol. Zorro’s sword trapped his wrist.
“Not right now. Tell me, what are they celebrating?”
“The capture of a British spy.”
“A girl?”
“Si. A pretty one.” Luis reached for his sword. Zorro swung his blade to the man’s throat.
“Senor, I have no desire to fight you right now. I only want information. They have taken her to the alcalde?”
“Si.”
“How many men?”
“Two.”
“You are trespassing on de la Vega land. I suggest you pack up and move on before their vaqueros discover you.”
“Si, Senor Zorro.” the man said in a shaky voice. In a flash, Zorro was gone.
The alcalde leered at the girl standing before him. “You thought you could hide. You should have known that I would find you.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t. You’re forced to hire thugs to do your job for you.”
“Hold your tongue!” he yelled, threatening to slap her with his gloves. He was unnerved when she didn’t so much as flinch. He walked around the girl, eyeing her.
“You don’t look starved or exposed or dehydrated. Someone has taken you in. Who? Who has sheltered you?”
Anna stared at the wall in front of her.
“Answer me!”
The girl’s eyes looked into his and a smug smile formed at the corners of her mouth. Enraged, the alcalde walked behind Anna and pushed his boot into the back of her knees. Her legs buckled and she fell hard onto the ground. DeSoto leered at the kneeling figure.
“You will tell me what I want to know,” he said, walking back around to face her. “You will tell me exactly what I want to know.” He leaned down into her face, she could smell the evening’s tamales on his breath. “You will tell me exactly what I want to know, when I want to know it, or I will shoot you down like that other British dog in Santa Barbara.”
Anna looked up at him.
“You didn’t know, did you?” he said, sitting on the edge of his desk and lifting a piece of parchment with a flourish, “ ‘Leftenant James Watson was executed, this day, in my presence.’ ”
Anna closed her eyes.
The alcalde continued, “ ‘He had in his possession the name of one Anna Rebecca Baker, a member of British intelligence,’ and on and on, signed the ‘Commandante of Santa Barbara.’ ” DeSoto stood and walked over to her. “I have all the proof I need to execute you at dawn. Or, you can tell me what I need to know, and I will only extradite you to Santa Barbara. Now,” he said, leaning down to her, “Who sheltered you?”
Anna drew a ragged breath. “You are a cowardly snake,” she said, her voice dripping with scorn. “You are a weak, spineless, gutless, feeble-minded windbag, and I will never, ever, tell you anything.”
DeSoto slapped her hard across the face.
“Mendoza!!” he yelled.
A moment later the portly sergeant hustled into the room, “Si, mi alcalde?” he saw the girl on the floor, “Senorita Baker!” he exclaimed.
“Take this filth to a cell. I’m going to the tavern for a drink.” DeSoto stormed from the room.
Mendoza was startled by the alcalde’s anger, “Eh, si, mi alcalde.” The sergeant helped Anna to her feet, took her to the jail, and locked her in.
Desperation and fear clouded Felipe’s thoughts as he galloped toward Los Angeles. His head swirled with the beauty of the last few days and the anger he felt at himself for being lulled into a false sense of security. He had thought that no harm could have possibly come to Anna while she was hiding in the cave. How could he have been so stupid? He should have been there, should have protected her. Now he may have lost her. Felipe rode into town and leapt from his pinto.
Victoria was at the bar when Felipe ran into the tavern. She put her towel down on the counter and walked to where the young man stood, frantically searching the room with his eyes.
“Felipe? What’s wrong?”
Felipe turned to her and began to sign.
“Have I seen- Felipe, I don’t understand. Have I seen whom?” Victoria asked.
The two bounty hunters burst into the tavern calling for food and wine. Victoria did not recognize the men but smiled at the obvious jubilation. She placed her hand on Felipe’s arm.
“Well, whoever you are looking for, I’m sure you will find him,” Victoria said kindly, then walked over to their table in the back corner.
“What’s the occasion?” she asked, amiably.
“Just captured us that British spy!” Abejundio bragged.
Victoria paled, “You mean Anna Baker?”
Isidro took a swig of his wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“Yeah, that’s the wench’s name.”
Victoria looked up as Felipe turned toward the back of the room. She saw a look on his face that she had never seen before. The young man stalked toward the table, and Victoria backed away.
“Wouldn’t have minded spending a little more time with her…” Abejundio said.
“Yeah,” Isidro guffawed, “she had fight. Hope the alcalde enjoys her tonight.”
Felipe grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. A right hook instantly knocked the hunter unconscious. Abejundio bounded to his feet and drew his sword. Felipe, unarmed, was at a momentary disadvantage. The young man grabbed Isidro’s scabbard and drew the sword. With a quick salute, Felipe was on the offensive.
The room cleared of customers. Everyone was astonished not only to see Felipe sword fighting, but also to see that he had remarkable skill. The fight lasted only a few minutes before Abejundio was disarmed and Felipe’s sword was at his throat.
“What’s going on?!” the alcalde bellowed entering the room. He saw Abejundio on his knees and Felipe holding the sword. “Lancers!”
As soldiers swarmed the tavern, Felipe sheathed the sword in its scabbard. Abejundio slunk away into the darkness.
“Seize him!” DeSoto ordered, and instantly Felipe was subdued. “You are under arrest for disturbing the peace. Take him to the jail!” The lancers dragged him from the tavern.
DeSoto turned to Victoria, “If I have any more trouble out of your establishment, I will impound it for government use.” He spun on his heel and marched from the building.
De Soto slammed the door to his office and sat down at his desk. He heard a timid knock from the barracks side of the door.
“Enter!” he commanded.
Mendoza meekly entered the room, his hat in his hand.
“Is the prisoner secured?” De Soto asked, not looking up from his paperwork.
