"Miss Perry!" Brub yelled. "Miss Perry, could we speak with you a minute?"
Perry smiled at the two oafs. Since one carried a large bag over his arm, she guessed they must have found something of interest. Probably a rabbit or a turtle. From the silly grins on their faces she could tell they were planning to scare her. Dropping her hoe, she grabbed her cape and moved closer, prepared to play along with their game. It would be something interesting to tell Andrew at dinner.
As she stepped over the ruins of the garden wall she asked, "May I help you?"
"Please, miss," Brub said, "me brother, Cleve, wants to show you somethin' we found."
Perry turned to Cleve as his beefy hands pulled the opening wide. For a moment she was too repulsed by his dirty fingers to look past them into the bag. Whatever the contents of the sack, it couldn't possibly be as ugly as his filthy, misshapen hands. If bathing brought on illness, as many believed, these two must be very healthy.
To Perry's surprise the sack was empty. She glanced up at Cleve in time to see him nod at his brother. "Now, Brub!" he yelled, the smile gone from his dirty face.
Both men sprang toward her. She opened her mouth to scream. Before her cry could escape, Brub grabbed her and stuffed a soiled rag in her mouth. Cleve slid his huge hands down from her shoulders and pinned her arms firmly against her sides. The sun passed uncaringly beneath the horizon as she struggled between the two men.
Fear flowed through her like quicksilver as she realized she was being abducted. Her mind whirled, searching for a reason to their madness. She knew times were hard, but surely these men realized Andrew didn't have enough money for ransom. In panic she looked around for help, but no one was in sight.
With every ounce of her energy she kicked at Cleve's legs. He danced in front of her, yelling each time her foot met its mark.
"Quiet down, you dummy!" Brub ordered. "You makin' too much noise. Get the bag over her head and let's get outa here."
Cleve pulled burlap over Perry, cloaking her world in darkness. She continued to struggle and kick, but he only grunted at her attack. The dirty smell of the sack, mixed with the filthy taste of the rag in her mouth, drove her to fight even harder.
In a sudden movement Perry was thrown over Cleve's shoulder like a load of grain.
"Get her in the wagon," Brub whispered as they jogged across the grass toward the trees.
Within minutes she felt herself being lifted off his shoulder and placed on her stomach in the bed of a wagon.
"Cover her with hay," Brub ordered, and Perry felt the wagon sag with their weight as they climbed in. A moment later she felt the jolt as the horses were slapped into action.
The wagon rocked across the uneven ground as she battled to free her hands. The coarse ropes dug into her flesh, and each time she twisted, her wrist grew raw with pain. She kicked at the hay around her, knowing she must be knocking some out of the wagon and hopefully leaving a trail. Her mind kept returning to the weapon in her pocket.
She struggled until she lay on her side, but she couldn't reach the knife. The wagon bumped along for what seemed hours, bruising her shoulder and cheek without mercy.
Eventually, when they were well away from the plantation, Brub broke the silence. "With the money we get for this little lady, we can make a nice start in California or Texas."
"Ya, we'd have to work a year to make this much," Cleve answered. "She's quite a looker. She's a lady, too, not like the others we've taken him."
"That's why we're gettin' so much."
"What you reckon he does with these girls we keep bringing him?" Cleve's voice was low, almost childlike.
"Ain't none of our business. We gets paid well, don't we? He don't kill 'em or nothing. I think he even gives 'em money to help their families out when he turns 'em loose. Whatever he does to 'em, the girls keep their mouths closed about it."
"Who knows? Maybe they likes it." Cleve laughed in a hiccuping sound that sent cold terror up Perry's back.
"He may keep this one a little longer." Cleve's voice grew loud. "She's small, but I seen the way her chest pushes out. She's a ripe one, that's a fact. Ready for the pickin*."
Fear froze her mind for a moment, blocking out all other thought. She could do nothing but listen to the two men above her.
"You think he might let me have a turn after he's finished?" Cleve asked excitedly.
"No," Brub answered sharply. "We'll need to get on the road, won't have time to wait. You know sometimes he takes two or three days to get his fill of a girl."
"How about we pulls off up here and have a little fun with the lady before we deliver her? Couldn't hurt nothin'. I seen some men once during the war tie a nigger gal spread-eagle in a wagon. They was sharing with anyone who wanted some. The girl didn't even scream after a few times. She just laid there wide-eyed, like she didn't care anymore. Why, some of the fellers even took seconds, and she didn't say nothin' or even try to fight them."
"I don't know…" Brub hesitated. "It looks like it might rain any minute." Yet to Cleve's delight he slowed the wagon."But I guess you're right, couldn't hurt nothin'. You ain't gonna give the lady nothin' she ain't gonna get plenty of where she's going."
Cleve was so excited, he was hiccuping again. "Captain might thank us for warming her up for him."
Perry cringed in fear as the wagon stopped and she felt one of the men jump down. She could hear Cleve telling Brub all about what he was going to do.
She lay very still as Cleve's hands felt in the darkness for her form in the hay.
"Now, Miss Perry," he said, laughing in his excitement, "don't you fret none. I ain't gonna do you no real harm. I'm just gonna get you ready. We taking you to a gentleman who likes young girls, and we'll just have a bit of fun with you for a while. Then he'll let you go home with enough money to buy yourself a real purty dress."
Cleve jerked the sack off Perry's face. His huge fingers hooked her collar and pulled downward. Buttons flew as her blouse tore open. She moved her head from side to side in agony, not believing what was about to happen. His beefy hands pulled at the material of her blouse, trying to get beneath her clothes. The rag in her mouth held her screams inside her mind, blinding all else from her thoughts.
"Cleve!" Brub yelled nervously. "Don't mess with that, just pull up her skirts and get on with it. We don't have all night."
Cleve grunted in disappointment. "I was looking forward to squeezing a ripe one. It's been so long since I had my hand full of somethin' soft." He rubbed his hands down her blouse, trying to satisfy himself. Grabbing her breast, he pushed hard and rolled his palm over her blouse.
When she jerked, he repeated the action like a child torturing a tiny animal, unaware of any pain he caused.
Perry tried to roll away, but he pushed her against the rough wagon floor. "You be still, little lady. I'll be finished in a minute. We ain't gonna hurt you more'n we have to." Grabbing her ankles, he pulled them toward him.
He shoved her skirts up almost to her waist in one movement. She heard his sharp intake of breath as the moonlight shone across her bare legs.
Perry studied his outline in the darkness. She could hear him fumbling with his pants. When he looked down at his belt buckle, her mind and body reacted. With all her strength she kicked her leg. Her boot flew toward him with a quick swishing sound. If she missed, there wouldn't be another shot.
She hit the mark solidly and Cleve fell backward in shattering pain. Blood squirted from his nose like a fountain, splattering her clothes with crimson.