Treasure of the Sun by Christina Dodd

Author:Christina Dodd
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

Chapter 14

Damian opened the door as Leocadia raised her hand to rap it again.

“I’m sorry, Don Damian.” Wringing her hands, she glanced towards the screen where Katherine hid to button her dress. “It’s ghastly news. Your father demanded I come up, and I believe it’s necessary.”

Taking in the distraught appearance of the usually imperturbable housekeeper, he patted her hands. “Tell me about it.”

“It’s the vaqueros. They say it’s true, but I can’t imagine. . . . Who would be stupid enough to believe they could succeed with such a plan?”

“I don’t know,” he humored her. “Who are they, and what have they done?”

“Those animals shot Felipe,” Leocadia said.

From the foot of the stairway, his father called up in a furious tone, “They’ve planted themselves on my land, on Rancho Donoso. They say they are laying claim. They’ve taken the cover off their wagon and fashioned some kind of shelter. They’re chopping wood and setting fires.”

Damian stepped out on the landing. “Who is doing this, Papa?”

“The Americanos.” Don Lucian waved a fist to the ceiling. “The damned Americanos.”

Shutting the door behind him, Damian started down the stairs. “The Americanos,” he echoed grimly. “How is Felipe?”

Following on his heels, Leocadia snapped, “Bleeding.” He glanced back, and she replied to the spark in his eye. “He’ll live.”

“Have they no respect for the law?” Don Lucian roared.

“Let’s go see if we can teach them some respect.” Damian took his father’s arm and asked with quiet intensity, “Where are they?”

Don Lucian glanced up towards the attic room door, realizing for the first time the need for stealth. He lowered his voice to match his son’s. “On the north corner, camped on the river. Come down to the library. Prudencio was there at the river with Felipe, and he’s got a level head on his shoulders. We’ll have him come in for questions.”

To Leocadia, Damian instructed, “Send us Prudencio, then see if you can find distraction for Doña Katherina.”

Leocadia nodded, slipping away, and Prudencio joined them in the library to give up his information. “They’re pigs,” the vaquero told them. “They’re dirty pigs.”

“How many pigs are there?” Damian asked.

“Five men. Also some skinny, squeaking women and dirty children.” Prudencio wrinkled his nose. “We offered to help them. We thought their wagon had broken down.”

“They refused help?”

“They laughed in our faces. They said this was their land now, and we’d better get off. Felipe told them this is de la Sola land, and you know Felipe. He’s a little gruff. So they shot him. When I went to him, they laughed and spit on me.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Let me shoot them.”

“You must allow us our fun, also, mi amigo,” Don Lucian commented.

Prudencio’s eyes glowed with a vengeful fire. “Si, patron, only put a pistol in my hand and I will show you what my practice has accomplished.”

Damian shifted from one foot to the other, too, as he glanced towards the closed door of the library every few minutes. But the disaster he feared didn’t occur.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.