The Monstrosity, Part Ten

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Fan Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: R

LINK TO PART ONE

~

“I was thirteen when we ran into Tom Haley,” Drew explained. “Jack was seventeen.”

He was sitting cross-legged now, directly opposite me. Both of us were still on the floor in front of the fireplace. I kept my eyes intent on Drew, watching the flames illuminate one side of his face as they cast the other into shadows.

“We met him in California,” Drew continued. “Jack agreed to do some work for him in exchange for food and a place to sleep. But that first night—well, I’ll spare you the details. Tom Haley was drunk, but armed and powerful. We weren’t a match for him. Besides—he planned it well.”

I hardly dared breathe as Drew spoke and I didn’t react to his words. I couldn’t afford to.

“But after he’d had his way with both of us,” Drew said, “well, I suppose he felt guilty. He gave us money. And it was more money than either of us had ever seen in our lives.”

He paused, and unless the firelight was playing tricks on me, he blushed.

“I’m not sure what you’ll think of us, Adam,” he said. “But we decided to stay with Tom. He kept paying us, you see, and he gave us food and shelter. Jack—Jack did what he could to keep Tom’s attention focused on himself. And it worked; Tom didn’t use me nearly as often as he used my brother.”

He paused again, as if trying to decide how much to tell me.

“Tom didn’t like me much,” he said at last. “He told me that I was a beauty, but so sour that it was no wonder only my brother could stand me. But Tom also told me that I was smart. He’s the one who taught me facts and figures and how to reckon accounting books. And he’s the one who convinced me that I could handle such things even though I was blind—as long as I had someone I trusted to read me the numbers. So, you see, Tom had his uses. Hell, he even taught me how to play chess.”

I shut my eyes for a moment. It was chilling to hear Drew describe—in such a casual tone—how he and his brother had accustomed themselves to living with a man who ruthlessly abused them.

“What happened to Tom?” I forced myself to ask.

“Oh, he drank himself to death in the end,” Drew said easily. “But he was quite well off by then. He’d made money in the `49 by selling supplies to the prospectors—and then he purchased some claims of his own. One of them paid off. And he left everything to Jack and me. I guess he didn’t have anyone else to leave it to.”

Drew paused one last time to furrow his brow. “I think Tom was somewhat like Kane—he did enjoy having power over my brother and me. But I think he genuinely desired us too. Well, maybe not me so much, but he certainly desired Jack. And he could be strangely kind at times. It’s funny, but I don’t hate him—not much, at any event. And I am grateful for the inheritance.”

I caught my breath at that. I was honestly at a loss for words.

Drew sensed my discomfort. “God knows what you think of me now. Are you sorry that you’ve come all the way into town merely to help a blind whore?”

“No,” I said at once. “And that’s not how I see you, Drew. You—you and Jack did what you needed to in order to survive, that’s all. I don’t fault you for that. I just wish that things could have been different for you.”

He shrugged. “As you say, we survived. And so did you, Adam. You ought to remind yourself of that. Kane’s dead and gone—you’re still here. I know you can’t just banish the memories of what he did to you—you won’t ever be able to do that, I reckon—but you’re entitled to take some pride in the fact that you’re still breathing.”

I smiled a little at that. “If you had been in my shoes, you wouldn’t have felt any guilt about half-strangling Kane, would you?”

He furrowed his brow again. “I doubt it. I never raised a hand against Tom, but that was different. As I said, he had his uses. But Kane was determined to break you, Adam. And he was probably suicidal to boot.” He paused and flashed me a crooked grin. “Besides, I lack your moral sensitivity. Isn’t that why you’re so eager to reform me?”

I laughed outright at that. “I think you could stand some reforming,” I told him. “You didn’t need to ruin a man just to prove a point to me. But you may be right about Kane—perhaps I don’t have to worry about how large a part I played in his death.”

Drew’s face grew serious. “I’m sorry about that—about ruining Jameson, I mean. If it’s any consolation to you, I didn’t make much profit out of it. In fact, I probably lost money by neglecting my other interests. I just—I just wanted to show you that you’re not holding my reins. I’m not one of your younger brothers: I don’t need you to reprimand me or order me about.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “Do you think my entire relationship with Hoss and Joe consists of orders and reprimands?”

He snorted. “From what I’ve heard, a great deal of it does.”

“Drew,” I said, shaking my head, “I rely on my brothers as much as they rely on me. And, believe me, whenever I get too tyrannical, those two manage to teach me a lesson. One that doesn’t include ruining someone else, that is,” I added.

He had the grace to look chagrinned at that. “Well, that may be,” he said at length, “but I’m still not willing to put myself in your hands. I can’t afford to. We own a mine together—if my heart bled as easily as yours does, we’d never make any profit from it.”

I grinned. “That may be true,” I owned. “But, ah, the next time you feel compelled to prove a point to me, would you refrain from ruining someone?”

Drew acted as if he were giving that serious consideration. “Very well,” he said at last. “I don’t like narrowing my options, mind, but the whole process was rather tedious.”

He paused and stretched back out on his stomach. “As is this conversation,” he continued. “I thought you meant to read to me?”

And that made it plain that his tolerance for confidences had evaporated—at least for tonight. “So I did,” I assured him as I opened up the book.

LINK TO PART ELEVEN