Brothers in Arms

Preston and Casandra chatted cheerfully with one another as they moved to the front door of the combination home and office. Prest's attention was drawn to a sudden movement across the street. He moved quickly, using a broad sweep of his arm to push Cassandra behind him.

Mason Hart and one of his sidekicks stood about 25 feet away, their legs in a wide, 'I dare you' stance, arms slightly bent, hands dangling near their holstered guns.

"Let de girl go, Hart. She ain't in dis."

"On the contrary, nigger lover. I am happy to see your nigger bitch is here, too. Maybe she'll get hit by a stray bullet. If she don't, I am gonna grab her and sell her down to Mississippi."

"You are makin' a big mistake, Hart. And you, what's yer name? Joe? You ready ta die today, Joe? Fer Him?

"You are the one makin' the mistake, rebel boy. By noon they are gonna bury you under the stars and bars."

"Stay behind me," Preston whispered to Cassandra, turning his head partly to address her. While Prest's head was still partly turned away, Hart went for his gun.

Crack! The sharp sound of a rifle shot echoed down the mostly empty street. All three men turned their heads toward the sound, but Hart and his cohort continued to draw. A body tumbled from the roof of the nearby bank, slamming heavily onto the dirt street in a cloud of dust.

Hart, gun now in hand turned his gaze back to Preston, but he was way too late. A bullet pierced his throat. In reflex, his left hand rose to his neck. Blood gushed between his fingers, his knees crumpled and his pistol fired harmlessly into the ground. Beside him, his hapless companion spun in a half circle like a dancer in an intricate ballet, clutched his shoulder and fell, moaning loudly.

Preston, pistol at the ready, scanned the street, the entrance to a nearby alley, and all the rooftops, checking for additional threats. As his gaze passed the Two Rivers Hotel, Sean stood and waved to him, yelling loudly so the would be no mistake. "Hey Preston!"

People now began to emerge from he bank, the hotel and other businesses. The street began to fill with the curious. Preston moved to the two men lying in the street. Hart was gurgling out what was obviously his last breath, trying desperately to mouth the words "Nigger lover". Joe Danson, Hart's cohort lay in the dirt, holding his shoulder and moaning. Preston kicked Danson's revolver away, then knelt. "It's yer lucky day, Joe. You been given a great gif'. Yer alive. And Ah thank yer gonna make

it. But Ah don' thank ya'll be a very fast draw with that arm no more. Maybe ya otta thank 'bout livin' a laf o' peace from here on out"

Standing, he called out. "Someone get a doctor. And the police. Somebody call a doctor and the cops." Near the bank, another body lay slumped in the settling morning dust, a pistol still clasped in his lifeless hand. Anyone looking at this inert form knew that no doctor would be needed.

By now, Sean had descended from his rooftop perch and stood with Preston. Cassandra moved from the porch to stand beside him. By the Time Sergeant Campbell arrived, the three of them stood in the street, one on each side of her, shoulders touching lightly. None was pleased at the death that had been wrought, but all three smiled softly in relief at their own deliverance. Sean's eyes constantly scanned the crowd for further danger. Nearby, Neal the blacksmith stood attentively watching the two boys, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Mr. Dalton and Mr. Mcfadden, would you please come with me," Sergeant Campbell said. "And for the time being I am going to have to ask you to surrender your weapons. Patrolman Grimes, Patrolman Smith, please take statements from any and all persons here who are witnesses to the events which have just occurred."

"One moment please sergeant," Sean asked, gesturing to Neal. The large man came over to Sean and leaned in. Sean whispered. "Mr. Harcroft. Would you please see to it that this young lady remains safe until we return?" Then turning to Cassie. "Cassandra, please go to the office as usual. We will be there after a short time. I still owe you breakfast. Okay Sergeant, lead the way."

Late that afternoon, the boys sat in Li'l Mikes book-filled office, sipping bandy and smoking very good cigars. Mike was explaining in some detail a job he had for the boys' company. Much of the day had been spent at police headquarters answering queries about the events of the morning. The police had finally adjudged the incident of the morning to have been self-defense. The boys had been released and their weapons returned. Sergeant Campbell had warned Sean, though, not so gently, that his role was very close to 'lying in wait' and he could certainly have arrested him on murder charges, but then, Hart's henchman had also been 'lying in wait'. In future, the sergeant suggested, Sean should involve the police should he know of a planned attack on his or anyone's person. Sean explained that 'this being Cairo' the racial aspect to the planned attack, had made it difficult for him to determine whom to trust. The sergeant warned the boys again. "This is a time of war and Major Cunningham is in charge here. Be careful he doesn't come to view the two of you as a 'military matter' or as any kind of problem to him. He will lock you up in a moment or worse yet sign you up and send you south. I am only letting this pass and not referring it to the major because Preston here saved my life. Also you boys may notice I have not asked why you two are not already in the army. But it is a question that will be asked if you attract too much attention. There are many soldiers and sailors in this town and word of today's violence is sure to get back to the major. To any inquiry I will respond that I have the situation well in hand and under control. I cannot control what the major decides. If he decides to investigate, to get involved, there will be nothing I can do. However, if I find out that he is interested and is going to take action, I will let you know as soon as I can. That's as fair as I can be."

"It sartanly is," Preston said, reaching to shake the sergeant's hand. "Thank ye so much and thank yer poleece chief too. We rally 'preciate all ya have done fer us."

"That goes double for me. Sergeant," Sean added. "And do e sure to let us know if there is anything, anything at all, we can do for you. If you get into the Cairo Inn, supper and drinks are on us! It's the least we can do for all you have done for us."

"Are you trying to bribe an officer of the law," Sergeant Campbell replied jocularly?

"Should we try," Sean said, only half joking.

The only response to the half-joking comment being silence, Sean let it go. Rising, he once again shook the sergeant's hand and the boys left.

"One more thing," the sergeant said." There will have to be an official inquiry,but I wouldn't worry too much about it. So far the witnesses have upheld your part of the story. I am pretty sure that there will be no indictment and the two of you will be judged to have acted in self-defense. But boys, lay low on the Niggra thing,folks are startin' to talk and some around here are pretty violent in their opinions. The last thing I want around here is more violence. Take care now."

Later, after the boys had been well fed, washed and had turned in for the night, Preston finally felt comfortable talking about the morning. As was their wont, the boys softly caressed each other as they conversed. In their situation, sense and safety required that they refrain from close contact all day every day. They missed the intimacy of their months together on the road and treasured every moment once they were alone together, never missing a chance to touch and kiss.

"If'n you knew they was gonna 'tack me, why in hell, din't ya tell me 'bout them guys," Preton asked? "Ah cudda been prepared ta meet 'em?"

"Well, Prest, I know you. If you had known that Hart and his men were going to attack you. You wouldn't have gone out in the street. You would have avoided a show-down, a gun fight. And we would still have at least three guys out there stalking us with guns. They could have attacked any time and any place. This way. I controlled the whole situation. Mr. Harcroft, Neal, had filled me in on what Hart was planning, so I made sure Hart would know where and when you and Cassandra would be. I didn't really use the two of you for bait. They would have attacked you anyway. And when I got up on that roof, sure enough, there was a guy up on the bank with a gun. What I didn't know, what I should have assumed was that hart would bring two men. I would have assumed that one rifle in hiding was enough, but I guess I should have known how huge a coward he was. Anyway, you were pretty damned impressive, shooting both of them."

Neither had any idea what the ultimate form of their lovemaking would be on that night, their relationship was still a work of art in the making, a subtle wrestling match of the bodies and wills, always sure to provide maximum stimulation to them both.

"You know danged well thet Ah never cudda shot bof of 'em if you hadn' shot first and distracted them."

"Well maybe so, but with all those witnesses to your prowess, It will probably help our business increase."

"P'raps, but you know, we prob'ly lost the b'iness of the Cairo Inn, now dat Hart has been eliminated.

Their discussion of the morning's events forgotten for the time being in the heat of their growing desires, their soft caresses became focused now on their two penises, one huge,dark and fat lying along Sean's thigh, the other long, thin, white and smooth, jutting up proudly along Preston's belly. As usual, Sean took the lead, turning his body head to toe to his lover and lapping along his cock like a dog. Preston responded by grasping Sean's cock with both hands and inserting it's fat dark head fully in his mouth, pushing the meaty foreskin back with his lips and laving the head with his tongue.

Sean, in response held Preston's foreskin back very tightly so his tender pink cock lips bulged and spread, then began flicking his tongue quickly, inserting its tip into the tiny pee hole. Preston began to suck heavily on Sean's cock head while swirling his tongue around the flaired corona, then covered his tongue with Sean's dark, heavy wrinkled foreskin. Licking around inside. Sean began laughing. "hey Prest, I just got a great idea, turn around here I want to try something.

The two boys' cocks bumped together as they turned to face each other, one shorter, but still long and slender, smooth and very pink and white, the other massive, brown and wrinkled. Sean took Preston's cock in his hand and placed its pink head against his own, then drew his own foreskin back as far as he could, then slid it forward. Sean's foreskin was so loose and wrinkled that he was able to enclose nearly all of Preston's penis within its warm wet confines, even as rock hard as it was becoming. Preston found this 'docking' immensely exciting. He loved Sean's sense of inventiveness and his playful approach to their sex life. Holding their cocks bound together in his hand, Sean began to kiss Preston's face. Soft fluttery kisses covered Preston's eyes, his ears, his nose and cheeks and lips.

Tender, not quite painful nips covered his neck, the tender spot under his chin, his underarms. Finally their mouths sought one another hungrily. Their tongues flashed and swirled and curled around each other.

Sliding his hand carefully forward and back, Sean was able to masturbate both of their cocks within his hot moist foreskin. The more he jerked them together, cock heads touching, tiny cock lips kissing, the more those lips oozed fluid onto and into one another, until pre-cum dripped from their joined cocks onto the bed below.

Finally, it was Preston that broke away, turning once again to bury his face n Sean's cock and balls. He sucked each of Sean's balls into his mouth, sliding them around inside his mouth like a couple of large olives, licked and sucked at his scrotum. The smell of Sean's taint, that soft, extra delicate spot between balls and ass, was rich and seamy and inspired Preston to new levels of excitement. Preston began to wildly suck and nibble and lick at the entire area, balls, taint, the solid base of Sean's cock, and his firm well rounded ass cheeks. As he sucked and licked and nibbled, his saliva and Sean's cock juice ran down the crack of Sean's ass. Taking the situation at an advantage, Preston lubricated his fingers, inserting them slowly and carefully into Sean's anus, first one, then two. When the second joint of the two fingers popped into Sean's ass, Sean cried out, "Oh!" in surprise and a bit of pain.

Continuing to manipulate and stimulate Sean's rectum, Preston bent and turned and wriggled his fingers inside Sean, but now he took Sean's massive cock into his mouth and throat. He had learned from much practice to adjust his throat and breathe thru his nose so he hardly ever choked anymore when taking in Sean's cock. Even so, he could accommodate only about half of the now iron hard member as he slurped and tongued and slid his mouth on and around it.

For a few minutes, Sean did nothing but revel in the actions of his lover, taking in the sensations in his cock and balls and anus, floating in an other world of pure sensation. Soonthough, he was brought back to reality by the hard insistent pressure of Preston's rigid cock dragging around his face, poking and prodding his eyes and ears and neck and leaving silky slimy trails of cock scent wherever it passed. As Preston's cock passed over his face, he opened his mouth wide and the steely rod plopped in. He closed his lips firmly and worked his tongue wildly around the engorged member. Preston responded immediately moving his hips sharply up then fucking down into Sean's mouth and deep into his throat. Sean lapped and licked and sucked hard on the plunging cock, swallowing over and over, massaging the invading presence with the muscles of his throat and the base of his tongue.

After several minutes of fucking Sean's throat, Preston felt himself on the verge of cumming. Delicious as the thought was of pumping his hot sperm down Sean's throat, he had other ideas for the remainder of this night. Sean moaned a desolate cry of want and loss as Preston pulled his fingers from his ass and slid the cock from his mouth. Moving quickly, Preston manipulated their bodies so that they were face to face, used his knees to lever up Sean's legs, used his arms to hook Sean's legs back, raising his dark firm ass slightly off the bed, and, with only a momentary pause, forced his hard hot wet manhood thru Sean's tight brown anal ring, now wet and wild and wide open from manual manipula-tion.

The lovers locked eyes as only lovers can, uniting their souls across the distance between them. Though Sean remained soundless, his eyes spoke volumes to Preston. "Yes," they seemed to say. "Take me! My ass, my cock, my body, my soul, my life, my love belong to you. Use me! Take me! Love me!" Sean moved his hips sharply up toward Preston's invading member urging him on to longer stronger deeper thrusts.

Preston released Sean's legs. His hands cupped Sean's muscled ass cheeks, lifting and turning and manipulating as he thrust into his lover. Though he had no knowledge of anatomy, by now he had fucked Sean enough times to know there was a secret place deep within. If he could find that place, fuck that place, he could induce thunderous orgasms in his partner, compelling him to release a flood of cum. He wriggled and varied his stroke and distance, taking total charge of the lovemaking. He knew he had struck the mystic spot when Sean's voice made that certain plaintive sound. He forced Sean to repeat the noise by ramming his granite hard cock against that secret place over and over.

Through it all the two lovers eyes remain locked on one another, never straying, never changing, holding, holding, silent but charged with the strongest communication, speaking loudly of the joy and peace and love and intimacy neither had known anywhere or from anyone else in their short lives. Their looks, their love, bound them together as no chains could ever hold a captive. Sean's eyes said, "yes, give yourself, your love, your cock to me." And Preston's eyes replied, "Yes, yes, here, here I am, here it is! Take my cock! Take my love!"

As Sean's cries grew louder and louder, they inspired Prest to strike harder. He lengthened his strokes so that each back stroke drew him totally out of Sean, then reentered the wide open blood red hole that welcomed him in, sucking and grasping at each fevered thrust.

Without anyone touching it, Sean's huge cock began to spew copious amounts of cum as it circled and bounced around wildly from Preston's fevered fucking, wetting both their thighs and bellies and legs. Preston drove deep, holding Sean's ass cheeks tight against his body and remaining motionless as he too began to shoot his seed deep inside Sean's rectum.

Release came to them simultaneously in a thunderous communal conflagration that threatened to consume them both. And yet their eyes did not close. Each could read the loss of self, the joining, the surrender, the love in the others eyes. It came upon them hard, pounding, pounding, pounding.

Pounding. . . . pounding. "Shit!" Someone was at the door. Prest, still in the throes of orgasm, pulled out of Sean so quickly that there was a distinct popping sound. Sean emitted a moan of terrible loss as Prest left him, but also came suddenly awake. They dashed around, trying to cover the evidence of their love making. Sean, the first of them to find his voice cried out. "Okay! Okay! We're coming."

Both boys had that sinking hollow sensation that comes to one's gut when suddenly disturbed in the wee hours of the morning. Nothing good could come of this pre-dawn awakening. There was trouble, evil, in the air. The smell of hot sex hung in the air like a heavy fog, but that could not be helped. Sean did not bother with a shirt, but picked up the carbine as he headed for the door. The pounding continued so he called again. "I am coming damn it. Hold on, be right there."

He waited another few seconds until Preston was fully dressed and had his gun belt on, gun drawn, then moved quickly to the door.

Li'l Mike's harried form came fully into view as the door swung open. "It's Cassandra. It's Cassandra. You have to help!" His dark face was a light shade of gray, just as a white person's face might be whiter from stress and shock.

"Wait, wait, what's Cassandra, what's wrong. Take it easy. Spit it out," Preston implored.

Mike gasped loudly, then went on. "She's gone. They've taken her. Taken her away!"

Sean drew up three chairs, went for a bottle and poured them all a stiff drink. "Now sit, sit right here and tell us everything. Be quick, but don't leave out anything. What has happened?"

Mike's hand trembled as he downed the hot liquor in one gulp, grimacing before going on. "I am pretty sure she has only been gone about one hour. Josiah, that's her, well, the man she lives with, saw her not long ago. But he heard her scream once, he said, a horrible screeching sound. When he responded, ran down the hall she was gone. He looked out the window he said and saw men riding away with a struggling form over one of their saddles. He was too afraid of lynching, or that they would take him too, but he came quickly to me as soon as he felt they were gone, I assessed the situation, dressed and got over here as fast as I could."

"Who were they? Where were they going? What can we do?" Preston broke in.

"Slavers, must be. Has to be. Even with the proclamation coming on January first and most southern slaves thinking themselves free and following the union army troops. But in places like Texas, even places out west. Slave owners are running, taking their slaves with them. A young, strong, and I hate to say it, pretty Negress like Cassie, hell she could sell for as much as twelve hundred dollars, maybe even more."