by Caroline Lee
“Mr. Blake!” She reached his side, and realized her hands were hovering near his thigh, not at all sure what she could do which wouldn’t cause more pain. “Mr. Blake, what happened?”
He groaned again, and tried to sit up straight.
“No, no! Don’t move, don’t move.” Had he been shot? Gut shot was bad, and from the paleness of his face, and the amount of blood on the horse and all over the man, this didn’t look like the exception.
“Answer her,” came the harsh voice of Verrick behind her. “What happened?”
Clearly he was concerned whatever had happened to Blake might’ve also happened to Lucas. The wounded man lifted his head to meet Verrick’s eyes, but dropped it when he tried to take a breath and ended with a wince.
“Baker.” he managed to whisper. “Baker came …took her.”
Verrick moved with lightening speed, reaching across the gap between their horses and grabbed Blake by the front of his shirt. He wrenched the man upright and towards him, his fist forcing Blake’s eyes to meet his.
“Took Shannon?” Verrick asked, deadly calm.
Oh God.
Cora had never seen Verrick like this. This was how he must appear to his enemies, and even Blake was terrified. The poor man was dying, ready to pass out from blood loss, and she swore his face just became even paler. She patted the wounded man’s thigh, partly to let him know he wasn’t alone, and partly to urge him to hurry up and answer Verrick’s questions.
Because she hated seeing Verrick like this.
For months, she’d convinced herself he wasn’t the icy machine everyone else assumed he was; he wasn’t a heartless killer, and he was worthy of love. But seeing him now, like this…Cora repressed a shudder, and not the good kind.
Since the way he’d looked at her right before they rode out of their idyllic campsite this morning, she’d seen the Verrick everyone else saw. And she hated it.
Verrick gave Mr. Blake a little shake, and Blake managed a nod. And that’s when she understood Verrick’s question.
Baker had taken Shannon.
Cora felt the few bites of jerky trying to climb their way out of her stomach, and she swallowed the sour taste a few times, willing herself not to be sick.
No.
No, Shannon would be okay. They would stop Baker, they would find her.
“And Lucas?” Verrick growled.
If Cora hadn’t been looking right at him, she would’ve missed the flicker of fear in his golden eyes, and she realized he was just as concerned as she was about their family. Even if he hid it from everyone but her.
“In Helena,” Blake managed. “Took…men. Everyone else…” He was struggling to breathe. “Range.”
“It was just you and Shannon at the ranch when Baker showed up?”
Blake nodded, and Verrick pushed him back into his saddle with a muttered curse. His anger was terrifying, for all that it was cold and hard.
He went to kick his horse into motion once more, but Cora stopped him. “Wait!” she called as she hurried under Blake’s horse’s neck to stop Verrick. “Where are you going?”
The glare he sent her was chilling. It said she was insignificant, and he wasn’t going to let her stand in his way. “I’m going to kill Baker. You get Blake to town.”
“No!” She lifted her chin and met his glare with one of her own. “Shannon is my sister, and I’m going after her too. I’m going with you.”
In the blink of an eye, Verrick’s expression turned from icy to livid. “Know your place, woman!” he roared, forcefully enough his horse sidestepped and Cora stumbled backwards. “You’ve done enough these last days to distract me, to dull my instincts, but now you’d question me?”
Cora found herself quailing in the face of his rage. She’d never seen Verrick lose his temper—didn’t even know he had a temper to lose. No one did. But now his normally impassive face was red, his eyes blazing with anger, and he looked ready to strike.
“Take the man to town and leave me to my life, Cora!” he bellowed. “This is what I do! I’ll make Baker pay, and you can go home, where you belong, with your family!”
With that, he wheeled his horse northward once more and kicked it into a gallop. And as Cora watched him go, too stunned to feel hurt over his horrible words, she whispered, “They’re your family too, Verrick.”
Blake moaned, and she sighed. Shannon needed help—
Oh God, Shannon could be hurt or lose the baby!
But Verrick cared enough to save her, whether he would admit it or not. For now, Cora had to get Blake to town. Then she’d rouse the sheriff and as many men as she could find, and head out to Sunset Valley.
Verrick might not want her help in saving Shannon, but he was going to get it.
Chapter Eight
The ride to Black Aces wasn’t long, but it was nerve-wracking because Cora had to travel so slowly. She’d ended up climbing up behind Blake and pulling him back to rest against her so she could ride and stabilize him at the same time. He groaned for the first few minutes, then went silent. She couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. All she knew was the front of Lucas’s old jacket was soaked in blood, as were her hands.
By the time they made it into town—and what an odd sight they were, with her leading her exhausted horse behind—she wasn’t sure if Blake was still breathing. But as she arrived at Doc Vickers’ little house, a passing cowboy helped her get the foreman down off the horse and onto the doctor’s operating table.
While the doctor hurried about, readying the patient for surgery—apparently the bullet had exited Blake’s back off to the right of his spine, and thus there was still a glimmer of hope he might live—Miss Regina helped Cora clean up. The doctor’s daughter was pretty and competent, and Cora was happy to let someone else take charge for a few minutes.
Once Regina had gone to help her father in surgery, Cora took a deep breath and pushed her way out the back door. The girl had put on a pot of tea and set out some cookies, and even though Cora would’ve liked nothing more than to sit and relax and let the warmth seep into her bones, she had other things to do.
Still, she grabbed two cookies on her way out, and when she bit into one, her brows went up. It was delicious. Maybe she could get the recipe to make some for Verrick—
No.
Verrick had made it very clear she wouldn’t have the chance to woo him with cookies or chocolate cake again.
Sighing, she stomped her way up the front steps to Sheriff McNelis’ office, ignoring everyone else she passed on the street. Maybe they’d be part of the posse she hoped to put together once she had the sheriff’s help…
But it was a vain hope.
“Well, I dunno, Missy,” the corpulent Sheriff said, leaning his chair back on two legs and hooking his thumbs into his belt. “That’s the sort of thing I’d need to get approval for, going after a gunslinger.”
“Approval?” Cora couldn’t believe this. “From whom? He’s a criminal who’s taken my sister.”
McNelis shrugged. “I’d need to run things by Mr. King. See what he thinks of the situation.”
Cora’s mouth dropped open. She’d known Augustus King was a powerful man in town, and he’d been slowly building up influence over the last year since he arrived. But to discover he had Sheriff McNelis on his leash was intolerable! The lawman should’ve been loyal to the law, not to some rich businessman.
“’Sides, the way I see it,” the sheriff went on, “Baker ain’t done nothing wrong yet. He’s for hire, which means he works protection, same as that gunslinger your brother-in-law hired.”
He was comparing Baker to Verrick? Verrick, who’d made a point of never drawing in anger, and only to defend?
“Two-Grins Baker is working for himself.” She tried to keep her voice steady, and failed. “He came to our ranch and kidnapped my sister!” She knew she was getting hysterical, but couldn’t help it. “What’s Lucas going to say when he gets home and finds out you did nothing?”
Mosey? Cora stared in disbelief. If she left things in McNelis’ hands, Shannon wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. It was up to her.
Without comment, Cora turned her back on the sheriff and stepped out of his office, taking care in a very deliberate door closing, even as she wanted to scream.
How dare he?
She’d heard Lucas say the sheriff was in King’s pocket, back during the confusion following Pierce’s death, but this was ridiculous.
She took a deep breath. Alright, it was up to her. She’d been coming into Black Aces more or less every week for the last few months, surely she could drum up some support. Surely somewhere in this town there were men who would join her in riding to Sunset Valley to follow Verrick and get Shannon back.
The saloon would be the best place to start.
She stepped down off the boardwalk to cross the street, dodging a wagon laden with lumber. As she did, she looked up and stopped in her tracks.
Coming towards her on a large roan horse were two figures. She couldn’t see the man behind, but there—looking exhausted and terrified—was her sister slumped in the saddle.
Cora began running, glad she was still in Lucas’s old denims as she could move faster this way. She reached Shannon just as the man pulled the horse to a stop in front of the saloon.
“Shannon!”
Her sister met her eyes and burst into tears, which made Cora reach for her instinctively. That’s when she got a good look at the man—Baker—holding her sister…and holding her he was, with his hand firmly kneading her breast. Cora’s breath caught in her throat, and she wanted to kill Baker. The man had not only kidnapped Shannon, he was molesting her right in the middle of town, as if he had no qualms about everyone knowing his sins.
“Let her go,” Cora said, with barely a quiver in her voice.
When Two-Grins Baker laughed, he threw his head back to show the horrifying scar on his throat.
“Why in the hell would I do that, missy?” He jerked his chin towards the saloon. “Me an’ my guest here are going to go have a drink. I’ll even let her sit on my lap, if she’s nice.”
When Shannon moaned and looked as if she’d faint, Cora patted her thigh, her mind racing to find a solution. Baker was a criminal, but without anyone else knowing that, she was going to have a hard time convincing passersby to help. Maybe if Shannon started screaming, or something.
But then Baker dropped his hand to caress the butt of his huge Smith and Wesson, and Cora swallowed suddenly. It would be foolish to forget this man was as deadly as Verrick. Though more so, because he didn’t follow the same code of ethics.
She patted her sister’s leg a little harder, warning her to not scream. Instead, Shannon moaned again.
“You ain’t gonna puke again, are you, honey?” Baker scowled at the back of Shannon’s head. “We already lost an hour to your stomach. I didn’t wan’chu puking all over my boots or horse.”
Did Baker not know Shannon was pregnant? Dear God, would that make him more or less likely to do whatever he had in mind?
Cora became frantic.
“Why don’t you just let me take her off your hands then?” she asked gently. “I’ll make sure she’s got some place quiet to lie down, and she won’t bother you anymore.”
“Hell, no!”
Baker’s hand tightened around Shannon once more. She moaned and slumped back against him, and Cora was terrified her sister had fainted.
“Besides,” Baker said, chuckling, “the only lying down this one is going to be doing is upstairs.” He jerked his head towards the second floor over the saloon, where a few whores kept rooms for customers. “I’m heading in there for a drink, and if Verrick still ain’t shown up by then, me and this little piece are going upstairs to get better acquainted.”
Oh God, oh God. He was talking about raping Shannon?
Cora had to swallow to make sure those cookies stayed down; she was as nauseated as her sister must be.
Before she could think of how to respond to his horrible threat, Baker swung down off his horse. Cora refused to back up, and it was just as well, because the gunslinger tugged her sister down as he came, and Shannon nearly tumbled into Cora’s arms. She staggered under the added weight, and her heart began to hammer faster at how pale and weak Shannon looked.
“Shannon, honey?” she whispered, “Are you alright?”
That’s when her little sister’s head lolled to the side, and Cora saw the large red mark, the beginnings of a nasty bruise, against her right cheek. It had been hard to see when Shannon was atop the horse, but now it was obvious, and clearly matched the birthmark Shannon wore on her left cheek.
Lucas was going to be livid.
Well, Lucas wasn’t here, and Verrick—Verrick couldn’t help them now. Cora was here, and it was up to her to save Shannon, even if she didn’t carry a gun.
“Shannon?” she whispered again, and was gratified when her sister opened her eyes. “I’m here, honey. I’ll get you out of this.”
Baker laughed—not a pleasant laugh—and wrapped his meaty hand around Shannon’s upper arm, surely leaving another bruise. “She ain’t going nowhere. We’re gonna just sit tight until Verrick figures out what happened to her. Not too hard, considerin’ we had to stop so many times on the way here for her to puke.”
That would explain how Cora and Blake managed to beat Baker into town. Cora kept her arms around her sister to let him know Shannon wasn’t his, and wracked her brain for a way to keep him talking. A way to keep him from taking Shannon inside. With Shannon off the horse, maybe she could drag her towards the sheriff’s office and—
No, Baker was fondling his gun again, and McNelis was useless. Cora swallowed. Without someone to help her, how could she save Shannon?
“Why are you waiting for Verrick?” she blurted, trying to keep Baker talking. “Lucas should be home soon,” she bluffed, “and he’d be far more interested in his wife’s whereabouts—”
Baker laughed again, and Cora cringed. It wasn’t that he was particularly ugly, but the man exuded evilness in a way she couldn’t describe.
“That boy killed Pierce, but I got my money, so I ain’t got a quarrel with him.” He leaned a little closer and leered at Cora, as if imparting a secret. “Verrick’s the one who’s gotta pay for what he’s done.”
Shannon stirred in her arms, and Cora pressed her sister’s head against her shoulder, warning her without words to not draw attention to herself. Cora knew what Verrick had done to Baker, and also knew Baker had deserved it. Still, she figured it would be foolish to let Baker know she knew. A man who laughed like that probably didn’t like to be reminded he was at fault for ambushing Verrick all those years ago.
“I’m sure Verrick could be reasonable about it,” she managed to squeak out.
“I ain’t gonna let him! That bastard needs to be taken down a peg, and I’m gonna be the one to do it!” He straightened, his face turning red with anger as he spoke. “His oh-so-perfect reputation of never letting down a client ends now!” Spittle flew from his lips as he jabbed a finger at Shannon. “That slut’s husband hired Verrick for protection, and I want the world to see he can fail just like the rest of us. By the time Verrick figures out what happened, I’ll have had her—once for myself, and once to make up for the fact her husband wasn’t there to catch my bullet!”
Cora leaned back from his anger, trying to shield Shannon as much as she could. Dear Lord, the lunatic was this intent on harming Lucas and Shannon, just because he thought they were Verrick’s clients? Baker didn’t know�
��few people outside their family knew—of Lucas and Verrick’s connection, specifically to protect Lucas from situations like this. But Baker had been willing to murder Lucas, and now harm Shannon, just to prove Verrick was fallible?
Bile rose in her throat at the thought. “And once Verrick finds you?” she whispered.
Baker leered down at her. “I’ll be in a much better mood then, thanks to that slut. An’ he’s gonna hear about it, and I’m gonna watch his face when I tell ‘im what I did to her, and what I’m gonna do to her husband when he gets home. An’ then I’m gonna cut that cold, icy bastard’s throat, an’ I won’t miss. Watch him drown in his own blood.” He raised his hand to fondle the scar at this throat. “I’m his one mistake, and I’m gonna make sure he fails.”
Oh, dear Lord. The man was insane, and there was no way Cora could leave Shannon in his clutches. Oddly, she wasn’t concerned for Verrick’s safety, and a detached part of her wondered if that meant she’d already hardened her heart where he was concerned, or if she was just that confident in his ability to beat Baker a second time. For now, she was the only person who stood between Shannon and whatever vile deeds Baker had in mind.
As if reading her thoughts, her little sister stirred against her shoulder, and Shannon tried to raise her head. “Cora? I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Relief coursed through Cora at the knowledge Shannon was doing better, feeling stronger. Still, she kept her gaze locked warily on Baker, who was currently fondling his gun and his scar with that same eerie obsessive look.
“It’ll be alright,” she whispered in return to her sister.
Baker leered again. “You ain’t strong enough to make that claim, Miss Whoever-You-Are. See, I don’t much mind if I have to shoot her right here in the street, ‘cause that’ll hurt Verrick just as bad.” He slipped the revolver out of its holster faster than Cora could blink. “So don’t be thinkin’ hysterics is gonna help her.”
Cora had never seen Verrick actually draw his gun—he said he only did it in defense, and made sure he wasn’t angry—but there was no way he could possibly be faster than Baker had just been. Maybe she should start worrying for Verrick.
