After the Ashes

by Howe, Cheryl

  Prior to that, he hadn’t exactly swept her off her feet with his gallant behavior. He’d given her plenty of reason to hate him for himself rather than the fact that he wanted to imprison her brother. Through it all, though, he had always tried to keep her safe. She, on the other hand, had let her brother set him up to die.

  Braddock wiped his sweat soaked palms on his soft wool pants, clenched and unclenched his fists, then closed the distance between himself and Corey at a full run. Corey didn’t even have the chance to turn his head to see what barreled toward him. The impact of Braddock’s full body weight against Corey’s pliant form knocked them both at least a foot. The kid squirmed to get away, but Braddock held him fast with his knees. He reared his fist back and slammed it into Corey’s face. The jolt that compacted his knuckles was pure pleasure.

  Corey screamed, his lips and teeth smeared with blood. His desperate thrashing unhinged Braddock’s grip with his knees, so Braddock grabbed the waist of Corey’s pants with both hands to yank him back within reach.

  “I know you have the gold, you little bastard.”

  Corey swung with both hands, squarely knocking Braddock on the side of the head. He heard the clank of metal at the same time stars burst in front of his eyes. He fell onto his right side and struggled to stay conscious. Through the haze of pain, Braddock watched Corey scoot away and awkwardly get to his feet.

  Braddock pushed himself up to his hands and knees, desperate to gain his equilibrium. He’d never suspected the kid had such a hard swing. With great effort, Braddock focused his spinning gaze on Corey. Again with both hands, he wiped blood from his mouth. His reach appeared to be jerked short, and he had to lower his head to accomplish his task. Metal rattled again.

  “You trying to kill me?”

  Braddock staggered to his feet. Anger overrode the ringing ache in his head. “Like you tried to kill me when you sent me up to Specter Canyon. I’m going to see you swing, Sullivan. Your sister, too.” Saying the words coated his tongue with the bitter taste of bile. He hadn’t planned that far ahead, but he knew that if he wanted to save his soul, he’d have to go through with turning Lorelei over to the law. Get her out of his system once and for all. Treat her the way she deserved to be treated.

  “Leave Lorelei out of it. She didn’t know about the other entrance.”

  Braddock stumbled toward Corey. “You should have thought of that before you sent her to be my whore.”

  “You’d be dead right now if I weren’t wearing these.” Corey lifted both his hands, and Braddock finally recognized the source of the metallic jangle. Corey wore iron handcuffs. He’d knocked Braddock senseless with the solid steel of the cuffs. Corey’s ankles were shackled too.

  Braddock blinked. “What the hell?”

  “Don’t worry, I have some for you, too,” said Wade Langston from somewhere behind him.

  Braddock spun around, reaching for his guns that weren’t there. The quick motion knocked him off balance, but he quickly caught himself.

  “Looking for these?” Langston had a pistol in one hand, Braddock’s gun belt in the other. “Turn around with your hands behind your back. And your little wife isn’t around to save you this time, so you better just do it.”

  Out of habit, Braddock’s first concern was for Lorelei. Hopefully she had escaped in the commotion and would head back to Jay’s farm. The thought kicked him in the shin. He wanted her caught, didn’t he?

  The idea of Langston getting his hands on Lorelei disturbed Braddock enough to let Langston shackle his hands behind his back. He told himself it was because he wanted to bring her in himself, but wholly didn’t believe it.

  He lifted his head and met Corey’s confused gaze. What are you doing? the boy mouthed silently.

  Braddock kept his face expressionless. Having his hands full with both of them would keep Langston too busy to go after Lorelei. And when he was ready, Braddock would sort out exactly why that was so important to him.

  Langston turned Braddock around, then directed him to the ground with a firm hand on his shoulder. He carefully secured his feet. Braddock didn’t offer an ounce of resistance, though kicking Langston in the nose tempted him.

  After Langston guided Corey to sit next to Braddock, he stood back and admired his handiwork. “I never liked you, Braddock, but I hate to see you come to this.” He shook his head. “To think you finished West Point with honors. Now I know it was your father’s influence that landed you your rank in the army. I came upon your horse first. Looks like he hasn’t been properly tended to in days. I better not find Pegasus in that condition or I’m liable to string you up before the law gets a chance.”

  “I told you, your horse is fine. I took good care of him,” pleaded Corey.

  Langston waved his hand to dismiss them both. “You both can wait on your dinner while I groom that poor stallion.”

  “But I’m hungry,” Corey called to Wade’s back.

  Langston wound his way through the overgrown sage and disappeared behind a small hill in the lumpy landscape, ignoring them both.

  Corey kicked Braddock’s boot. “Why in the hell did you let him capture you? Now we’re both screwed.”

  Braddock strained against his bonds with the urge to have another swing at Corey. “You were screwed anyway. I didn’t come to save your ass. I came to see you hang.”

  “I told Lorelei all you cared about was my bounty. I hope she didn’t have to ride all the way to Specter Canyon to figure out you’re a lying bastard.”

  “Quit the bull, kid. I know about the gold. I know what you two were up to.”

  Corey swallowed. “You didn’t meet up with Lorelei before you made it to Specter Canyon?”

  Braddock smiled. “Nope. Made it to Specter Canyon. Ricochet sends his regards.”

  “You don’t get it. Lorelei went after you. She went to Specter Canyon.”

  Braddock studied Corey, looking for the con behind the kid’s panicked expression. As painful as it was, Braddock could accept that Lorelei had used him. Her betrayal fit with his worldview better than the fact that she sincerely cared about him. He steeled himself against the thawing burn in his heart. Anything else was romantic nonsense.

  Corey jangled the chains attached to his wrists with his attempts to tug himself free. “We have to see if she’s still at the ranch. Hopefully Jay told her the idea was stupid.”

  “Why would she come after me?” As if from far away, Braddock watched Corey squirm around in the dirt. Lorelei hadn’t turned against him?

  Corey sagged against his bonds when he managed to do nothing but stir up a cloud of dust. “We’ve got to get out of here before she makes it to the dry creek bed. She won’t stop there. I know her.”

  The idea of Lorelei stumbling into Mulcahy’s camp sharpened Braddock’s senses. He had no more time for the fuzzy circles his heart and head were spinning in.

  “Tell me what you’re talking about. Everything. What happened when I left the ranch?”

  Corey hesitated. Finally he glanced away, defeated. “I never bought that load about you letting me go. I knew you’d be back to take me in.”

  “Because you knew you had the gold, and that’s what I was really after.”

  Corey’s jaw tightened. “Do you want to hear the story or not? Lorelei could be in a lot of danger because of you.”

  “I want to hear it.” Braddock gritted his teeth against telling Corey who was the cause of all Lorelei’s problems.

  “I was going to take off the night you left. Lorelei caught me.” Corey cast an accusing gaze at Braddock. “I wanted her to come with me, but she wanted to wait for you. I told her it was stupid, that you didn’t care about her, but you had her all tied in knots.”

  Braddock stared at Corey, unblinking. He felt ripped in two, one part wanting desperately to believe Lorelei had given her loyalty to him over her brother, while his rational side warned he was an idiot even to listen. “Go on.”

  “I told her you weren’t coming back. That you’d
be killed. And still she wanted to stick around and wait. So she wouldn’t waste her time, I told her about the canyon’s second entrance.”

  “The one you forgot to tell me about.”

  “You deserved it. You had no right to ask Lorelei to wait for you. A real man would have made her his wife as soon as he did her wrong. It’s not like I asked you to go to Specter Canyon. You’re the one who wanted to go off and get yourself killed. I just made it easier for you.”

  “Then why the hell did she take off after me?”

  “She wanted to warn you. But I told her not to go past the canyon entrance.”

  Braddock’s eyes widened with the full impact of what Corey was telling him. “Why did you tell her how to get there at all?”

  Corey’s face reddened. “This isn’t my fault. It’s your fault. Besides, Jay wouldn’t have let her go.”

  Knowing Jay, they had both gone. Braddock tugged hard on the metal clamped around his wrists, tearing open the rope burn wounds from Specter Canyon. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  Braddock maneuvered himself until his back was facing Corey. He stuck out his wrists. “See if you can get these off.”

  “I can’t. If I could, I would have my own off already. You never should have let him put you in handcuffs.”

  Braddock inched his way in the dirt in order to turn around. He’d trussed up more people than he could count, but he’d never been bound himself. If he knew how well it worked, he would have slept better when he was bringing in his prisoners. He had to think of something else to get them out of this.

  Corey sighed. “She could just be at the ranch.”

  Braddock couldn’t take that chance.

  “Langston!”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Langston,” he yelled again.

  Langston stomped over to them, a curry brush in his hand. “What the hell do you want? You’re making the horses skittish.”

  “I’ve got a deal for you. We’ll tell you where to find the gold if you take us to a ranch a few miles from here.”

  “No, we won’t,” said Corey before Braddock could finish.

  Langston shook his head. “How stupid do you think I am?”

  “Mulcahy doesn’t have the gold. He does.” Braddock gestured to Corey with a jerk of his head.

  “Shut up, Braddock. He’s too smart for us. Don’t get him riled by lying to him,” said Corey through gritted teeth.

  “You’re trying to tell me this half-pint outlaw with peach fuzz still on his face took the gold from Mulcahy? Tell me another one, Braddock. I haven’t laughed this hard since West Point, when you and your buddies locked me out in the snow in my long johns.”

  Braddock inwardly cringed, forgetting the incident until Langston mentioned it, but apparently Langston hadn’t. Braddock had to make him want to believe, and he knew how.

  “He didn’t take the gold on his own. I helped him. I planned the whole thing.”

  Langston took a few more steps toward them. “I’m listening.”

  “Picked Sullivan up on horse theft. Saw how I could use him.”

  “I never stole a horse in my life. Never.” Corey protested so dramatically, even Braddock believed him.

  Braddock continued, so far into his tale he didn’t know or care about the truth anymore. “I hooked him up with Mulcahy and told Corey which stagecoach to hit. His sister showing up was just luck. I held on to her as insurance. I wanted to make sure the kid didn’t double cross me.”

  “I can’t believe this. Not even from you. You’re worse than I imagined.” But Langston’s unblinking fascination told Braddock he did believe the tale, and was enjoying every word of Braddock’s downfall.

  “We need to get back to the ranch. The kid won’t tell me where he stashed the gold until he sees his sister.” Braddock laughed, low and evil. “Thinks I did something to her.”

  “You better hope you didn’t, Braddock. I knew from the beginning you were up to no good with that little lady.”

  “You wanted to take her to jail.” Braddock couldn’t stop the accusation. Though he intended to paint himself as an evil bastard, he resented Langston looking down his nose at him.

  “In the name of the law, not to use her for my own sick scheme.” Langston shook his head and the corners of his mouth tugged down in disgust. “Why did you do it? Can’t be for the money. Your father has plenty.”

  Braddock looked him straight in the eye. “I did it because I could.”

  Langston fell silent for a moment, taking in the depths of Braddock’s depravity. “I want a signed confession. I don’t want it to be my word against yours, not with your daddy and your war buddies on your side. You won’t be able to talk your way out of this one.”

  Braddock nodded. “You’ve got it.”

  “I didn’t want to rob anybody, sir. He made me. Make sure he puts that in there.”

  Braddock cut his gaze to Corey. He looked just like the innocent boy he wasn’t. Langston turned to rummage, presumably for paper, in his saddlebag.

  Braddock lowered his voice for Corey’s ears alone. “You’d better hope Lorelei’s at the ranch ’cause if she’s not I’m going to find a way to get out of these handcuffs. Now that I’m wanted man, thanks to you, God knows what I’ll do.”

  Corey lowered his angelic gaze.

  Langston scrounged up a wanted poster and a coal pencil.

  With his pistol in one hand, he unlocked Braddock’s cuffs. He pushed the paper toward him with the toe of his boot.

  “Start writing. And don’t forget the part about stealing my horse. I want it all in your hand, because no one’s going to believe this.”

  Glad someone had, Braddock concentrated on resurrecting his lost penmanship, taking great care to make his usual scribble legible. Incriminating himself would be worth it if he found Lorelei at the ranch, and if he didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. He’d still be wanted, but for murder instead of stagecoach robbery. And Wade Langston would be his first victim.

  ***

  Lorelei dismounted when the wash that had formed their path ended in a solid tangle of spiny cat claw and prickly sweetbush. Ahead, Specter Canyon yawned an invitation. The angle of the afternoon sun painted the rust colored cliffs a deeper red but spilled cool shadows across the canyon. To Lorelei it looked like an open door. She glanced behind her to check on the state of her companions.

  Jay watched her with serious eyes. He slumped in the saddle only slightly, but she’d seen the white lines of pain around his mouth often enough since they had entered the jarring, rocky terrain. Knowing that his pride would be hurt if she asked if he could stay in the saddle any longer was the only thing that held her silent.

  Archie gulped water. His shirt was plastered to his thin chest, his pallor greenish. He mopped his brow once he lowered his metal canteen, a signal that he was having another bout.

  Lorelei turned toward the canyon and began to pick her way through the brush on foot.

  “Lorelei,” Jay called her back. “We can’t go any farther. I want to be well away from here before it turns dark.”

  Lorelei tugged at her skirt to free it from a branch. Jay’s words hit her like a blow. In a violent yank, she ripped the thick brown wool of her only riding skirt. Frustrated tears stung her eyes as she poked her gloved finger through the hole. She’d let Christopher slip from her grasp like all her other dreams. She couldn’t take one more loss, had no strength for any more grief. Though she had known Christopher for just a short time, loving him had used up the last of her hope. She had nothing left. Not even Corey, because she would never forgive him for this.

  On wobbly legs that worked despite her desire to crumple, she led her horse to Jay and Archie.

  “I’m going on.”

  Jay shook his head. “No, you’re not.”

  Archie dismounted. “Please, Lorelei, don’t even think about going into the canyon.”

  “It
’s partially my fault. I told him to believe Corey. Besides, he means everything to me.”

  Lorelei dropped her gaze to the rock-strewn ground. Not partially—entirely her fault. She never should have stopped Christopher from arresting Corey in the first place. But the burning truth in her stomach told her she would do the same thing over again. Her brother would have surely hanged if she had not intervened. That she couldn’t let happen. Nor would she let anything harm Christopher.

  “He’s going to be all right. I’ve seen Chris in worse scrapes than this, and he always comes out smelling like a rose.”

  Archie kept his face averted. His silence told her more than his words could. He thought Christopher already dead.

  But she was in a desperate mood and would hear the worst. “What do you think, Archie? You know Mulcahy?”

  He kicked at the dust with his toe. “Your going up there won’t change anything.”

  Having a plan calmed her. She wasn’t going back to the ranch without Christopher. No matter what. She gathered up her horse’s reins.

  “I still have to try.”

  Jay sighed. “Then I guess I’ll have to go with you.”

  Archie sighed even louder, as if he exhaled his last breath. “I’ll go. They know me. I’ll see if he’s there, but only if Lorelei stays behind.”

  “No, Archie, I’ve got to go.” Lorelei said.

  Archie clamped his bloodless lips together. “I can’t protect you. They’ll do things to you we’d best not talk about.”

  Jay nudged his horse forward. “He’s right. If Braddock is there, you’ll just be a distraction. Archie can go in without suspicions and help him if he needs it.”

  While Jay spoke, he grabbed Lorelei’s horse’s bridle. She couldn’t leave without breaking his grip. Besides, they were right.

  “All right,” she finally said. “But we’ll wait here.”

  “It’s not safe.” Jay urged his horse backward and hers forward, forcing Lorelei to relinquish the reins to hold her ground.

  “Wait at the farm. I’ll find you,” said Archie.

  “He might be hurt.”