To Love a Spy

by Aileen Fish

  Dejected, she moved from her hiding spot and walked to the horse. Out of the corner of her eyes, she detected a movement from a window on the side of Ashton’s office building. She quickly ducked behind a barrel placed out in front of a shop. Peeking over the top, she studied the shadows. It appeared someone was climbing out of the window.

  Once the man’s feet were on the ground, he carefully closed the window. He glanced up the alley before moving toward the main street. In his hand, he clutched a large handbag.

  Nicole hitched a breath. That was the same handbag Ashton had left the house with this morning! Could she have caught the person stealing the government’s money already?

  When the man reached the street and walked into the growing sunlight, the rugged jaw, and the confident swagger let her know this man’s identity. Recognition struck her like a board to the face. What was Ashton doing now? And why, pray tell, was he dressed like he’d been that day she’s seen him on the train and dressed far different from his upbringing?

  Worried thoughts gathered in her head, and she couldn’t make sense of any of them. She followed him down the street and to the train depot where he purchased a ticket. Other people came to board the train, so she sneaked between them and up to the counter to purchase her own ticket.

  Bitterness coated her mouth and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been wrong all this time and that Ashton really had been robbing the train. Why else would he be here right now and in disguise?

  She stood back and continued to watch Ashton. He appeared as if he didn’t want to be noticed either, because he held a newspaper in front of his face, pretending like he was reading. She didn’t think he was since he never turned a page, nor did he move his head from the one position. But for now, she was grateful he wasn’t watching the crowd as she’d been doing. If so, he might just recognize her after all.

  When it was time to board, he was the first one inside the train. Nicole kept several people between them, but noticed that he headed toward the last rail car—the baggage car. Coincidence? She didn’t think so. After all, that was where the money would be if the government was sending it to the south. She hadn’t heard that there would be another delivery, unless…

  As she sat in the same car as Ashton, but on the other side, she wondered what the odds were that the money being delivered was a secret. That could be the only explanation to why the Secret Agents didn’t know. Did only the owners of the railroad know about the delivery?

  Her stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right about any of this. She had always trusted her gut feeling, but unfortunately, she couldn’t leave the train to find the other agents for assistance. She must know what Ashton was doing, and if he really was the train thief.

  She crouched lower in her seat, waiting for everyone to board. Finally, the conductor shouted the last call, and within minutes, the whoosh of the train’s steam filled the air as the large machine jerked into action.

  Ashton finally folded the newspaper and laid it on the empty chair beside him. He rested his head back against the wall and tipped his hat lower on his face, making it appear as if he were trying to rest.

  Obviously, he wasn’t ready to do anything right now, but she couldn’t stop watching him…just in case. Within time, the sway from the train began to lull her into sleep, and since she hadn’t rested much last night, she fought the urge to close her eyes and drift off to dreamland right now.

  Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to get some shut-eye, especially since Ashton was doing it too. But no matter what happened, she could not fall into a deep sleep. Being a good agent meant staying awake no matter what the cost.

  Closing her eyes, she decided just to relax for a few minutes. After all, nothing would happen for an hour at least.

  Slowly, she began to relax, and her mind quickly filled with thoughts and dreams about Ashton when they first met, and those first few times they were together. Never had she experienced anything so blissfully exciting. At times, she had been herself and shown him what she was really like. He seemed to have fallen for her just as much as she’d fallen for him.

  So then why had life shifted on her, bringing so much heartache? She wanted the chance to change and be the woman he first thought she was. Learning not to lie would be easy because she had never really enjoyed that part of her job, anyway.

  But…what if she discovered he was the true thief after all? She wouldn’t be able to handle that much pain in her heart, and she would be so terribly miserable. It would certainly take a long time to get over Ashton Lee when he’d made such a permanent mark on her soul.

  When the train’s speed grew slower, she snapped out of her thoughts. Sleep still hung in her eyes, and she blinked several times to get her bearings. How long had she been asleep? Immediately her gaze flew to Ashton’s seat.

  Empty.

  Her hopes sank as a knot formed in her throat. There was only one place he could be—in the baggage car with the money.

  ~*~

  Periodically, Ashton checked his timepiece. By his calculations, they should be entering Virginia any minute now…and that meant the train would be robbed, since this area was always when the robbery happened, according to the police reports, anyway.

  He’d sneaked out of his seat and into the baggage car. Just inside the door, there were two large crates, and he was able to hide behind one of them before the guards at the end of the car could notice him.

  Two days ago he’d decided to set a trap for the thief. He was tired of waiting for the police, and Ashton decided to take matters into his own hands. Only a few people knew about the money being transported to help rebuild the old south today, and because of what Nicole had told him about Nickerson and Larson, Ashton truly believed he would get to meet the thief this very day.

  He’d dressed in disguise, hoping nobody would notice him, and so far, nobody knew he was one of Conrail’s owners. For certain, he didn’t look anything like Mr. Ashton Lee, not since he wore a blonde wig and matching mustache.

  Ever since boarding the train, he’d been studying people to see who resembled him, and only two men could possibly be his look-alike. But one was old and had a cane, and the other one wore glasses and had a chipped front tooth. Several ladies rode in this car as they sat huddled in the middle as if conducting some kind of meeting, and none of them looked remotely suspicious. Even those men who boarded alone, didn’t seem to be suspicious, especially since they had drifted off to sleep within ten minutes after the train left the station. There was one skinny young man sitting by himself on the other side of the car, crouched in his seat, but Ashton didn’t believe that boy would be the thief. He didn’t appear strong enough to knock out the two guards who were always inside the baggage car. That particular little imp probably couldn’t even harm a rodent.

  When he knew the train was getting close to Virginia, Ashton quietly left his seat and moved to the next car. Nobody had even looked up at him, which was good. Even the two guards by the money trunk were asleep. Ashton shook his head. No wonder the money had been so easily taken before. What could possibly make them both fall asleep? Did they not realize how important it was to guard the government’s money?

  He crouched behind the crate, carefully opened up his handbag and withdrew a loaded pistol. If the train was going to be robbed today, he was determined the thief would not be leaving this car unless injured and lying on a medical stretcher.

  The car’s door slowly squeaked open. He whipped his focus in the direction, gripping the butt of his pistol. It surprised him to see the thin young man in the baggy clothes and overlarge cap tip-toeing into the car. But what surprised him even more was that the guards didn’t stir at all. Something was wrong, and he had a sinking feeling that the money had already been taken. If so, then who was this person coming into the car?

  As the young man walked passed the crate, Ashton reached out and grasped the man’s arm, yanking him down on the ground. Instead of hearing a man’s deep voice cry out, it was the high
pitch of a woman. As she landed on the floor, the cap covering her hair fell off and light brown hair tumbled out from underneath. Big, brown eyes with flecks of gold stared up at him, wide with fright.

  He inhaled sharply. “Nicole, what are you doing here…and dressed like that?”

  “Shhh…” She scrambled to her knees and faced him, taking hold of his hand. “They’ll hear you.” She motioned her head toward the guards.

  He raised just enough to peek over the crates. Surprisingly enough, the guards didn’t move. “I don’t think so. They are either asleep—or dead.”

  “Are you certain?” she whispered.

  “Well, considering they didn’t hear me come in, and they definitely didn’t hear your entrance, yes, I’m going to believe something is wrong with them. Either that, or they are both extremely deaf.”

  “Do you want me to go over and see?” Nicole stood, but still kept in a crouched position.

  “Not yet.” He yanked on her arm and she fell into him. “First I want to know what you’re doing here.”

  A sly grin touched her perfectly shaped mouth. “I was following you this morning.” She shrugged. “Should I now ask what you are doing here?”

  He scowled. “I’m trying to catch the thief. What else would I be doing here?”

  She switched her focus from his face to the weapon in his hand, and back to his face. “Why do you have a pistol, Ashton?”

  The tone of her voice made him catch his breath. She doesn’t believe me! Huffing, he shook his head. “Why do you think I have one? No, wait…let me guess. You think I shot the two guards and stole the money?”

  When her face turned red, anger shot through him. He pulled the handbag next to her and opened it up. “Tell me, Miss Bastian, if I had taken the money, why isn’t it in this bag? Since the guards are unconscious, wouldn’t a thief have the evidence by now?”

  She frowned as her eyes grew misty. “Ashton, I—I—”

  “Don’t say it,” he snapped. “Let’s just go over there and see why those imbeciles are not awake.” He moved past her and toward the guards, running his gaze over them from the top of their head to their boots. There wasn’t a spot of blood on them. Obviously, they hadn’t been shot.

  “Look,” Nicole pointed to the two cups on the floor beside the chairs, “each of them was drinking something.” She scooped up one of the cups and brought it to her nose, sniffing inside the tin.

  “Oh, dear. This isn’t good at all.” She met his gaze, frowning.

  “Why?”

  “It’s laced with Opium.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Have you forgotten when I told you about the case in San Francisco a year ago? Yes, I’m very certain this is Opium.”

  She turned to the guard closest to her and slapped his face hard. The man muttered something incoherently, but didn’t open his eyes, but by the droopy smile on his face, it was clear the man was having pleasant dreams.

  Nicole met Ashton’s gaze again and arched an eyebrow. “Do you believe me now? He’s not dead, but instead, he’s in la-la land.”

  La-la land? Ashton nearly belted out a laugh, but tried to hold it back the best he could. “Fine.” He sighed. “Now what do we do?”

  “Is the money still in that trunk?”

  Ashton knelt beside the trunk. Immediately, his attention fell to the broken lock. He flipped open the lid, and groaned. It was empty. “I don’t understand. I sat right by the door. Nobody went in or came out the whole time. Does that mean the money was stolen before the train even started traveling?”

  She knelt beside him and gently touched the floor in front of the trunk. “The robbery took place in here. See the metal shavings scattered around?” Her attention bounced up to the nearest guard. “Because he is still unconscious, that tells me the robbery happened just recently. If these guards were given the Opium right at the beginning of the trip, they would be coming awake by now. By this one’s actions, I would say he was given the Opium just recently.”

  Ashton’s hopes lifted slightly. “Are you saying the thief could still be on the train?”

  “Yes. But the train is coming to a depot soon, so we’ll have to find the thief before the train stops.”

  She swung her gaze around the room and then to the far door. Without a word, she jumped to her feet and ran to the door. Ashton followed, wondering what was going through her mind right now. She struggled with opening the door, so he helped. When the door flew open, she stepped out onto the gated ledge. He came with her, holding on to her arm to keep her from falling over the railing.

  “Look!” She pointed to the wall of the train.

  A rope hung down. He released Nicole and tugged on the rope. It was connected to something on top of the train. He heaved himself up the rope, climbing to the top. The wind blew hard against his face, removing his hat and wig in the process. He didn’t care. His gaze followed the rope all along the top of the train. It was secured in certain areas as not to come loose. At the far end of the car they’d just been in, there was a movement. Somebody was crawling along the roof, holding on to the rope.

  He glanced down at Nicole who stood watching him. “I see the thief.”

  “Can you identify them?”

  “No.” He turned his gaze back to the lone figure almost to the end of the passenger car. “But he looks slightly bulky. He’s wearing a black coat and black trousers.”

  “What color is his hair?”

  “Brown…I think. It’s blowing in the wind, and it looks brown.”

  “Dark or light like mine?”

  “Darker than yours.”

  “Come down now,” she instructed. “We can catch the thief as he’s leaving the train.”

  Ashton slid most of the way down the rope before he jumped to the train’s platform. His palms stung from the rope burn, but he wasn’t worried about it. “Are you sure we can catch him?”

  “Yes.” Using her finger, she smoothed out his mustache which felt as if it was coming off, too. “We know the color of his hair, his clothes, and we know he’ll be carrying a handbag filled with money, so it’ll probably be bulky.”

  She hurried back through the door with Ashton following her. He glanced at the guards, and just like Nicole had thought, they were still in la-la land. Grinning, he shook his head, not daring to voice his thoughts just yet. But if truth be told, that woman amazed him at every turn. She definitely wasn’t the naïve young Cinderella he’d met at the masked ball, or the temptress who he had to hold and kiss passionately every time he saw her. Instead, she was a woman with an intelligent mind. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it no matter the cost. She was also a woman who kept pushing to find the truth.

  He should be upset at her for doubting her innocence earlier, but instead, he found himself admiring her. She was brave and headstrong, and yet, her beauty still took his breath away, even with her dressed in baggy servants’ attire.

  As he passed his handbag, he stopped beside it. “Nicole,” he shouted, getting her attention.

  “What?”

  “Are you carrying a weapon?” It was a strange question to ask any woman, but then he’d never met a woman like her before.

  She nodded. “I have a knife.”

  “I have another pistol in the handbag. Do you want it?”

  “No.” She rubbed her healing shoulder. “I don’t like those things very much.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’m better with a knife than I am with a pistol.”

  He opened his mouth to ask her about that, but then decided this was not the time to know about her experience with deadly weapons. He reached in the bag and grabbed the second pistol, and placed it in the pocket of his coat.

  He gave her a wink. “Come, my dear. Let’s go catch us a thief!”

  Chapter 18

  Nicole shoved her hair back into the large boy’s cap as she ran through the passenger car. The train was nearly to a stop, and she couldn’t allow the thief to escape. She
knew Ashton was behind her because his heavy footsteps resounded on the floor, and his quick breaths were nearly as laborious as hers, but she didn’t turn her head to look at him. Her focus was directed on the passengers…and trying to find the man who fit the description Ashton had given her.

  A movement from out the window captured her attention. The bulky man wearing a long, black overcoat and black trousers, ran away from the train. In his arms was a handbag. Nicole sucked in a quick breath. The man must have jumped off the train, which meant…she and Ashton would have to do it, as well.

  “Ashton, look!” She pointed to the window.

  He grumbled and grasped her hand. “We cannot wait until the train comes to a complete stop. You stay here, since you’re still recovering from your injury. I’ll run after him.”

  Although his thoughtfulness made her heart flutter, she wouldn’t let him leave without her. As he turned to leave, she took hold of his hand again. “No, Ashton. We’ll go together.”

  “Are you certain?” His forehead creased as he narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to set back your recovery.”

  “We’re wasting time arguing,” she snapped and ran past him, toward the door. As soon as they left the car and stepped onto the gated ledge, a wind blew against her face. It wasn’t as strong as it had been earlier, which meant the train was much slower now.

  Ashton moved in front of her, holding the pistol. He aimed at the man running in the distance and fired. The man stumbled and clutched his right arm, but he continued to get away as he darted for a nearby building.

  “You shot him,” Nicole gasped.

  “That will slow him down slightly.” He looked at her. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Ashton shoved the pistol in his coat pocket and leapt off the gated ledge first, landing firmly on his feet. He turned and held out his arm. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”