“I hear.” Red Hair didn’t sound like he appreciated being ordered around.
Argue with him, she wanted to say. If the men would fight each other, it would make her job all the easier. Maybe she could help their discord along.
The big man marched her toward the stone hearth, then pushed her down to her knees. His foul breath fanned her face as he tied another leather rope around her hands, strapping her to a bar mounted inside the fireplace for a pot to hang.
“I enjoyed holdin’ you all the way here, girlie, but it ain’t nothin’ to how much I’ll enjoy you when I get back. You just wait for ol’ Henry.” He jerked the knot tight, then before she knew what he was doing, he leaned in and planted a kiss right on her cheek. The scruff from his beard raked across her face, and the awful odor of his breath nearly gagged her.
She jerked back, the leather in her mouth holding in her squeal. The bar wouldn’t let her go far, and her effort tightened the strap around her wrists until they cut into her skin.
He cackled as he stood. “We’re gonna have some fun, you an’ me. I likes ’em feisty.”
As his boot thuds marched across the floor, she forced even breaths in through her nose. Her head went light, and she blinked to keep herself in the present.
Andy. Twisting around, she expected to see the tall, red-haired man bringing her son to tie up beside her. Instead, the bigger one grabbed Andy by the arm and pulled him from the other’s hold. He kept marching toward the doorway with her boy in tow.
Panic clawed inside her, and she fought against the restraint, trying to scream. Wait! You can’t take him away. But no sound could break through her gag except a strangled cry.
The men both paused to look at her, and her son turned wide, fearful eyes her way. She wrenched and pulled. They would not separate Andy from her. They couldn’t.
“You hold tight, missie. Yer boy’s goin’ to a good place. I think they’ll like him just fine.” The big man—Henry—sent her a twisted smile, then yanked her son’s arm and headed toward the door.
Just before he stepped outside, he turned back and spoke to his cohort. “If those men come lookin’, don’t hesitate to put a bullet or two in ’em. This far out, won’t no one miss ’em, and it’ll save us a heap o’ trouble.”
“I’ll take care o’ things.” The lanky one held up the rifle he clutched in both hands.
Henry’s face shriveled in a scowl. “See that you do.”
Rachel scraped her leather tie over the metal bar, but it didn’t seem to be working. She pulled harder, scrubbing furiously. She couldn’t let him ride off with her son. Where would he take him? The Indian camp? Or maybe other people lived in this area.
What would the people he'd spoken of do to Andy?
“IT MUST BE THOSE BRUTES we traded with for the salt. The trail’s going straight for their cabin.” Seth wanted to roar as the frustration welled inside him. Foolish, impulsive idiot. How could he have been so reckless with Rachel and Andy’s safety? He never should have approached that cabin. Never should have let Rachel leave camp for so long without going to find her.
“Let’s slow up for a second.” Samuel’s horse dropped back as he reined in, and Seth forced himself to do the same. “Better to find out what’s happening at their cabin before announcing our presence.”
A dozen strides before reaching the edge of the clearing, they dismounted and crept to trees where they had a clear view of the cabin.
“I don’t see any movement.” Seth strained as he studied the cracks between the logs for shadows shifting inside. “And no horses.”
“They may have hidden the horses. If they’re in there, they’re probably waiting for us to come looking. I imagine they’ll be ready.”
“We need some kind of decoy to draw them out. Make them show their presence.” Seth gripped the tree tighter to still his urge to charge forward, rifle blazing.
“Any ideas?” Samuel looked to him.
Not an army charge, but maybe a direct approach would be best. “How about if I call out and get them talking?”
Samuel gave him a look. “You think they’ll answer you, just like that?”
He shrugged. “Think it’ll hurt anything?”
His brother was quiet for a long moment. “What about if one of us sneaks around behind the cabin to look in between the cracks.”
“They probably have one watching from the back and one from the front.”
Samuel tipped his head. “Maybe. I’ll go around back and be ready with a gun while you call out. That way we’ll have them covered if they try something.”
“Good. Make a whippoorwill cry when you’re ready.”
“Got it.” Samuel moved like a shadow as he shifted from tree to tree toward the position he needed.
He’d disappeared in the shadows of the woods by the time the three-beat bird call sounded. Time to take action.
Seth positioned the rifle in his shoulder and inhaled a breath to call out. “Hello in the cabin.”
Quiet filled the air, all animal sounds ceasing. A faint noise drifted from the cabin, like a shuffling. Hopefully he didn’t imagine the sound.
When there was still no response, he raised his voice even louder. “Burke. Hackney. We’ve come for the woman and boy.”
“Then come an’ get ’em.” The voice was muffled but definitely came from inside the building. It didn’t sound like Burke’s command. It must have been Hackney. Odd, since the other man seemed to prefer leading. Maybe he was occupied with holding Rachel and Andy at gunpoint.
Anger rose in his throat again. “Send them out and we won’t hurt you.” Although if they injured a hair on the heads of the woman and boy he loved, he’d personally come back and tear these blackguards apart.
Forgive. The thought caught him short, an invisible hand planting on his chest to still him.
He inhaled a breath. Please, Lord. Help us get Rachel and Andy back safely. Don’t let me do anything I’ll regret.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Of all my nightmares, this is the worst.
~ Rachel
“They’re right here for you to come an’ get.”
Seth cringed as Hackney’s voice rang through the clearing. The man wasn’t offering other options. Which meant the kidnappers had something planned.
If Burke was occupied with their prisoners, maybe Samuel could sneak up to the back and find out what was happening inside.
His brother must have had the same idea, for a movement flashed in the woods behind the cabin. Samuel appeared, ducking low as he darted forward, his rifle clutched in both hands.
Fear surged in Seth’s chest, especially as his brother disappeared behind the structure. Should he shift over so he could see if Samuel needed help? Maybe he would be more assistance staying in the front, distracting the men inside. That was probably best.
“If I come get them, I’ll need your word you’re not gonna shoot me the minute I step into the open.”
A cackle filled the air. “I doubt you’d take my word for it anyhow.”
The man was right. And from the sound of things, he was probably deranged, too.
Samuel appeared again, darting back toward the woods. He must think it safe to maneuver. A minute later, his brother’s soft tread sounded among the leaves as he made his way back.
Seth met him partway. “What did you see?”
His brother’s shoulders heaved as he worked to catch his breath. “It’s just Hackney. He has Rachel tied at the fireplace. There’s no sign of Burke or the boy.”
A weight pressed hard on Seth’s chest. “Where could they be?”
Samuel shook his head, still breathing hard. “I don’t know. But I’m sure there’s only the two of them in there.”
“Think we can take him out easy enough?”
“Yeah. I’ll go around to the back again. I can get a clear shot at his arm or something. As soon as you hear my gun, come running and get Rachel out.”
Could it be as easy as that? Yet n
ot easy. They may be able to save Rachel, but Andy was even farther out of reach.
He inhaled a steadying breath. First things first. “Let’s do it.”
After watching Samuel shift through the shadows until he was out of sight again, Seth moved back to his position near the front. He checked his rifle. Everything was ready.
Samuel darted through the open ground at the back of the cabin, disappearing behind the building again.
Seth tensed to spring forward.
The seconds seemed to take hours. Then finally, a blast ripped through the air.
He sprinted into the clearing, charging toward the door. A muffled scream inside the cabin pushed him faster. Rachel. If Samuel’s shot hadn’t disarmed Hackney, he might retaliate against her.
At last he reached the door, ramming his shoulder into the wood. It gave way under his assault, and he stepped inside, raising his rifle to take aim as he struggled to focus in the dim room.
A scrambling sound pulled his gaze down. Hackney sat sprawled on the floor, reaching for a rifle with his left hand. His right arm hung limp, blood marking the shoulder.
“Don’t touch that gun.” Seth strode forward and kicked the rifle out of his reach. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel, her body facing the cold fireplace. She didn’t look injured, but he needed to disarm the brigand before he could focus on her.
“I’ll tie him up.” Samuel stepped into the room, his own rifle in hand.
Seth scanned the area for something to use for a restraint.
Movement from Rachel snagged his attention. A strip of leather tied in her mouth restrained her words, but she was doing something with her bound wrists.
He moved to her and dropped to his knees, working the gag from her mouth.
She puffed out a breath, then pulled in more air. Finally, she turned those fierce eyes on him. “Cut me loose and you can use my ties on him.”
He spun to her. Taking her in with his gaze, every brave, beautiful bit of her. In two strides he was by her side, laying aside his gun. Brushing the loose hair from her face, cradling her cheeks in his hands. Filling himself with the sight and touch of her. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, red tinging her eyes even as her chin kept its firm resolve. “I’m fine. Cut me free so we can go after Andy.”
Her words sliced through the relief flooding him. He pulled out his knife and cut the leather holding her to the metal bar in the fireplace. “Where was Burke taking him?”
“Who’s Burke? The man called himself Henry.”
Seth shot her a glance before moving to the rope tied around her wrists. “Was he a big man with dark hair?”
“Yes.”
He raised his voice for the man moaning on the floor to hear. “Where’d your friend take the boy?”
A louder groan was his only response.
The sound cut short when Samuel kicked him. “Where’d they go?”
Hackney snarled. “You’ll never get him back.”
They’d have to track the pair. Anything Hackney said probably wouldn’t be reliable anyway.
Within another moment, he had Rachel freed. He touched the bright red indentions the leather left on her wrist, his body aching with the pain she’d endured. He couldn’t help wrapping an arm around her back and pressing a kiss to the softness of her hair. “Stay put for another minute while we get him tied up.”
She nodded, turning her gaze to meet his. He couldn’t miss the glimmer of fear there, and it spurred him onward. “We’ll find Andy.” He stroked his thumb over her wrist. “Don’t worry.” An impossible request, surely, but he said it anyway.
He took up his rifle again and held the gun on Hackney while Samuel bound him. “Think it’s safe to leave him tied here while we ride on, or should we go ahead and put him out of his misery now?” He couldn’t help that last part, and Hackney blanched just like he’d expected.
“I’ll make sure he won’t get loose while we’re gone.” Samuel finished tying his hands and hoisted the man over to the fireplace. “If you’ll please step away, Miz Rachel, I’ll give this low-life your spot.”
She scrambled backward, then pushed up to her feet.
Seth reached for her elbow, easing her back a little farther. She looked up at him, and he took the chance he’d once thought he might never get. “I’m sorry, Rachel. So sorry.”
A frown flicked across her face. “For what?”
Everything. “For approaching these men in the first place. For letting you run into the woods. For not coming to find you sooner.”
She looked away, a muscle in her jaw flexing. “Let’s just find my boy.”
The knot in his chest tightened. She held him responsible. As he did, too. Lord, forgive me, please. Help Rachel forgive me, too.
And more than anything, help us get Andy back.
BURKE DIDN’T SEEM TO be trying to disguise his trail. Not that it would be easy to hide hoof prints in the woods after a rain, but when they opened out on the rocky area that descended gradually, it sure didn’t seem to Seth that the man kept to places where his tracks wouldn’t show.
Which meant he must have expected Hackney to stop them at the cabin. Burke was probably moving quickly so he could get back to do whatever he had planned for Rachel.
The thought churned the bile in Seth’s belly, and he pressed a hand to Rachel’s arms where they wrapped around his waist. She sat behind him in the saddle, and their headlong ride through the rocky terrain kept her clinging to him. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t sit so close otherwise, but the feel of her gave him strength to keep moving.
His gelding was breathing hard, so Seth reined in at the base of the mountain they’d traversed the day before. “Let’s let the horses rest before the climb.”
“Where do you think he’s heading?” Rachel’s breath brushed his neck as she spoke.
“My instinct says he’s going to the Indians we met with a couple days ago, but I can’t for the life of me figure why. You think he’s planning to trade him as a captive?” Samuel sat with his arms crossed in front of him, wrists resting on the saddle.
Rachel’s body tensed, her arms tightening around him. “Why would he do that? What would they do with him?”
“I don’t know.” He hated to start a new round of fears churning in her mind. “Let’s just keep following and see where he goes.”
He looked to his brother. “Ready to move on?”
Samuel nodded and nudged his horse up the incline.
They made it over the rocky peak without mishap, passing their campsite at the base of the other side. He couldn’t help but remember sitting under the stars with Rachel as they watched for signs of Indians. She’d shared a huge part of herself with him—her story. He could only pray they could find that same openness again.
Except this time, there would be no secrets between them. No past hovering over their shoulders. Lord willing, they’d be able to move forward in a new life together with Andy.
But they had a long way to go before they reached that happy future. Help us, Lord. Please.
Finally, they reached the woods where the Indians had forced their escort two days before.
The dim light under the trees gave the place an unnerving feel. Or maybe that was his memories. Rachel, too, tightened her grip around his waist. He closed his hand over hers, a silent reminder that they would face this together.
They had to slow the horses to a walk as the trees drew closer together. They followed the game trail, yet they needed to watch both sides of the path to see if Burke rode away from the more traveled route.
He pointed to the right edge and turned to Samuel. “You watch the ground on this side and I’ll watch the left.”
“Got it.”
Now he could push his gelding into a faster walk, and he kept his ears tuned to any noise that might signal someone around them. He’d never forget how soundlessly the Indians had faded from the trees before.
After what felt like half an hour, Samuel ca
lled in a low tone, “There. Are those tracks?”
Seth jerked his gaze to the right side of the trail. “I see it.” He scanned the stirred leaves for sign that it was definitely a horse that made the marks. Even if it was a horse, how could they know for sure whether it was Burke or the Indians?
He glanced up at Samuel. “Think we should follow it?”
His brother’s brow drew low as he studied the area. “It’s hard to know for sure. The leaves have definitely been turned today, and the animal was going the same direction we are. That makes me think there’s a good chance it’s him.”
Seth nudged his gelding forward. “Let’s see where it leads.”
They seemed to be going deeper into the darkness, and the hairs on the back of his neck tingled the farther they went. Lord, should I do something different? Show me how to find Andy. How to keep Rachel safe.
He shouldn’t have brought her into danger like this. He had a feeling she wouldn’t have been happy to stay in safety, but he should have at least tried.
Through the trees far ahead, a lighter area appeared, like that of a clearing. Was that the open land the Indians had led them across before? Unless his senses were off, they were on the wrong side of the game trail for this to be the same area.
What then?
As they neared, something about the opening seemed odd. He slowed his gelding as he strained to see. Were those Indian lodges out there? They sure looked like it. This must be the camp those braves were leading them away from. And Burke’s trail led straight to this place.
“Why would he take my son to the Indians?” Rachel’s voice came out in a harsh whisper.
“That’s a good question. Maybe in trade for something? Or maybe to get in their good graces.” He reined in his gelding, as did Samuel. They needed to develop a plan before going farther.
“What would they do with him?” This time he could hear a bit of fear in her whispered tone.
That fear pulsed through him, too. He’d heard stories of what Indians did with their white captives, but they’d always seemed far too outlandish to be possible. Surely, they wouldn’t—couldn’t—do those heinous acts to a boy like Andy. God, let us be in time.
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