“We’re losin’ daylight. Probably should get going,” he said. I scowled at the satisfaction on his face as he walked away. When I looked at Bonnie, she burst into laughter. A smile crossed my face at the beautiful sound.
Yet again, cockblocked by Will Ellis.
I pressed a final kiss to Bonnie’s mouth and straightened her shirt. Then I reached down to pick up my forgotten hat. I went back to combing through our dwindling supplies.
“We have to stop in the next town,” I said as we mounted up for the next leg of the journey.
I worried about the potential gang presence in any nearby settlements. We were left with no choice. We would have to take our chances.
As buildings appeared in the distance, Bonnie motioned for us to slow our pace. “We’re stopping here for supplies.” She spared a glance at me before turning to the others. “Be on your guard. If you see any Crimson Fist or Hanged Men, keep your eyes low and don’t be suspicious.” She tugged the hood of her shirt low over her face.
“You have enough money to feed all of us?” Clara piped up from the back of the wagon.
“Sure.” I laughed. I knew full well that even though we’d won a bunch of money that last night in Lamesa, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to stock up for the rest of the trip. Oddly enough, I was okay with following whatever plan Bonnie came up with. Strange how things changed.
Clara giggled behind us. I turned to see Will leaning in to whisper something in her ear. I opened my mouth to say something, but Bonnie cut me off.
“You know, you shouldn’t encourage Will. If you keep gettin’ worked up, he’s just gonna keep flirtin’ with you,” Bonnie said in a low voice.
“Why would he be flirting with me?” I asked, brows furrowed.
It was only when Will glanced up and saw me looking at him that I understood. He winked at me before turning back to Clara, smiling smugly. I remembered the two men in the pool room of the inn back in Lamesa.
“Never mind,” I said quickly, turning my attention forward.
Bonnie drove us hard to cross the distance into the town. The afternoon sun beamed from high in the sky as we neared it. I double-checked that the pistol was secure at my waist and tucked my shotgun in the space beneath No Name’s saddle and the blanket protecting his back. As soon as we were in sight of the town, I noticed men posted near a large gate. They wore strange patches on their shirts.
Their eyes tracked us as we passed through the open gates, though none of them tried to stop us. I closed ranks, steering No Name closer to Eagle. I felt the eyes of the men behind us still watching. We stopped in front of a building marked hotel. Bonnie and I dismounted at the same time.
“Stay here, Kid,” Bonnie said over her shoulder. I stepped in front of her, putting my hands on her hips.
“Careful,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.
I watched as she crossed the street toward a couple of guys in uniforms outside of the hotel. They stared at her with barely veiled distrust.
All around us, the town was busy with foot traffic. People walked about, laughing and talking in excited voices. I watched them carefully, checking back every few seconds on Bonnie. Something was going on at the other end of town. Within minutes, Bonnie was back at my side.
“Town’s heavily policed,” she said. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to run a scam here. There’s a festival or somethin’ going on.”
“A scam?” Clara asked.
“Shh!” The Kid said.
“Yeah. Me and Bonnie here are damn good at it, too,” Will said.
“I don’t know, Will. Jesse might be better at the hustle than you,” Bonnie said. The look of surprise on Will’s face mirrored on my own. I slid my arm around Bonnie’s waist; it was such a natural thing I didn’t realize I did it.
“Not possible,” Will said with a grin. “After all, I have the Ellis charm.”
“Anyway,” Bonnie said, glaring at him. “The next town is two days’ ride. We don’t have enough food to get there.” Her words were directed at me. I knew that we had bits saved up from the pool game, but money was a valuable resource, and we couldn’t spend it all.
“If you hadn’t lost your touch, mi cielo, you might have noticed the warehouse two blocks down,” Will said, picking at his fingernails with a pocket knife. “You’re going soft. I’ll take Montana with me to go scout it out.”
“Wait, what?” I barely got the words out before Will pulled me away from Bonnie and down the street.
“Songbird’s pretty face is a little too noticeable for this kind of work,” Will said, giving my bicep a squeeze. I looked up at him in surprise. “And we need to have a conversation. Mano a mano.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” I said, yanking my arm out of his grip.
“Well, I got plenty to say to you, pendejo. So even if you don’t talk, you need to listen.” He put his good arm up in front of me, stopping to peer around a corner. After a second, he seemed satisfied, and we kept walking. He tipped his hat at a pretty woman walking past.
“You need to back off of Bonnie,” Will said. My eyebrows shot up on my forehead. He had some nerve if he thought he could tell me what to do, especially when it came to her. I hadn’t fought so hard for Bonnie to just give up because some asshat from her past told me to.
“And what are you going to do if I don’t?” I asked. Will stopped, shoving me against the nearest wall.
“Bonnie isn’t just some woman you can chew up and spit out,” he said. “She’s not like Blondie. She’s sensitive to people. I let her get hurt once. I won’t let it happen again.”
“I don’t like your tone, Ellis,” I said, fighting hard against my violent tendencies. “I’m not like you or your crew. I don’t intend on hurting her.”
“You sure about that?” he asked.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” He didn’t know me. He didn’t know how I felt about Bonnie. He sure as hell didn’t have a right to decide who she spent time with.
“I’ve known Bonnie my entire life,” Will said, giving me a hard glare. “She’s never put herself at risk like this before. Falling in love with you is gonna get her killed.” He shoved off of the wall and continued walking down to the street, leaving me behind, speechless.
Falling in love with you.
In love? With me? Bonnie?
No way. I started walking again, doubling my pace to catch up to him. There was no chance in hell Bonnie had fallen in love with me. It’d taken everything I had just to get her to give me a second look.
“Bonnie isn’t in love with me. What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Keep watch,” Will said without answering and darted between the buildings. I glared at his back as he disappeared. Before I could take off after him, a man bumped into me. He murmured an apology and headed down the street. I gathered myself, remembering that I was here to do a job. I glanced up and down the lane, checking for men with guns. There were a couple on a roof down the street, but so far, they weren’t concerned with me. I turned toward the nearest building, pretending to relieve myself to appear less suspicious.
A minute later, Will returned, looking at me like I was crazy. “What’re you doing?”
“Blending in,” I said. Will scoffed.
“Bonnie says you’re better than me. Please,” he said, heading back up the street.
“What did you see?” I asked him as we neared the main drag.
“Locked,” Will said. “No guards. I saw crates of food from the windows. We’ll need a key.” I followed his gaze as we approached the hotel. “I’m guessin’ one of the guards in uniform will have it on them.”
Our horses and the wagon were parked on the side of the hotel. The two of us wandered in, finding our companions seated in the back of the room.
I stopped, Bonnie’s eyes finding mine instantly. They seemed brighter as she stared at me. Not so much midnight blue, but the blue that I imagined was the color of the ocean.
Will k
ept walking, but I stood there, staring back at her. My heart seemed to fly on its own, and it was all because of that look.
She loved me.
The world turned upside down, but not in a bad way. The fire had upended our lives, destroying everything we’d ever known. Now, the world was being put back together. Almost as if Bonnie loving me righted the terror of it all. Like the smoke was finally clearing, and she was what waited for me on the other side.
It was exhilarating.
A waitress bumped into me, jolting me out of the moment. She apologized, but I didn’t pay much attention. I crossed the room to where my four companions sat, taking the only empty chair left between Bonnie and Clara. I reached under the table and tangled my fingers with Bonnie’s, giving her hand a quick squeeze. Will relayed the information about the warehouse to them.
“Jesse,” Clara said to my right. I turned to look at her. “You’re going to get killed. This place is crawling with guns.”
Bonnie scoffed into her glass from the other side of me. Clara leaned forward onto the table.
“Did I say something funny?” she asked, her tone black. Clara had never spoken to anyone like that before. Her mouth puckered at the edges, and she narrowed her eyes. Before I could question that menacing look, Bonnie downed the rest of her whiskey and turned to look at Clara.
“I haven’t heard anything come out of your mouth that wasn’t funny, dairy maid,” Bonnie said. “Have you taken a look around lately?” Sure enough, there were a couple of men in uniforms across the room. I’d marked at least a dozen of them on our walk back from the warehouse.
“I’m not stupid,” Clara said blackly, leaning back into her chair. I signaled the waitress for another round of drinks. “Obviously you don’t know this town is full of Black Judges. Slavers. Didn’t you see the shackles on those patches?”
“Fine. If you’re so smart, how do you propose we get enough supplies to last us to Fort Hood without running a scam?” Bonnie asked. I gave her hand a squeeze, but she ignored me. The Kid and Will both stared between the women, amused as they watched the conversation.
The waitress dropped off the round of drinks. Clara sat beside me, silent, until finally she said, “Well, we could whore you out. You play that role with Jesse easily enough.”
Will reached over and pulled the brim of The Kid’s hat over his eyes.
“To have a dozen kids, you have to wrap your legs around him first, you frigid bitch,” Bonnie said, knocking back her drink. She leaned across me toward Clara, eyes dark. “Where’d your bruises go?”
I hadn’t thought about Clara’s injuries since we found her. To be honest, I’d lost track of the days, but I remembered her having a bruise under one eye. I noted the lack of imperfections where they’d been before. Clara’s cheeks reddened under my gaze.
“Maybe we should whore you out,” Bonnie said through clenched teeth. “It seems you have a talent for lying. Insecure men like liars.”
I put a hand on the small of her back and leaned in.
“Those uniforms are watching us,” I said quietly.
Sure enough, the two men across the bar must have sensed the tension at our table. They were trying to pretend like they weren’t watching, but I knew better. I’d learned from Bonnie how to covertly watch a stranger across a crowded room.
“If you don’t like our plan, Clara, then you should leave,” I said, pointedly. “We’re in a town now. You don’t have to come with us.”
“Yes,” The Kid said, punching the air victoriously. Clara’s flushed cheeks paled as she looked directly at me.
“Where am I supposed to go?” she asked.
“Not my problem. Unless you shut up and let us get on with it,” I said, turning back to Bonnie. “We’re gonna have to move fast. What’s the plan?”
Some of the anger receded from her eyes. Instead, Bonnie’s jaw clenched, her eyes shifting the way they always did when she was planning a con. She was silent, contemplating our next move.
Whatever it was, I didn’t care. All that mattered was that we would do it like everything else. Together.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Bonnie
“Run this by me again,” Jesse said. I pushed my hair behind my ears, staring pointedly at Will. He stood, promising to show The Kid more smoke rings outside and pulling Clara with him.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said, pressing a hand to his chest, which he covered with his own. “It’s a classic honeypot scheme.”
“Yeah, I just don’t like the part where it’s your honeypot we’re using as bait,” Jesse said, his eyes drifting down to rest between my thighs. “Or the fact that you’re going unarmed.”
“Listen,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to the spot beneath his ear to silence him. “We have all the players we need to run this con. Will is our spotter; he’s useless with the heavy lifting because of that arm, but he’s observant and obnoxious enough that no one will suspect him of having an ulterior motive. He’ll find our mark. The Kid can drive that wagon like the hounds of hell are chasin’ him, which is exactly what we need: for him to position the wagon before going to the festival with Clara. Once it’s loaded, he can get it out of town without trouble. I’m the bait, so all I have to do is be alluring.”
“What about me?” he asked, his hand resting on my thigh. My smile extended to my eyes.
“You’re the ringleader,” I said. He stared, waiting for an explanation. “This is your con, farm boy. I won’t need a weapon until we lure the mark from the festival, where you’ll be waiting. That’s how I know it’ll be fine. You’re my backup.”
He kissed me hard, stealing my breath, until Will sent The Kid in to break it up.
An hour later Will parked the wagon in front of an alleyway so I could change away from prying eyes. He’d dragged Jesse off to a shop while I scouted the area and briefed everyone on their prospective jobs, taking special care with The Kid, who beamed. He was so excited to commit a crime it was laughable.
When Will and Jesse came back, Clara handed me the small tub of cosmetics. I used it to hide the greenish-yellow tint lingering on my cheekbone from the fading bruise. With one last glimpse at my reflection in the small mirror that Will pickpocketed somewhere along the way, I sighed. We hadn’t spoken much, sticking to short practical conversation as I changed. Her pinched expression made her unhappiness at the situation clear. I sighed, stifling the urge to run a hand through my hair.
“I’m sorry,” I said. Her eyes shot up to mine, wide with shock. “If him choosing me hurts you. I don’t know what you’ve been through—”
“No. You don’t,” she said in a clipped voice. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I continued.
“If it makes a difference, he made the decision on his own. I tried to keep my distance because I didn’t want to come between you.” Her pursed lips twisted into a sneer of disgust. Her brown eyes flashed, darker than I’d seen them.
“You think I don’t like you because Jesse wants to fuck you?” she asked, a bitter laugh coming from her mouth.
“Let me clear it up for you. I don’t like you because you’re reckless,” she said, her words clear and concise. “I get you. You’re used to being alone, so you take risks. But you aren’t alone anymore, are you? You’re dragging Jesse and Harry along with you. One day those risks are going to get them hurt, or worse.”
My mouth hung open in shock, a thousand excuses coming to my mind. Each one flimsier than the last. I thought about the danger we’d encountered so far. Was Clara right?
“I won’t let anything happen to them,” I said, the words weak. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Then she turned her back to pack the items we’d used in the saddlebags. A clear indication that she was finished with this conversation.
“I mean, you just have muscles everywhere,” Will said from the other side of the wagon. I stifled laughter, glad for the sudden lightheartedness.
“Hurry up and finish with the buc
kle,” Jesse grumbled blackly.
“Keep your hands off, Will!” I called, laughing. I gazed at my mother’s hair comb. I hadn’t worn it since that night. Today, I wanted to feel beautiful. I pulled my hair away from my face and secured it with the comb.
“Just his gun holster, unfortunately,” Will called back to me.
The people here were organized and efficient. They didn’t want some sloppy half-dressed whore at their party. They wanted a beautiful woman, who didn’t know she was beautiful. Understated, yet eye-catching. I adjusted my breasts in the dress I’d bought all that time ago in Lamesa. The blue fabric made my blue eyes stand out against the dark shock of my hair, which was falling prettily around my face. I didn’t know what’d possessed me to buy something so impractical. When I’d seen it, something inside of me had lurched, and we’d had money to burn then.
I imagined this was the kind of woman I might have been if life had been kinder to me. A woman unburdened by the deep scars that’d hardened my heart for so long. Maybe this was how I would feel all the time around Jesse. Beautiful.
“Are you done yet?” The Kid asked impatiently, blowing into his harmonica in a grating tone.
“Yeah,” I called, my eyes on my boots. This was the only part of my outfit that wasn’t quite right, but I needed to be able to move quickly. The wagon pulled forward.
“Woah, Bonnie,” The Kid said. “You look like a girl.” I raised my eyes to see everyone staring at me. A flush rose in my cheeks. Will recovered first, stepping forward with a tub of a pink cosmetic in his hand. He pressed some onto my mouth, and I rubbed my lips together self-consciously.
“There, now you’re perfect,” Will said. I hadn’t dared to look at Jesse yet; for some reason I felt suddenly shy.
“She’s already perfect.” Jesse’s deep canyon timbre rumbled through the space between us. My eyes drank him in slowly. His hair was slicked back from his face, his cheeks clean-shaven, highlighting the chiseled angle of his jaw. A leather holster wrapped around his broad shoulders, accentuating the muscles that moved beneath his tight shirt. He looked like the outlaw I knew he’d always been. His blue eyes blazed, the hunger in them stark and devastating. I shifted on my feet, but he’d already crossed the space to stand in front of me. His familiar heat washed over my exposed skin.
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