Red-Ken was filling in the gaps, bringing her mother to life. How Ken told it, her father stole her mother right from under his nose. Ken’s mixed blood and reputation made him a less likely candidate for a suitor than her father, even though, they were in love. Her father’s betrayal had been one of the many issues Red-Ken had with him, but it was marrying her mother and losing her that had ended their friendship.
Red-Ken threw the rest of the coffee onto the fire and brought her back to the present. The smoke wafted up her nose and made her cough, as well as make her eyes water. That had been a couple of days ago, and he still hadn’t come up with a plan for getting the ransom money.
“Sorry, I didn’t think. But we do need to get moving.”
“How’s your foot doing?” she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.
“It’s okay for now. That stuff you gave me brought the swelling down a lot sooner than I’m used to, but we’d better get going. I’d like to clear the desert before it flares up again.”
“I have more herbs. I’ll make you another batch of the medicine before nightfall. That way we can hold it off for today.”
Emma rose, threw out the cold coffee in her mug, wiped it dry with a kerchief Red had given her and put it in her saddlebag. She left her clue for Storm and mounted her horse.
Chapter 8
“It seem to me mighty convenient that we keep missing them by a handful of hours.”
“What are you implying?”
“I ain’t implying anything. I’m saying it outright. What’s going on?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, we’ve only just missed them. The wood is still warm. We’re catching up.” Storm’s stomach was in knots. She’d been wondering how soon one of the brothers would ask this question. Emma was still not ready to be rescued, and the men were getting impatient with her and their lack of progress.
She had a mind to march them right to where Emma was and be done with it. She would have, but Emma had left a sign for them to meet up later in the day. All she need do was wait a little longer, find out what her sister was up to, and make a decision from there.
“Yeah, right, we’ve been catching up for the past three days, the only thing I’m figuring we’re likely to catch is that influenza. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were keeping us that one step behind on purpose.”
“Come on now, Colt, that seems a little harsh. Storm’s concern for his sister strikes me as genuine.”
“Strikes me that way too, that’s why I’m saying if I didn’t know any better. However, something ain’t right, and I need to know what it is. Why’s he doing all he can to keep us behind? I feel like I’m out here sightseeing, and I have no idea what’s going on back home. If he’s about wasting our time, I’d rather know now, so we can hightail it out of here and send a wire to our folks. It’s been griping on me, not knowing if they got out of Charleston.”
“My brother’s got a point, Storm, it is taking longer than I thought it would considering you’re supposed to be the best.”
Storm stared at Cole wide-eyed, he was usually the one siding with her against Colt—always telling Colt to be patient. Storm was the tracker and they should follow her. But not today, today she saw doubt in his eyes, veiled over like his brother’s—all warmth gone. Only the granite of his cold stare was left to chill her bones. He stood with his hand on his hip, the other resting on the butt of his gun still in the holster—waiting for an explanation.
His head tilted to the side, he’d pushed his hat back earlier as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Storm had a good view of his face. Both men’s jaws were set, their mouths a thin line. Storm swallowed as she searched their faces from one to the other, their expression mirrored in joint determination. What she wouldn’t do to see at least one of the brothers’ faces relax again, with the boyish smile, and the twinkling eyes.
Like this, they were frightening, and she was scared.
Storm tried to tell herself not to panic. Her mind was a scrambled mess. If she were a woman, she would have swooned as she waded through her straggly thoughts for a reasonable excuse as to why they had not found her sister. One set of steel eyes had been bad enough. Colt watched her every move, a puzzled, and suspicious glare ever present as he waited for his opportunity to strike.
She always felt safe from Colt when she had Cole on side, keeping his brother at bay. But now they were both looking at her in the same frosty way, their expression colder than the mountain air. She had to think and think fast. What possible explanation could she use to satisfy them, more so Cole? He was the one she needed to appease. Cole had a softness she didn’t see in Colt, not since they’d started on this mission.
She’d once thought her physical reaction to Colt was caused by the fact he made her nervous. It was based around him always being in her personal space, as well as the one hundred and one questions he’d fire at her without warning. Almost as though, trying to catch her in a lie.
His eyes followed her every movement with intensity. Whenever she’d look up, or around her, he’d be there watching. Her heart would race and her skin would become clammy, he made her weak. It was almost impossible to go anywhere without him; she couldn’t even go to the bathroom unaccompanied.
Fortunately for her, her mother had made her a device she could use to go without stooping in the usual way. He never came near enough to see how she did it, but it was getting tiresome. The curse would be much harder to hide under such scrutiny.
However, now her heart was galloping, at a speed which threatened to burst right out of her chest and land in Colt’s waiting hands. Of the two, she was happy to admit he was the most frightening of the pair. She had to get it together, she was on thin ice, of that there was no doubt.
Think, Storm, think.
She had managed to make a lot of people think she was male her whole life. She could find a way to make these two believe she was not delaying her sister’s rescue on purpose without lying. But how?
She sat on the ground next to the ashes of the fire Emma and her captor put out, and crossed her legs, then stared out ahead of her.
Neither man moved or interfered with her as she gazed off into the distance at the cluster of trees leading into the mountains. To steady her nerves and clear her mind, Storm sucked in a breath. Come what may, and with or without her permission Emma would have to be rescued today. She couldn’t do this anymore.
She glanced up at Cole, deeming him the safer of the two brothers. “I sense no danger for Emma at this time. I’ve kept our distance so as not to spook her abductor into doing anything rash. I was going to tell you later today when I was sure we could conduct a safe capture. But I needed to be sure before bringing this up. You’ve forced my hand.” Storm lowered her head so they wouldn’t see the half-truth in her gaze.
“You should have just said that, if that’s what you were doing. We’re on the same team here,” Cole said. He sat down beside her, removed his hat, then ruffled his hair. “So when will we know for sure when to go in and get her?”
Storm turned and gave him a wry smile. “You’re not the reason for my not saying anything sooner.” Her eyes wandered to Colt.
Colt narrowed his gaze at her. “Me? Are you saying you didn’t tell us what you were planning because of me? Let me be blunt here. I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth.”
“Colt! Maybe this is why he doesn’t trust us either.” Cole waved his hat at his brother.
Storm smiled. The warmth was back in Cole’s eyes and smile. He slapped Storm on the back and stood. “Let’s just do it Storm’s way. She’s his sister after all. All he wants is to see her safe.”
“Are you for real...what the hell has gotten into you?”
“I’m thinking, little brother, if this was you in this situation, what would I do?” He put his hat on his head and glared at Colt as he moved toward him. “I’d do whatever I must to get you back safe. That’s what I’d do. We do it Storm’s way.
”
Storm rose too. “Thank you.”
“So what now, oh cautious leader?” Colt asked, through clenched teeth as he stared narrow eyed at his brother before turning his burning glare at Storm.
“I will scout ahead, then meet you back here. I’ll leave my things. Then on my return, we can plan my sister’s rescue.”
“Fair enough, at least now we have a plan. Is what Storm’s saying all right with you?” Cole’s eyes traveled to his brother.
“Don’t seem like I have a choice in the matter, now does it?” Colt spat and walked off toward the horses.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just mad I took your side. I’ll speak with him.”
“Thank you, it couldn’t have been an easy choice to make.”
“Believe me it wasn’t, but she’s your sister. We need to respect that.”
“Okay, I will go now. I’ll leave my horse with you. The trees are thick here. I need to find a suitable path for the horses too. At some point, we may have to leave them and make the rest of the journey on foot.”
Cole nodded and Storm ran off toward the trees.
Chapter 9
Storm made her way through the trees, zigzagging as she went along, making sure she wasn’t being followed by Colt. She wouldn’t put it past him to follow her, although she knew Cole would try and stop him. She couldn’t shake the sensation gnawing in her stomach that Colt was onto her. She just didn’t know in what way. This made her nervous and uncomfortable around him.
Emma was to blame for this, and she had every intention of telling her when they met up. If Colt found out her secret, there was no telling if he’d keep it to himself, or rat her out to her father. For some reason, she got the sense he hated her.
She hoped when she got to the meeting place, Emma wouldn’t leave her waiting too long. Storm needed to talk to her and quickly. There was no point making the brothers more suspicious than they already were. Somehow she had to find a way to make things right with them.
Ever since the troublesome conversation she’d had earlier with the young marshals, she’d felt guilty. This was on Emma. Why should Storm be the one to feel guilty? It didn’t seem right. It wasn’t fair that she should bear the suspicion of these two men because of her sister.
Strange as it may seem, lying was not something that came easy to Storm, regardless of the fact she’d been lying her whole life. As far as she was concerned, it was the one and only lie she’d told, purely due to self-preservation. What Emma was doing was for fun, her own idiotic amusement, and Storm needed to find out why. As troubling as this all seemed, Emma wasn’t usually this fanciful. There had to be an explanation for her being so out of character.
Storm pushed forward, her ears pricked for any sudden movement, or sound she didn’t associate with her surroundings. The earth crunched beneath her feet, as the drumming of her heart beat steadily against her ears. The smell of the pine from the ponderosa trees filled the air—she breathed in and exhaled. Not far now. Emma had indicated they meet by the oak trees, and they were coming into view.
As she moved closer, Storm saw a shot of auburn hair in the distance. She quickened her stride until she was almost jogging. She moved faster still, now running, ducking, and pushing branches out of the way as she moved forward. Her heart was racing from joy as well as frustration, coupled with anger, but mostly with relief.
Emma was waiting. What this meant to Storm, was that soon this would all be over, and they could get back to their old lives. Away from the cold, staring gray eyes that haunted her night and day—put this farce behind them.
Emma sat on a rock, her hand full of the herbs her mother used to boil for their father’s bad foot. What was she doing with them? Their father hadn’t had a flare up in years. The urge to rush into Emma’s arms, hold her close, and then shake her severely, vanished—replaced with confusion and suspicion. She felt rooted to the spot in front of her sister.
“What are you doing with those?”
“It’s my excuse to come and meet you.”
“Why would you need an excuse? Who’s the medicine for?”
“It’s for Red, he has the same problem Pa used to.”
“Why would you be making medicine for your captor?”
“He’s not my captor anymore. I’m helping him.”
“What?” Storm had always tried to keep her voice at an even tone, so her gender was not identifiable by speech alone. However, the sound leaving her lips couldn’t sound more feminine if she tried. Her eyes protruded, then retracted. Now she knew for sure her sister was demented.
How could Emma possibly justify helping the man who had held her captive? And probably at gun point, as there was no other method he could have used to get her sister to go with him willingly. “Do you want to repeat that? Slower this time so I can bask in the warmth of your madness.”
“Storm, we owe it to him. Our father has robbed him of much. Red-Ken is an old man who only wants what our pa owes him. I think he deserves more than what he’s asking.”
“More?” Storm shook her head, then slapped at her temple with the heel of her palm. Was she hearing her right? So far none of the words leaving her sister’s mouth made any sense. Storm knew somehow she had to put a stop to this craziness.
One of them had to be sensible, and listening to her sister rattling on, it was clear—it wasn’t going to be Emma. Things had been dragging out for long enough. She wasn’t about to aid Emma in extorting money out of their father, just because she believed their father owed a debt to the criminal who had taken her hostage.
“Look, Emma, you’re being ridiculous. We can’t help a known criminal win in his search for revenge. It’s madness. Sheer and complete madness. You’re coming back with me now. I won’t take no for an answer.” Storm pulled on her sister’s arm to get her to move but Emma shook her off.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here. Our pa needs to pay. Pay for what he’s done to you, your mother, my mother—”
Irked, Storm cut in. “What did our father ever do to your mother?”
“Aside from taking her away from the man she loved, plenty. Our father is not the man we think he is. He’s done things. Things I’m ashamed of.”
“Who’s told you about these things? The man who abducted you? Sure, now there’s a reliable source of information. Emma, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m telling you now, shake it off, and let’s go home.”
“No.” Emma shook her head. Storm reached for her again, but Emma turned away. “I said no. You don’t know anything, Storm. He hurts people. People we love, and care about, and he’s going to keep doing it if we don’t stop him. He’s not a good man. You and your mother are not the only ones to suffer by his hand. Red-Ken has too, along with countless others we don’t know about.”
“I don’t care. I know all I need to know, and you do too. Please, Emma, we have to go home. I’m afraid. These marshals have their eyes on me. How long do you think it’s going to take them to find out my secret? Do you want to see me sent away?” Storm’s voice broke.
Emma rose and threw her arms around her. “I’m sorry, but you have a bigger problem.”
“What do you mean I have a problem?” Storm cocked her head, pushed her sister away from her, and stared into her face searching for an answer. How could she have a problem? She hadn’t done anything.
“What kind of problem, and how big is it?” she asked. Her instincts were telling her she needed to run.
The unshed tears, and strained look in Emma’s eyes screamed enormous problem. She didn’t know how she knew, but the pull in her gut was saying the reason Emma stayed with her captor this long had something to do with her. Emma was protecting her, but from what?
“Trust me. We just need to get Red-Ken a lot of money, enough so he can go away and never come back.”
“What is it, Emma? Tell me. Tell me now.” Storm shook her sister, her legs threatened to cave under her, as her mouth went dry, and her heart beat
hard against the chest plate, raising the front of her jacket.
“Please, Emma, if I’m in danger I need to know. This is not something you can keep from me.”
Tears escaped and ran down Emma’s cheeks as she stared at Storm. She swallowed and grabbed Storm to her as if she would never let her go. “He knows. Red-Ken. He knows you’re female. Red-Ken was at your birth. He helped Morningstar deliver you. So you see we have to help him get the money and escape. Or father will know.”
Storm’s heart fell to her feet, her behind followed, as she crumpled to the ground. This was bad, this was really bad. What was she going to do? She covered her face with her hands. She just needed to think. There had to be a way out of this. All they had to do was take a little time to figure out their options.
Chapter 10
After rubbing down the horses, Colt decided to take them down to the stream. He wanted to be alone, he needed to think. It irked him, the way his brother was always so quick to side with Storm. Yeah, he got that Emma was Storm’s sister and like Cole said, it was something they needed to think about. But still, Cole was his brother, and as such should have stuck by him, that was his right, dammit.
He left the horses free to roam as he sat on the bank. Then removed his hat, and began to throw stones into the water, staring at the ripples as the stones bounced off the surface, until there were no more. He laid back and closed his eyes, then covered his face with his hat. He may have to wait here with Cole, but he didn’t have to speak to him. Cole had shown where his loyalties lay, and it wasn’t with him. As far as he was concerned Cole could get shoveled out with the horse manure.
Wild Storm (The Unbridled Series Book 2) Page 4