The Bequest

by Hope Anika

  Selfish, stupid, ignorant bastard.

  “I never answered you,” he said.

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Yesterday you asked where I went the night we got here, but we got…distracted.”

  Color bloomed in her cheeks, and it pleased him. Her physical response to him was immediate, powerful, and he would use it. He would use every weapon he had, without compunction.

  “So where did you go?” she asked, her gaze steady, a warm flush kissing her skin.

  “Frank James.”

  “Who?”

  “Georgia’s CIA partner. He was tailing us. So I went and had a little…chat with him.”

  “That you didn’t feel the need to mention?” Her brows arched, anger a whip in her voice, but Will only watched her and accepted it.

  “I didn’t want to worry you,” he said.

  “Bullshit.” She shook her head sharply. “You don’t trust me.”

  “You’re the only one I trust,” he replied, his voice hard.

  Again, she blinked. Her mouth opened, then closed. She watched him with dark, narrow eyes, and he could tell she wasn’t sure if she should believe him, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. Still, he was disappointed.

  “No more secrets,” he told her quietly.

  She stared at him for a long, silent moment. Then, “What did Mr. James have to say?”

  “Frank said Georgia set him up. Laid a false trail right to him. Said he’s looking for the cache to prove his innocence.”

  “Did you believe him?”

  Will shrugged. “They hated each other, so it’s possible.”

  “But why follow us?”

  “Because you and Rafe are the only trail she left.”

  “Awesome.” Cheyenne scowled. “So he’s just going to tail us?”

  “No. He’s gone now.”

  “Because of you?”

  “I might have…discouraged him.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Cheyenne said, her gaze narrow. “First you, now Frank. Who’s next?”

  Will didn’t appreciate being lumped in with Frank James, but he said nothing. He couldn’t argue.

  “I’m coming with you,” he said.

  “Coming with me where?”

  “To Wyoming. We’ll take my Jeep. Rafe said you wanted to camp along the way and stop at a few places.”

  She leaned back against the counter and arched a brow. “Don’t you have a weapons cache to locate?”

  “You’re working on my only lead. Red is working on others. Right now, there’s nowhere else to be.”

  “Flatterer,” she told him. “You know how to make a girl feel adequate.”

  “Just adequate?”

  Those rich green eyes glittered. “I can email you the transcript of the book as soon as I get it done. You don’t have to hang around for that. I know you have plans.”

  Will met her gaze. “Getting you and Rafe safely to Wyoming is the only plan on the table.”

  She shook her head. “Not your problem.”

  “We go together or not at all.”

  Cheyenne scowled and folded her arms beneath her breasts. Her stance widened, and her mouth pursed, and his heart beat heavy in his chest, because he recognized that look.

  “You,” she told him, “are not sailing this ship. Oh, we’ve let you climb aboard and paddle, but that’s doesn’t mean you’re captain. We don’t need you to take care of us. I’m armed and aware, Rafe is armed and aware—that’s as good as it ever gets. We’ll be fine.”

  “Rafe is armed?”

  “Personal Taser and a handy little butterfly knife. Don’t worry—I didn’t go commando.” She tilted her head. “It’s okay, Will. Really. I know you’re on a mission. I know you don’t appreciate the distraction. And we’re not your responsibility.”

  He stared at her, not at all liking the sound of his own thoughts being voiced by her. Moot, now, anyway. He could pretend it was a struggle all he wanted, but somewhere between last night and this morning, he’d decided. And no argument on earth was going to sway him.

  Not even his own.

  “Together,” he told her softly, and the awareness that flared in her gaze sent a lash of heat down his spine. “Remember?”

  “I wasn’t talking about…whatever the hell you’re talking about.”

  Which made him laugh. But the panic that flashed through her was not lost on him, so he only looked back down at the map.

  “I talked to Red,” he told her. “Malik hasn’t been seen for almost a week.”

  “Which means what?”

  “I don’t know. But I’m not going anywhere.” Will wasn’t going to argue with her. “We’re keeping the pup?”

  “Stop changing the subject. I’m trying to set you free.”

  Will gave her a hard look. “I don’t want to be free.” He glanced back down at the map. “Pipestone is first. I’ve never been there.”

  “Will.”

  The way she said his name sent a spike of something dark and hungry through him, and he was helpless not to meet that verdant green gaze, lined by lush, startlingly black lashes. A small beauty mark kissed the skin beneath her right eye. And her mouth…

  He looked away again, back at the map.

  “I’m coming with you,” he said, because it was the truth. “I would prefer it be at your side, but I’ll tail you in the Jeep if I have to.”

  Cheyenne watched him, her gaze assessing. He felt a piercing moment of self-awareness and knew she saw every fucked up thing in him. But she didn’t look away.

  “You don’t have to save us,” she told him quietly. “I don’t expect that.”

  Will wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t care. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She said nothing. Then, “You dream of blood and vengeance and justice. We can’t be part of that.”

  He stared at her. “Do you think I expect you to?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “We have different goals. I want to get Rafe home safe and sound, preferably in one piece and free of this shitstorm. You want to sail right into that storm.”

  “No,” he said.

  “Yes,” she argued. “We’re a means to an end for you. Nothing more. And we will not go down with the ship.”

  Anger seared him, but he wasn’t sure who he was angry with. Her for reading him so accurately and calling him on it…or himself, for ever thinking it.

  “You’re right,” he told her bluntly. “I want blood. Justice. Goddamn payback. And my failures are immeasurable: look at your fucking throat.”

  “Will—”

  “But I will never, ever sacrifice you or Rafe on the altar of my vengeance. I would die first.”

  Cheyenne stared at him, and he let her. Let her see it all…the pain, the darkness, the profound damage he couldn’t seem to mend. Pretending was useless and a lie, and he wanted nothing but truth between them. Bad or good, he didn’t give a shit.

  As long as it was real.

  “I’ll get you home,” he said. “Whether you like it or not. Beside you or behind you. And I won’t leave until you’re safe—that means Malik dealt with, one way or another. Together. That’s what you said. That’s what I’m doing.”

  Her mouth opened, then closed. “I didn’t mean to make you feel obligated…”

  “You didn’t. It just is.”

  “What does that mean?”

  That you’re mine to take care of. “It means I’m not leaving, no matter how hard you push.”

  For a long moment she just studied him, her gaze troubled and uncertain, and Will’s heart beat like a drum at the thought she would turn him away, that he would be relegated to following, untrusted and unwelcome.

  That he gave a damn was something he would have seen—just a day ago—as weakness, but today he didn’t care. He was tired of punishing himself for feeling things beyond his control. He felt enough guilt and self-hate to fill a goddamn canyon. He would get Cheyenne and Rafe home. Deal with Malik. Find that damn
cache and cut the throat of the bastard who’d betrayed him.

  And then…Well.

  That was a whole different bridge.

  “I can handle whatever you dish out,” Cheyenne told him finally. “But Rafe…he’s been through enough. If you make a promise, you need to keep it.”

  “I will,” he told her, his tone cold. That she would think he would let Rafe, or her, down infuriated him. But he couldn’t blame her. All she knew—all she’d seen—was the damage and the darkness. He was more than those things. Much more.

  Then get a fucking grip and show her.

  “Alright,” she said finally and nodded, but her eyes glinted with promised retribution should he fail. “Together…until it’s over.”

  Will only blinked at her. He wasn’t putting qualifiers on anything.

  “If you want to camp,” he said. “We need supplies.”

  “I know.” She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck, and as Will watched the tension ease out of her, his eased as well. “I didn’t bring any gear. We can stop in Madison, I think there’s a Gander Mountain there.”

  “Are you almost ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Rafe came through the door then, the pup leading the way. She wore her collar, her feet were too big for her body, and joy glowed from her when Rafe reached down and swiped her into his arms. He rubbed her ears, and she groaned loudly and wiggled against him.

  Cheyenne laughed softly, and Will eased a little more.

  “I’m ready,” Rafe said. “Let’s blow this joint.”

  “Did you get everything you want to keep?” Cheyenne asked him. “You should do a walk-through and make sure, because we’re going to have to figure out what to do with the rest of it. We can take it or sell it or donate it—”

  “Donate it.” Rafe said. “I don’t want it.”

  “What about the condo itself? Keep it or sell it?”

  Rafe looked around. “I hate it.”

  “Then we sell it.”

  “But it’s really sweet. The lake is right there….”

  “And its value will only grow. It’s a good investment. But there’s no need to decide today. We have time.”

  Rafe put Lucky down and hefted his backpack over his shoulder. “We’re going to the Badlands,” he told Will. “You ever been to the Badlands?”

  “Once,” Will replied. “When I was a kid.”

  “You were a kid?” Cheyenne asked, shocked.

  Rafe giggled.

  “I was a very smart, very naughty kid,” Will told them.

  A small snort escaped her. “No doubt.”

  Rafe eyed him in consideration. “Where’d you live?”

  Cheyenne frowned, as if realizing she didn’t know the answer to that question.

  “Montana,” Will said. “My grandfather’s ranch in Whitefish.”

  “You didn’t live with your parents?” Rafe asked. Cheyenne said, “Rafe—” but Will only said, “No. They were killed by a drunk when I was seven.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cheyenne said.

  “What was your granddad like?” Rafe asked.

  “He was a good man. I was lucky.”

  “So…Montana. Does that make you, like…a cowboy?” Rafe’s eyes grew big as they studied him. “Can you ride a horse?”

  Will caught Cheyenne’s eye and winked at her. “Horses, bulls, camels. I’m versatile. How about you, Cheyenne? You ride?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t call myself a horsewoman, but I can stay in my saddle.” She smiled, warm, wry, and Will wanted to touch her. “Generally speaking.”

  “Can you teach me?” Rafe asked, turning to look at Will.

  “Sure.”

  Cheyenne straightened. “We need to get moving. We’re burning daylight.”

  She was right, and Will knew it. But he wanted to linger; she wasn’t at all certain of him, no matter what he’d told her. He could see it in her body language, hear it in her voice. She wasn’t convinced.

  He needed to fix that. To reassure them both, but he wasn’t certain how.

  Time.

  Something he was in short supply of.

  “I’ll get the Jeep ready,” he said.

  Then he made himself turn and walk out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Screw it. “Are you gonna leave?”

  Will turned to look at him. They stood in the Gander Mountain parking lot, watching the pup investigate the lone strip of grass that lined the lot while Cheyenne picked out their camping gear. The rain had finally quit, and the sun was warm and humid overhead.

  “‘Decipher the book and then I’m gone,’” Rafe continued. “That’s what you said. Is it true? When Cheyenne’s done, are you out?”

  Will wore all black, and his Glock was tucked away, hidden by his coat, but Rafe knew he was armed. He seemed there in a way he hadn’t before. And more relaxed. But after last night—

  Rafe wasn’t sure what to think.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Will held his gaze. “I promised you I would stay, and I will. Yesterday was a bad day. I’m sorry for that.”

  Rafe shrugged. “You didn’t mean it.”

  “But it happened. I don’t have a lot of control over it, but that’s no excuse. I hurt Cheyenne, and I scared you, and I’m more sorry for that than I can say. I’d like to tell you it won’t happen again, but that would probably make me a liar. So I won’t tell you that. But…you have to know, Rafe, I would never hurt her. Not intentionally.”

  Rafe knew that. He saw how Will looked at Cheyenne; he wasn’t stupid.

  “I don’t care about what happened yesterday,” Rafe told him bluntly. “I care about you taking off. You said you wouldn’t let anything happen to us, but then…then you said you was leaving.” Rafe’s stomach churned as he held Will’s pale gaze. He liked Will…but he needed to be able to count on him. “That’s okay. You don’t gotta take care of us. But if you’re gonna go...do it now.”

  Will didn’t move. He stared at Rafe, and Rafe’s heart shuddered in his chest, but he held that pale, eerie gaze with everything he had. He wasn’t used to protecting anyone—except maybe Ruby—but he felt the need to protect Cheyenne. To try. She was as much his as he was hers, and they had to work together if they were going to survive this craziness and come out on top. And Rafe knew that Will’s presence would greatly enhance those odds.

  But only if he was in it to win it. Only if he gave a damn. And if he didn’t…Rafe didn’t want him.

  “She told me about my…Malik,” he added. “So there’s him. And I know you’re looking for the bombs, and you want revenge and stuff, and we’re kind of in the way of all that. You don’t have to stay. We’ll be okay.”

  Will only watched him. “Do you want me to go?”

  “No!” Rafe shook his head. “I’m just saying…if you want to go, then go. But if you’re gonna stay…then you gotta stay.”

  For a long moment, there was only silence and the sound of Rafe’s blood rushing through his head. He wasn’t trying to push or make threats, but he wanted cards on the table. He wanted to know who was in and who wasn’t. The Taser and the knife Cheyenne had gifted him with were cool, but they weren’t going to stop an asshole who wanted him dead. He wasn’t even sure Will could stop him, and Rafe was pretty sure Will was capable of almost anything. Will was like the characters in Rafe’s comic books—bleak and damaged and kind of fucked up, but inherently good. Someone who survived something horrible and went on to help others, someone who gave everything they were to everyone else.

  But Rafe also accepted that people had limits; he’d seen Will’s limits. What happened last night had scared the piss out of him. Will was too big and too strong—they couldn’t stop him when he got like that. Not unless they hurt him.

  So maybe it was better if he was just…gone.

  Still, Rafe didn’t want that. He was selfish and scared, and he wanted Will by his side. By their side. And he knew, deep down, that Will needed them, too. But things didn’t always
work out. People were—

  “You have no reason to trust my word on this, but it’s all I have to give,” Will said quietly, his features solemn. “I’m here until it’s done, Rafe. The cache, Malik—whatever it means.”

  Rafe looked into that pale gaze and wanted to believe. But no matter what, it was a risk. A leap of faith. And for someone who’d spent most of his life not relying on anyone, that was hard. Will wasn’t Cheyenne. Cheyenne was there because she wanted to be there. But Will…Will had plans.

  “Cheyenne thinks you’re just a means to an end for me,” Will continued. “But you’re not.”

  Rafe only blinked at him.

  “When I came here, all I could see was blood…no one but me, nothing but my mission. And then Cheyenne knocked me on my ass and turned the world upside down.”

  “She’s good at that,” Rafe said.

  A small, sharp smile. “Yes.”

  “I didn’t know she knocked you on your ass,” Rafe said, wishing he’d seen it.

  “She punched me in the throat while we stood in the car rental line. Put me down with one hit.” Will shook his head. “I didn’t even see it coming.”

  “I don’t think anyone ever sees her coming.” Rafe paused. “Why did she hit you?”

  “Because I threatened her.”

  Which made Rafe hold Lucky a little tighter. “Why did you threaten her?”

  “Because I thought she was part of it.”

  He nodded, silent.

  “I won’t lie to you,” Will told him. “The cache is important. I have to find it. But you come first.”

  “What about your revenge?”

  Will met his gaze. “It can wait.”

  “You sure?”

  “Absolutely,” Will said.

  Rafe only stared at him for a long, quiet moment. “Do you know my father?”

  “No. I met him once when he visited the base I was stationed at, but that’s it.” Will put his hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when you asked me.”

  “I understand.” Kind of. “You really think he might…try to kill me?”

  “He might try. He won’t succeed.”

  Will’s tone made Rafe shiver. Still… “But he might try?”

  “I don’t know.”