by Anna Schmidt
“Stay here with me,” Grace urged. “Did you leave a note for Emma or Aidan? Do they know where you are?”
“I should have, but there was no time.”
Nick sighed. “Mr. Lombard has a telegraph on the ranch. I’ll send a wire and let everyone know you’re here with us.”
“I’m sorry,” Lily blubbered, suddenly overcome with the way her rash actions were causing trouble for her friends. “I just…Cody might…” She slumped back into the chair and buried her face in her hands.
“We’re gonna find him,” Nick said softly.
Grace stroked Lily’s back. “Of course you will, and in the meantime, Lily, you should get some sleep.”
While Grace saw Nick off, Lily splashed water on her face and washed her hands. She removed the pins from her hair and used her fingers to comb through it. “I’ll take the chair,” she said, pointing to a leather armchair near the front door.
“You should lie down,” Grace said. “I can take the chair.”
The baby stirred, arms and legs flailing in a dream. Lily saw the cradle was within easy reach of the bed. “Jimmy will need you, so no more discussion. Let’s get some sleep.”
Grace brought Lily a light blanket and tucked her in. “Try to sleep,” she advised. “It’s all going to work out.”
Lily wasn’t so sure. She closed her eyes, heard Grace return to the bed she shared with Nick, and heard the slight squeak of the cradle as the baby shifted. Soon, everything was quiet, the only sounds Grace’s even breathing and the call of a night bird. But inside Lily’s head, there was noise. She imagined gunshots and Cody’s horse rearing, throwing him to the ground. She imagined him lying there, calling out for help, unable to stand. She imagined—
She froze, her senses on full alert as she heard footsteps on the porch. Had Nick returned so soon? Had she slept and it was now hours later? A shadow passed the window—large and male. Slowly, she set the blanket aside and crossed to stand next to the bed.
“Grace,” she whispered, and her friend came instantly awake. Lily signaled silence and then with jerks of her head and hands tried to convey the situation. Grace nodded and pointed to a rifle mounted over the door, signaling Lily to take it down while she moved Jimmy and his cradle to a protected corner of the cabin away from the door.
Just as Lily reached for the rifle, the door slammed open, and the large shape of a man holding a gun filled the doorway. “Evenin’, ladies,” he said.
Lily shuddered. She knew that voice.
Victor Johnson.
Only this man was not the dapper businessman she had known. This man’s clothes were covered in dust, and he was unshaven and wild-eyed. Everything about him screamed desperation. His hand shook as he waved the gun at them. “Please be seated,” he instructed as he arranged two of the kitchen chairs back to back and removed a coil of rope from his shoulder.
“Where’s Sheriff Daniels?” Lily demanded even as he wrapped the rope tight around their upper bodies, pinning them to the chairs.
“Lover boy is fine,” he replied. His breath was foul and smelled of liquor. Once he had them bound, he stood and glanced around. “Where’s the kid?”
Lily felt Grace stiffen.
“Why?” Lily demanded.
Victor leaned in close to her face, his fingers pinching her cheek. “Because, Lily, the kid is my insurance. Your friend’s husband is going to find lover boy where I left him and bring him back here, and that’s when we start negotiations.”
Never in her life had Lily wanted to break one of the commandments more than she did in that moment. Her gaze shifted to the rifle, lying now on the floor where it had fallen when Victor broke in. Mentally, she imagined the steps it might take to get to the weapon, cock it—did it need to be cocked? Oh, she was hopeless.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. Thought I’d get to you later.” He checked the tightness of their bonds and, apparently satisfied, went to the table and helped himself to a leftover biscuit. Then a sound outside made him freeze until he realized it was nothing more than the call of a night bird.
Lily cast about for some way she might calm him and perhaps distract him from his determination to take the baby as his hostage.
“Victor,” she said sweetly. “There’s no need to harm the child. You have time to get away. There’s a horse in the barn and plenty of time for you to get to Santa Fe and catch the morning train. Everyone is out looking for Cody, so no one will notice. If you clean yourself up a bit, keep the whiskers—”
The backhanded slap would have knocked her to the floor had she not been tied to the chair. She heard Grace cry out in protest, and then the baby started to cry.
Victor followed the sound and, seconds later, turned to them. He was grinning and holding the snugly swaddled baby under one arm like a sack of flour. Lily realized in that moment that Victor was more dangerous than she had first thought. He appeared demented, and she was certain he’d been drinking.
Unable to communicate with Grace, Lily bit her lip, forcing herself to remain silent and watching Victor while she tried to figure out what to do next. He juggled the baby as he set the bottle and then the gun on the table and then scoured the cabin for food. It occurred to Lily that he’d been on the run since the robbery, and Victor was not a man accustomed to living off the land. She kept her eyes lowered so as not to rile him but saw him stuff biscuits in his mouth and wash them down with water he pumped into a canning jar.
Lily tried again. “Why didn’t you just go home?” she said. “Surely, you didn’t need the money from the robbery.”
“How would you know what I need, Lil?” He sneered at her and pulled a half-empty pint of whiskey from his pocket. He took a long swallow. “Gone,” he muttered, staring off toward the window, where the gray of predawn was starting to lighten the sky.
She wasn’t sure what “gone” meant. All she knew was that Victor was getting more upset by the minute.
After a while, he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and looked down at the wriggling child as if just remembering he was holding him. With the toe of his boot, he dragged the cradle closer to Grace and all but literally dropped Jimmy into it. “Kid stinks,” he muttered as he sank into the leather chair where Lily had slept.
He stared at her. “As I believe I mentioned, I didn’t know you would be here,” he said. “Planned to get to you later.”
“Why Grace and the baby?”
“Blame your lover boy, Lily. Daniels is a man of honor and duty. He’d trade his life for that kid’s or hers.” He jerked his head toward Grace, then he grinned. “Occurs to me now he’d do just about anything for you too, Lily.”
“Like Jake?”
He snorted. “He tried to double-cross me. Nobody pulls something like that with me.”
“You made him pay,” Lily said quietly, hoping to hear him confess his part in Jake’s death.
“He ruined the whole plan. Everything was going like clockwork until he decided to play the hero.”
“He brought you the information you needed?”
“Yeah, he brought it. Then tore it up and tossed it on the smokehouse fire. Well, that was a mistake. He paid for that one.”
“You hit him.”
“Rusty and his boys hit him first. He was already down. I asked him nicely to recover the information, but he refused, so I gave him a little help. Fortunately, there was a shovel handy.”
Lily winced, imagining Jake on his knees, being forced to reach into the fire.
“He wasn’t of a mood to cooperate even after I held his fingers to the fire, so I hit him with the shovel. Like I said, nobody double-crosses me. All he had to do was follow orders and he would have been fine.” He shook his head sadly, then he looked at Lily and grinned.
“He didn’t though, so you killed him.”
“H
e was of no use to me, and I couldn’t have him ruining the plans I had for you.”
Lily swallowed a mass of bile. “Which were?”
The laugh that filled the room was pure evil. “You shall see, my dear.” He went to the window and lifted the curtain.
“Lily, be quiet,” Grace whispered.
But words were their only weapons. Lily was sure their only chance was to keep Victor talking until Cody and Nick returned. Please, she thought, let them come soon.
As if reading her mind, Victor returned to the chair. “Your men should be back before long, ladies. I left a real good trail. Until then, I suggest we all get some rest.”
It was so typical of Victor to believe he was in full control. Within minutes, he was snoring, the gun on the table within Lily’s reach if she’d been free to pick it up. Her hand twitched, and she realized that while her upper body was bound tight both to the chair and to Grace, from the elbow down, she had movement.
“Grace,” she whispered. “I think I can get the gun.”
“Be careful,” Grace whispered back.
Lily strained against the ropes, her fingers reaching for the weapon. “Push us closer,” she instructed and felt their combined chairs inch forward.
Victor snorted and stirred, and they froze. He was behind her, facing Grace, so what good was it for her to get the gun when she couldn’t see him? She leaned back. “Stop pushing,” she said. “I can’t reach it.” It was a lie, but until she could get a proper plan in mind, she didn’t want to raise false hope.
The baby stirred and fussed.
“Shhh,” Grace murmured.
“Trying again,” Lily whispered as she closed her fingers over the barrel of the gun. At least if she was holding it, Victor wouldn’t be. Of course there was still the matter of Nick’s rifle on the floor. “Got it.”
Now what?
She’d never fired a gun before—she’d never even held one. She stared at the glinting metal of the barrel and the intricate workings of the trigger and chambers where she could see bullets. Her movement was too limited for her to manage to hold the weapon and hide it in the folds of her skirt at the same time. She could either hold it or hide it.
Or unload it!
“What kind of gun is it?” Grace whispered.
Lily examined the markings. “Smith & Wesson. I need to remove the bullets.”
“It’s a .44 caliber like Nick’s. To unload it, break it open between the cylinder and the barrel.”
Lily remembered the night Cody had checked his gun to be sure it was loaded—the way he’d grasped the barrel and handle. “I’ve got it,” Lily whispered. The bullets fell into her hand. With agonizing slowness, she folded her fingers to hold onto the bullets, closed the gun again, and pushed it back onto the table.
“What’s happening?” Grace whispered.
Just then, Victor groaned and smacked his lips, and Lily heard him get to his feet. He moved to where she could see him, picked up the gun, and went to the window. “Shouldn’t be long now, ladies,” he said as he used the barrel of the gun to lift the lace curtain and peer out.
Little Jimmy started to wail.
“Shut that kid up,” Victor snarled, waving the gun at Grace.
“He’s hungry,” Grace replied calmly. “If you could hand him to me and loosen my bonds, I could feed him.”
Lily saw the exact moment Victor realized what feeding the baby entailed. His smile was so malevolent, Lily was afraid for Grace.
“Well now, missy,” he said as he approached Grace. “Maybe you and me can work something out.”
“Thank you,” Grace said primly, her innocence making Lily clutch the arms of her chair.
Lily felt the ropes that held them loosen, although they remained tight enough that she really couldn’t do much. Then she heard fabric ripping and Grace’s gasp, followed by her pleas for Victor to stop. Lily closed her eyes, wishing she’d left the gun loaded. Never had she wanted to shoot a man more than she did now. She struggled to free herself while Jimmy continued to scream from his cradle and Grace continued to plead, sobbing now as Victor assaulted her.
“Need to prime the pump, missy,” he said. He was standing over Grace, so close Lily could smell the fetid sweat of his clothing. “Let’s have a feel, darlin’, and maybe a taste.”
“Stop!” Lily demanded when she was finally able to wriggle free of the loosened ropes and stand. “If you must indulge your vile urges, I’m right here.”
Lily took in the scene. There was a moment when everything seemed to stop. Even Jimmy seemed to be holding his breath. Grace’s dress ripped open, Victor’s hand still kneading her exposed breast as milk leaked down her chest.
Lily’s eyes flew to the gun. He followed her gaze and grinned as he released Grace and picked up the gun. “I’ll get to you, Lily. Don’t you worry.”
The blessed sound of hoofbeats coming closer made him turn back to the window. “Well, well, well,” he chortled. “Party’s about to begin.”
Grace freed herself and ran to comfort her child, holding him close as she sat on the bed.
Voices, low and urgent.
Cody. Nick.
Footsteps on the porch.
Victor waved the gun, instructing Lily to sit.
She faced him defiantly and started toward the door. But while she might have removed the bullets, she quickly realized the gun was still a formidable weapon. Victor stopped her advance by whipping the butt of it across her cheek. She crumpled to the floor in pain.
“Lily!” Grace screamed.
The door burst open.
Victor wheeled around, aimed, and fired.
Click.
Click.
Click. Click. Click.
Cody and Nick were on him in an instant, both men seemingly intent on beating him the way he’d beaten Jake.
“No!” Lily shouted, staggering to her feet. To her way of thinking, dying was too good for Victor Johnson. She wanted him to live a good long life—in prison. That would be justice.
From outside came the sounds of more horses, more men’s voices. Suddenly, the small cabin was filled with men—men in work clothes and men in uniform, Frank Tucker and Aidan among them.
“We got this,” a uniformed soldier who seemed to be in charge announced. “See to the ladies,” he added as he directed his men to take Victor into custody.
Nick looked around, spotted Grace clutching their son, her clothing torn, and with a feral growl, he went after Victor again. Cody restrained him. “It’s over, Nick,” Lily heard him say as he guided Nick back to where Grace stood, the baby on one hip, her other arm stretched out to embrace her husband.
Cody let out a breath and turned to face Lily. In two steps, he was beside her, his strong arms pulling her close, cradling her head and bruised face against his shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, Lily?”
“Marry me?” she croaked.
“Looks like I’ll have to if I have any hope of keeping you out of trouble.”
Frank and Aidan stepped back inside the cabin. “You folks need anything?” Frank asked. “Want me to go for Doc? Take Lily back to the hotel?”
“We’ll be fine,” Grace said. “Unless…Lily?”
She realized she was still clutching the bullets. “Perhaps somebody could take these,” she said and opened her hand. “They’re from Victor’s gun.”
“Well, I’ll be jiggered,” Frank muttered as he held out his hand for them. He glanced at Cody. “Got yourself quite a woman there, Sheriff.”
“Don’t I know it.” Cody tightened his hold on Lily.
Aidan stepped forward. “Lily, whatever possessed you to go off on your own? Emma—Miss Elliott has been frantic.”
Lily caught Grace’s eye at Aidan’s slip of the tongue. Maybe Aidan Campbell was finally beginning to see what had been r
ight there in front of him all the time. She couldn’t help a smile, even though it came with a good deal of pain. “Sorry, Aidan, I meant to leave a note.”
Aidan rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. “Impossible,” he muttered as he stalked back out to the porch.
“Cody, you should get Lily to the doctor,” Grace said.
“Agreed.” He turned to Nick. “Everything all right here?” he asked.
“We’ll be fine,” Nick said, and the two men shook hands.
“Thanks,” Cody said. “I walked straight into a trap.”
“Could have happened to any one of us,” Nick assured him.
Cody retrieved his hat from where it had come off while he and Nick subdued Victor and tipped his fingers to the brim. “Grace, you take care of that boy,” he said.
Lily knew he was really admonishing her to take care of herself, but he was a man, and sometimes they spoke in a language all their own.
Outside, Cody whistled for his horse and mounted, then stretched out his hand to Lily, pulling her up to sit sidesaddle in front of him, her head resting against his chest. Slowly, he turned the horse and started down the trail.
That was when Lily realized the tears she’d held in check ever since Victor had appeared at the cabin were falling free, soaking the front of Cody’s soft cotton shirt.
“Shhh,” he said softly. “It’s over, Lily.” But she noticed his voice was raspy, and when she looked up at him, she saw that those long lashes were damp.
Chapter 17
On the ride back to town after Victor’s arrest, she had insisted Cody tell her what had happened—how Victor had managed to overpower him.
At first, he’d refused.
“It’s over, Lily. Let it go.”
“No. Tell me. I need to know it all. Whatever you have to say could not possibly be worse than what I’ve imagined.”
With a sigh of resignation, he did as she asked.
“Ty Drake had come across solid evidence Johnson was still in the area. The day before I reached Santa Fe, Johnson sold that gold ring of his to a local jeweler.”
“He told me that ring had belonged to his father,” Lily said. “He must have been truly desperate to part with it.”