Blood Blade Sisters Series (13 page)

They led the cattle slowly through the countryside. It was dangerous taking them at night, but they had to get them far enough away that anyone pursuing them wouldn’t immediately find them. Easier said than done when leading a group of slow-moving, stubborn animals.

They stopped after several hours and took turns keeping watch. Cilla took care to stay as far from Leo as she could. She volunteered for the first shift and ended up staying awake through the second as well, deciding to keep Miguel company rather than sleep near the fire…and Leo. She only lay down to rest when it was Leo’s turn to keep watch over the herd.

After a miserable night, Cilla, Miguel, and Leo returned home, cattle in tow. Once there, Cilla ignored Brynne’s concern and Lucy’s questions. She went straight to her bed and slept clear through the next day.

For once, her sleep was deep and dreamless.

Chapter Thirteen

Frank had been uncharacteristically quiet. And it was making Cilla anxious. Waiting for him to make his move was making everyone irritable. Like they needed any more reason to be tiptoeing around each other.

Cilla went out of her way to make sure she and Leo were never alone, which was proving quite the feat since Brynne and Lucy seemed equally determined to toss them together whenever possible. If they came up with one more task that the two of them just had to perform together, Cilla was going to scream.

They hadn’t spoken again of what had happened that night in the field. They’d spent a few tense days avoiding each other’s gazes, but by the time the bruise on Leo’s jaw had turned a lovely shade of yellow, he was back to trying to get Cilla to spill every private thought she’d ever had. The man was like a locust, absolutely determined to devour her whole if she let him. And she was equally determined he’d never get that close to her again.

Unfortunately, her own mind and body were just as traitorous as her sisters. Cilla found her thoughts focused on Leo to an uncomfortable degree, her gaze following him wherever he went. Whenever one of them entered a room, their eyes inevitably searched for one another until they locked with an intensity that made her knees weak.

Cilla didn’t know how much more she could take. Something was building between them and she very much feared another explosion was on the horizon, one she might not be able to contain. And then they’d be fixed, for sure.

Luckily, there was plenty of good hard labor that needed doing around the ranch. Her only salvation came from working herself into a state of exhaustion so complete she collapsed into her bed every night, too tuckered out to even dream.

The sight of horses riding into the courtyard pulled her from her thoughts.

Frank! What was that bastard doing here?

Cilla dropped her rake and sprinted for the courtyard, reaching it just as Brynne came out on the porch, wiping her hands on the apron spread across her enormous belly.

Lucy and Leo came out of the barn where they’d been repairing a stall door that Maynard had kicked through. Cilla sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Leo was there as he took up a protective stance next to Brynne. Cilla flanked Brynne’s other side, while Miguel and Carmen hovered near Lucy.

Frank dismounted and strode to the trio on the porch.

“Frank,” Brynne said, positioning her body so it effectively barred the doorway. “What do you want?”

The sneer spreading across his face filled Cilla with revulsion, but she kept her mouth closed. For the moment.

“I need the three of you to come down to my office.”

“Why on earth would we do that?” Cilla asked, her tenuous hold on her good behavior slipping.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll arrest you for obstructing my investigation.”

“Into what?” Leo demanded, stepping slightly in front of Brynne.

“The murder of the Hudner family from the Ridge.”

Lucy gasped and darted forward. “What do you mean, murder? They’re dead? All of them?”

“Yes,” Frank said, his gaze roaming over each of the sisters. His lips pulled into a grin as if he were delivering good news rather than relaying the horrific details that spilled from his mouth. “Their throats were slit. All of them, even the baby’s.”

“That’s a tragedy, to be sure,” Leo said. His voice was thick with emotion, though his face showed no sign of it. “But what does that have to do with my wife and her sisters?”

“We have good reason to believe that these heinous murders were committed by the notorious Blood Blade. And since my ill-advised sisters are rumored to be known associates of his…”

Lucy moved to lunge at Frank, but Cilla grabbed her arm just in time. “Blood Blade would never do such a thing!”

“And you have no proof that your sisters are associates of his, Frank. You said yourself they are only rumored to be. Even if they were, they had nothing to do with this.”

“It would be nice if I could just take your word, wouldn’t it? But it wouldn’t be fair to those poor souls who were robbed of their lives if I turned a blind eye to the evidence just because you are my sisters.”

“What evidence?” Leo and Cilla demanded in unison.

“We’ll discuss it at my office. Now let’s go.”

“No,” Leo said, stepping in front of Brynne and grasping Cilla’s arm to pull her behind him as well. Cilla yanked herself from his grip but didn’t do anything rash. They hadn’t been back to the Ridge since the night they’d delivered the money pouch. What could Frank possibly have on them?

Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.

“All right, Frank,” she said, stepping out from behind Leo. “I’ll go into town with you. There isn’t any need for Lucy or Brynne to come along. Brynne is in no condition to be traveling anywhere and Lucy is too young to be involved in anything.”

Frank thought it over for a moment, his beady eyes darting between the sisters. Finally, he nodded. “All right. You’ll do for now.”

“No!” Leo grabbed her arm again, preventing her from following Frank off the porch.

“There’s no harm in letting him ask me a few questions. I have nothing to hide.” Cilla tried to pull her arm from Leo’s grasp, but he held tight.

“If you are going, then I’m coming with you,” he insisted.

Cilla was going to argue but before she could say a word, Brynne piped in. “Thank you, Leo. I’ll feel much better if you accompany her.”

Frank didn’t look pleased, but he had no good reason to argue. The fact that Leo’s presence disgruntled Frank dried up any further arguments Cilla had been about to make. Anything that busted Frank’s britches was fine by her.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Frank waited until Cilla and Leo were mounted before giving Brynne and Lucy a mocking tip of his hat and mounting his own horse to follow his party out of the courtyard.

A grueling two hours later, Leo and Cilla left the sheriff’s office and remounted their horses to head back to the ranch. Frank had nothing on them, or Blood Blade, rather. Nothing concrete, in any case. He did have a witness who had seen someone riding away from the cabin. And the flowers that had been left at the well, though, of course Frank made no mention of the money. But even Frank knew he didn’t have a case.

But it seemed as if he didn’t need to. As Cilla walked out of the sheriff’s office, she felt the eyes of the townspeople on her, boring into her. Confused, some accusing, some wary. Frank had sown the seeds. False or not, his accusations had done their damage.

The townspeople watched them as they left. They were subdued, but for the most part, not overtly unfriendly. Perhaps Frank’s plan would come to nothing. After all, Blood Blade had never been violent and had helped the majority of those whose eyes followed them on their way out of town. But no one spoke out to support them as they had when Bobby had been found.

Still, no one was calling for their blood just yet. Their eyes were afraid, full of sorrow and anger, though Cilla didn’t think it was directed at them. Yet. Hopefully, the townspeople were still on Blood Blade’s side. For now.

But how long would that last if more people died, if more murders were placed at Blood Blade’s door? That poor family. The thought of the horror that had happened to them destroyed a piece of her. The fact that Frank was trying to pin it on Blood Blade was terrifying.

“He did it, didn’t he?” Cilla asked Leo, her voice so quiet and restrained she almost didn’t recognize it. “In order to frame Blood Blade, he killed those poor people. Even the children.”

Leo didn’t answer for a moment, and when he did, his voice was even more muted than her own. “Yes, I think he probably did.”

“Then it’s my fault.”

“No!” Leo reached over and grabbed her reins, pulling both their horses to a halt. “Frank is a murderous, greedy, insane son of a bitch. And his actions have nothing to do with you.”

“But they do,” she said quietly, emotions choking in her throat. She pulled her reins away from him and nudged her horse on.

Leo drew alongside her. He didn’t speak again, merely rode in silence by her side, lending her his presence and strength. She was grateful he was there. More than he’d ever realize. More than she could ever tell him. At that moment, she didn’t think she could have gone on if he hadn’t been with her.

No matter what he said, she knew it was her fault that family had been killed. Frank wanted Blood Blade. And he was apparently ready to do anything to get to him…and to them.

Who would be next?

Frank had to be stopped.

Chapter Fourteen

Most of the debris from the damaged part of the house had been cleared and they were ready to rebuild. Leo had suggested expanding the house since they were rebuilding anyway, and with the baby on the way, it seemed like a good idea. But it would require more clearing. The original house had been built with its back facing a small grove of trees, and several of the trees would need to be removed before they could expand the foundation.

Leo enlisted the help of several of the townsmen, taking care to include those that Blood Blade had helped the most. He didn’t think it would hurt to remind them where their aid had originated. The sisters had risked their lives in order to help these people, and Leo would be damned if he’d let Frank turn their neighbors against them.

It seemed to be working. The occasion had turned almost festive, with the women whipping up enormous amounts of food for the men who were hauling the trees. Leo, Cilla, and Miguel had spent the previous week cutting down the trees they needed to be moved, and now the townsmen were forming around the trunks. They’d already pulled four from the ground. One more and they’d be done.

The women cheered as the men wrapped the tree trunks with rope, attaching them to the horses’ harnesses.

“One! Two!”

Leo got ready to spur the horse forward.

“Three!”

He slapped the horse’s rump and it jumped forward, pulling against the trunk buried in the ground.

“Come on, boy!” he shouted, encouraging the straining animal. It lurched forward again and again, each time budging the trunk a little more.

“One more!” Cilla called out, a smile stretching from ear to ear.

Leo nearly forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He’d never seen her smile so happily, her eyes dancing with merriment. She’d never looked so…carefree. A thread of sorrow tangled with the happiness flowing through him and he renewed his determination to find Jake and get Frank out of their lives for good, so he could spend the rest of his life making sure that happy, carefree expression never left Cilla’s face again.

He’d barely admitted to himself how he felt about her. But seeing her laughing with her sisters…Leo couldn’t deny it anymore. He was head over heels in love with the crazy girl.

She looked right at him, pinning him with that dazzling smile. His lips sprang into an answering grin.

“Yah!” he encouraged the horse who gave one, last heroic pull. The trunk’s roots peeled from the ground and the horse gained some footing. The roots popped out, showering dirt everywhere, until it was completely free.

Leo tugged on the horse’s harness to stop him and hurried around to admire their handiwork. A nice gaping hole was all that was left where the tree had been. Creepy-crawlers and assorted critters scurried for shelter amid the smaller roots that stuck out from the ground like a macabre assortment of finger-thin bones.

Leo’s eyes focused on one section of ground, his eyes refusing to make sense of what he saw. He came to the realization of what he was looking at about the same time as the rest of the onlookers. Before he could say a word, a scream rose from someone in the gathering crowd.

The men rushed forward, gathered in a circle around the body that had been unearthed when the stump had been pulled free.

Murmurs filtered through the group. Someone yelled for the sheriff and several people peeled off from the others, racing for their horses. Leo doubted they’d have to wait long for Frank to show up. Knowing Frank, he was already on his way to the ranch. The bastard had to have something to do with this. And this time, Leo wasn’t so sure the sisters would emerge unscathed.

The townsfolk might have overlooked Bobby being found on their property. They might not have gone for their pitchforks and lynch rope when the Hudner family was found. But a third body, and the second to actually be found on the sisters’ property? A twinge of anxiety shot through Leo.

He rushed over and looked down into the shallow grave. Miguel and a couple of the other men had stooped to unearth what was left of the man. At least Leo was relatively sure it had been a man, going by what was left of his clothes. Heavy wool trousers, what was left of a red work shirt. And a pair of suspenders just like those his father had worn. Right down to the engraved monogram “F” etched in the gold of the clasp. Suspenders that Jake had been wearing the last time Leo had seen him. Just before he’d gone off to hunt for Blood Blade.

Leo stared, horrified, at the remains of his brother. Brynne fell to her knees, covering her eyes with her hands to block out the sight of the horror they’d unearthed in its shallow grave. Leo knew the sound of her pitiful keening would haunt him until the end of his days. Cilla and Lucy knelt beside her, Lucy’s face streaked with tears. Cilla just stared at the body before her, her face pale, devoid of expression.

That look hit Leo like a punch to the gut. Despair, denial, and pure rage churned inside him, the rush of emotions making it impossible to single out any specific reaction. He walked toward the sisters slowly, not wanting to confirm what he already knew.

The townspeople withdrew, some whispering, some staring at the sisters with pity, some with condemnation. Not one offered to stay, to help, to comfort. It was the last straw. First Bobby, then the Hudner family, and now…Jake.

Even if the sisters weren’t responsible, it was growing more and more obvious that they were somehow connected to the deaths. Whether it was Blood Blade or Frank, it didn’t matter. Either way, the people associated with the sisters seemed to be dropping like flies. And no one wanted to be next.

Leo stopped beside Cilla. There was no noise except for the sound of Lucy and Brynne crying. He wasn’t sure if they were alone, if all the townspeople had left. He didn’t care. He cared only that his brother lay dead in the ground at his feet and the woman he thought he loved stared at him without one ounce of emotion in her face.

He shied away from what that might mean. If it meant anything at all. Her sisters were obviously devastated. But Cilla wasn’t one to show much emotion. It didn’t mean she had anything to do with putting his brother in the ground.

His brother…

Leo tore his gaze away from Cilla’s face. He forced himself to look at his brother’s remains.

Jake’s body was almost entirely decomposed. There was the possibility it wasn’t him. Even though he was wearing what looked like Jake’s clothes. Jake’s suspenders. And had obviously been in the ground for several months.

“Maybe it’s not him,” Lucy said, though there was no real hope in her voice.

But Brynne latched onto the suggestion. “Where is his wedding ring? He was wearing it when he disappeared. Grandpa’s claddagh ring. He never took it off.”

Miguel immediately began searching the burial site, but it became quickly obvious that there wasn’t anything to find in the dark earth.

“Brynne,” Leo said, kneeling beside her, “is there anything else he might have had on him or with him that might help us?”

She shook her head. “It looks like the clothes he was wearing the last time I saw him. But without the ring…maybe…?”

She looked into his eyes with such despair-tinged hope that Leo’s heart felt like a bear trap had snapped around it.

“I found something.” Miguel held up what looked like a small gold heart dangling from a thin, golden chain.

He handed it to Brynne, who hunched over, such a piteous moan of grief erupting from her lips that Leo’s heart broke in two. Whatever it was that Miguel had handed her, it removed all doubt that the man they had found was her missing husband.

“What is it?” Leo asked her, speaking to her as he would to a wounded animal.

He wrapped his arm about her and she collapsed against him, her sobs wracking her body. Leo murmured nonsense to her, smoothed her hair back from her face, and finally, pulled her onto his lap and rocked her. He looked up to find Cilla watching him, her dry eyes haunted as she tried to comfort Lucy.

He turned his attention back to Brynne. “What is it? What did Miguel find?”

She didn’t answer, but after a bit more coaxing from him, she opened her fist and showed him the small locket. He took it from her and opened it to reveal a miniature portrait of a toddler.

“It’s me, when I was a baby,” Brynne said, her voice thick with grief. “Jake saw it one day, said he wanted our little girl to look just like me. He must have kept the necklace with him.” She broke down again before the last word had left her lips.

“We should get her inside,” Cilla said, her arms still firmly around Lucy.

Carmen nodded in agreement. “You go, take care of them,” she said to Leo. “We’ll take care of things here.”

Leo nodded and scooped Brynne up in his arms. She curled in on herself, turning into Leo’s chest and sobbing with renewed strength. Leo brought her back to the bunkhouse and tucked her into bed, removing her shoes and making her as comfortable as he could. She didn’t acknowledge his presence. She didn’t acknowledge anyone.

She just cried. Huge, wracking sobs wrenched her body so much that she vomited, heaving until there was nothing left in her to purge. And still she cried.

Leo cleaned up the mess while Lucy stewed some tea, curling up next to her sister as she tried to get her to drink. Brynne refused all their overtures. She wouldn’t eat or drink. Every few minutes, she’d hunch over, her body fighting to expel the grief in any way that it could. Even when there was nothing left, she still heaved, the force of her despair so great that blood vessels in her face broke, leaving behind angry, red splotches. Through it all, her tears never stopped flowing.

After a particularly fierce episode, Cilla tucked a fresh blanket around Brynne and reached over to take her sister’s face in her hands.

“Brynne,” she said, smoothing her sister’s hair out of eyes that were nearly swollen shut. “Brynne, you have to stop. Think of your baby. Please, try to stop.”

But Brynne just pulled out of Cilla’s hands and curled up on Lucy’s lap. After a few moments, Brynne’s sobs did seem to lose some of their terrifying strength. Lucy stroked her hair while Cilla rubbed her back. After a time, Brynne quieted as she drifted off. But even in sleep, her grief invaded, small whimpers and the occasional shuddering sob breaking through her slumber. Lucy held her tight, not letting her go even when she fell asleep as well.

Cilla’s eyes met Leo’s, but the sound of hooves clattering into the yard interrupted them. Her horrified gaze burned into his. Both of them knew who it was. Leo fingered the gun at his waist. He wouldn’t let Frank take any of the sisters. Not even Cilla, even if he wasn’t sure what, if anything, she had had to do with the whole situation. He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew that Cilla in Frank’s hands would be a bad thing.

Leo was surprised to realize that his uncertainty about Cilla hadn’t diminished his feelings for her. The thought of what Frank might to do her filled him with rage. He’d find out what had happened to Jake. And if it turned out that Cilla had had a hand in it, well…he would just deal with that situation. Until then, no one was going to touch her.

The horses clattered to a stop outside the door and Cilla climbed off the bed and stumbled outside, Leo close on her heels.

Frank and three of his deputies dismounted, the others hanging back as Frank strode to the porch and stopped in front of Cilla.

“There’s no hiding now, little sister. Awfully careless of you to bury the body on your own property. What’d you do? Forget which tree you buried him under? Then again, I suppose since you got away with it once with that sniveling little grocer boy, you thought no one would notice an extra grave or two, eh?”

Frank laughed and before Leo realized what she meant to do, Cilla hauled her arm back and slapped Frank hard enough to split his lip. Frank didn’t hesitate to strike back, backhanding her with enough force it knocked her to the ground.

Leo shouted and pulled his gun, jumping in front of Cilla as she got to her feet. A thin stream of blood rolled down her cheek and Leo’s vision went as red as the droplets on her skin. He squeezed the handle of his gun, his finger itching to pull the trigger. But even in his rage, he kept his sense about him. As much as he’d like to see Frank six feet under, he knew he’d have to go about it some other way. Not shooting him point blank with a yard full of witnesses.

“Go ahead,” Frank taunted, reaching up to wipe at his lip with the back of his hand.

The fading sunlight caught on the gold ring on his hand. A claddagh ring. A fresh wave of fury flooded Leo’s system and if it hadn’t been for Cilla reaching out to grasp his arm, he wasn’t sure what he would have done.

“You’ve got no business here, Frank. Leave. Now,” Leo said, not even recognizing his own voice through the fury and grief that laced every word.

“No business here? A body was just found on this property. The second body to be found in as many months. I’ve got a helluva lot of business here.”

“Your sisters had nothing to do with this and you know it,” Leo said, looking at Frank’s hand.

“I know nothing of the sort.” But his smile was all the proof Leo needed. “And I’ve got more than enough reason to take all of you into custody.”

Leo tried to move in front of Cilla, but she was having none of that. “You know damned well we had nothing to do with this, Frank. We’d have never hurt Jake. You are the only one who would have wanted him gone,” Cilla said. “And we aren’t going anywhere. Brynne is in no shape to be traveling anywhere. She’s taking this very hard. She’s not well.”

Frank shrugged. “Since when do suspected murderers get special treatment?”

Leo stepped forward. “You take her now, Frank, and anything happens to her, you’ll have her life and the life of her child on your hands. You haven’t turned everyone against us yet. How will it look for you to haul your own sister to jail in her condition? Harassing a pregnant woman is pretty low, Frank, even for you.”

“I doubt many would feel sorry for a murderous whore who’s been sleeping her way through your family. Hell, who even knows who fathered the get she’s carrying. For all you know, it’s your brother’s bastard in her belly.”