Blood Blade Sisters Series (8 page)

All he knew was that he couldn’t just leave her alone. She looked so tired. In all the time he’d been at the ranch, he hadn’t seen her stop once. She spent all day mending fences, tending their small field of crops, taking care of the animals, or doing whatever else needed doing to run the ranch, and he’d be willing to bet that while he’d been slumbering away, she’d remained awake, getting her “presents” ready for delivery like some Robin Hood–style Santa Claus.

Finally, she nodded. “Fine. But keep quiet, do what I say, and stay out of my way. And cover your face.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, yanking a handkerchief out of his pocket to tie around his face.

Cilla and Lucy filled his saddlebags with all sorts of contraband—food stuffs, packets of seeds, vials of medicine. Even a few small bags of coin and precious gold nuggets.

Once everything was redistributed, Cilla clasped Lucy in a quick hug. “Be careful. Meet back here in three hours.”

Lucy nodded, mounted her horse, and was gone before Leo could say a word.

“Where is she going?” he asked.

Cilla mounted her own horse. “The Hudner family’s about an hour’s ride up the mountain trail. The father broke his leg, hasn’t been able to work. Frank’s been threatening to evict them if they can’t pay their rent. So Blood Blade decided to make a small donation.”

Leo couldn’t see her face, but he could hear the satisfaction in her voice. Though he’d had no hand in the help they were providing, even he felt a twinge of gratification knowing he was helping thwart Frank in aiding the deserving family.

“Since you’ve insisted on tagging along, Lucy can make the run up the mountain while we make the other deliveries and we can be done in half the time.”

Cilla said this as if it was a bad thing, and Leo bit back the sarcastic remark that danced on his lips. They’d built a tenuous friendship since their disastrous search for Jake, one he wanted to continue to build, and she’d allowed him to stay, however grudgingly. He certainly wasn’t going to waste his precious headway by poking at her like a child with a stick would poke at a porcupine.

Priscilla Richardson was a fireball of contradictions, soft enough to enjoy helping those she barely knew, and tough enough to fight for them tooth and nail. Passionate enough to respond to even his slightest touch, but strong enough to keep from acting on their obvious attraction to each other.

She was beautiful, distractingly so, even with that scar running down her face, and loving toward her sisters, but dangerous enough he’d had no trouble suspecting her of cold-hearted murder.

Who was this woman?

He felt like the biggest idiot in the world, but he wanted to find out.

Cilla guided her horse through the trees, following the direction of the main trail but keeping as hidden as possible.

“That family Lucy is going to…Frank owns their land?” Leo asked.

“Frank owns most of the land around here,” Cilla said, her voice simmering with anger. “He bought it up as the gold miners ran out of money and moved out.”

“Where did you get all this?” Leo asked, patting the bulging saddlebags and bringing his horse alongside Cilla’s.

She was barely visible in the darkness but it looked as though she shrugged. “We spare what we can from our own stores and share the fees Blood Blade brings in. When people have something they want found, something they want done, they pay whatever they can. Food, livestock. Sometimes money or gold. We’ve been lucky to have enough to share, so we do when we can. Sometimes, if it’s necessary and possible, we just purchase what we need.”

Leo opened his mouth to ask another question, but Cilla shushed him. They were nearing another homestead.

He spent the next several hours with her going from one home to another, leaving an offering at nearly all the places they passed. It was gratifying, but by the time they made it back to the small copse to meet Lucy, Leo was dead on his feet. They quickly harnessed Maynard to the wagon and sat back to wait for Lucy.

“How often do you do this?”

Cilla rubbed a hand across her eyes and when she spoke, it sounded as if she were stifling a yawn.

“Not nearly as often as they need it. We can’t go out too often or give too much without raising suspicion. Frank won’t notice an extra bag of wheat or a basket of vegetables here or there, as long as there isn’t too much. The money is more of an issue, but if the people we give to are careful, even that can go unnoticed.”

Cilla sighed and slumped against her horse, which turned its massive head to affectionately nudge her. “The problem is that more and more people need help. Our resources can only be stretched so far. There is only so much we can do. And it never seems to be enough.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t feel that way to those you help.”

Cilla looked up at him, her eyes shining in the faint moonlight. “I hope you’re right.”

Leo took a step closer and for once, Cilla didn’t back away. He reached out and gently pulled her bandana away from her face. She didn’t protest, though she watched him warily.

“It isn’t your fault, you know.”

Cilla looked at the ground, but Leo grasped her chin and brought her gaze back up to meet his.

“What Frank’s doing, it’s not your fault. He might be your brother, but that doesn’t make you responsible.”

Cilla jerked out of his grasp. “I know that,” she said, yanking her bandana back into place.

Leo sighed. He had to go and poke the porcupine. He’d never learn.

Lucy cantered into the trees, effectively ending any further conversation between them.

“Did you have any trouble?” Cilla asked.

“Nope. I left the bag inside the well bucket and put the poppies on the edge of the well, just like you said.”

“Poppies?” Leo asked.

“Blood red flowers. Blood Blade,” Cilla answered with the same tone his mother used to use when he was being particularly obstinate or dense. “So they know—”

“That Blood Blade has left something, I get it,” he said, biting back his own impatience. Hey, he was new to all this thieving and banditry stuff. There wasn’t any need for her to get irritated about it.

“Did anyone see you?” Cilla asked Lucy.

Lucy snorted. “Of course not.”

Cilla dragged herself into her saddle. “Good. Let’s go home. I’m tired.”

Leo wasn’t about to argue with her on that point and neither, it seemed, was Lucy. They steered the horses out of the trees and headed back for the ranch as quickly and as quietly as they could.

Chapter Eight

Cilla leaned against her rake for a moment to catch her breath. She’d been mucking out stalls and spreading new hay all morning and she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep last night, thanks to their deliveries. She would never admit it, but with Leo there, it had gone much quicker. Miguel helped when he could, but he was getting older, and Cilla preferred him to stay at home to watch over Brynne when she had to be gone at night, though she’d never dare say so in front of her sister.

Well, if they were stuck with the man for a few months, he might as well help out with
all
the chores they needed done.

Since it had been a couple months since Leo’s sudden appearance and Frank still hadn’t made a move, the sisters had decided to resume normal banditry activities, though they had to be more cautious than before. That suited Cilla just fine. She’d been champing at the bit for weeks. It wasn’t in her nature to sit back and do nothing and the fact that Frank was intimidating them into hiding didn’t sit well with her at all.

Luckily, some information had come their way that was too good to pass up. The Babcock family had approached the sisters to appeal to Blood Blade to retrieve a knife, a prized family heirloom that they had been forced to turn over to Frank in lieu of taxes. Frank had lost it in a bad game of poker to one of his cronies, a disgusting pig of a man who just happened to be leaving town. The sisters needed to come out of seclusion and get back to work.

Cilla just hoped she could ditch Leo long enough to get the job done. He might have been helpful with deliveries, but there was no way she’d let him ride with Blood Blade.

…

Leo kept a careful eye on Cilla, determined not to let her out of his sight, even he wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to make sure she wasn’t sneaking off to commit some heinous crime or because he wanted to help her in whatever task she had up her sleeve. Either way, he wasn’t going to let her go out again alone. Not with Frank prowling around.

Leo had noticed Frank’s men milling around town when the girls were running errands and hovering near the borders of the property. Always watching. Waiting. For what, Leo wasn’t sure. But he wasn’t about to let his brother’s wife and unborn child come to any more harm than had already befallen them. And Cilla…he knew she could take care of herself. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to do what he could to protect her. Whether she wanted him to or not.

Life had been quiet for a couple weeks when Leo was again awakened in the middle of the night. He was out of bed and pursuing Lucy and Cilla before their dust had cleared on the trail.

Brynne was still dozing on the sofa where she’d dropped soon after dinner. As soon as he heard the quiet
clop
of hooves leaving the courtyard, Leo made his way to the barn, saddled up, and steered his horse toward the mine.

Cilla’s horse and the brown mare were tied up just outside. Leo was pleased his intuition had proved correct. He tethered his horse out of sight. Creeping as quietly as he could through the darkened passageways, he finally came to the abandoned cart he’d hidden behind earlier. He crouched behind it again, taking care not to touch it this time as he leaned over and peered into the cavern beyond. Cilla and Lucy stood against one wall, their heads together as Lucy rummaged in a knapsack. She pulled out two small bundles wrapped in fabric and handed them to Cilla. Her hand plunged into the bag once more and she extracted a small, lumpy pouch. Cilla took that from her as well.

“I’ll be right back,” Cilla said as she tucked the parcels into her shirt. She climbed onto an overturned crate and reached up, her fingers grasping a small ledge that Leo hadn’t even noticed. Cilla found a toehold with one booted foot and climbed onto the ledge, disappearing into a dark space behind it.

Lucy slumped against the cavern wall and slid to the floor. She dropped her face into her hands and rubbed at her eyes. She looked so helpless. And so tired. Leo’s gut twisted. What the sisters did was noble, but they were too young to carry such a burden. The fate of an entire town should not rest on their shoulders.

Another peek over the cart showed Lucy dozing off, her head bobbing as she drifted away. Leo couldn’t help the brotherly affection that rushed through him. Damn it all, he’d rather scoop her up and tuck her into a nice, warm,
safe
bed than follow her around the countryside in the middle of the night.

Leo knew he’d bargained his matrimonial virtue to pay for their help in finding his brother, but he found himself wanting to help
them
more and more with each passing day.

After a few more minutes, Cilla’s legs reappeared over the ledge and she flipped onto her stomach to lower herself down. Leo couldn’t help but admire the view. Her trousers hugged every inch of her, contouring everything from her shapely legs to her firm round backside that wriggled in the air for a moment before she dropped to the cavern floor.

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control the sinful thoughts running rampant through his head. He’d never been one to dwell on a lady’s backside, but then again, he’d never seen one packaged quite so nicely. Leo gave himself a mental slap and tried to focus on the matter at hand.

Cilla smiled at Lucy and brushed off her hands. “Ready?”

Lucy gave her sister a tired smile and stood up. “Are you sure we can’t do this tomorrow night?”

Cilla frowned. “I know you’re tired, Luce, but it has to be tonight. They’ll be too far away by tomorrow night. It’s going to take a couple hours of hard riding to catch them up as it is.” Cilla tilted her head and examined her sister. “I thought you liked going on jobs with me.”

Leo leaned forward, a jolt of anxiety stabbing at his veins.

Lucy sighed. “I know. I do, really. I’m glad you let me help now. I’m just so tired.”

Cilla smiled again and gave her sister a quick hug. “I know. Me too. We just have to get this one taken care of and then we can relax for a few days, okay?”

Lucy nodded and started to gather their things. Leo backtracked out of the tunnel. He made it to the central cavern, but the girls’ voices were growing louder behind him. He ducked into the left-hand fork just before the girls exited. As soon as they had gone through the mine entrance out into the night, he followed them.

…

Cilla and Lucy perched at the top of the hill, gazing down on the campfires below. They could see a few men sat huddled around the flames in a small copse of trees.

“There’s three of them,” Lucy said, glancing at Cilla.

Cilla ignored the unease swimming in her gut. “Outnumbered by one, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” She pointed at the bottle being passed among the men. “If we’re lucky, they’ll be out cold before we even get down there.”

Lucy nodded. Cilla looked at the countryside behind them. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the landscape. Her gaze moved to the sky, taking in the vast canopy of stars above her. Her stomach knotted. She hated these robberies. But without the fees in goods, services, and gold that they collected, the town would have gone under long ago.

Besides, Frank, Jackson, and the rest of his goons were behind most of the townspeople’s stolen items. Well, at least Cilla considered them stolen. When the townsfolk had to hawk their valuables to “pay” the sheriff to protect them, from his own henchmen, no less, she considered that downright thievery. Cilla found a rough sense of pride in thwarting Frank by retrieving the townspeople’s lost treasures, as if it went in some way toward reclaiming some of the Richardson honor Frank had ruthlessly destroyed.

And right now, one of those drunk thugs who worked for Frank was in possession of a family heirloom, the jeweled dagger their client—and town baker—had brought all the way from Scotland, only to have it stolen during a raid of his property. The baker had paid Blood Blade with flour to get the dagger back for him. And get it back they would.

Cilla and Lucy waited another hour until the fire had burned to embers, casting a warm glow over the men snoring by its warmth. Once they were certain the men were asleep, the girls tethered their horses to a tree and crept down the hill, surefooted even in the rocky terrain. There was one more crop of rocks before the ground smoothed out into the tree-dotted meadow in which the men camped.

But before they headed down, Cilla needed to take care of a little problem. She and Lucy ducked behind a large boulder.

“Move to the end and stay there,” Cilla whispered. Lucy sidled as far from Cilla as she could get while still staying undercover.

A boot crunched through the rocks and dry twigs. The sound came closer. Closer.

Cilla’s hand shot out, her gun steady.

Aimed right at Leo.

“Lucky catch,” he whispered, putting his hands in the air, showing her they were empty before dropping them to his sides.

“Hardly,” she whispered back, her voice muffled by the black cloth covering the lower half of her face. “I’ve known you were following us since about three minutes after we left the mine.”

She backed up a little, motioning with the gun for him to follow. When he was safely hidden behind the boulder with them, she put up her gun and stepped so close to him she could feel the heat from his body soaking into hers.

Cilla pulled the bandana down from her face. “What are you doing here?”

Leo leaned forward to whisper, his breath tickling her cheek. “I should ask you the same thing.” He gestured to her dark clothing, the gun at her side, the bandana lying in wait around her neck. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Now get back on your horse and get out of here.” The man was begging for a beating. She might hurt herself giving one to him, but it would be more than worth it.

“The hell I will. You’re trying to commit suicide!”

Cilla snorted. “Hardly.”

Leo continued to glare. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t go getting your chaps in a twist. I know what I’m doing. I don’t need you or anyone else sneaking around following me. And you! You left Brynne alone! We were counting on you to keep her safe while we …take care of some business.”

“Business, huh? Is that what you call it? You’re getting ready to rob those men just like you robbed the coach I was driving.”

“Just like a dozen other coaches I’ve robbed over the last year. What’s your point? You know who I am, what I do. And why I do it. What are you making such a fuss for? You should have stayed back at the ranch. Out of my way.”

He crossed his arms, his narrowed eyes resembled a snake with his tail in a kink. Cilla was tempted to check out his hind end for any telltale signs of rattling.

Leo leaned even closer, forcing Cilla to look up to maintain their eye contact. “Is that what happened to my brother? He went along with you on one of your little raids and got himself captured or killed? Or worse, he wouldn’t go along with you, maybe wanted to turn you in, so you shut him up for good, is that it?”

Cilla’s mouth dropped open in shock. The accusation was so harsh she wasn’t sure how to respond to it for a second. “Is that what you really believe? That I, that any of us, would be capable of that?”

Leo took a deep breath and released it slowly. He closed his eyes. “I don’t know. No.” He opened them and stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. “No. But damn it, Priscilla, I don’t know what to think of all this now. Two girls, roaming the countryside. Bandit sisters, ha! And Brynne too. I’m sure she would be here if it weren’t for…”

“Right. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s carrying your brother’s child. The brother who ran off and left her alone, without protection or a way to support herself. With Frank breathing down our necks! Don’t you dare judge what we are doing. We are keeping our family safe and fed, keeping our roof over our heads. And helping out as many people as we can along the way.” Cilla was close to hyperventilating. She tried to calm her breathing.

“You already knew all this. Why the sudden hissy fit?”

Leo looked at her. Cilla relaxed a bit when she saw the tension drain out of him.

“I apologize. I have no right to judge. I just…don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

Cilla opened her mouth to reply but under the pressure from Leo’s gaze suddenly couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He was worried about her? That was sort of…sweet. The way he was staring at her, his eyes burning into hers as if he’d never truly seen her before, set loose a swarm of butterflies in her gut that had nothing to do with the upcoming raid. She was flattered really—and she refused to acknowledge it might be more than that—but she had no time for that right now.

But Leo spoke again before she could say anything else. “For what it’s worth,” he continued, “though I know you have no cause to believe me, I don’t believe my brother would’ve just run off and left his pregnant wife. If he’s gone, something happened to him.”

Leo rubbed his hand over his eyes, releasing Cilla from the intensity of his gaze. She sucked in a lungful of cold air, her chest screaming like she’d been holding her breath for far too long. Had she?

She shook her head and answered him. “I don’t believe so, either. Jake was—is—a good man.”

They stared at each other a moment, settling into their renewed truce.

“So, you want to tell me why you are out here?” Leo said.

Cilla sighed. “I thought you’d already figured that out for yourself.”

Leo continued to stare at her.
Fine.
Time was ticking along and Cilla had precious little to spare. Maybe if she told him what he wanted to know, he’d go away and let her do her job.

She pointed to the men by the fire. “A jeweled dagger was taken from our client, supposedly to be turned into the sheriff’s office. Jackson and Jed, Frank’s goons, claimed it was used against them without provocation. More like one of them saw it and wanted it. When my client went to Frank to complain, he claimed he’d never seen it and the man who took it had been with him at the time everything supposedly happened.

“Frank even let our client search the premises, but he didn’t find anything. So he hired us to get it back for him. We got word that a rancher by the name of Ted Lurkett, an associate of Frank’s, was in possession of said dagger.”