Chasing Rainbows (45 page)

Annie nodded as horrified understanding swept over her. It all made perfect sense. The boys had always been small-time, more inclined to rowdy pranks and barroom brawls than actual robberies. But that had all changed almost overnight. She should have realized sooner that someone else was doing all their planning for them, that someone else was picking their jobs. But she never saw it. Not until now, when it was too late.

“I saw a group of lawmen open fire from that boxcar the boys tried to hold up,” she said, struggling to put together the last pieces of the puzzle.

“You saw that, did you?” VanEste looked pleased. “Those weren’t lawmen. They were simply the new replacements for the gang, complete with temporary tin stars pinned on their vests. I thought that if one of the original gang should live, that might give him the incentive to get out of town and not look back — especially if he knew the law was that hot on his trail.” He shrugged. “As it turned out, the precaution was unnecessary. But it was a nice touch nonetheless.”

“So that’s why you did it,” she said. “Your plan had been working too well to abandon completely. After you killed the boys, you replaced them with another gang — a gang that looked and rode just like the Mundys.”

“Of course. After all, I’m the one who made the Mundys the feared outlaws that they were. No sense losing that edge.” VanEste sent her a cool smile. “Ingenious, wasn’t it? The only mistake I made was in not realizing that Pete would be fool enough to try to hide that twenty-five thousand from the last robbery from me. Unfortunately I didn’t discover that until after he was dead. Had I known, I would have killed him for that alone.”

As she studied him, the initial surge of fear Annie had felt slowly channeled into fury. Fury at how VanEste had taken Pete’s gullible little-boy fantasies of making himself a big man and twisted them to suit his own brutal ends. Fury at how VanEste had so ruthlessly arranged for the cold-blooded slaughter of the men in the gang. Fury at how VanEste had been tracking her and Jake all along, shadowing their every step. He had had every detail of the boys copied, including their saddles, their horses, and their clothing, she realized with a start, remembering the man she had seen in the smoky saloon who had been wearing Pete’s vest. No wonder she had never been able to convince anyone that the boys were dead.

“You won’t get away with this,” she said. “Too many people saw the two of us leave together this afternoon. If I don’t return, they’ll come after you.”

VanEste’s smile turned slightly superior. “How very vain, Annie. Do you really think you’re that irreplaceable? The fact is, there’s a woman who looks very much like you assisting the Mundy Gang rob a payroll stage at this very moment. You see, Annie, you just couldn’t stay straight. After you discovered that your hotel was a broken-down brothel, you went back to running with the gang. It’s all rather predictable and mundane, isn’t it? No one will ask any questions or miss you at all.”

Annie licked her suddenly parched lips. “May I sit down?” she requested, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“Why?”

“I think I’m going to faint.”

A disgusted look crossed VanEste’s face. “You’re as spineless as Pete, aren’t you? I’m disappointed, Annie, truly I am. I thought you were made of sterner stuff.”

Annie let her eyelashes flutter shut and swayed suddenly.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” VanEste spit out, “sit down.”

She sank immediately to the ground, letting her riding skirts whoosh out around her. She allowed her arms to go limp and rested her forehead on her knees, as though struggling to keep from falling into unconsciousness. In truth, Annie had never felt more alert or able minded. Hiding her hands beneath her skirts, she grasped the two weapons she had been edging toward: a sharp chisel used for splitting rocks and a rusty iron spike.

After a moment, VanEste’s impatient voice rang in her ear. “Where can I find that money?”

Annie brought her head up, hoping her expression looked sufficiently terrified. “The boys always hid their loot in an old bear cave outside of Black River Canyon,” she lied, naming a spot where she and Pete had played as children. “I’ll take you there, just don’t hurt me, please.”

“Get up.”

She attempted to rise, then collapsed back down with a cry of despair. “I don’t think I can stand.”

VanEste let out an oath and lurched toward her, roughly grabbing her by her arm and hauling her to her feet.

Now that the man was close enough to physically hurt, Annie didn’t hesitate to do exactly that. Letting out all her pent-up fury, she slammed the chisel against his head with all her might as she simultaneously drove the rusty iron spike into his shoulder. VanEste let out a roar of pain and rage as she took off running. She heard the blast of his gun behind her and felt the breeze of hot lead as it whirled past her ear. At the second blast, she ducked instinctively, stumbling over a pile of rocks.

The stumble cost her too much time. VanEste was behind her almost immediately. He grabbed her arm and jerked her against him. His blood smeared against her clothing, and his breath came in sharp, heated gasps against her ear. He wrapped his fist in her hair and yanked her head back. “I ought to kill you for that.”

Annie’s eyes burned furiously into his. “You do it and you’ll never get your money.”

VanEste’s eyes darkened. “It might just be worth it.”

“It’s over, VanEste,” a voice called out from above them. “Drop the gun and let her go.”

Annie snapped her head up to see Jake standing just twenty feet away, looking both deadly serious and coldly furious. His rifle was cocked and ready, aimed directly at VanEste’s head. To his left were Walter Pogue and two deputies. Like Jake, they stood with their rifles ready, their sights trained on VanEste.

“Now,” Jake said.

VanEste panicked, swinging his revolver around to aim at Jake. Annie’s instincts took over. She slammed her boot heel against VanEste’s instep as she drove her fist into the bloody wound on his shoulder. VanEste gave a sharp cry of pain and wavered slightly. She jerked out of his grasp and hit the ground flat as the sound of rifle fire exploded into the air.

VanEste’s body hit the ground only inches away from her own. Annie tensed, waiting for the feel of a bullet from his revolver slamming her body. But it didn’t happen. Nor were there moans, or cries, or pleas for help. Just a rushed, gurgling sound. She lifted her head to look at him and instantly understood why.

A bullet had sliced through the middle of VanEste’s throat.

Jake paced in the front parlor, waiting for Annie. With every anxious step he took, he heaped a mass of fiery self-recrimination upon his head, unable to forgive himself for his blind stupidity. He had relentlessly demanded nothing but the truth from her — truth that she had willingly given him all along, holding nothing back. He, in turn, had not only refused to believe her but had returned her trust with nothing but lies.

Within the past five days, Annie had faced down both Snakeskin Garvey and Peyton VanEste, and he hadn’t been there to help her against either man — until it had been almost too late. His suspicions and mistrust had nearly cost her her life.

Although Annie had claimed to be fine, her skin had been ashen as they had ridden back, and she hadn’t spoken a word. Upon reaching the hotel, she had immediately gone upstairs to wash VanEste’s blood from her skin and change her clothing. Too worked up to sit down, he paced back and forth, waiting for her to return.

The sound of a light footfall behind him made him swerve suddenly and turn around. Annie stood in the doorway, dressed in a fresh pale-blue blouse and navy skirt. Her expression was both hesitant and wary, as though she were reluctant to enter and face him.

He didn’t blame her, but strode immediately to her side nonetheless. “Are you all right?” he asked, surveying her anxiously.

“Fine,” she answered, although a slight tremble filled her voice.

Jake led her to a settee and sat down beside her. “Annie,” he began, but she cut him off before he could finish.

“It was VanEste,” she said, staring at him as though desperate for him to finally believe her. “He killed the boys in the gang, then started his own gang, using Pete’s name and reputation. I know it sounds ridiculous, but—”

“Yes. We heard him.”

Naked relief filled her expression. “Thank God,” she said. A slight, wavering smile curved her lips. “I was afraid I would have to explain it all over again, and no one would believe me.”

“I should have listened to you sooner. It would have made things much easier on both of us.”

“What do you mean?”

Jake restlessly stood once again, determined to confess the multitude of his sins. Annie would undoubtedly order him out of her life once he did, but he had no choice. She deserved at least that much from him. He paced a bit more, collecting his thoughts, then began. “I was in a poker game about six months back and lost pretty badly. Harlan Becker, the man who had won, turned up dead. I suppose it was natural to assume that I had killed him.” He let out a sigh and turned toward her, meeting her eyes. “That’s why I gave Marshal Locke a false name. There’s a bounty on my head, Annie. I’m wanted for murder.”

She stared at him, clearly stunned. “Did you kill Becker?”

“No, but I had no way to prove it. All I knew was that Becker had been arguing with another man about money shortly before he died. The man Becker had been arguing with took off, heading north. I followed him and noticed that each town he stopped in was hit by the Mundy Gang within a matter of days. I became convinced that it was Pete Mundy I was following, but I couldn’t get close to the gang. That’s when I rode into Stony Gulch and saw you.”

“And you thought if you stuck by me, I’d lead you to the gang,” Annie surmised.

“Yes.”

“Congratulations,” she said hollowly. “Your plan seemed to be working, didn’t it? The gang followed us everywhere we went.”

“I tried to believe that was all a coincidence, Annie, that you weren’t part of the gang at all. Then I found this.” He set the crumbled note from Pete Mundy that he had found in her saddlebag on the table next to her.

She picked it up and read it, a mirthless smile curving her lips. “VanEste must have planted it, or had one of the men who was working for him do it.” She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Where did you find it?”

“It fell out of your saddlebag the morning we left Abundance.”

“I see. So that’s why…” Her voice trailed away as she put the pieces together in her head. That’s why he’d started acting like a complete son of a bitch, pulling away from her just when she needed him the most, he finished for her. Jake didn’t need her to speak to know what she was thinking.

Silence fell between them. She looked up at him, searching his eyes. “I wish you had showed it to me. I could have told you right then that it couldn’t possibly be from Pete.”

“I know.” Jake sighed. “You would have told me that Pete was dead, and he couldn’t have sent you a note.”

“No,” she answered slowly, “I would have told you that Pete couldn’t write. He never did learn how. The letters got all turned around and twisted up inside his head, and he was too embarrassed to ask for help. No one else ever knew. I did all the reading and writing for the gang.”

Unable to frame a suitable reply, Jake studied her profile. He remembered the first time he had seen her with her hat off, her head tilted back to soak up the warmth of the sun. He had thought her beautiful then. Now he reassessed that impression. Miss Annabel Lee Foster had been graced with more then just mere beauty. Her face was filled with strength and courage, daring and determination.

As he studied her, Jake realized with a start that it was senseless to try to memorize her face. Or to try to memorize her laugh or her walk or the stubborn way she tilted her chin. Remembering Annie wouldn’t be the problem. The problem would be spending the rest of his life trying to forget her, trying to tear her out of his heart. She had talked to him just last night about living with regrets. Losing Annie was one regret he was sure he would carry with him for the rest of his days. An aching emptiness, combined with an unutterable sense of loss, settled in his chest.

“So what happens to you now?” she asked. “Are you still a wanted man?”

Jake shook his head. “I don’t think so. Walter Pogue and his deputies trapped the men who had been posing as the Mundy Gang this morning. We also heard a great deal of what VanEste had been saying to you before he died. There’s probably enough evidence to tie VanEste to Becker and clear my name.”

“It’s all over then, isn’t it?” Annie said softly.

“Yes.”

She rose to her feet and walked to the window. She stared outside for a long moment, her features perfectly composed. “And everything that passed between us, Jake, that was nothing but a ruse, part of your plan to get me to lead you to the gang.”

Jake’s heart plummeted. “No. Annie, I swear that’s not true.” He was at her side in three swift strides. “I never meant to hurt you. If you believe nothing else I’ve said, please believe that.” He paused, taking a deep, ragged breath. “I tried to stay away from you, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it, Annie, no matter how hard I tried. No matter what I believed you were doing, or who you were involved with.”

She turned to face him, her golden-brown eyes flooded with pain and confusion. “Why, Jake?”

“Because I fell in love with you,” he replied softly. “My beautiful Annabel Lee. I fell so out-of-my-mind in love with you I couldn’t think straight. All I knew was that I wanted to be with you, no matter what the cost, no bad how bad things looked.” It was a selfish confession, but one he couldn’t help but make. He stroked his finger lightly across her cheek, feeling as though his heart was being torn from his chest. He continued in a rough, husky whisper. “And I would give anything in the world to take everything back and change the way I acted, but I can’t do that. It’s too late now.”

He also knew, he thought bitterly, that it was too late to ask for her forgiveness. Annie had treated him as both a trusted friend and a cherished lover, she had risked her life for him, and he had rewarded her with nothing but callousness and mistrust.