Blood Blade Sisters Series (19 page)

The last man swung, missed, and geared up for a second swing. Leo aimed another punch, but Cilla got there first, cracking Leo’s bow over the man’s head and dropping him in a heap at Leo’s feet.

An ear-splitting explosion rocked the town. Leo and Cilla turned just as another explosion hit, blowing out the windows of the jailhouse and spraying bricks and timber into the town’s streets.

Leo turned to her with a smile. “Miguel and Brynne.”

Cilla laughed, the sound turning into a squeak of surprise as another explosion sounded, this one farther off. She turned to Leo questioningly.

“That would be Lucy blowing up the abandoned hotel at the other edge of town.”

“The hotel?”

“It’s separated a bit from the rest of the town. Which makes it a perfect distraction. It keeps the people fighting fires at opposite ends of town and ensures the least amount of casualties. In fact, if all goes according to plan, no one gets hurt. Unless we stick around any longer, in which case we do.”

“Agreed.” She grinned at him and held her hands out. Leo withdrew the knife he kept strapped to his thigh and sliced through the rope binding her wrists.

“Thanks. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Good idea,” he said, smiling.

Chapter Twenty-one

Cilla and Leo found the horse where Miguel had tied her up. Leo mounted and pulled Cilla up behind him.

“Hold on!”

Cilla wrapped her arms around his waist, reveling in the chance to hold him close. She hadn’t believed her eyes when she’d seen him running toward her, dressed all in black with Blood Blade’s hat on his head. She knew their actions today would have their consequences, but for now, she was just thankful she wasn’t dangling at the end of a noose.

She’d been prepared to die to keep Leo and her sisters safe, but being prepared and actually going through with it were two very different things. She had never been as terrified as she had been when that rope had slipped over her head. She would have let it happen, but she was extremely grateful her rescue posse had shown up. Speaking of—

“Where are the others?” she asked, shouting near Leo’s ear so he’d hear her over the pounding of the horse’s hooves.

“Brynne is meeting Carmen and the baby in Bishop Hill. Lucy and Miguel are going to meet us at the mine. We’ve got some supplies stashed there. Then we’ll get our tails over the border as fast as we can.”

“The ranch—”

Leo put his hand over Cilla’s where it clung to his waist and squeezed. She’d known deep down that when she’d given herself up she’d never see the ranch again. And she knew logically they couldn’t go back there now. It was the first place Frank would look. But still…the thought of never seeing her home again, losing what they’d fought so hard to keep, stung worse than a riled-up hornet.

She laid her head against Leo’s back and hung on. Tried not to think of what she was losing. Thought instead of what she’d gained. She was alive. She had the man she loved in her arms. He was technically married to her sister, yes, but…Cilla sighed. But nothing. He wasn’t hers. Brynne needed him. But for now, for this moment, she could wrap her arms around him and pretend that she could keep him.

The ride was over far too soon. Leo reined the horse in and jumped down, reaching up to help Cilla. She didn’t need his help getting off the horse, but she accepted it anyway. He wrapped his hands around her waist and lowered her down, letting her slide down the length of his body, inch by burning inch, until her toes reached the ground. He didn’t let go. Neither did she. They stayed pressed together, their breath mingling as Leo stared into her eyes. Cilla never wanted this moment to end. Never wanted to let him go.

Leo bent his head to hers and Cilla closed her eyes.

The snort of a nearby horse made Cilla jump and she backed away from Leo, her heart drowning in guilt and pain.

She looked behind Leo and saw Miguel’s horse tethered to a tree near the entrance to the mine, along with Maynard. Cilla went to her horse and patted his head, murmuring to him for a moment. Then she noticed that Lucy’s horse was missing. Panic filled Cilla and she spun to look at Leo, her alarm ratcheting up a notch when she caught his own concerned expression.

Cilla ran partway into the mine and shouted for Miguel. After a moment, he appeared.

“Ah,
mija
, you terrified this old man!” He pulled her into a quick hug.

“Miguel, where is Lucy? Is she with you?”

Miguel frowned. “No. I was hoping she was with you.”

Cilla’s stomach sank right down to her toes. “Brynne?”

“I saw her safely on her way. As soon as we blew the jailhouse, I had her on her horse and riding out of town. She wasn’t followed.”

A tiny ray of relief broke through Cilla’s despair. At least one of her sisters was safe. But Lucy, her sweet little Lucy. What had become of her?

Cilla straightened and pulled herself together. She turned and grasped the pommel of the saddle but Leo stopped her before she could mount.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“I’m going to get my sister.”

“You don’t know that Frank has her.”

Cilla’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t even going to acknowledge the stupidity of that remark.

“I mean it, Cilla. She might have doubled back a few times to make sure she wasn’t being followed. She isn’t late enough to assume that she’s been taken.”

“Then we’ll go find her and hurry her along.”

“We don’t know which route she took to get here. If her plans changed, she might not be on the trail we are expecting and we could miss her altogether. The best thing to do is to stay here and wait.”

Cilla looked at him, pleading with him to understand.

He cupped her cheek in his hand. “We all just risked our necks to save yours. Riding back in before we know all the facts is a great way to get captured again and a piss-poor way of thanking us for riding in to save your sorry butt.”

That startled a mirthless laugh out of her. He had a point, but still…

“Let’s give her an hour. If she isn’t here by then, we’ll go find her.”

Cilla hesitated. Patience wasn’t exactly her strong suit. Finally, she nodded. “All right. One hour.”

It was the longest hour of her life. And when it was up, Lucy still hadn’t arrived.

“Let’s go,” Leo said.

Cilla was on her horse almost before he’d finished speaking.

“Miguel, will you stay here in case she shows up?”

“Of course. You just take care of yourself and get back here safe and sound.”

“I’ll do my best,” Cilla said, trying to make her voice light.

But she very much feared that if Frank had gotten a hold of Lucy, things weren’t going to end well for any of them.

She and Leo rode out toward the ranch. If Lucy had gotten lost or hurt, she might have gone there first. And if Frank had her—well, it was the most likely place he’d leave a message for them.

They rode up to the ranch just as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. With the clear, blue sky soaring above it, the ranch looked about as idyllic as could be. But any number of horrible things could be waiting for them once they got inside.

Lucy’s horse was tethered near the porch of the burned house. No others were in sight, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Cilla and Leo kept their eyes peeled. Cilla’s skin tingled. It was a trap, she knew it. But if there was even a possibility that Lucy was inside, she’d willingly walk right into it.

Leo obviously felt the same way. He dismounted, his hand hovering near his gun as he surveyed the property. The front door was open.

Cilla and Leo looked at each other, pulled their guns, and went inside.

Lucy sat tied to a chair near where the hearth had been, her mouth gagged. One of Frank’s men stood off to the side, his gun leveled at the two of them. Frank stood beside Lucy, his gun pointed right at her head. It took everything Cilla had not to shoot Frank right in his smug, smiling face. And he knew it.

He put the gun against Lucy’s head and Cilla froze.

“On the floor,” he said, looking at the guns that were still pointed at him.

Cilla and Leo slowly bent and placed their guns on the floor, raising their hands after they had done so. Two of Frank’s men that Cilla hadn’t even noticed moved the weapons beyond their reach and stood guard over them.

Sweet mercy, she needed to keep her wits about her! Then again, it had been a very long day. And she was ready for it to be over with.

“What do you want, Frank?”

“Always so direct. Not a becoming trait in a woman.”

“You’d rather I was indirect?”

“I’d rather you keep your mouth shut and learn your place.”

Normally, Cilla would have popped off with some nasty retort, but with Frank’s gun trained on her baby sister’s head, Cilla thought it best to keep her sarcasm to herself.

“What do you want?” she asked again.

“The gold.”

“What gold?” Cilla asked, genuinely confused.

“Don’t give me that! You’ve been living on this property your whole life. I know you know where Pa’s mine is.”

“There’s no gold in that mine, Frank. It’s abandoned. Daddy stopped mining there a couple years before he died. He never found anything.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Frank pulled a nugget the size of a toddler’s fist out of his pocket. “This came from Pa’s mine. I heard him bragging about it to some of the boys at the saloon one night. I asked him to show it to me. He refused. But I got it anyway.”

“You?” Cilla asked, surprised that she could still be surprised at Frank’s depravity. “You were the one who killed our father, robbed him, and left him to rot? What kind of a man are you?”

Leo stepped a little closer to her and Frank aimed his gun in Leo’s direction as he shook his head. Leo stopped and Frank turned his attention back to Cilla.

“I’m the kind of man who always gets what he wants and who isn’t going to let a couple of silly girls and their pet ranch hand get in the way. Now. You will take me to Pa’s mine, or I’ll put a hole through Lucy’s pretty little head.”

Cilla didn’t even need to think about it. She’d have turned over the mine even if it had been full to bursting with gold.

“I’ll take you to the mine, Frank.
After
you let Lucy go.”

Frank was shaking his head before the last word had left Cilla’s mouth. “I’m not as big of an idiot as you like to think me, Priscilla. I’m not going to let my only collateral run out the door before I get what I want.”

“I give you my word, Frank. You let her go, I’ll take you to the mine.”

“You take me to the mine, or there won’t be anyone to let go. I’ll put a bullet through her head right now.”

“If you do that, you’ll never find it. I’ll never tell you. You want the mine, you’d better let her go. Now.”

Frank mulled it over for a few moments, long enough that Cilla had to stiffen every muscle in her body to keep from screaming or launching herself at him.

“Deal.”

Frank gestured to one of his men, who came forward with a knife. He cut through Lucy’s ties and removed the gag from her mouth. As soon as she was free, Lucy flew across the room and into her sister’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, squeezing Cilla so hard she almost couldn’t breathe.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“This is touching,” Frank said, “but if you don’t mind, I’d like to go get my gold now.”

Cilla gave Frank the dirtiest look she could muster and hugged Lucy again. She whispered in her ear, “Go to Brynne.”

Lucy started to shake her head, but Cilla took Lucy’s face in her hands and looked into her eyes. “We’ll be fine here. If you love me, Lucy, do what I say.”

Lucy stared at Cilla, tears running down her cheeks. Finally, she nodded.

“Good girl,” Cilla said, pulling her in for one last hug.

“Enough of this. If she’s going, let her go. We have a mine to get to.”

Cilla released Lucy and pushed her toward the door. Lucy reluctantly went down the steps and mounted her horse. The rest of them watched as she rode out of the courtyard toward town. Cilla knew she’d double back and make sure she wasn’t being followed before she headed in Brynne’s direction. She’d been taught well. She’d be fine.

“Now,” Frank said, retraining his gun on Leo and Cilla. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Miguel was waiting outside the mine when they reached it. He didn’t even bother to raise his gun. His anxious eyes found Cilla’s and she gave him a tiny nod. He slumped in relief for just a second before turning to face the newest threat at hand.

Frank was looking around the mine’s hidden entrance. “This is it? This is where it’s been all this time?” He laughed, as if he were a child who had played a clever trick on someone.

“Lead the way,” he said to Cilla and Leo.

Miguel made as if to follow, but Frank turned and pointed his gun at him. “You. Wait outside.”

He gestured to one of his men, who grabbed a length of rope out of his saddlebag and went toward Miguel. Frank didn’t wait, instead motioning for Cilla to lead the way into the mine.

She and Leo went in, Frank close on their heels, his other two henchmen bringing up the rear. Cilla paused just inside the tunnel to grab the lantern. Frank waited while she lit it and then shoved her forward. Leo grabbed her and held her until she was steady on her feet again.

“Move,” Frank growled.

Cilla and Leo locked eyes for just a second and Cilla tried to convey everything she felt for him. But there was no time.

She walked until she reached the opening where the mine split into separate shafts. She didn’t even hesitate before she turned and walked down the left tunnel. Leo followed, not saying a word. They were in silent agreement. They knew Frank would never let them out of that mine alive. And they were going to make sure if they didn’t leave, Frank didn’t either.

Cilla led them on down the winding tunnel, around corner after corner, until the tunnel widened into a small, dead-end chamber, roughly the size of three wagons side by side. She reached behind her and grasped Leo’s hand, squeezing it briefly. Then she blew out the flame on the lantern, plunging them into darkness.

She yanked on Leo’s hand, pulling him to the ground with her just as a gunshot went off. The rock around them gave off a faint rumbling and Frank shouted. He sounded nearby. Cilla took a chance, rolling and kicking out with her feet as she went. She connected with someone, Frank by the sound of it, who cursed as he dropped to the ground.

Another shot went off.

“Stop shooting!” Frank yelled to his goons as the rock walls groaned again.

Cilla groped on the ground for the lantern and fumbled in her pocket for a match to relight it. Judging by the scuffling and grunts of pain coming from somewhere to the right of her, Leo had found someone to scrap with. The sound of a fist connecting to a meaty body echoed through the chamber and someone fell with a thud to the ground.

“One down,” Leo said, his voice loud enough she could hear him, but not so loud she could pinpoint exactly where he was.

More scuffling sounded at her left. Cilla wanted to crawl over and help, but she didn’t want to let go of the lantern.

A grunt of pain that sounded like it came from Leo made her decide. One man was down, so the good guys and bad guys were even now. She struck the match and relit the lantern.

Leo took advantage of his opponent being momentarily blinded in the sudden flare of light to land a punch that knocked him to the ground. The coward didn’t try to get back up and fight. Instead, he scrambled to his feet and took off running, ignoring Frank’s shouts to come back. The other man quickly followed suit, mumbling something about being buried alive as he fled.

Good
, Cilla thought.
Two down, one jackass to go
.

But Frank had other plans. He bared his teeth with a furious growl and pulled his gun, swinging it around to aim at Leo.

“No!” Cilla screamed. She launched herself at Frank, tackling him.

They crashed to the ground and Cilla grabbed for his arm, trying to wrestle the gun from him. Frank’s shot went wild, shattering chunks from the rock above their heads. This time the rumbling didn’t stop. A shower of dust and rock rained down on their heads. Cilla threw her hands up to protect her skull from the rubble that pummeled her.

She had a moment of perfect clarity—she was going to die. Her life didn’t flash before her eyes, but she saw people. The people she loved. Her parents, sharing a quiet moment in front of the fire when they thought no one was watching. Brynne, holding her baby for the first time. Lucy laughing at some inappropriate comment Cilla had made.

And Leo. More than anyone, she saw Leo. His look of surprise when she’d first pulled the blindfold from his eyes. His face, red with anger when faced with Frank. That mixture of annoyance and amusement when she refused to go along with his plans. The look of tenderness and love when he had gazed into her eyes.

The moment lasted less than a second, but each image was burned into her memory.

Then someone grasped her arm, nearly jerking it from its socket with the force of the pull.

Rocks and boulders crashed down, filling the small chamber with dust. The lantern shattered, plunging them into darkness. Leo covered Cilla with his body, shielding her as best he could from the worst of it. But she still coughed and gagged on the lungful of dust that she sucked down. She buried her face in Leo’s shirt and tried to breathe as shallowly as possible until the rumbling stopped and the dust began to settle.

They simply lay together for a moment, coughing the dirt from their lungs and reveling in the fact that they were both still alive.

“Are you okay?” Leo asked. His hands roamed over her, feeling every inch of her from her head down to her ankles. “I don’t feel anything bleeding too badly, nothing broken.”

“No, I’m fine. Some scratches. Nothing major.”

Something dripped on her neck and she reached her hand up to feel it. Her fingers came away sticky and smelling faintly of copper.

“Leo,” she said, pushing him off her so she could do her own examination. She didn’t have to search far. Her fingers touched a deep gash in his head that was running with blood.

“Leo! You’re hurt!”

She pulled her bandana from around her neck and felt her way up his face again, ignoring his hiss of pain as she did her best to bind the wound in the pitch darkness. When she’d finished, her hands did some roaming of their own.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

She felt all around his head and face, her fingers trailing down his neck and arms, her hands going over his chest and back. So far, so good. Leo had gone stock still under her ministrations, but she was too concerned that he might have some life-threatening injury somewhere to realize what that might mean. Until she ran a hand up his leg onto his thigh.

A sound somewhat like a mouse squeak escaped from his lips and he reached down to grab her hands, preventing her from exploring any farther.

“I’m fine, Cilla, I promise.” His voice had dropped an octave from its normal tone and now that she wasn’t concentrating on finding injuries, it dawned on her that she might have been a little too zealous in her search.

Blood rushed to her cheeks and she was suddenly grateful it was pitch black.

“Sorry,” she muttered, utterly mortified.

Leo chuckled and pulled her back down to his side, wrapping an arm around her. “I’m not. I enjoyed your little examination.”

Cilla lightly slapped his chest and pushed away from him.

“Did Frank make it?”

“I don’t think so,” Leo answered. “He was standing right beside you when the ceiling caved in.”

“Frank?” Cilla called out. She didn’t know if he’d answer even if he could, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him roaming around in the darkness, taking them unawares. She held her breath and listened.

Nothing. No sound. No light. No anything. Just…nothing. She shivered. It was cold in here. And so dark.

The full horror of their predicament started to sink in. “Leo,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

Apparently she didn’t do a very good job because his arms immediately went about her again. “I know,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“What are we doing to do?”

“Do you have any more matches?”

Cilla plunged her hand into her pocket and ferreted out the little packet of matches. “Yes. I have…” she rolled her finger over them, counting. “Five. Five left.”

“Let’s use one and get a better look at what we are dealing with here. Maybe it won’t be as bad as we are thinking.”

Cilla was fairly certain it would be a lot worse, but she pulled a match out anyway and lit it.

Yep, she was right.

A solid wall of rock lay piled where the tunnel leading into the chamber had been. There was no sign of Frank. They went closer to the pile and inspected it for any cracks or holes. There were a few near the top, not large enough to squeeze a hand through, but it would at least provide a little air to their tomb.

“Great,” Cilla said. “At least we won’t suffocate.”

She laughed, the sound tinged with a note of hysteria. She hadn’t ever considered herself afraid of dark, enclosed spaces. But then again, she’d never been buried alive before.

The match burned down to her fingers and she dropped it, plunging them once again into darkness. She gasped, but Leo was already wrapping her in his arms.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.”

She buried her face in his neck and shook her head. She could feel the rock pressing in on her. The air felt thinner, and it was harder to breathe. The cold was seeping into her bones. A shiver ran up her spine and Leo pulled her even closer.

“Hey, Cilla, listen to me.”

She shook her head again. “We’re buried. No one is going to find us. My sisters and Carmen are well on their way out of here by now. Poor Miguel…who knows what happened to him. We can’t get out.”

Cilla knew she sounded like a sniveling baby. She hated it, hated the sound of her high-pitched, panicky voice, but she just couldn’t seem to pull herself together. The walls felt like they were closing in on her, the darkness pressing in until there was no air left to breathe.

“Cilla, shh,” Leo said, one hand stroking her hair. The other grasped her chin and tilted her face up. He kept murmuring to her while his lips skimmed over her face, pressing small kisses to her forehead, her eyes, trailing across her skin.

“You aren’t alone, Cilla,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m right here with you.”

His mouth met hers and Cilla melted into him with a sob. If she was going to die, at least she got to go wrapped in Leo’s arms. His lips moved over hers and her head swam. She pulled him in closer. She felt safe enveloped in his arms. Whole, complete.

And thoroughly pissed off that fate was trying to take this all away from her.

She kissed Leo one more time and then pulled away.

“We are going to get out of here.”

“That’s my girl.”

Cilla couldn’t see his smile, but she could hear it in his voice.

“Let’s use another match, find where those small holes were. See if we can make them any wider.”

Cilla lit a match and they went to the pile of rock. The hole she’d seen earlier was too high for her to reach.

“Here,” Leo said, holding his hands out to give her a boost.

Cilla put her boot in his hands and he hoisted her up. She stuck her hand in the small hole and tried pulling at the stones. Several small ones gave way, falling onto Leo below. He ducked his head.

“Sorry!”

“How about you hold me and I’ll pull at the rocks.”

Cilla laughed and dug her hand back in the crack, ignoring the pain as sharp rocks scratched her skin. The match went out but she kept on digging until she could feel Leo’s arms trembling beneath her.

“Okay, set me down.”

She held onto his shoulders as he lowered her so she felt it when he swayed a bit.

“Leo, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“You are not. You’re shaking.”

She reached up to feel his face, carefully brushing her fingers against his makeshift bandage. It was soaked through.

“Sit down,” she ordered, grabbing his bandana so she could switch it with hers. She used another match so she could see what she was working with.

Her bandana was soaked through, but the bleeding had slowed down. The wound still oozed fat droplets of blood, but it was no longer gushing. Cilla didn’t want to wrap Leo’s filthy bandana around the open wound though. They had no water or anything else to clean it with.

“Hold this,” she said, thrusting the match at Leo. It had almost burned out so she needed to be quick.

She pulled her knife from its sheath around her leg and lifted her shirt, cutting a large chunk from the undershirt she wore. Leo’s eyes widened at the flash of pale skin that was revealed when she’d finished, but he didn’t make a move to touch her. Which was a good thing, because if he had she probably would have forgotten her own name, let alone his gaping wound.

The match burned out before she could rebind his head, so she did it by feel, trying to be gentle though it was difficult in the darkness.

They rested a few minutes, and then used one more match so Cilla could find some hand holds to hoist herself up to the hole she’d made. When the match burned out this time, she stayed put and Leo got out of the way of raining rubble. She managed to clear away enough rock to make a hole about the size of her head. But the surrounding stones were too large to move.

She carefully climbed back down. “Leo?”

“Over here.”

Cilla followed the sound of his voice and sank down by his side. Her body ached, and the cuts on her hands sent little shards of pain shooting up her arms to mingle with the dull throbbing from where she’d been shot. She leaned her head against Leo’s shoulder.

“Let’s rest for a bit,” he said, pulling her in against his side. He slid them down until they were lying side by side facing each other.

“I don’t think you should sleep. Carmen always says that people with head wounds should stay awake.”

Cilla didn’t voice her fear that if Leo went to sleep, he’d never wake up.

“Then talk to me,” he said, drawing a finger down her face.

“About what?”

“I don’t know. Anything. Everything.”

“All right.”

So she did. She told him all about her childhood, growing up on the ranch with Brynne and Lucy. She told him about her favorite puppy and how she used to help her father with the cattle. But she skipped over when Frank had shown up on their doorstep, a surprise from the past her father hadn’t known existed. She wanted only happy memories to fill this time.