His eyes narrow before he looks away, one of the few tells he has that he allows only me to see. “She belongs with us.”
“She belongs somewheresafe. We aren’t that,” I counter, kicking up the same argument we’ve had countless times over the last couple days. “We got lucky tonight, but we might not next time.”
There’s a beat of silence, and then he looks at me again. “All right.” He shifts as if he’s going to hand her over to me. “Put herback inside then. Leave her here. If you’re so certain that she would be better off.”
I’ve watched Cypress play cards enough that I know exactly what he’s doing. He’s calling my bluff, and as I stand here holding all of her belongings, I’m not sure I can effectively pretend that I don’t have the weaker hand.
“She has no one,” Cypress continues. “Nothing to hold her here.”
“She has a job.”
“Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I heard that woman tell her if even one thing was out of place, she’d be gone.”
“And?”
“And seeing as how you just displaced her son-in-law from this world…”
“There’s no witnesses. She’ll have no reason to think Cora was involved in any way.”
“She’ll also have no reason not to. Cora is an outsider. You know what that means. Especially since this town lost four sons tonight.”
“They should have had better sons.”
“So they should have. But what they’ll do is look for someone to blame. Are you really suggesting that we leave her to take her chances with the consequences of that?”
My jaw works side to side as I lift my hat and run my fingers through my hair before giving the ends a firm tug, and I see him see it. See the satisfaction on his face as I show him one of my own tells.
“Fine,” I spit. “We take her with us.”
Seemingly satisfied, he turns and starts toward his horse without looking back, which is why I say before he can get too far ahead, “This is temporary, Cy.”
He doesn’t slow, doesn’t even hesitate as he replies, “Everything is, wolf.”
I wake in a grave. Dark and quiet. Suffocating and still.
I thought death was supposed to be peaceful, but it isn’t. I can’t find my way, can’t feel anything but rough walls surrounding me, can’t suppress the urge to scream just in case I can still be saved.
“Cora.” Someone murmurs my name and places a hand on my arm. “Cora, you’re all right.”
I try to move toward him, but I can’t assign a meaning to the words. I see nothing but concealed faces. The sound of laughter and gunshots. Blood pooling in the street. On my dress. Everywhere.
“No, please, I don’t—” I still can’t find my way. “Please—”
Iron arms grab me, lifting me effortlessly even as I thrash. Carrying me, carrying me, carrying me until…everything falls away. Everything but him.
“You’re all right, Cora,” soothes a deep voice in my ear as its owner continues to hold me tight. “That’s it. Just breathe. Justbreathe for me, sweetheart.”
I feel myself start to calm, counting lungfuls of brisk air along with the stars now visible in the sky above me. I’m not dead. Although the embarrassment I feel as soon as I finally do get my bearings makes me wish I was.
Rather than a tomb, there is a covered wagon visible in front of me, several quilts half hanging out of the back after the war I’d waged. And behind me, still keeping me flush against him so that I don’t accidentally injure myself or, more likely, him… “Aiden.”
“Mm-hmm,” he murmurs in confirmation, holding me a few heartbeats more before he lets me go and steps away. I turn slowly to face him, though my eyes stay resolutely on the ground.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “I thought for a minute… I didn’t know where I was.”