“I’m not hurt,” I reply, barely getting the sentence out before Cypress comes bursting out the back door.
He draws up short, takes one look at the assembled players, and raises his eyebrows. “Well, look at that, history does repeat.”
“Cypress,” Aiden barks. “Not a good time.”
“Ah, I get it,” David spits, still holding his arms up. “All three of you are in this together. Running a little scam, are ya? Well, I’m not going to be had by it. I want my fucking money back.”
“You don’t appear to be in a position to demand anything,” Cypress points out. “Plus, I have about thirty witnesses in there that will say they saw me win fair and square.”
“I’ll bet,” David says. “‘Cause you fucking bribed them.”
Cypress, ever the instigator, shrugs. “So?”
David lets loose a stream of curse words that would be enough to make a grown man blush, barely pausing when Cypress calmly warns him, “There is a lady present.”
As if only now remembering I’m here, David rounds on me, and I take a step back, colliding with the alley wall made nearly smooth from years of compiling wanted posters. His gaze fixeson my face, then a spot behind me, his eyes widening and his mouth opening again to speak before he drops. Hitting the ground with a heavy thud after receiving a sharp blow to the back of his head from the butt of a pistol.
“Fucking perfect,” Aiden mutters, stowing his gun away before toeing the unconscious man with the tip of his boot. David groans in response but doesn’t get up.
“Still alive,” Cypress points out.
Aiden glares at him. “Really astute observation there, Cy. Thank you.”
“What are we going to do with him?” I ask, creeping closer myself.
“Leave him,” Aiden says. “Someone inside will hear if we shoot him, and it’s already fucking crowded enough back here.” He looks at me. “You have your knife?”
I grimace, dreading to admit, “No.”
“Course not.” Aiden lifts his hat and gives the ends of his hair a firm tug. “Course not.” He turns to Cypress. “How much did you take from him?”
Cypress tilts his head back and forth, considering. “Hardly anything.”
“Would he agree?”
“Who’s to say? Certainly not him now that he is concussed.”
“You’d betterhopehe’s concussed,” Aiden says, pointing an accusatory finger at his partner. “We’re going home.”
“Aiden…” I start to say, and he doesn’t even turn as he tells me, “Later.”
“But—”
“Cora, trust me, I’ve things to say to you as well, but they’re going to have to wait.”
I press my lips together, not sure I want to hear whatever it is, but I still follow as he leads Cypress and me out of the alley. Then barely make a peep of protest when he lifts me up onto his horseinstead of my own.
“Aiden,” I say when he swings up behind me, his body surrounding mine as he reaches forward for the reins. “I’m sorry,” I tell him softly, turning my head to try to see him, because I am sorry. I’m so sorry for all of it. “I’m…”
“Later,” he says again, his forehead pressing temporarily against my temple. “Please, Cora, just—not here.”
“Okay,” I agree, leaning back into him once Helios starts to walk forward, unable to avoid it once we pick up the pace. The trail back stretches out in front of us, and knowing this could be the last time I get to be this close to him, all I can think is…I hope later never comes.
Well, look at that, history does repeat.
God, I really fucking hate that he’s right, that I’d thought the same when I stepped into that alley and saw Cora cornered.
The first time I’d seen Cypress, I’d been nursing a whiskey at the bar, watching him con a table full of men who thought they knew better. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, couldn’t understand why everyone else missed that he was playing them far more deftly than he was playing the cards.