“That’s so gross,” Dakota replied with a frown.
“How about this?” Blade suggested. “We make sure we don’t run out of food, and if there are any spiders near our camp, I’ll take care of them.”
“Well...if you’re going to be well-fed and protect me from eight-legged monsters, I suppose I could do at least two lifetimes.”
Blade couldn’t help but smile at this. Having Dakota as his friend was what had gotten him through all of his difficult times in the past. He couldn’t imagine a future in which she wasn’t a part.
Dakota shifted where she sat and then stood up. “I’m going to shorten the Riot and Africa’s ropes,” she said, not looking at him.
It was obvious that she was still worried about the horses, so Blade didn’t argue. Maybe she was right to be cautious. He watched as she walked over to the tree where they had tied the ropes. Her rifle was positioned on her bag, which lay on the ground next to him, but her pistol was on her hip, and her hand lingered close to it.
Dakota never went anywhere without it. She didn’t care that people thought it strange for a young woman to be walking around with a pistol. She truly was different, and Blade loved that about her.
Once she was satisfied that Africa and Riot were close enough, she settled in next to Blade. “So, I know your plan, but can we maybe go over it again?”
Blade nodded. “That’s a good idea,” he agreed.
Opening one of his saddlebags, Blade removed the maps and list of names and handed them to Dakota.
***
Being out in the wild and knowing that she didn’t have to go home felt amazing. Sure, eventually she would return to Silver City, but that was far in the future, and she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Dakota didn’t hate Silver City; in fact, she loved her town. She simply hated living with her aunt and uncle. When their mission was complete, she would return home with Blade and then look for her own place to stay. She wasn’t fussy, after all, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something.
“How many of these men will you be able to recognize?” Dakota asked, gesturing to the list of names.
Blade took it from her, hatred clear in his eyes as he looked at the names. “Most of them,” he replied. “There are a few that I don’t know personally, but I’ve got it on good authority that they are working with my uncle.”
“So all these men are murderers . . .”
“Yeah, and they’re finally going to get what they deserve.”
“What about the other men, the ones whose names we don’t have?” Dakota asked. Blade had told her that there were at least twenty-five men there that day.
“I wish I knew who they all were,” he replied, sounding frustrated. “But I’m hoping that when we find the men we know, the rest of them will be close by.”
Dakota nodded. “I guess that’s all we can do.”
“Hey, I’m sure we’ll get them all,” Blade said, bumping his shoulder against hers. “And since it’s been so long, there will probably be a lot more of them for us to kill.”
“Sounds fun,” Dakota said with a laugh. “Are we still leaving Austin for last?”
“Yes, we start with Liam Reed. He was one of my father’s ranch hands. I knew him well and thought he was an all-right guy, but Austin must have turned him against us somehow.”
“So he would have been working with my pa?” Dakota asked, feeling disgusted.
“They worked together a lot of the time,” Blade confirmed. “I actually thought they were friends.”
Blade had told her all of this before, but Dakota wanted to hear it again. She hated the men who had murdered her and Blade’s families, but talking about it always added another layer of anger, and she was going to need it for what they were planning.
Dakota took another look at the map with the locations marked on it and then handed it back to Blade. “We’re going to make them pay,” she assured him. “These men, no...” She shook her head. “These monsters will finally learn that they didn’t get away with what they did. We’ll make them hurt, just like they did to our families.”
Blade exhaled deeply. “We sure are,” he agreed. “But we have to be careful.”
“Of course.” Dakota had no intention of being unnecessarily reckless, but at the same time, she was willing to die if it meant justice for her and Blade’s families.
“I know that look.” Blade shook his head. “You’re saying one thing but thinking something else.”
“I’m not.”
