Dakota sucked in her breath and finally looked at Blade again. “How are we going to do that?”
“We’re not going to hide the bodies of the men we kill. We’re going to leave them where they can be found. Word will travel, and it won’t take long before Austin figures out that somebody is killing his men and leaving a trail. He’s evil, but he’s not dumb. He’ll know we’re coming for him; he just won’t know who we are or why we are after him and his gang.”
“That’s brilliant,” Dakota whispered as their eyes met.
“I just want the bastard to suffer, you know. I want to hurt him the way he hurt our families.”
“And you will. We’re going to see this through and make it back home.”
Chapter 11
Blade struggled to fall asleep, but when he finally did, he slept like a baby. When he woke the next morning, Dakota was already up, and the fire was going.
“Did it burn through the night?” he asked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he sat up.
Dakota shook her head. “No, I had to restart it.”
There was a pot on the fire. “You making coffee?”
“Sure am,” she replied with a knowing smile. “I want to start the day off right.”
Blade sighed appreciatively and moved closer to the fire. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but birds were already chirping in the nearby trees, and there was a slight red tint on the horizon. They had made it through their first day unscathed, and he was hoping that the rest of their journey would go just as smoothly.
They ate leftovers for breakfast, had a cup of coffee, and then they were on their way. Traveling with Dakota was a new experience, and Blade loved every moment of it. They had spent their entire lives together and had done almost everything two friends could do together, but he would never grow tired of her company. Having a new experience to share was special, though, and he hoped that Dakota was enjoying it too.
It took them six days to get to Stanley. On the sixth night, they camped on a nearby hill, overlooking the town. Both of them knew what the next day would hold, and since they’d gone over the plan multiple times, they wordlessly agreed not to talk about it. Blade felt a little uneasy and kept waking up throughout the night. He was both nervous and excited to tick off the first murderer on his list. He had been waiting so long for that moment, and now that it was almost there, he couldn’t quite believe it was finally happening.
They didn’t rush the next morning. They took their time eating breakfast and cleaning themselves up as best they could. Newcomers in a town always drew attention, and it was best that they didn’t look like a complete mess. Luckily, they hadn’t gotten too dirty, so a fresh set of clothes and a quick face wash did the trick. Dakota combed and braided her hair, refusing to put it up, and then they were ready to go.
Soon they would have to stop to wash themselves and their clothes, but that could wait for another day. The only thing that mattered at that moment was finding Liam Reed and executing their plan. The man had been living without facing the consequences of his actions for way too long.
Together, they made their way into town. Stanley wasn’t a big town, but it also wasn’t small. They received some unwelcome glares, but mostly the townsfolk simply ignored them or greeted them politely enough. Overall, it was similar to most towns Blade had visited. Both of them carried their pistols on their hips but had hidden their rifles in their bedrolls, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention.
“I don’t want to stray too far from Africa and Riot,” Blade said as they made their way down the main road. All their belongings were on the horses, and although it wasn’t uncommon for travelers to leave their horses, belongings, and all outside saloons for hours on end, Blade didn’t like the idea. “We’ll tie them up outside whichever shop we stop at.”
Dakota nodded in agreement. “Sounds good to me.”
Blade kept an eye out for Liam as they made their way through the town. The plan was to simply walk down every road to see the layout and scout the area. It was always best to know a quick and easy way to escape. Dakota had told Blade that she had a vague idea of what Liam looked like, but Blade could clearly see the man’s face in his mind’s eye. He had always had an extremely good memory. Sometimes he wished he could simply forget the events of that day, but they were ingrained in his mind.
Blade had hoped that they would spot Liam so that they could take care of him and be on their way, but there was no sign of him. It was still early, though, and Blade was positive that they would find him.
“We should get something to eat,” Dakota suggested. “I want a strawberry pastry or maybe a freshly baked bread roll.”
Even though they had eaten breakfast not too long ago, Blade’s stomach rumbled, causing both of them to laugh. “I guess we’re going to the bakery.”
Leaving Africa and Riot right in front of the shop, Dakota and Blade headed into the bakery. The smell of freshly baked bread, cakes, and pies hit them as soon as they set foot through the door, and Blade’s stomach rumbled again. “I think I might have more than one pastry,” he said with a chuckle as he eyed the food on display. “Why don’t you get some treats for us, and I’ll wait by the door?” He wanted to watch the people passing by as well as be close to Africa and Riot.
“Sure,” Dakota agreed, holding her hand out. “I’ll pay this time.”
Dakota was so different from other women that it genuinely fascinated Blade at times. They rarely spoke of the future, but she had made it clear on many occasions that she had no intention of ever depending on a man to take care of her. She had once said that if she ever decided to get married, it would be because the man loved her and respected her for who she was. Over the years, Blade couldn’t help but notice that despite her age, many men seemed a little confused and even somewhat irritated by her independent behavior. Blade, however, loved it.
“All done,” Dakota announced a moment later as she approached him with a parcel wrapped in brown paper. “These are so fresh, I can’t wait to taste them.”
“We’d better hurry and find a place to sit then,” Blade said with a laugh.
There were a couple of benches scattered throughout the town, so they found one situated across from a busy road and made themselves comfortable. With Riot and Africa close by, they watched as people went about their daily business. Blade had no idea where Liam worked or lived, so they were simply going to have to search for him until they found him. Once they had an eye on him, they would have to figure out how to take him out.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Blade had killed a man. In total, he had killed nine men during his time helping Sheriff Wolfe. They were all bad men and deserved their fate. Those kills all happened in the heat of battle, though, and killing Liam was going to be much different. Blade hoped that it would give him the relief he’d been craving for the last seven years.
