“She survived,” Blade told him. “And so did I.”
“I was young, stupid . . .”
“You were both those things,” Blade agreed, pressing his Colt to Noah’s head.
“Please don’t. I’ll do whatever you want,” Noah pleaded.
Blade pulled the trigger. It was an instant death, which was more than Noah deserved, but Blade didn’t want to drag it out any longer with the woman and baby there. It would be traumatic enough for her without killing Noah in a gruesome manner.
From the other room, Blade could hear the woman and baby crying. He felt sorry for them, but they were better off without Noah in their lives. Stepping over Noah’s body and making sure to avoid stepping in the blood, Blade walked over to where Dakota stood. He took hold of her arm. “Let’s go.”
Dakota looked back at the woman. “Stay in the room with your baby tonight,” she instructed. “Don’t try to leave the cabin until first light. We have somebody watching, and he has strict orders to shoot if anybody tries to leave.”
“I won’t,” the woman promised, clutching her baby to her chest.
Blade led Dakota out of the house, leaving Noah’s body where it lay, staining the wood floor with blood. Once outside, they rushed to their horses and made their way to the road. It was dark out, and with only the moon lighting their way, it was best to stay on the road for a little while. They needed to get away fast, and maneuvering through fields and forests would only slow them down. When they were far enough away, they would veer off the road again for safety and to make it impossible for somebody to follow them any further.
They didn’t speak as they rode, leaving Noah Henderson behind. Blade could cross another name off his list, and once again, he felt a little lighter. They still had a long way to go, and Blade couldn’t wait until every man on his list was dead.
Chapter 16
Millie tried hard not to worry about Blade, but she simply couldn’t stop herself. He had told her that he would be gone for a long time, and she understood why he had to go, but that didn’t make it any easier. He had said that it could take months, maybe even a year, and she had no idea how she was going to survive that long without knowing that he was all right. Only two weeks had passed since he left, and it already felt like she was losing her mind with worry.
Millie knew that Blade was tough and could take care of himself. She had seen him training with Dakota many times. He never missed a shot, but he was even better with knives. The men he was going after were ruthless, heartless criminals, and she was sure that they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Blade if they got the chance. One-on-one, he would win in a fight, but she was worried about what might happen if he was outnumbered. It wasn’t just that, though. Blade was going to have to fight the elements, deal with wild animals, and make sure he didn’t run out of food and water.
Shaking her head to rid herself of her thoughts, Millie made her way to her vegetable garden. It was the only place she didn’t feel completely alone. Margaret’s house had been too quiet since she passed away, and with Blade gone, the silence had become unbearable.
Being outside helped, and as soon as she stepped through the trees and saw her garden, she relaxed. All around her, there was life. She watched the birds for a little while, simply taking in their beauty. Sometimes she wished she were a bird; life would have been much simpler.
There were many insects in the garden and surrounding area, but Millie didn’t mind at all. In fact, she thought they were all remarkable in their own way. Sometimes, when there wasn’t much to do in the garden, she would find a spider or a worm and simply watch it as it went about its business. She wasn’t afraid of them; it was people who were scary.
Millie busied herself with pulling out weeds and then plucked some carrots. She didn’t need as many vegetables as before since it was only her at home. Some nights, she didn’t even bother to cook; she just ate bread or leftovers from the previous day. Millie had also started packing lunch and bringing it with her to the garden. She always went home to eat lunch with Margaret, but since she was gone, there was no point in returning home until later.
She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and by the time lunchtime arrived, she was ravenous. Millie sat down on a small blanket next to the garden and pulled out her lunch from her bag.Eating lunch in her garden was new but nice. Sometimes, she didn’t feel like going home at all, but then it would start getting dark, and she would rush back. Millie didn’t like the dark much. There were too many things a person couldn’t see, and it made her anxiety worse.
Branches cracked and leaves rustled in the distance, announcing her daily visitor. Ever since Blade left, Jace had been stopping by every day. Dr. Masterton had come to check on her, too, and Sheriff Wolfe brought her groceries. She knew that Blade had asked them to do it, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she appreciated the groceries and the fact that they cared enough to make an effort. Whether they actually cared about her or were simply doing it because they cared about Blade was a whole different scenario. Either way, it didn’t matter.
Luckily, Dr. Masterson and Sheriff Wolfe only stopped by for a couple of minutes and then left again. Jace, however, didn’t seem to understand that she preferred to be alone, and if he did, he simply didn’t care. Millie wanted to trust him, to believe that he was a good person who wouldn’t hurt her, but that was hard to do. He was still young and insisted on talking to her even though she never made any attempt to reply or show interest.
From the things he told her, she could tell that he was intelligent and charismatic. He seemed a little nervous around her, but most people were. She was different, damaged, and they didn’t know what to say to her. It made them uncomfortable, and Millie had no idea how to change that. Most of the time, she thought it was for the best. People scaredher, so having more of them around wouldn’t have been a good thing.
“I’m back again,” Jace said as he approached her.
Millie looked up from her sandwich, watching him as he walked closer. Usually, he stopped a few feet away, but it did not look like that was his plan. Millie’s heart leaped in her chest, but her body was frozen in place. Why was he still moving closer?
“I thought I’d eat lunch with you today,” he stated as he sat down on the ground across from her. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Shocked, Millie simply watched him as he pulled a parcel wrapped in brown paper from his bag and opened it. Inside, there were two sandwiches, an apple, and some berries.
Jace had left a considerable distance between them. She doubted that she could touch him even if she stretched her arms out in front of her; still, it was the closest he had come to her.
Millie wasn’t sure what to make of Jace or the situation. He was being nice, but she couldn’t help but wonder why. He was there under orders from Dr. Masterson, but surely those orders didn’t include trying to befriend her, which was what it appeared he was attempting.
Jace took a bite of his sandwich before addressing her again. “I like Dr. Masterson,” he said. “He’s a great doctor and an amazing person, but I don’t enjoy eating lunch with him.” He frowned and shook his head. “He always brings leftovers from the night before and wants to share them with me. I accepted once and regretted it immediately. Whoever is cooking in his house really shouldn’t.”
Millie almost laughed, and just like that, her anxiety subsided. Jace was funny, and despite the reason he was spending time with her, he kept talking as they ate, telling her random stories. Some were rather unbelievable and seemed outrageous to her, but she simply listened. It didn’t matter whether they were true because they were entertaining.
When he was done eating, he pulled another parcel out of his bag and unwrapped it. Inside were two cupcakes. He took one and then slowly pushed the paper containing the other one closer to her. “I brought one for you. I made them myself,” he said with a lopsided smile.
