Millie eyed the cupcake hesitantly. It looked delicious, but why would he bring her food?
“It’s all right if you don’t want it,” he continued. “But I am a pretty good baker.”
Slowly, she reached out and took it.
Chapter 17
It took eight days to get to Bozeman, Montana. The journey there was smooth, and Blade was starting to lose track of the days. It didn’t matter; the only important thing was making sure that justice was served and then getting back home to his sister.
“You recognized him so quickly,” Blade commented as they followed Oliver Stewart through the streets of Bozeman.
“He used to come visit my father all the time,” Dakota replied. “He would bring us pastries and freshly baked bread that his wife made.”
Blade shook his head, anger raging in his veins. “Bastard.”
Oliver Stewart was the third name on Blade’s list. Blade recognized him, too. The man had worked on their ranch for years and was one of those people who were friends with everybody. Blade never would have believed that the man wascapable of hurting anybody, but he had seen it with his own two eyes that day.
“Where is he going?” Dakota asked.
“I don’t know, but I hope it is somewhere quiet and alone.”
The thing was that they had no idea what all of these men had been up to over the last couple of years, and it was very possible that they had new families and people who loved them. Criminals often lied about who they really were, and Blade hated the fact that innocent people were going to get hurt—not physically, but emotionally, which was sometimes just as bad.
Oliver was on horseback, but it wasn’t difficult to follow him. Blade and Dakota kept their distance, making sure not to lose him. They had spotted him when he exited the general store. It didn’t seem like he was planning on going anywhere else in town, and soon enough, they had left the shops behind and were moving toward the outskirts of town. They passed houses, farms, and ranches, but Oliver just kept going.
Out in the open, they had to be more careful, so they fell back a little but still kept him in sight.
“Should we just attack him now?” Dakota asked.
Blade had been thinking the same thing since there was nobody else around. “Maybe, but I kind of want to see where he is heading. Let’s put our masks on just in case.”
Dakota nodded in agreement. They had both been wearing their neckerchiefs around their necks, so it was easy to slip them on. With that done, they were ready to act at any moment. Blade was still considering his options when Oliver took a sudden left turn onto a narrow path that led into the woodlands.
Not wanting to lose sight of him, Blade and Dakota sped up a little, and soon enough, he led them to a dilapidated wooden structure. The place looked completely abandoned and was the perfect hideaway for bandits.
“We’ve got to be careful,” Blade whispered as they watched from afar.
The skin between Dakota’s eyes crinkled with confusion. “Why? There’s nobody else here.”
As if on cue, horses and voices could be heard approaching. “Bandits,” Blade replied.
“Well, that’s not good.”
Blade held a finger to his lips, instructing Dakota to be quiet. The last thing they wanted was to be spotted.
Dakota nodded, opening her mouth and then quickly shutting it again. He had a feeling that she wanted to apologize. It wasn’t necessary.
From between the trees, five men emerged on horseback. They looked rough, and Blade was almost sure that he was right about them being bandits. For a moment, Blade simply watched as he wondered what to do. He and Dakota were outnumbered, but if they attacked, they would have the element of surprise. There was a possibility that he was wrong about the men, though, and he wasn’t going to harm innocent men.
Blade leaned in closer so that he could whisper into Dakota’s ear. “Stay here and keep the horses quiet. I’m going to move closer to hear what they are saying.”
Dakota shook her head and grabbed his arm.
“I’ll be all right,” he assured her, his voice barely audible. “Just make sure you’re ready to leave at any moment.”
With that, Blade dismounted Africa, drew his pistol, and slowly moved closer. It was a dangerous situation, and he had to be careful. It wasn’t just his safety that he had to worry about, but Dakota’s as well.
Oliver was still on his horse, and the men hadn’t bothered getting down from theirs. It didn’t look like they were planning on staying there long. Blade wanted desperately toattack, but first, he had to hear what they were saying. Staying in the shadows, he moved closer and closer.
