Blade cracked his knuckles, something he did when he was upset. Dakota wasn’t sure how to make him feel better. “We’ll find him and Mason,” she said, trying to stay positive.
“How?” Blade asked. “Nobody knows where he went.” They had asked not only the barkeeper but also the general store owner and the owner of the ranch where he had supposedly worked before he disappeared.
“You think they know we’re coming for them?” Dakota asked. It was the only thing that made sense. She hadn’t thought much about Mason not being in North Platte, but with Charles missing too, it was too much of a coincidence.
“I believe so. Yes.” Blade let out a deep breath and then scanned the area again.
A dog barked somewhere in the distance, and a baby cried as its mother pushed a cart down the road. Everybody was going about their business, and Dakota wished that they could finish theirs.
Dakota could see the frustration on Blade’s face and knew better than to think he would simply quit. “You want to keep going or rethink the plan?”
“We keep going,” he replied. “Jesse Howard is next on the list, so we’ll go to Huntsville, Utah. If he isn’t there, we know for sure that they are hiding or running.”
“Okay,” Dakota agreed. “Lead the way.”
Blade nodded and gave her a small smile before turning Africa around and heading down the road. Dakota followed him, hoping that they would get to Utah quickly and that Jesse was there.
***
The sun hung low in the sky, casting shadows across the wilderness. The wind had only gotten worse with the change of season, and Dakota pulled her coat tighter around her body. It wasn’t cold yet, but there was a sting in the breeze. The landscape ahead of them was filled with rocky hills and brittle bushes.
The leaves on the scrub trees they passed were changing color, green fading to yellow, orange, and brown. Dakota had lost track of how long they had been gone from home. All she knew was that they had been riding almost nonstop for what felt like months. She shifted in her seat, her muscles aching and in desperate need of a stretch.
Blade didn’t seem to have the same issue. He looked comfortable as he rode beside her, and when he saw her looking, his lips turned up into a happy smile. He had been in a horrible mood the first couple of days after leaving Wyoming, but his mood had shifted, and he was back to being his normal self again. All Dakota could do was hope that they would find Jesse Howard.
Huntsville wasn’t far anymore. She was terrible with directions, even when she had a map, but Blade had assured her that they should get there before sunset. They had a big breakfast, so they decided to skip lunch, but from the position of the sun in the sky, Dakota could tell that it was around noon. If Blade was right, which he usually was, they should reach their destination in no more than four hours.
Blade slowed from a gallop to a steady trot, so Dakota did the same. “Why are we slowing down?”
“Look over there.” He pointed to their right, bringing Africa to a stop. “Horse prints.”
Blade slipped off Africa’s back and crouched down, inspecting the prints. “It’s difficult to say since they aren’t fresh, but I think there were at least two horses, maybe more.”
Dakota wasn’t sure why it mattered. They weren’t chasing a gang; they were looking for Jesse Howard, who was supposed to be in Huntsville.
“We should follow them,” Blade stated as he got back onto Africa.
“Why?” Dakota asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I don’t know. I just have a feeling that it might lead us to Jesse, maybe even Mason and Charles too.”
“Okay,” Dakota agreed. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” Blade replied, still smiling.
Dakota let Blade take the lead again. He had a lot of experience tracking bandits; she had none. They swerved off the road they had been traveling on and started following thehorse prints. They couldn’t go too fast since they didn’t want to stir up too much dust, or they risked disturbing the tracks.
It didn’t take long before a faint whiff of wood smoke appeared on the breeze.
“A campfire,” Blade said. “They must be close.”
“We should be careful,” Dakota whispered. “We don’t know if it is them or how many there are.”
Blade brought Africa to a stop and looked into the distance, scanning their surroundings. Dakota followed his lead, and just as he said, Dakota saw puffs of smoke coming from behind a patch of brush.
“We’ll have to leave Africa and Riot somewhere they won’t hear us approaching,” Blade instructed as he started moving again. “Over there.” He pointed at a sickly-looking tree. “It’s close enough to their campsite but far enough away so that they can’t hear us.”
Dakota’s stomach twisted as she followed Blade to the tree, tied the horses, and stuffed as many slugs as she could into her pants pockets. Blade did the same, and then they were making their way to where they believed the campsite was. They moved along the ridge of brush, keeping low and being careful not to make any noise. Slowly, the ground started to dip, forming a small clearing surrounded by thorny shrubs. In the center of it was a campsite. Tents were set up, and at least eight men were sitting around a fire.
