The sky was gray, and the wind cut like a knife. The desert was cold, much colder than the one they had traveled through in Nevada. There wasn’t snow, as Dakota had expected there would be in Silver City. The cacti that lined their path appeared frozen, and Riot’s breath came out as white puffs, proving just how cold it really was.
In the distance, she could see the outline of Tucson, the town where they hoped to find Jonah Carter.
Dakota pulled her coat tighter around her body, craving the heat it offered. The cold kept reminding her of the fact that Blade had nearly drowned. His body had been ice cold, and it took hours before his skin regained its normal tanned appearance.
Dakota shook the memory from her mind. It had scared her, but Blade was okay and didn’t seem traumatized by the event whatsoever. A couple of days after the accident, he had been washing himself in a different river without a care in the world. Clearly, it had rattled Dakota more than it had him.
They had camped close to the river that night, having decided to get some rest. The following day came with its own set of challenges since they had to find a way to cross the river. It took hours, but eventually, they found the dam that the river ran into, and instead of crossing the river, they made their way around it.
Blade turned in his seat, smiling at her. “Almost there,” he said excitedly.
Up ahead, Tucson was growing closer. Under different circumstances, Dakota would have been happy to enter civilization, but they weren’t going to be staying long. They were there on a mission, and once they took care of Jonah, they would have to flee.
The wind picked up, swirling dry leaves and dust along the trail. Dakota didn’t regret coming along. It was something she had to do in order to move forward, and she never would have been able to survive months without seeing Blade. She was starting to miss home, though. Not her aunt and uncle or her job, but the simple things like a warm bed, a home-cooked meal, and a roof over her head.
Blade had said something similar a couple of nights ago. He enjoyed traveling, but he longed for the comfort of home. It made Dakota feel a little better knowing that she wasn’t alone in the way she felt.
Tucson was a big town, but they managed to find Jonah without having to ask anybody. They were riding down oneof the roads on the outskirts of town when Blade spotted him on one of the ranches. It was a relatively big ranch, and there were workers, so they couldn’t just attack. Instead, they watched from the shadows, hiding in the woodlands across from the ranch.
Getting to Jonah wasn’t going to be easy. From what they had seen, they had figured out a few things. The ranch belonged to him and his family. He had a wife and two teenage sons, and he never left the property. Workers came and went, but Jonah didn’t go anywhere. He mostly stayed in the house, and when he did come out, he didn’t go any further than his front garden.
It was strange and frustrating. For the first time on their journey, they spent days watching their target.
“So what’s the plan?” Dakota asked, taking a sip of coffee.
They had set up camp for the night outside of town. It was too cold to spend nights without a fire, and they couldn’t risk making one in the woods across from Jonah’s ranch.
“We’re going to have to take him out in his house,” Blade replied. “We wait until all the workers have gone home for the day, and then we go in. We send his wife and sons to their room like we did with Noah.”
Dakota let out a deep breath. She had expected Blade to say that, but she had hoped he might come up with some other plan. Deep down, she knew there was no other way. Theyhad already spent too long watching Jonah and his family. Maybe the man simply didn’t leave his house, or maybe he had spotted them watching him. They had been extra careful, but anything was possible.
“Okay,” Dakota agreed. “I guess we don’t have much of an option.”
Dakota did not sleep well that night. She tossed and turned, feeling uneasy. They planned to attack Jonah the following evening, meaning they had one more day of scouting. She was desperately hoping that Jonah would leave his house so that they could change their plan. That didn’t happen.
Dakota and Blade watched the ranch the entire day, but the man simply wasn’t going anywhere. It was beyond strange. Eventually, they started to set, and the workers made their way home. The ranch fell quiet, and Blade and Dakota prepared themselves. They made sure they had all their weapons, that their masks were on, and that Africa and Riot were tied up close by so that they could make a quick escape.
Taking a deep breath, Dakota followed Blade onto the Carters’ property. It was time. Blade tried the front door handle, but it was locked. He stepped back, gave Dakota a nod, and then lunged forward, kicking the door in. Moving quickly, they made their way into the house, guns raised and ready. Lanterns lit their way as they rushed through the entrance hall and into the living area. The house was unnecessarily big, butthey didn’t have to search for Jonah. There, standing in the living room, weapons in hand, was the whole family.
They must have seen Blade and Dakota, or maybe they had been waiting for days for somebody to show up. By now, Dakota and Blade were sure that Austin and his men knew that someone was coming after them.
Blade stood his ground, his pistol pointed at Jonah. Dakota stood next to him, trying hard to remain calm.
“Mrs. Carter,” he addressed Jonah’s wife, “this doesn’t concern you and your sons. Please stand down.”
Mrs. Carter shook her head. “Of course it concerns us,” she stated. “You think I’m just gonna turn my back and let you kill my husband?”
Dakota admired the woman’s bravery but knew it was going to be her downfall. Blade wouldn’t give up, and if the wife and sons joined the fight, they were going to get hurt.
Blade shifted his stance, the way he did when he was losing patience. “Ma’am, do you know who your husband really is?”
“You mean the fact that he’s an outlaw?” the woman asked. “Of course we know. How else do you think we were able to afford building a house like this?”
Dakota did not expect that answer. Mrs. Carter and her sons knew that Jonah was a murderer and were still willing to protect him. That made things much easier, though. If they were all right with him plundering and murdering, they weren’t very nice people. Dakota glanced at Blade, wondering what his next move would be.
“Well, this is unfortunate,” Blade said. “I don’t like killing innocent people, but then again, you’re protecting a criminal, so you’re not exactly innocent, now are you?”
With those words, he pulled the trigger of his Colt. The shot echoed off the walls of the house and sent one of the sons toppling back. He clutched at his chest as he hit the ground. Dakota understood why Blade had targeted one of the sons. He had been hoping that Mrs. Carter and her other son would stand down, but instead, it turned into a gunfight.
