“You killed her!” Blaze shouted, his voice ragged.
“Sharp boy,” Wilder said, grinning. “Got yourself eyes.”
“Monster!” Rachel shrieked. Her face was wet with tears, her fists pounding against Blaze’s arms as though she could break free and charge at Wilder herself.
“She was nothin’ but a mouthy widow,” Wilder said. He cocked his head, mock-thoughtful. “But a pretty one once, I’ll grant. Shame.”
“You shut your mouth!” Blaze cried. His hand trembled around his Colt. His vision blurred with hot tears.
“Careful, pup,” Wilder said, his grin sharpening. “Drawin’ on me won’t bring her back.”
“You’ll pay for this,” Blaze said, his words barely more than a whisper, pulled raw from somewhere deeper than fear.
“Hear that, boys?” Wilder called, turning to his men. “The pup thinks he can bite.”
The Riders laughed, a cruel chorus. One of them spat into the dirt.
“We’ll make him yelp when he tries!” another said.
Rachel pressed her face into Blaze’s shirt, sobbing so hard her body shook. Blaze held her close, but his own tears flowed freely. He couldn’t stop them. He couldn’t stop anything.
“You’re cowards!” Blaze spat at the Riders. “All of you! Grown men against one woman...against a little girl!”
“Careful with your tongue, son,” Wilder said, his voice cold now. “Or I’ll see if that little girl of yours screams louder than her mama.”
Rachel stiffened, clutching Blaze tighter.
“Don’t let them, Blaze,” she whispered frantically. “Don’t let them touch me.”
“They won’t,” Blaze said quickly, though his voice cracked. He swallowed hard, wiping his sleeve across his eyes. “I won’t let ’em.”
“Big promises,” Wilder mocked. “Just like your pa. He thought he could stand tall. Look where that got him.”
“You killed him too,” Blaze said, his voice shaking. “And you lied about gold to cover your sins.”
“Gold’s no lie,” Wilder snapped, momentarily losing his smooth drawl. “I’ll dig it out yet, and no brat or corpse will stop me.”
Rachel lifted her tear-streaked face, trembling. “You’ll never find it. Because it don’t exist.”
The Riders barked laughter again. Wilder leaned on his saddle horn, his gaze fixed on her through the curtains.
“Oh, I’ll find it. If not here, then somewhere nearby. But I reckon you two know more than you let on. And if you don’t, well, I can make you useful another way.”
“Stay away from us!” Blaze shouted. He dragged Rachel back a step, his whole body taut as a bowstring. His eyes burned from crying, but his gaze never left Wilder. “You can’t scare me!” Blaze yelled, though his voice cracked in the middle. “You hear me? You don’t scare me!”
Wilder’s grin returned, that silver tooth flashing like a knife. “Boy, you’re already scared. I can smell it on you.”
Rachel sobbed, clutching Blaze’s shirt.
“I want Mama,” she whispered. “I want her back.”
Blaze squeezed her, his chest aching so badly he thought he’d break.
Wilder holstered his pistol slowly. “We’ll give ’em time, boys. Let the brats sit with her body a while. Maybe then they’ll remember where that gold is.”
“You’ll rot in hell,” Blaze spat.
“I’ll take that ride when I’m ready,” Wilder said, tipping his hat mockingly. “Till then, I’ll ride Nevada.”
