He holstered his revolver, adjusted his hat, and turned to the others.
“We need to ride,” he said.
“To where?” Marisol asked.
“Wherever Wilder’s headed,” Blaze said. “And if Kane’s part of it, we’ll smoke him out along the way.”
Graycloud’s eyes narrowed. “Then our war widens.”
Blaze nodded once. “So be it.”
The setting sun caught the edge of Blaze’s silhouette. The wind picked up, carrying dust across the blood-stained ground. Marisol kicked dirt over the dead Rider’s boots.
“Poor fool,” she muttered. “Didn’t even know who he was dying for.”
Blaze heard her, but he didn’t answer. His mind was already elsewhere. On Rachel, on Kane, on the truth buried somewhere between greed and blood.
And as the shadows stretched across the foothills, Blaze felt something inside him harden.
This wasn’t about vengeance anymore.
It was about family.
Chapter 30
Blaze had to be ruthless. He already felt like he was behind. Wilder had the upper hand. He had the men and the power.
Right now, the trio was chasing shadows.
“Search him,” Blaze said.
Marisol turned sharply. “He’s dead, Blaze.”
“Then he won’t mind,” Blaze said.
Graycloud grunted, stepping closer. “You think he carried proof?”
“I think he carried something,” Blaze said. “Men like him always do.”
The desert wind tugged at their clothes as it whistled. The smell of blood and spent gunpowder hung thick in the air. Graycloud knelt by the body, his hands moving like he had donethis many times before. He checked Jake’s coat pockets, belt, and boots.
“Empty here,” he said.
Marisol crouched beside him, turning over the Rider’s satchel. “Just cartridges, a few coins, and...” She paused, pulling out a folded piece of parchment stiff with sweat and dust.
“What’s that?” Blaze asked.
“Map,” Marisol said. “Looks old.”
Blaze stepped closer. “Open it.”
She spread it flat across her knee. The paper was creased and torn at the edges, ink faded from handling. A rough sketch of the surrounding region sprawled across it—rivers, canyons, and a cluster of peaks scrawled in uneven lines.
Near the center, someone had drawn a thick black cross over the highest mountain.
“That mark,” Graycloud said, leaning in. “Too deliberate to be random.”
Blaze nodded slowly. “Let me see.”
