“Of course,” Deadshot agreed, “but to me, pain is a reminder that I’m still alive.”
That was one way to think about it. On the other hand, Rider simply thought that pain was excruciating and would much rather avoid it altogether.
“You’re strange,” Rider said before he could stop himself.
For a second, he was worried that Deadshot would get angry, but then the big man started laughing.
“I’ve been called much worse things than that.”
Rider smiled, feeling relieved. “I’m almost too scared to ask.”
“Wouldn’t want to repeat those words, anyway,” Deadshot stated, still laughing.
It was nice talking and laughing like that with Deadshot. When he was laughing, he didn’t come across as so scary. In fact, Rider was sure there was a much softer side to the bounty hunter that he simply hid from everybody else. They laughed and joked while they prepared their food, and when they were done eating, they had some coffee and watched the stars. Rider had always loved looking up at the sky and wondering what lay beyond what he could see. Apparently, Deadshot had that same fascination, and together, they discussed the constellations and everything they didn’t know about space.
That night, Rider slept well. He still missed his bed, but he had gotten used to sleeping outside. The first while was scary, but with Deadshot by his side, things didn’t seem as daunting.
The next morning, they woke up early again. Rider had only slept late a couple of times, and those were on days when it was raining. Deadshot was very much a morning person and believed that they had to be ready to start their day at the first rays of sunlight. That was another thing that Rider had gotten used to. He still didn’t particularly like it, but he understood that they had to use all the time they had available to them.
The plan was to go to another small town. They had been to so many towns that Rider had forgotten most of their names.Maybe one day he would return to them and visit instead of simply passing through.
For now, he only had one concern, and that was finding information about Quincy and his gang. The town was still a good few miles away, but Deadshot had said that they should reach it by that afternoon. Rider really hoped that they would learn something useful there because he was starting to feel hopeless.
Deadshot was trying to keep Rider positive, but he knew that time was running out for his sister and mother. If they were still alive, he had to find them.
Chapter 25
Quincy wasn’t having a particularly good day. His new horse just wasn’t good enough, and his men were being idiots. It had been months, and he was still furious about his gold having been stolen, and he couldn’t believe that none of the men sent after the boy had returned. Some nights, he lay awake, wondering what had happened that night. Quincy loved being a mystery to other people but hated not knowing things.
He had barely left the cave in months, and he was starting to get frustrated. Even with Sarah there to keep him company, he longed to go on raids and have some fun. Things were too quiet, too boring. He needed some excitement. With that thought in mind, he made his way to Sarah and Isabelle’s room. Quincy was well aware of the fact that he had become too reliant on Sarah. He didn’t like the fact that he based his happiness on somebody else.
What had started as a simple way to relieve himself of his worries and anxieties had turned into something more. Sarah was different from other women. She was beautiful, smart, and made his heart beat faster than in a gunfight. Of course, he had never admitted any of this to her. He couldn’t allow her to knowthat she had that kind of power over him. Her mother was still way too influential in the girl’s life, and he needed to change that. He needed to separate them and show Sarah that she was better off with him than with her lousy mother.
He was still trying to figure out how he was going to go about doing that. The idea was to get Sarah to stay with him willingly and to give him what he wanted without argument or question. He wasn’t a pushover, though. If she didn’t agree to give him what he wanted, he would simply take it. Sarah didn’t really have a choice in the matter, but it would be much easier and a lot more fun if she were with him willingly.
Quincy unlocked the door from the outside and made his way in. During the time the women had been there, they had attempted to make their room a little more comfortable. If it wasn’t for his growing feelings for Sarah, he wouldn’t have cared to do that. He definitely didn’t do it for Isabelle. In fact, he couldn’t stand Sarah’s mother. The woman was bossy and thought she knew better than he did. No woman knew better than he did.
He had added an extra bed so that they didn’t have to share, and so Sarah didn’t have to sleep on the bed that the other men used for Isabelle. He had also added a little desk for them and given them some books to read. That was as much as he could do for them. He simply did not trust Isabelle at all and couldn’t allow them out of the room. He knew she would try to convince Sarah to escape, and he couldn’t risk losing her.
“Come,” he said, holding out his hand.
Sarah shared a strange look with her mother, but then got up and followed him out of the room, taking his hand. He liked the way her small fingers felt between his larger ones. He led her to his bedroom and then closed the door be hind them.
“Take your clothes off,” Quincy instructed.
“I will,” Sarah replied. “But first, there is something I need to tell you.”
This was a new development. Usually, Quincy had to force Sarah to talk to him. This was the first time she was willingly starting a conversation.
“All right,” Quincy agreed. “I’m listening.”
Sarah shifted from one foot to the other as she twirled her long blonde hair between her fingers. Quincy loved her hair and insisted that she wear it loose.
“I . . .” she trailed off, clearly nervous.
Quincy raised a brow. “You what?”
Sarah took a deep breath, then let it out before making eye contact with him. “I believe that I am with child.”
