The Innocent And The Outlaw. Harper George St.
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she moved a few inches toward him, her smaller body almost completely hidden behind him. Without thinking, he moved his left hand back a little until his fingers found the thin, rough wool of the skirt of her dress. The strange thought went through his mind that she should be clothed in something finer, something softer.
“Has she told you anything?” Cas spoke in Spanish, his eyes hard as they sought those of the girl. From the corner of his eye, Hunter caught her glaring back at his brother over his shoulder.
The entire gang spoke Spanish, so Hunter was fluent after riding with them for years, and replied back in that language. It was best the girl not know what they were saying. “She admitted to being Campbell’s stepdaughter, but she doesn’t know anything about Miguel. This was a waste of time.”
Cas’s booted feet sounded heavy on the bare wood floor as he took a step to cross the few feet separating them from the door until he stood before them. “She’s all we have.”
“Campbell took your brother to get to us. Miguel didn’t have anything to do with the shoot-out. Campbell will make contact soon enough once he’s figured out what he wants.”
Cas scowled, the anger vibrating off of him almost tangible. “And that coward will pay with his life.” Nodding to the girl, he said, “We’ll keep her until he comes out of hiding.”
Hunter swallowed a curse, even though the proclamation came as no surprise. The last thing he wanted was to sit with the girl while they waited for Campbell to crawl out from whatever hole he’d disappeared into, though he knew his brother was right. They needed leverage when dealing with Campbell. He still thought they had a chance to track him down, a chance that dwindled the longer they wasted time chasing the wrong lead. There were still plenty of scum out there who knew Campbell and someone knew where he was hiding. “Send Zane back to town and put out the word that we have her. Afterwards, we can take her to a safe place and keep looking. Campbell will come out of hiding soon enough. He wants you more than he wants Miguel dead.”
Cas shook his head and his brow furrowed. “I’d like to believe that. Hate is a bitter thing. He could kill him just to spite me.”
“He won’t. We’ll find him, Cas. Campbell’s been around too long to hold a death grudge over Hardy’s death. There were witnesses there that day. They saw him draw on you first. Campbell just wants to shake us up. It’s extortion.”
Cas nodded and his gaze jumped back to the girl. “Has she told you where she lives?”
“Northeast of town. We hadn’t got to the specifics yet.”
“You believe her?”
Hunter smiled. “Not a damn word. She’s smart.”
“You seem impressed, Brother.”
“Intrigued.”
“Don’t get too intrigued. She’s not just another one of your women. She could be the key to Miguel.”
“She could be.” Hunter shrugged, aware of the heat of her small body at his back. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy her company.”
“Save it for Susanne Harris when you get home.”
Grimacing at the reminder of Susanne and all the other scheming socialites waiting to throw themselves at him upon his return to Helena, he shook his head. Their attention came from the fact that he was heir to a mining fortune and almost no one there knew he was an outlaw. It didn’t hurt that he wasn’t hard to look at as well, but his looks weren’t what had them all scheming for marriage. Aside from a couple of indiscretions when he’d been too young to know better, he gave socialites a wide berth. “You’re an ass. You deserve Susanne.”
Cas flashed a smile, but the moment of levity was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Just don’t forget our purpose.”
“I’ve never let you down, brother. This one is smart, but she’s also afraid. If she knew where Miguel was taken she would’ve given him up. I have the feeling her loyalty to Campbell doesn’t extend as far as you think. I’ll find out where she lives and you can ride out there.”
Cas nodded in agreement. “I’ll take Zane with me. If Campbell isn’t there I’ll send him into town and come back here to question her myself.”
Hunter leveled a long stare at his brother. Though they’d only discovered each other’s existence in adulthood, Hunter knew him as well as if they had been raised together. It was Cas’s loyalty to his younger brother mixed with a heavy dose of guilt that made him talk so hard.
Switching to English, Hunter turned back to the girl and asked her exactly where her farm was located. Still glaring at his brother, she told them, keeping her voice firm and full of the contempt she felt for Cas. A little spark of pride surprised him as he watched her face them down. Fear and uncertainty shone in the depths of her eyes, but she kept her voice steady and her body didn’t tremble. Her chin even rose a notch in that cute little way she had. He found himself smiling at her before he even realized it and crossed his arms over his chest, glancing down briefly as he forced himself to look as fierce as he was supposed to be.
Despite what had happened before they had been interrupted, Cas was right. She was Campbell’s daughter. As much as Hunter would enjoy that seduction and especially how it would rankle the old son of a bitch, he wasn’t in the habit of seducing his enemies. Besides that, there was a purity about her. She must have seen horrible things living with her stepfather, but they seemed to have left her unmarked. She wasn’t like the others in her world and for some reason he admired her a little.
“If you’re lying, querida, you’ll have to face me come morning,” Cas warned in his slightly accented English, a wink and the hint of a smile softening the words, but not the threat. Hunter placed a hand on his brother’s chest and lightly pushed him back, not stopping until they reached the door.
“We’ll find him.”
Cas nodded, holding her gaze just a little longer before turning to leave, but the moment he opened the door, a shot rang out and a bullet splintered the flimsy wood at the top of the frame.
“Get down,” Hunter called back to Emmy, and drew his Colt as he moved back to crouch in front of her. Cas drew his own gun and immediately shot back, the inside of the cabin filling with the explosion of the bullet being fired, before he laid himself flat against the wall. Another shot quickly rang out, this one so close that it had to be Zane returning fire.
“He’s taking off!” Zane’s voice carried inside as he ran toward his horse. “I’ll get him.”
Cas looked out, keeping an eye out for any other shooters. “Campbell’s man. Looked like O’Brien.”
Hunter looked to the girl for any reaction, but she didn’t seem particularly upset if she recognized the name. “We can’t stay here. There could be others out there.” Staying could put her in danger and they couldn’t risk that.
Nodding in agreement, Cas said, “Go to the cavern. We’ll find her farm, get the word out that we have her and meet you there.”
Cas took one more look into the darkened clearing around the shack and then made for his horse. Hunter holstered his gun, intending to collect the saddlebags.
There was another shot, this time much further away in the direction Zane had ridden chasing O’Brien. He looked up to make sure there were no riders coming toward them and saw that her face was pale. “You okay?”
She nodded, a jerking motion that she tried to disguise by turning her face to the fire, making him think she wasn’t.
Pausing in the act of repacking, he gripped his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to her. “Do you know him?”
“O’Brien? No, I mean, the name is familiar.”
At that, he rose to his feet and walked the few steps to stand beside her. Before he could stop himself, he was touching her shoulder. “This isn’t me interrogating you. I just want to make sure