But because of the quiet strength she carried. Garrick and Merrell respected her. And I understood why. It wasn't just that she was beautiful. She was commanding.
"Dax." She said later as we were getting ready to turn in. "Can I speak with you?" "Alone?" We stepped out onto the porch. The night air was cool, filled with the sound of crickets.
Above us the stars burned bright against a velvet sky. "You sure about this?" She asked. "Helping me go after Holt. You could walk away. Start fresh somewhere else."
I turned to her. Once again struck by how she could meet my eyes without ever needing to look up. In the moonlight, she looked like something out of legend. Beautiful. Fierce.
Impossible to turn away from. "I'm not going anywhere." I said. "Not without you." "Dax." "We've only known each other a day."
"I know." I cut in gently. "It's crazy. But I've spent most of my life running from things. And I'm tired of it."
I took a slow breath. For the first time, I found something worth staying for. She stepped closer. Close enough that I could see the starlight reflected in her dark eyes. "And what is that?" She asked.
"You." I answered. Plain and simple. She kissed me then. Soft at first. Unsure.
Then deeper as I pulled her close. She was strong. Warm. And felt like she belonged right there in my arms. And in that moment, I knew one thing for certain.
No matter what waited for us ahead. No matter what we faced with Varick Holt. I wasn't going to let anything happen to her. "I've never felt this way about anyone." She whispered against my lips. "Neither have I." I said.
"And I'm not about to lose it now." The ride to Rook Vatcher's cabin took us through rough country. The kind that kept most folks away and gave a man a hundred places to disappear if he needed to. Exactly the kind of ground someone like him would choose to vanish into. "There." Sihaya said.
Pointing toward a thin trail of smoke rising behind a stand of pines. "That's got to be his place." We moved in. Slow. Careful.
A man living like that didn't take kindly to surprises. Just like we expected. We hadn't closed half the distance when a voice cut through the trees. "That's far enough." "State your business."
"Sihaya." She called back. Steady and clear. "Sister of Cairo." There was a long pause. Then the sound of boots moving through brush.
The man who stepped out looked about my age. Lean. Sharp-eyed. The kind who stayed alive by thinking fast and shooting faster. When he saw her, something in his face shifted.
Recognition. And something close to regret. "Damn, Sihaya." He said quietly. "I heard about Cairo. Wish I'd been there."
"You couldn't have stopped it." She replied. "But you can help make sure it doesn't happen again." His eyes slid to me. Measuring. "And who's your friend?"
"Dax Calder." I said. Stepping down from the saddle. Keeping my hands where he could see them. Well clear of my guns. His eyes narrowed just a touch.
"Dax Calder." "The one who took down the Jameson crew alone?" "That was a long time ago." I said. "I'm trying to be someone else now." "Someone like what?"
"The kind of man who stops men like Varick Holt before they ruin more lives." Rook didn't answer right away. He just stood there. Studying both of us. Then finally, he jerked his head toward the cabin.
"All right." He said. "Come on." "Let's talk." The cabin was small. But it had the feel of a place someone had worked hard to make into a home.
Books lined a shelf. A guitar rested in the corner. And the smell of fresh bread drifted from the back. "I've been out of that life 6 months." Rook said. Pouring coffee into tin cups.
"Got a little garden. A few chickens. Nobody shooting at me. Ain't much. But it's honest."
"Sihaya's brother tried to walk away, too." I said quietly. "Holt killed him for it." Rook's hand tightened around his cup. "How long you think before he decides you know too much to let live?" Sihaya added. Silence hung in the room.
"What exactly are you asking of me?" He said at last. "Help us get inside Holt's operation." I said. "We need to know his plans for the Ash Trail Caravan and turn some of his men against him." Rook let out a dry breath. "You're talking about suicide."
"Holt doesn't trust anyone. Especially not someone who walked away. He'd kill me the second he saw me." "Not if you bring him something he wants." Sihaya said. Rook frowned.
"Like what?" She and I exchanged a glance. We'd thought about it on the ride out here. But saying it out loud made it real. "Me." She said.
Rook nearly choked on his coffee. "You out of your mind?" "You want me to hand you over to Holt?" "Not exactly." Sihaya said calmly. "Just enough to make him believe you captured me.
That gets you close to him. Close enough to gather information. Maybe even pull some of his men to our side." "And then what?" Rook shot back. "How do you plan on getting out alive?"
"That's where I come in." I said. "While you're inside, I'll be positioned close enough to cover you when things go bad." "When doesn't it?" Rook Vatcher muttered dryly. "Not with Varick Holt in the picture." I answered.
Rook went quiet after that. Staring out the window at the peaceful valley he'd been trying to call home. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a weight to it. "Cairo saved my life twice when we rode with Holt." He said. "I owe him.
And I owe his sister seeing Holt pay for what he did." Sihaya stepped forward. "So." "Will you help us?" Rook nodded once.
"I'll help. But we do it my way, my plan. He leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp again. Holt's smart, suspicious. If we're going to fool him, we've got to be smarter.
What do you have in mind? I asked. A hard smile crept across his face. Holt's got a weakness, revenge. If he thinks I'm bringing him Cairo's sister to settle a score, he won't kill her right away.