Kaya shook her head. "No, it stays. But the weight of it changes. Right now we owe you everything. When the debt is settled, we'll owe you nothing."
"But the thread remains." "Sounds complicated." "Life is complicated." Cole couldn't argue with that. They reached Coldwater Springs late on the third day, the town sprawling along the banks of a wide, slow-moving river that gave the place its name.
It was bigger than Silver Ridge, more permanent, with brick buildings and paved streets that suggested people actually planned to stay. There was a hotel, a bank, a general store, and at least three saloons that Cole could see from the edge of town. "Fancy," Lyra said, looking around. "Don't get used to it," Cole replied. "We're just passing through."
They found Garrett's friend, a man named Hoskins, at the freight office near the river docks. He was a short, barrel-chested man with a thick beard and a voice like gravel being poured into a bucket. He looked the four of them over with sharp, assessing eyes and didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Garrett sent you?" he asked. "That's right," Cole said.
"You any good?" "Good enough." Hoskins grunted. "I need guards for a run to Canyon Bend. Three wagons, valuable cargo, high risk of bandits."
"Pays $50 each if you make it there and back without losing the goods." "What's the cargo?" "None of your business. You in or out?" Cole looked at the women.
Kaya nodded. Sani's expression didn't change. Lyra shrugged. "We're in," Cole said.
"Good. We leave tomorrow at first light. Don't be late." The run to Canyon Bend took a week, and it was every bit as tense as Hoskins had promised. The trail wound through rocky terrain perfect for ambushes, and twice they spotted riders shadowing them from a distance.
Each time, Cole and the others made a show of checking their weapons, and each time the riders melted back into the hills without making a move. On the fifth day, their luck ran out. It happened at a narrow pass where the trail squeezed between two sheer rock walls, the kind of place where even an idiot could see trouble coming. Cole had been riding point, eyes scanning the ridges above, when he saw the glint of sunlight on metal. "Ambush!" he shouted just as the first shot rang out.
The bullet punched into the side of the lead wagon, splintering wood. The driver cursed, hauling on the reins as the horses reared. Cole spurred his mount forward, pulling his rifle free, and fired twice at the ridge where he'd seen the glint. More shots answered, kicking up dirt around the wagons. Kaya was already off her horse, using the second wagon for cover, her own rifle up and steady.
Lyra had circled around to the rear, watching their backs, while Sani stayed mounted, trying to calm the panicked horses. "How many?" Kaya shouted. "At least six." Cole fired again, saw a figure stumble back on the ridge. "Maybe more."
The bandits had them pinned. Cole could see the strategy: keep them trapped in the pass, pick them off one by one, then take the wagons at their leisure. It was smart, too smart for the usual frontier rabble. "We need to move!" Hoskins yelled from the third wagon. "Sitting here gets us killed!"