Clara moved to the safe. It was locked. Of course, she bit her lip. She could not pick a safe. She scanned the room.
Men like Pike were arrogant. They did not think anyone would dare touch their things. She checked the desk drawers. Nothing. She checked the hollow of the false book on the shelf.
Nothing. Then she saw it. A jacket hanging on the chair. Pike's dinner jacket. She patted the pockets.
Her fingers brushed cold metal. A key on a chain. She grabbed it. She went to the safe. The key fit.
The heavy door swung open. Inside, stacked among bundles of cash, was a black leather book. She grabbed it. She opened it to a random page. Judge Halloway, $500.
Sheriff Miller, $200. "Got you," she whispered. The door to the hallway opened. Clara froze. Haron Pike stood in the doorway.
He was a large man with silver hair and a face that looked like it had been stamped from a coin. He was holding a candle. He saw the open safe. He saw Clara. "Well," Pike said, his voice smooth and terrifyingly calm.
"I was wondering when you would try. " Clara did not hesitate. She threw the heavy ledger at the candle in his hand. The candle flew. Darkness engulfed the room. Clara dove for the door.
Pike lunged, grabbing her skirt. She kicked backward, her heel connecting with his shin. He grunted and let go. She scrambled into the hallway. Thief.
Pike roared. Guards. Clara sprinted for the back stairs. Heavy boots were thundering up from the lobby. She burst out the back door into the alley.
Run, she screamed at Eli. They scrambled onto their horses. A gunshot cracked the air, the bullet chipping the brick inches from Eli's head. "Go, go! " Eli shouted, slapping her horse's rump. They tore out of the alley, hooves striking sparks on the cobblestones.