Chapter 13
San Francisco, California
The room was still dark when I woke up in San Francisco the next morning.
The relief that washed over me was so overwhelming, I closed my eyes to thank God.
At this very moment, Cole might be on his way to Sacramento to write his novels, and though I had encouraged him to go, I hadn’t knowingly changed history.
But it had changed in a small, positive way.
For that, I was truly grateful. Something good had come out of this horrible situation.
Hazel was asleep next to me, and I could hear the steady breathing of Sam on the floor. Noise from the gambling hall never ended, but there was a new sound. The torn canvas flapping in the wind.
The S. S. Tango had been luxurious, and Spencer had been right. I knew dozens of people there. They’d been surprised to see me, and several seemed curious about me and Spencer. But most of them ignored us.
Spencer had disappeared for almost an hour while I sat at a roulette table with Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow. When he came back, his face was grim, and I saw Kent Parrot and George Cryer leave the room, moving in the opposite direction.
As I lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but wonder how I had ended up in the lives of two men who partook in such questionable activities.
And I prayed I wouldn’t be taken down with them.
I wanted to ask Spencer why he met with those men, but I doubted he would tell me.
Was he invested in their businesses? Why else would they have regular meetings?
For the rest of the night, Spencer flirted with me and lavished so much attention on me, no one on that ship would question his intentions toward me. He was so convincing, I even forgot several times that it was an act.
There was movement on the floor, and soon Sam rose from the pallet. He tried to be quiet, but he saw that I was awake and smiled.
My heart did a funny flip, and I smiled back, all thoughts of Spencer fleeing from my mind. I sat up, trying not to disturb Hazel, and pulled the quilt up to my neck.
Sam motioned to the kitchen, a question in his eyes.
I nodded as he stood, gathered his things, and left the room, allowing me a little privacy.
The room was cool as I stepped out of bed and reached down to lift Johnnie off the floor. He moaned—the only sound I’d ever heard him make—as I laid him on the bed next to Hazel. Neither woke, and I hoped they would continue to sleep for a few more hours.
I dressed as quickly as I could and then went to the kitchen door.
Sam had pulled on his shirt. It was buttoned and tucked in his trousers. He was at the stove, lighting a fire, and the flames flickered across his handsome face while a candle on the table gave scant light to the room.
I left the door open in case someone else tried to enter through the hole in the canvas and walked over to the pail of water I had brought in the night before.
“Good morning,” Sam said as he closed the firebox door and stood, wiping the sawdust and debris from his hands.
Something had shifted when he’d said my name the night before and touched my cheek, but I wasn’t sure if the shift was in me or him.
“Good morning.” I set the bucket on the table.
He was about to speak when someone pounded on the back door.
The suddenness made me jump and slosh the water.
“Open up, Sam! I know she’s in there.”
Sam’s body tensed, and his hand came out almost like he was shielding me as he pushed me behind him.
My heart beat hard as the man outside continued to pound on the door.
“I’ll tear this building down if you don’t give her back to me.”
“Who is it?” I whispered.
Sam didn’t answer me as he walked to the door and unlocked it. When he opened it, English Jim stood in the doorway, the light from the candle reaching his angry, scarred face.
He glared at Sam. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know—”
Jim stepped into the room and pressed his face close to Sam’s.
Sam tried to hold his position, but Jim forced him backward.
“I know she’s here.” Jim put his hand on the hilt of the large knife he wore at his side. “I’ll cut you limb by limb until you tell me where she’s at, and I’ll take down anyone who stands in my way.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam said again, his jaw tight. “Or who you’re talking about.”
“You know I’m talking about Rose.” They were still nose to nose. “She told Sadie she was coming here.”
I tried not to breathe or draw any attention as I stood next to the cookstove. Was Rose the woman Sam had in the shed last night? The one I’d seen and heard? When Bill had broken in, he’d told Sam he was looking for Rosie.
“I know she’s here.” Jim pulled back, squinting. “And I’m going to find her.”
“Get off my property.” Sam filled his chest with air.
“Rose isn’t here, and you’re wasting your time.
If you or any of your cronies damage anything else—or anyone else—on my property, you’ll regret it.
I might not have the manpower you do, but I have enough men who are still loyal to me, and we could make it hurt. ”
“You’re playing with fire, Sam.” Jim pulled back and glanced in my direction. He looked between us. “I don’t know what you need with Rose if you’ve got this filly in your stable.”
Sam took a menacing step. “Get out of here. Now.”
Jim let his lecherous gaze linger on me, and I pulled back, lowering my eyes, wanting him gone.
“If I hear that Rose was here, you’ll pay for it. No one gets one of my girls for free,” Jim growled and then left the kitchen with the door open.
Sam crossed the room and closed the door, pausing for a minute before he turned to me. “I’m sorry.”
My entire body shook. First the man tearing into the room, and then English Jim and his horrible accusations against Sam. I couldn’t live in this place any longer if it put Hazel or me at risk, and he needed to know.
“I saw her,” I whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “And heard her with you in the shed.”
He started to cross the room. “It’s not what you think.”
I pulled back, though there was nowhere to go. Shaking my head, I said, “I can’t trust you or anyone else. I can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous.” I moved past him to get Hazel. “I have to find—”
He gently captured my arm, causing me to pause at his side.
“It has been dangerous,” he agreed, a plea in his voice. “But everywhere is dangerous. I promise, Ally, what you saw and heard last night in the shed—I wasn’t entertaining her.”
“What were you doing, then?” I finally looked up and saw the sincerity—and desperation—in his eyes.
“I wish I could tell you. I want to tell you.” He let go of my arm. “But the less you know, the better.”
Disappointment wrapped around my heart as I continued to shake my head. He sounded like Spencer. “I can’t stay here if I can’t trust you and if you can’t trust me.”
“You can trust me,” he said, just above a whisper. “Rose was here, but she came asking for help. Nothing more.”
I frowned, wanting to believe him but uncertain if I could. He was a convicted killer. A Sydney Duck. “Did you help her?”
“I tried.”
“What if Jim learns about it?”
“It’s a risk I have to take.”
“But what about Hazel and Johnnie and—”
“And you?” Several emotions flickered across his face. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to any of you. But I understand if you want to leave.” He swallowed and looked down at his hands. “I just hope you choose not to.”
My breath was coming fast as I tried to think.
“The hotel on Portsmouth Square isn’t ready to open, but the building has a roof and walls. You and the children can move there, and the men can work around you.” He shook his head. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”
“Who will run this place until the other one is ready?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You can’t lose the income from Bess’s Place.”
“I’ll find a way.” He let out a breath, and I knew it was hard for him to say, “I’ll take out a loan if I must.”
“I don’t want you to do that.” I licked my dry lips, trying to calm my nerves, remembering what I had planned to ask him.
“What if—” I paused, unsure how he’d react.
“What if I told you that I know where the next big gold strike will be, and we have time to get there before the others? We can collect all the placer gold we need. It will be more than enough to finish your building, and I can put some aside for Father and Hazel.” I was going to tell him my plans to help Mama and Papa, too, but that seemed like too much for now.
He pulled back, confusion on his brow. “What do you mean?”
I tried to take a steady breath. This wasn’t how I had planned to ask. “I know about a gold strike that hasn’t happened yet on the Yuba River. If we go now, we can get there before anyone else and have all the gold we need.”
Sam took a step back, shaking his head. “I told myself I would never chase after riches. That was my father’s only aim in life, and it destroyed our family. I didn’t come to California for the gold.”
“Why did you come?”
He ran his hand over his face and turned away. “To get as far away from my past as I could.”
I was quiet for a moment, then said, “I came for gold. For my father and for my sister. It might be shallow or foolish, but that’s why I’m here. I can’t go alone, and Father isn’t well enough to make the trip with me.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m asking if you will come with me.”
He was so quiet, I was afraid he wouldn’t respond.
But then he turned back to me and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”
With those last words, he left the kitchen.
Sam hadn’t returned before I began to prepare breakfast. I was still shaking from Jim’s unexpected arrival and surprised that Hazel and Johnnie had slept through it. Paddy and Father had come down, and Father tried to help with breakfast but needed to rest every few minutes.