Chapter 21 #2
They quickly left through the window and then headed back the way they came, wondering what to do.
“We have no idea how long he’s going to be gone,” Blade pointed out. “He might not even come back.”
“So what do you want to do? Should we just skip him and carry on with the list?”
Blade didn’t like leaving Mason alive, but they couldn’t simply stay in North Platte until he returned. “Yes, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We can’t just wait here and hope that he comes back. We can always return later.”
“We can’t let him get away simply because he isn’t here.” Dakota adjusted her hat and tugged some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
“We won’t. He’ll pay for what he has done, just like the rest of them. He’ll just get a little longer to enjoy his freedom.”
“I guess we get going then,” Dakota stated, glancing at Blade. “It’s a far way to Wyoming.”
Blade contemplated their options. They could start their journey to Wyoming, but it was already getting late, and they wouldn’t get far before they had to set up camp. “What do you say we stay at the inn tonight and leave first thing in the morning?”
The excitement on Dakota’s face was undeniable. “I’ve never slept in an inn before.”
“So is that a yes?”
“It sure is. Are we going to get supper there too?” she asked.
Blade shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
The inn had stables behind it where they could safely leave Africa and Riot for the night.
There was no way they were leaving their bags there, though, so they took all their belongings up to their room before heading back down to the dining hall.
The inn wasn’t big. There were only a couple of rooms, and some of them were being used for other activities.
They didn’t have a brothel in Silver, but it was quite obvious what was happening. There were only two women downstairs in the dining hall, and they kept looking at Blade. He had absolutely no interest in them and made it clear by ignoring them.
While they were eating, other men came in and disappeared up the stairs with the women. They had their own room and the door locked, so the place was safe enough to stay at, but he wasn’t sure if Dakota would want to since it was blatantly obvious what was going on.
“We can leave,” Blade offered. “We don’t have to go far.”
Dakota shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m tired, and we could both use a break. Just don’t sneak out at night for some entertainment.”
Blade froze. “You think I would do that?”
“No,” Dakota replied, her cheeks flushing red.
They changed the subject after that, but it was difficult to ignore as they made their way to their room. Loud noises were coming from behind some of the doors, and Dakota started to laugh.
“This is so wild,” she said, a mixture of emotions washing over her face.
Blade couldn’t agree more. The whole situation was strange, and he couldn’t quite figure out whether he felt embarrassed or fascinated.
Once inside their room, Blade locked the door behind them and took off his coat. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” he stated, since there was only one bed.
Dakota shook her head. “Don’t be silly. We can share the bed. It’s big enough.”
Blade’s stomach twisted at the thought. “If you’re sure.”
“Of course I am. We’ve slept together many times. Why would it be a problem now?”
“It’s not.” Blade kicked off his boots and sat down on the bed. It was different, though. Since he could remember, he and Dakota had had sleepovers at each other’s houses. It never felt strange, but back then, he had seen her as a friend, and now . . .
“Do you want to try this?” Dakota asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“What?” he asked, turning to look at her. She had a glass and the bottle of whiskey in her hand.
“Do you want to?” he asked in return.
Dakota nodded as she sat down on the bed across from him. “I don’t see why not.”
“That’s not why I bought it,” he pointed out.
“All right, I’ll put it back,” Dakota stated, starting to get up.
Blade grabbed her arm. “Hold on.”
Smiling, she turned back to him. “So is that a yes?”
“I mean, we have it. We might as well find out what all the fuss is about.”
Dakota handed the bottle to him. “Open it.”
“So demanding,” Blade laughed, but he did as she asked. He opened the bottle and poured some into the glass.
Dakota lifted the cup, sniffing its contents. Her nose scrunched up. “You go first,” she said, holding the cup out to him.
Blade placed the bottle on the bedside table and took the cup from her.
He knew the smell of alcohol and did not like it.
He hoped it tasted better. “Oh well, let’s give this a try,” he said, lifting the cup and taking a sip.
It was bitter and burned all the way down his throat.
“That’s horrible,” he breathed. “Worse than eating raw chilies.”
Dakota laughed and took the cup from him. “You’re such a baby.” She took a sip, her face turning red as she swallowed.
“Baby, huh?”
“Yeah.” She coughed, nearly spilling the alcohol. “It isn’t that bad.”
Blade lifted an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.
Dakota lifted the cup and took another sip. “Just checking if it gets better.” She held out the cup to Blade again.
“Does it?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, might need a few more sips for that to happen.”
Blade was having fun, and it was nice. The whiskey was horrible, but joking around with Dakota was something he would never get tired of.
They hadn’t filled up the glass to start with, so there were only a few sips for each of them in it, and they didn’t pour more.
The idea wasn’t to get drunk, simply to taste, but Blade’s head still spun a little.
He wasn’t sure if he liked the sensation.
It definitely wasn’t something he wanted to do often.
Dakota agreed, finally giving in and admitting that it tasted horrible.
From the room across the hall, they could still hear noises, but it didn’t bother Blade as much.
They were safe in their room, and he was feeling a little less anxious about his newly developed feelings for Dakota.