Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gray and Luke followed the horse tracks as fast as they could, riding like the devil himself was after them. If Casey had Jessie, he wouldn’t wait long to kill her.
He prayed it was her father’s men who had taken her. Her father wanted her alive, so there would be a better chance Gray would find her unharmed.
They saw a small, rundown cabin in the distance. Gray signaled to Luke, and they brought the horses to an abrupt halt.
There were three horses outside the cabin, tied up to a nearby tree. He recognized one of them as Jessie’s. Fear twisted around his heart at the thought of who could have her.
Gray and Luke dismounted in the safety of the woods that guarded them from view, and crept closer on foot.
Luke drew his gun and his brows furrowed together as he nodded at Gray in silent understanding.
Gray fought every instinct he had to storm the cabin and kill everyone inside to make sure Jessie was alive. But he knew he had to be more careful.
The familiar weight of his weapon calmed his nerves, and they crept closer. But apprehension swept through him as they got close enough to hear sounds of a struggle coming from inside the cabin before silence enveloped them.
They walked up the front steps of the cabin, moving to the side of the door in case someone came barreling out of it. Luke clenched his jaw tight and flicked his gun at the window next to him, indicating that Gray should take a look inside.
Gray cursed under his breath as the sound of a crash broke the silence and yelling erupted inside.
He slid next to Luke and looked through the window. Jessie was with Casey. She ran behind a table, putting distance between them. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he could see that Jessie had another black eye, and she was trembling with fear, her gaze never leaving Casey.
It was all he needed to see.
Gray ran to the front porch and kicked down the front door, wood splintering to pieces as it thundered open. He rushed inside and Casey swung around to face him, gun in hand, turning his back to Jessie. Jessie gasped, and her eyes flew to his in terror and then recognition.
Luke and Gray stopped just inside the door, guns drawn. A gunshot broke the silence as someone fired at the two of them. Luke cursed loudly, and his gun fell to the floor with a thud. He dove behind the rickety bed in the corner, flipping it over for protection.
Jessie dove for Luke’s gun, landing on the ground next to it. She flipped onto her back and fired a shot into the kitchen. A bullet landed between Butch’s eyes, and surprise rippled through Gray when he realized it was Butch who had shot at Luke.
Gray’s vision went red, and he lunged for Casey, knowing he had to take him in alive. A roar of anger escaped him as he grabbed Casey around the waist. Gray threw his whole body into Casey, tackling him to the ground.
The gun fell from Casey’s hands and landed a few feet away. His fists came up to fight off Gray, but Gray straddled him, trapping the gunfighter. His fists swung recklessly at Casey’s face in rage. All the anger at the months of searching poured out of Gray as his fists connected, leaving him bloodied. Casey passed out and stopped struggling, but the fury that Gray felt didn’t stop and he kept pummeling his opponent.
Luke came up behind him and ripped him off Casey. “We need him alive!” he shouted.
Breathing heavily, Gray finally calmed down, chest heaving from the exertion he had expelled. His senses finally came back to him, and he looked over at Jessie as Luke found rope to tie up Casey.
His heart broke at the sight of her. She was near tears, but her face filled with relief as she rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck, holding on to him fiercely. Her whole body shook as he wrapped his arms around her.
He held on to her with all his strength. If they hadn’t found her when they did, she’d be dead by now. But he had found her in time, and he hadn’t lost her.
She was okay. The fear and worry he’d been holding onto evaporated into thin air once he held her in his arms.
The desire to hold her for forever was difficult to overcome. He slowly pushed her away, and the tears that had been pooling her eyes escaped, streaking down her face.
“I killed him,” she said softly. He knew that she was talking about Butch. He knew she’d never killed anyone before, and he was afraid she’d regret it.
“You had to,” Gray said as he squeezed her, his arm reaching around her back to rub it gently. “If you hadn’t, we’d all be dead.” He hoped his words brought her comfort.
She wiped away the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. “You found me. I didn’t think I was going to make it out of here alive.” Her voice was soft and distant in disbelief.
He cupped her chin and angled her face up to meet his. His mouth covered hers hungrily; he needed to be close to her. She sank into his kiss, draping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close.
“I’ve been a fool,” he admitted when his lips left hers. “When I thought Casey was going to kill you, I realized I can’t live without you.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
Is this what love was? The feeling of not being able to let someone go, and not be able to continue life without them by your side? He needed her with him, and he could not let her go after everything they’d been through together. She was strong, independent, and fierce, but she also had a soft and tender side to her that he needed and enjoyed. He needed her, and he would not give her up. Seeing her almost die had brought everything into perspective.
“It doesn’t matter if you won’t marry me right now. I’ll wait until you come to your senses and realize what it took me almost losing you to see. I love you. If I have to wait years for you to love me too, I will.”
He would follow her anywhere she wanted to go. To start a farm and retire from being a gunslinger, or to escape her father. He would do whatever it took to get her to be with him.
She opened her mouth to speak, but faint laughter from Casey had them both looking in his direction. Luke stood near Casey, who was tied up and sitting on the ground. He looked between Gray and Luke.
“Well, I’ll be.” Casey laughed, but the laughter didn’t reach his voice or his face. “If it ain’t John Hammond’s boys.”
Gray’s whole body tensed, and a chill crept up his spine at the mention of his father. His eyes snapped to Luke’s in question, but Luke’s eyes were glued to Casey, and he stood motionless.
Jessie had stiffened as well, pulling out of his grasp to stare at Casey.
“What do you know about John?” Gray asked, spacing the words evenly.
“You mean your old man?”
The contempt in Casey’s voice sparked Gray’s anger. He clenched his jaw and waited.
“Wouldn’t you want to know?” Casey said.
Luke kicked Casey in the side forcefully. Casey laughed, his sinister chuckling filling the room.
“Either come out with it, or shut up,” Luke snarled.
Casey sat up, wiping the blood on his chin with his shoulder. The scar that pulled his face into a sneer was red from chafing.
“I’d know John’s kids anywhere. How about a trade? You let me go, I’ll tell you where to find the man who killed your parents,” he said slowly, mocking the two brothers.
Jessie’s breath hissed out from between her teeth, and her eyes snapped to Gray’s.
Gray’s head was spinning, unable to comprehend what Casey was saying. They had searched for the men—or man—who killed their parents for years, but the trail had been too cold to actually get anywhere.
“We can’t trust him,” Gray said slowly, looking at Luke. “If we let him go, he’ll run and we won’t ever find him. He’s probably lying about knowing anything just to get his freedom.”
Luke straightened and sighed. “We have to take the chance,” he said, turning to face Gray.
Gray pinched the bridge of his nose in thought, shaking his head. “If he’s lying, we get nowhere, and you’re still wanted for murder.”
Jessie stepped forward, placing a hand on Luke’s arm in comfort. “He’s right, you can’t risk it. There has to be another way to find the people who killed your parents. You don’t need him.”
Luke shook his head, opened his arms wide, and shrugged. “Fine. But if we can’t find the people responsible, I’ll never forgive you.” He jabbed his finger into Gray’s chest, and Gray’s heart clenched. Luke had never gotten over the death of their parents, and he never would.
The hair on the back of Gray’s neck stood up, and a feeling of unease came over him. It was the same feeling he got when Luke had agreed to go into hiding but didn’t. He watched his brother carefully, and Luke cocked an eyebrow, his lips pressed into a thin white line.
“We need to get him to the sheriff,” Jessie said.
Everything hit Gray at once. It was over. Once they got Casey into town, they would be able to clear Luke’s name, and their lives could return to the way they should be. They would probably have some bounty hunters to deal with who weren’t aware Casey was the man who had put the bounty on them, but they could handle the few who didn’t get the word that the bounty was lifted.
When they got him into town, everything would be set straight.