A Longer Fall (Gunnie Rose #2)(9)

“He’s not always like a sore bear?”

“No, and I thank God for it. Maybe getting hurt knocked something off his shoulders.”

I shrugged. “Okay, Maddy, let’s do it again,” I said, trying not to sound as tired as I felt. Once again, I pulled her to her feet. I left my rifle and bag with Jake, because I figured I’d come back to get him and the crate.

I hesitated for a long moment. Maybe I should get Jake to the wagon first. Jake’s color was bad. But I’d already gotten Maddy up, and I couldn’t see repeating the process.

After ten halting steps with Maddy’s arm around my shoulders, I knew I needed help.

But there was none. I had to keep my eyes fixed on the ground to avoid any rocks or ruts that would upset our wavering progress. The sweat was running down my back. My arm throbbed worse and worse. I glanced up to see the tent was not as close as I had hoped. I forced myself to lurch ahead, Maddy hanging on to me silently as she struggled.

“Do you need help?” an accented voice asked.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked to my left, real slowly, not breathing, which didn’t help a bit. There stood someone I’d been sure I’d never see again.





CHAPTER FOUR


I felt like someone had struck me in the chest. I sucked in air from deep in my middle.

Maddy said, “Is this guy okay?” She began to reach for her gun with a trembling hand.

“He’s a friend,” I said, my eyes fixed on his. “Maddy, this is Eli Savarov. I worked with him a few months ago.”

Eli looked down at me steadily. I could not read his face.

I had so many questions and I could not squeeze out a one of them. They’d kind of gotten stuck in my throat from all trying to get through at once.

Eli bent a little to put his arm around Maddy. It touched mine. I said, “Now.” We began moving again. Eli was a lot taller than me, but he bent and I stretched, and we got her there much faster than if I alone had been supporting her.

Maddy surely had a lot of questions, but the pain sapped her curiosity. I was glad of that.

We delivered Maddy to the wagon as it was about to leave. There was just enough room for her next to Rogelio, who had already been loaded up. He looked pleased when Maddy was deposited beside him, to the point of grinning at her. Even with the broken nose, it was not a bad effort.

“I’ll see you in town,” I told them, and Rogelio blew me a kiss. The wagon lurched into motion.

“Those are friends of yours, I take it,” Eli said in a funny way. He was standing about a foot from me, too close, but it would be prissy to tell him to take a step away.

“New crew,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“You first,” Eli said with a polite smile.

Huh. Okay. “I’m on a job with my new crew,” I said. “Hardly likely I’d come to Dixie for sightseeing.” I glanced up. Eli’s eyes were narrow and green, just like I remembered.

“That’s for damn sure,” Eli said, and it sounded funny, with his slight Russian accent.

“How’s my sister?” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Eli took my hand. “Felicia’s well. You got her letter?”

“I think I’ve gotten three now. I hope she keeps writing.” I took a deep breath. “Why are you here?”

He did not let go of my hand. “I’m on a… business trip.”

Since Eli was a grigori, a wizard of the Holy Russian Empire, which used to be California and Oregon (my mom had taught me), that might mean almost anything.

“Got a partner with you?” His previous partner, Paulina, was dead. She’d died twice. That I knew of.

“No. I had hoped to hire you.”

“I didn’t see you in Segundo Mexia knocking on my door,” I said, my voice level. I had to stay hard.

“You were already gone when I got there,” Eli said. “I missed you by a few hours.”

I didn’t know what to do with that news. “I’ve got to get back to Jake,” I said. Eli let go of my hand and we began walking to the tree. My crew leader was where I’d left him. But now he was sitting funny.

A few seconds ago I would have told you I couldn’t run, but I did. When I was close enough to see clearly, I stopped dead and covered my face with my hands for just a moment. Then I made myself look again.

Jake still had his back against the tree, but now he slumped to his left. His shirt was soaked dark with blood from where he’d been stabbed in the throat. His eyes were open. He was dead. The crate that was tucked under his arm had been pulled away and ripped apart. The chest inside it was gone.

“I left him alone for ten minutes,” I said through clenched teeth. I felt Eli behind me, but I wasn’t exactly talking to him. I just had to say it out loud. “Ten damn minutes. And he couldn’t even stay alive that long.” Dammit. I was yelling when I finished.

After a moment of letting the world settle into a new pattern, I was able to understand that my Winchester and Jake’s guns were still on the ground by his side. In fact, one of his guns was in his right hand. Whoever had killed him had wanted to get away with the chest so bad they hadn’t stolen the guns along with it.

Nothing was more sellable than guns. And my leather bag was lying right there too.