love to have an excuse to shoot you.”
Fargo stayed to the side and in clear view of both of them as the driver moved the horses and buggy as he had been told to do.
“What do you want from me, Fargo?” Sarah Brant asked, her voice almost a hiss. “I’ve done nothing to you.”
Her driver climbed down and tied off the horses. Fargo continued to make sure that he could see both of them every second.
“I have a bullet hole through me that says otherwise,” Fargo said. “And you killed a good friend of mine and his son.”
“I had nothing to do with any of that,” she said, glaring at him.
“Of course you didn’t,” Fargo said. “I’m sure all of this was your father’s idea.”
She continued glaring and said nothing.
“Now, please step down from the buggy. Leave your bag.”
“Why should I?” she asked.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll have to drag you down. And I don’t think you’d like that.”
Reluctantly, she stood and climbed to the ground. He motioned that she should move over and stand beside her guard and she did. The guard stepped a half step away from her, glaring at her. Fargo had no idea what that was about, and didn’t much care.
Fargo took a thin rope he had hanging from his belt and tossed it to the guard. “Tie her up, feet to her hands, nice and tight.”
“I will not be trussed up like a common criminal,” she said.
“But you are a common criminal,” Fargo said. “Just because you’re a woman doesn’t excuse you from what you’ve done. Now sit down and let him tie you up.”
“I will not.”
He smirked at her. Then he walked over to her, slid his arm around her shoulders, and kicked her feet out from under her. He moved so quickly that she didn’t have time to put up any kind of fight.
She looked like a humiliated little girl sitting next to her guard. Her cheeks flamed. Her lips formed unladylike words. Her eyes burned with rage.
Fargo bent down and started to tie her up, chuckling to himself, yanking the cord tight, making sure that she wouldn’t get free.
“My father will kill you for this.”
But Fargo’s attention was now on the driver. He ignored Sarah Brant and her anger.
He glared at the driver and said, “How’d you get hooked up with somebody like this, anyway?”
The driver shrugged. “Well, first of all, she’s not a bad-looking lady. And she’s got a lot of money. But when they started talking about attacking Sharon’s Dream, with you on the other side, I decided I was going to have no part of it. I was headed down the trail once I got to Sacramento. That is, if I could get away before she shot me in the back.”
“Hand me your gun,” Fargo said.
The driver handed it over, looking worried, and Fargo quickly dumped the shells out of the chamber, then handed the gun back to the driver. It was a special Colt with a nice handle that the man had clearly taken good care of.
“Thanks,” the driver said, looking relieved. “It was a gift from a good friend from home and I wouldn’t have liked losing it.”
“Don’t do anything stupid and you won’t die with it on your hip today.”
The man nodded.
Fargo stared at the driver. He didn’t feel completely right about the man, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him. He looked young, not more than midtwenties, but he had an air about him that gave Fargo a sense the kid had been some places and seen some things already.
“What’s your name and what was she paying you?”
“Name’s Kip. Twenty a month plus room and board.”
“Would you work for Sharon’s Dream for twenty-five?” Fargo asked.
“Tell him no, Kip,” Sarah Brant snapped.
Kip smiled at her. “Doesn’t look like you’re in charge of me anymore, Miss Brant. I told you I didn’t want any part of raiding Sharon’s Dream. I had a couple good friends in that mine. Now’s a good time to say good-bye.”
“I’ll have to check with the owners, but I’m sure something can be arranged,” Fargo said. “I hope none of the men who took off were your friends.”
Kip shook his head. “Those four would have rather shot you than look at you. Miss Brant was on her way into Sacramento to hire more of the same type.”
Fargo had already figured that, but it was good to have it confirmed.
“My father’s going to take care of you too, Kip.”
“Sounds like your father’s going to be mighty busy.” Fargo grinned.
Miss Brant cursed, wiggling in the dirt, trying to get her bindings loose. They ignored her and pulled the buggy even farther off the trail and down behind some rocks where it would be completely hidden. Then they unhooked the horses and brought them back up to the road.
Miss Brant was sitting up and glaring at them. “Kip, how could you?” she demanded, clearly understanding that Kip had changed sides completely. “You are a lazy, no-good ball of horse shit, and I meant what I said about my father taking care of you.”
Kip shrugged, then turned to Fargo. “Mind if I slug her once?”
“If she doesn’t shut up.” Fargo winked at him so Sarah Brant couldn’t see. “Sure, be my guest.”
“Great,” Kip said. He winked back. “I’ve never heard this woman not yap on about one thing or another.”
She started to open her mouth, then thought better of it and snapped it closed.
Kip stared down at her as he pounded his fist into his hand. “It’s only a matter of time. Only a matter of time.”
Again she opened her mouth, thought better of it, and closed it.
Fargo laughed and whistled for the Ovaro. A moment later his horse appeared and Fargo untied a tarp from its back.
Fargo spread out the tarp and the two of them rolled her up in it. She wasn’t going to have a comfortable trip back to Sharon’s Dream—that was for sure— but she would survive.
Kip tossed her over one of the horses and mounted the other himself.
With Kip leading, they headed back up the Placerville road. It would only be a matter of time until Sarah Brant saw her new home. And she wasn’t going to like it one bit.
Sarah Brant proved to be nothing if not resilient. Given the fact that she was tarp-wrapped and tied down on a horse, most reasonable people would assume that she would be afraid. But being a prisoner didn’t humble her at all. “I suppose you think you’re in control of this situation now.”
“Sure looks that way.”
“Well, you’re wrong. You have no idea how powerful my father is. How many men he has. And when he finds out that you’ve taken me, he’ll make your life hell. And I promise you that.”
Fargo laughed. Her voice shook as they traveled over rough road.
“I’m glad you find this funny, you bastard.”
“If I wasn’t in a hurry to lock you up, I’d stop right here and tan your hide.”
“Big, bad Fargo. Not afraid of women. A very brave man.”
They hit a rough patch. It shut her up. Temporarily. She groaned several times and cursed several times when the bouncing and jouncing got especially bad. Fargo grinned.
Then she started again. “You think you know everything, Fargo. You don’t know anything. You’re going to be damned surprised by the time this all plays out.”
“You’ll be the one who’s surprised. You’re going to see all your old man’s plans go to hell. And then you’re going to see him pay for killing Cain.”
“My father only kills when he has to.”
