Slade stared at her with more hatred than she’d ever felt in her own heart. “You have no idea what that night cost me. I’d worked so hard to gain Frank’s trust, to be able to hear about all the claims and mines. Playing his errand boy so that I could get the inside track. And you know what?”
He stepped in closer, shoving Tom aside. “You had to go ruin it all with your silly tantrum about how it was all my fault your stupid brother died. Your pa asked me to stay away until you cooled down, making it harder for me to find the big one. I knew then, I’d make you pay.”
His laugh shook her insides. “But look how convenient. Not only are you going to pay, but you’re going to get me my silver.”
Pure evil. That’s what Slade’s face looked like. Being right was no consolation for what stood before her. He pulled the gag down off her mouth.
“What do you want from me?”
“The kid knows where the silver is. One of the girls at Miss Betty’s said she overheard the kid talking about seeing her daddy’s silver.”
He gave her another cold stare. “The kid trusts you. Make it tell us where to find the silver.”
Nugget stirred beside her, but didn’t wake.
“She’s just a child. She doesn’t know where the silver is. She couldn’t even get us to her father’s cabin. When we got to the clearing, she led us in the wrong direction.”
Madness. That’s what this all was. Nugget could no sooner help them than she could. And the crazy look in Slade’s eyes told her that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“Besides, you know how children are. They have wonderful imaginations. They—”
Slade’s hand came across her cheek in a stinging blow. “I’ve wanted to do that to your smart mouth for a long time. You never did know your place. Get the kid to talk.”
“There is no silver.” Annabelle stared at him. Or at least in his direction. She could still see spots.
“Don’t lie.” He struck her again, on the other side, and as his hand made contact, she tasted blood.
“I’ve seen the silver. Billy used it to pay Slim for his worthless claim. Was spitting mad when he found out that Slim seeded it. Now get the kid to tell me where the real mine is.”
Tears prickled her eyes. How could he endanger a child like this? “You’ll need to free my hands so I can wake her up.”
Slade’s head jerked up and down. “Fine.” He gestured to Tom.
“Cut her loose.” Then he looked over at his other men. “If she tries to escape, shoot her. We don’t need her. Just the kid.”
If Slade had no problem with hitting her and kidnapping a child, he could do much worse to Nugget. Annabelle took a deep breath as Tom cut the ropes at her wrists.
“Nugget,” she whispered when she was free. Annabelle shook the little girl softly. “Wake up, sweet pea.”
“My head hurts,” Nugget said as she struggled awake. “I had a bad dream.”
The little girl blinked, then looked around, her eyes widening as she realized it hadn’t been a dream.
“Annabelle,” she cried, burrowing into Annabelle’s arms.
Annabelle stroked Nugget’s hair. “They want your father’s silver.”
Nugget whimpered and looked up at her. “I thought he was our friend.”
She had, too. He’d fooled them all. The worst part was how her father was going to feel when he realized that he’d been betrayed by someone he’d loved like a son.
“I’m sorry, Nugget.”
“Enough.” Slade held up a hand like he was going to hit her again. “Get her to tell me where the silver is.”
Annabelle squeezed her precious charge. “It’s going to be all right. But you have to help us get out of here by telling Slade what he wants to know.”
Nugget’s eyes darted over to Slade, then she looked around at all the other men, her gaze resting on Tom.
“Papa always said you were a snake.”
“Shh.” Annabelle pulled Nugget closer to her. “We can talk about this later. But right now, we’ve got to do the right thing.”
Nugget pulled away. “Papa said it was a secret.”
Slade’s chuckle made Annabelle’s heart sink. The problem with the child’s reasoning of keeping her father’s secret was that she didn’t understand that men like Slade didn’t care about promises or secrets. He’d do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
“Please,” Annabelle said, looking at the little girl. “Tell him what he needs so we can get safely back to Joseph.”
Another laugh from Slade. How had she missed the pure evil in this man? How had her father?
“Joseph won’t be joining us this afternoon. Or ever.” His features twisted into a sneer that skittered down Annabelle’s back into the darkest pit of her stomach.
“What’d you do to him?”
“Joseph?” Nugget’s whimper as she slid back into the protection of Annabelle’s arms made her heart hurt.
Slade smiled. “I didn’t do anything to him. Wasn’t my fault he couldn’t keep up in the storm. Just too bad about all the lightning.”
His yellow teeth stuck out from his tobacco-stained lips. “There might have been some dynamite involved. But in a storm like that, you never can tell. It’ll be weeks, maybe even months before they find the body. With all the rocks on top of him, and then the flash flood washing everything away, who knows where his body ended up.”
Familiar grief welled in Annabelle’s heart. Why, God? Why, when she’d finally agreed to opening up her heart, did He have to take away Joseph, too?
Sure, he was going to leave anyway, but it was so much easier to think of him as being away, where she could write him and stay in touch, than it was to think of yet one more loved one gone forever.
Nugget hadn’t spoken, but the wetness against Annabelle’s bodice said all that needed to
