Jesse rested his head against the bars. “She hasn’t come to see me since your first visit.”
“She probably won’t. As the wife of a Union soldier, she’d prefer not to have a brother in the Confederate Army, a brother running with the bushwhackers and a father who belongs to the government in exile.”
“She’s trying to distance herself.”
“Yes.” Diamond dropped her voice again. “Just give it time. Don’t be reckless.”
“It’s my best shot. I told you the numbers.”
“Please.” Diamond hated to beg, but what if she could have stopped her father from going to Afghanistan? Would he have listened to her if she’d pleaded with him to stay home? Had her mother asked him to stay? Never, in all the years since his death, had she wondered if her mother had argued against him going overseas. Would it have made any difference?
“I’ll not take senseless risks, but if the opportunity arises, I won’t let it go. You have no right to ask that of me.”
No right? She was his wife. But they had agreed to a marriage of convenience, not a real marriage. She sagged, resting her own head against the cold iron bars. “You would leave me alone, then?”
“No.” Jesse took hold of her chin and raised her head. “Never. No harm will come to me, but even if it did, you have Bryce, Ari, and Victoria. You have the dowry money. And my family will not desert you.”
I’m not so sure. She wouldn’t place her trust in Janet, Jack or Ian, but she would have the money. And her time-traveling friends. “A handful of octogenarians.”
“You knew I was a soldier when you married me. None of us are safe in this dangerous time.”
She wouldn’t grovel anymore. If he was hell-bent on throwing his life away, so be it. She withdrew from his reach. “Enjoy the food. I may not be back.”
Thirty Two
Chapter 32
Jesse’s opportunity came on the night of a violent thunderstorm. The skies had threatened rain all day, but when the storm hit, it exceeded expectations. Jesse and his fellow inmate, a captain who’d been captured by Union forces while recruiting for the Confederacy, were ready. Thunder rumbled low and ominous, occasionally breaking out in a bang. Rain hammered on the roof mixed with the distinct plinking of hail. Jesse couldn’t see much from the small rectangular window set high in the wall, but treetops whipped in the wind and it appeared much later than the time displayed on his watch.
“It’s time.” Captain Crawford appeared at his cell door and slipped a key into the lock. The door swung open. Jesse didn’t know how Crawford had gotten the key, but he didn’t care. There were still many people loyal to the South in St. Louis and he assumed one of them had given it to the captain.
He and Crawford moved without a sound even though it was doubtful the guards could hear anything over the racket of the storm. They had both gathered in the room below, watching the lightning show playing just outside the window. Usually, one man periodically checked on the cells, but now Mother Nature held their full attention. They had even abandoned their habitual game of checkers.
“We’ll go out this window. Careful, it will be slippery on the roof.”
Jesse nodded. He followed Crawford through the small opening. Despite the warning, his foot slipped on the rain-slicked tiles and he slid down the roof, frantically searching for a handhold. His fingers closed around the gutter as one leg swung free and he hung there, holding on with all his strength, half on, half off the roof.
“Steady.”
Jesse barely heard Crawford over the beating of his heart and the drumming of the rain. The man moved like a mountain goat, somehow finding a purchase on the treacherous surface. The other man took his hand and hauled him to safety.
“We have to get to the other side. Too much chance of being spotted here.”
Jesse nodded, although he wasn’t sure Crawford could see him in the gloom. Rain pelted down and although they’d only been outside a few minutes, he was already soaked to the skin. The men crawled up the slope, gripping the tiles with their hands and digging in with the toes of their boots. Jesse had cut his hand on the gutter and blood oozed from the wound, mixing with the rain and forming pink puddles as he groped his way to the ridge.
They rested there a second, catching their breath before attempting the descent. The drop probably wouldn’t kill them, but broken bones would impede their chance of escape. Lightning lit the sky followed by the rumble of thunder.
“Now,” Jesse said after a brilliant flash. Feeling nearly blinded by the brief glimpse of light, he inched down the side. His hand throbbed, but he did his best to ignore the pain, forcing his fingers to dig into every available crack. Unable to promise Diamond he wouldn’t try to escape, he owed it to her to do everything in his power to avoid recapture.
Crawford made it to the edge first and lowered himself over it. Had he jumped? Jesse’s stomach tightened as he recalled how far away the ground had looked when he plunged down the side of the roof.
His foot slipped, and he nearly slid again, but held on with aching fingers until the toe of his boot found another niche. He crept down, seeing with relief that Crawford hadn’t jumped to the ground, but merely to the neighboring roof of a shorter building. He let go and easily made the drop.
Crawford was already on the move, scurrying across the roof in a crouched position. Jesse followed, slipped and went down hard on one knee. Cursing, he half crawled, half walked the length of the roof. He wondered if Crawford had done this before or if he was just a natural acrobatic. Rain plastered his hair to his face, and he
