“That a fact?”
Hunter figured he could dance around the issue, but he only had a few minutes before Kincaid coaxed enough water out of the pump and made his way back. He wanted to have the conversation without an audience, unsure of how Kincaid fit into the picture yet.
“Who is in this Syndicate? Foster mentioned what they did, but I need to know who they are.”
That seemed to catch Yucton’s attention and he sat up. He let out a sharp breath. “All you were supposed to do was keep Meredith safe. Abbott didn’t want you caught up in this. Either of you.”
“Well we’re in it now and Meredith isn’t stopping until she proves Abbott was innocent. She plans on finding whatever evidence he had and nothing I say is going to change her mind. So I need to know what I’m up against. Who are they?”
Yucton shook his head. “I’ve got a few ideas, but Abbott was the only one I know who’d figured it out and he wasn’t sharin’ the information. One thing I do know, they’re more than willing to do whatever they deem necessary to keep their identities from being known.”
Hunter heard Kincaid’s boots on the porch outside. Time was running out. He knew the minute Kincaid set foot through that door Yucton would stop talking. He raised his voice. “Kincaid grab a few sticks of wood on your way in!” He heard the bounty hunter grumble but the footsteps faded back down the steps. “Is that why they didn’t kill him?”
Yucton nodded. “He had evidence to expose them. Kept it hidden so they couldn’t find it.”
“Where?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why didn’t he expose them, then?” But Hunter knew the answer before Yucton could say it. “Because of Meredith. That’s why he wanted her out of town.”
The door burst open ushering Kincaid and the cold air inside. “It’s snowing like hell out there! Next time you want coffee and wood, you can get it yourself.” Kincaid set the pot on the stove. He shot Hunter a glare as the wood he brought in tumbled off the top of the full box.
Yucton moved closer to the bars. “You make sure you keep her safe,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. “I can’t do it from in here.”
“Then you think she’s still in danger? That the Syndicate is still active?”
“If they think she can expose them, there ain’t nothin’ they’ll stop at to make sure that don’t happen.” Yucton gave him a look that made his insides coil. “This ain’t over by a long shot.”
Meredith rolled over in bed for the umpteenth time and punched at her feathered pillow as if it was somehow to blame for the sleep that eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Hunter’s face, each fine line scratched in by weather and time, the inviting warmth of his brown eyes, the sensual curve of his mouth. She could still taste him on her lips, feel the pressure of his kiss, his hand on her neck. She relived the moment over and over again until every part of her traitorous body ached for more.
With a frustrated huff, she turned over again and reached for the lamp next to her bed. A sudden scratching sound at her door followed by a soft rattle of the doorknob froze her midreach. Her hand hovered near the lamp. The sound filtered through the stillness of her room, driving a stake of fear into her heart. She opened her mouth to call out then clamped it shut, Hunter’s warning of earlier silencing her.
He had offered to post himself outside of her room if it would make her feel safer, had almost insisted, but she thought he was overreacting and refused to set tongues wagging by such a blatant display. Was that Hunter out there now?
The doorknob rattled again.
No. Hunter would never scare her like that. He would knock or silently position himself outside her door without telling her, but he would not stand outside and try to gain entry without her knowledge.
Possibilities shot through her like wildfire, her brain processing each one and discarding it as she slipped quietly out of bed and tiptoed over to the armoire where her boots were. She shoved her feet into them and laced them as quickly as possible, missing a few hooks along the way but not caring.
The rattling had increased. Whoever was on the other side was having trouble with the lock and she issued a prayer of thanks The Klein had spared no expense to ensure their guests and their valuables were well protected.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened the armoire quickly. She grabbed her long black cape and threw it around her shoulders, securing the buttons near her throat. With one last glance at the door, she made a beeline for the window then stopped.
The piece of paper from the ledger.