Taken By Storm(43)
“The trip at least would distract him from the matter of his brother and provide us more time to hunt down his whereabouts.”
Tanin scrunched his brow. “You’re not thinking of going with Burke, are you?”
“Going where with me and why not?” Burke asked, stepping from behind a tree Tanin and Storm passed by.
Storm halted and shook her head. “You must stop lurking.”
“I’m not lurking. Now what about going where with me?” Burke asked.
Tanin answered him. “To the harbor to get your money.”
Burke smiled. “Yes, you must come with me. I’ll have it no other way. You deserve time away from here and a day of fun.”
Storm had often thought about the day of fun he promised. It was a foolish idea, and besides, if she tasted such a pleasant day, wouldn’t she want more of it?
“She can’t do that,” Tanin insisted firmly.
“Why not?” Burke challenged just as firmly. “She deserves a break from this place.”
Tanin was blunt. “She’s a wanted outlaw with a high price on her head. She’s sure to be caught and imprisoned.”
“Tanin is right,” Storm agreed, though she hated admitting it. It would have been nice to spend a day as an ordinary person, doing ordinary things. “I’d risk not only my life but the safety and well-being of this camp. I cannot do that.”
“There must be a way,” Burke demanded.
“There isn’t,” Storm confirmed. “One of the men will go with you.”
“What if I devise a way for you to go without the chance of being caught?”
“That’s not possible,” Tanin said.
“But if I do,” Burke said, his eyes fixed on Storm. “Will you go with me?”
“Why not?” she said, confident he wouldn’t be able to guarantee her safety.
“You heard her, Tanin. She’s agreed to go with me.”
“If there’s no chance of her being caught,” Tanin added. “Which there isn’t, so it doesn’t look like she’ll be going with you.”
“But she did agree and you heard her,” Burke said. “Now about my brother.”
A gust of wind swirled the dirt and leaves around their feet and fat raindrops followed.
“My quarters,” Storm said to Burke and told Tanin she’d speak with him later.
In minutes they were safely tucked away in Storm’s room while the rain beat down on the pine thatched roof.
Storm removed her worn brown jacket, slipped her stocking cap off her head, and shook her dark hair free. She settled both items on the bed then joined Burke at the small table. He had removed his gray wool jacket, and his white shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, which seemed to be a habit of his. She rarely saw him with his sleeves down.
“Haven’t found out anything new, have you?” he claimed more than asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” she admitted reluctantly.
“Why do you think that is?”
Storm folded her arms on the table. “You aren’t a fool, Mr. Longton. I imagine you have assumed the same as I have.”
“That my brother could very well be dead?”
“Precisely, though for some reason I think someone wants more than death for him.”
“And what would that be?” he asked.
“Possibly revenge. Remember Henry told us that the man had claimed to have stolen something of great value that could never be replaced. That certainly would be a motive for revenge.”
“What could be irreplaceable?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Storm said. “And if it is true, then no amount of money offered would save your brother’s life.”
“How do we find out what was stolen?”
He paid no regard to her warning, though she knew well enough he understood the severity of such actions. He wasn’t a foolish man, but then wise men could be pushed to foolishness when feeling helpless. And right now, she knew Burke felt helpless to assist his brother. She felt his pain and empathized, for she had been there once herself.
“I’m not sure,” she said, feeling helpless herself with the situation. “Nothing new has been found and we seem to have hit a dead end.”
“One thing I discovered that is the same in all cultures is that people love to gossip. It seems in this case no one dares open his or her mouth. Which means they fear to, so it would lead me to believe that the person who holds my brother prisoner has the power to make people fear him. Who would be the logical candidate for that?”
Storm admired his intelligence. He was much like her in thinking things through and reaching a conclusion that made sense, though he wasn’t as patient as she was.