“Did you confront them?” Adah asked.

“No, I went to the city marshall first,” I thought.

Eliza’s voice cracked, and she paused to steady herself.

“I thought if I brought him proof, he’d arrest them, that it would be over, but the marshall told me I needed more than copies.

He said, “I needed the original ledgers, the ones Hulkcom kept locked in his office.

Otherwise, it was just my word against two respected men, and no one would believe me.

” Thomas felt his jaw tighten.

He could already see where this was going, could feel the shape of the trap closing around her.

So, I waited until everyone had gone home one night, and I went back to the bank.

I had a key.

All the tellers did in case we needed to work late.

I found Hulkcom’s office and picked the lock on his desk drawer.

It wasn’t hard.

And inside there they were, all the original records showing every theft, every false account, everything I needed to prove what they’d done.

But someone caught you, Thomas said.

Not me.

I was careful.

I made it out of the building without anyone seeing.

But the next morning when I went to work, there were police everywhere.

Marcus Hulcom was dead.

Someone had shot him in his office the night before.

And the ledgers, the ones I’d taken, were gone.

They said it was robbery, a break-in, and then they found the key to the office in my apartment along with $500 in cash I’d never seen before in my life.

Adah’s breath hissed out.

They framed you.

Gideon Ror, Eliza said, and the name came out like poison.

He must have gone to the office after I left.

Maybe he knew I was getting close.

Or maybe Hulkcom tried to back out of their arrangement.

Either way, Ror killed him and made it look like I’d done it.

He planted evidence in my home, told the police I’d been embezzling money and that Hulkcom had discovered it.

When they came to arrest me, I ran.

I didn’t know what else to do.

Thomas could picture it too clearly.

This woman, terrified and desperate, fleeing through the streets with the whole city turned against her.

“How did you end up in the desert?” Eliza’s hands were shaking now, and she pulled them into her lap, hidden beneath the table.

I made it out of Sacramento and headed south thinking I could disappear in the smaller towns.

But Ror sent men after me, hired thugs.

They caught me outside Weaverville 3 days ago, dragged me into the desert, and she stopped, her breathing ragged.

Thomas waited, giving her time.

They were supposed to kill me, she finally whispered.

One of them, the big one with the scar.

He said Ror wanted it done quiet.

Nobody to find, no questions to answer, just another woman who disappeared and didn’t matter.

They beat me until I couldn’t fight anymore, and then they left me there to die slow.

I think they thought it was kinder than a bullet.

Or maybe they just wanted me to suffer.

The room was silent, except for the ticking of the clock on the mantle and the distant sound of wind outside.

Thomas felt something cold and hard settle in his chest.

Not fear, but fury.

The kind that burned slow and didn’t fade.

“This Gideon ro,” he said, his voice carefully controlled.

“Does he know you’re alive?” “I don’t know.

Maybe if his men came back to check.

” Eliza looked up and her eyes were desperate.

“That’s why I have to leave.

If he finds out I survived, he’ll send someone else.

And I won’t let you get hurt because of me.

I won’t.

Where would you go? Ada asked, practical even now.

You’re wanted for murder.

Every law man between here and Sacramento will be looking for you.

You wouldn’t make it 10 miles.

Then I’ll go somewhere they won’t look.

Mexico maybe, or north into the territories.

I’ll change my name, my appearance, and spend the rest of your life running, Thomas finished.

always looking over your shoulder, never able to stop, never able to trust anyone.

Is that the future you want? Eliza’s face crumpled.

“It’s the only future I have.

” “No,” Thomas said, and the certainty in his voice surprised even himself.

“It’s not.

” She stared at him, confusion and hope waring in her expression.

“What are you saying?” “I’m saying you didn’t kill anyone.

You have proof that Ror is the real criminal, or you did before he stole it, which means there’s still evidence out there.

Still a way to clear your name.

The ledgers are gone, Eliza said bitterly.

Ror has them or he’s destroyed them by now.

Without those, are they the only proof? Eliza hesitated.

I made copies like I said, but the marshall told me copies wouldn’t be enough.

Where are the copies now? Hidden in Sacramento.

I didn’t dare take them with me when I ran.

If Ror’s men had found them, it would have been over.

I buried them in a place only I know.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, his mind already working through possibilities.

Then we get them back.

Are you insane? Eliza’s voice rose sharp with panic.

Sacramento is crawling with people who want me dead.

The moment I set foot in that city, you won’t be alone, Thomas interrupted.

I’ll go with you.

No.

The word was flat.

Absolute.

Absolutely not.

I won’t let you risk your life for me.

It’s not your decision to make, Thomas said, matching her tone.

You’re sitting at my table, eating my food, sleeping under my roof.

That makes you my responsibility, and I don’t abandon people who need help.

Thomas, Ada started, but he held up a hand.

I know what I’m doing, Ada.

Or at least I know what needs to be done.

This woman was beaten and left for dead because she tried to do the right thing.

Now she’s got a choice.

Spend the rest of her life running scared or fight back.

And if she chooses to fight, she shouldn’t have to do it alone.

Eliza was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

Why? Why would you do this? You don’t know me.

You don’t owe me anything.

Maybe not, Thomas said.

But I know what it’s like to feel like the world has decided you don’t matter.

and I know that sometimes all it takes is one person willing to stand beside you to change everything.

” There was a long silence.

Eliza looked down at her hands, her jaw working as she struggled with something Thomas couldn’t name.

When she finally spoke, her voice was so quiet he almost didn’t hear her.

I had the proof in my hands.

All of it.

Everything I needed to show the world what Ror had done.

And I walked away from Hulkham’s office thinking I was being careful, thinking I was protecting myself.

But if I just stayed, if I’d gone straight to the marshall that night instead of waiting until morning, maybe Hulkcom would still be alive.

Maybe none of this would have happened.

Or maybe Ror would have killed you both, Ada said, her voice gentle but firm.

You can’t know what might have been, Eliza.

You can only decide what happens next.

Eliza looked up, her eyes red- rimmed but dry.

“And you think we can just walk into Sacramento, find my hidden copies, and make everything right? That Ror won’t see us coming?” “No,” Thomas admitted.

“I think it’ll be dangerous.

I think there’s a good chance we’ll fail.

But I also think it’s better than the alternative, because if you run now, you’ll never stop running, and eventually they’ll catch you.

” Eliza closed her eyes and for a moment Thomas thought she might refuse.

Thought she might gather what little strength she had and walk out that door, disappearing into the night rather than risk dragging him into her nightmare.

But when she opened her eyes again, there was something different in them, something harder, determined.

The copies are hidden in the basement of a boarding house where I used to live, she said.

The land lady, Mrs.

Chen, she’s a [clears throat] good woman.

She’d help us if she could, but Ror’s men might be watching the place.

And even if we get the copies, we’d need to find someone willing to act on them.

Someone Ror doesn’t own.

Then we’ll find that person, Thomas said.

One step at a time.

Ada stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.

If you’re set on this fool errand, you’ll need supplies, food, water, a plan, and Eliza needs at least another week before she’s strong enough to travel.

I can travel now, Eliza protested.

You can barely walk to the window without collapsing.

Ada shot back.

Give yourself time to heal.

Another week won’t make a difference.

It might, Eliza said.

Every day I’m here is another day Ror could find me.

Find you.

Thomas shook his head.

We’re miles from anywhere and no one knows you’re here.

Aida’s right.

You need to be strong enough to move fast when the time comes.

Use the weak.

Rest, heal, and then we’ll go.

Eliza looked between them and slowly, reluctantly she nodded.

One week.

But if anything happens, if you see anyone suspicious, or if word reaches town about me, we leave immediately.

I won’t risk your lives any more than I already have.

Agreed, Thomas said, though he had no intention of letting fear dictate their timeline.

If Ror’s men came, they’d deal with it.

But he didn’t say that out loud.

Ada began clearing the dishes, her movements brisk and practical.

I’ll make a list of what we’ll need.

Thomas, you’ll have to ride into town tomorrow and buy supplies without raising suspicion.

And Eliza? She turned, fixing the younger woman with a stern look.

You’ll eat three meals a day, sleep as much as your body needs, and stop trying to leave this house before you’re ready.

Understood? A ghost of a smile flickered across Eliza’s face.

Yes, ma’am.

Good.

Aida’s expression softened just slightly.

You’re braver than you think, girl.

Don’t forget that.

Eliza didn’t answer, but Thomas saw the way her shoulders straightened just a fraction.

As if hearing someone say she was brave made it a little more possible to believe.

That night, after Eliza had retreated to her room and Ada had gone to bed, Thomas sat alone in the parlor with a glass of whiskey he didn’t drink.

He stared into the darkness beyond the window and thought about what he just committed himself to.

He wasn’t a fool.

He knew this could go wrong in a hundred different ways.

Knew that Gideon Ror was clearly a man with money, power, and the willingness to kill anyone who threatened him.

Knew that walking into Sacramento with a wanted woman was the kind of decision that could get them both hanged.

But he also knew he couldn’t live with himself if he sent Eliza away.

couldn’t look in the mirror knowing he’d saved her life only to abandon her when things got complicated.

He thought of the way she’d looked when she’d asked him why he was helping her.

The disbelief, the bone deep certainty that kindness was a lie people told to make themselves feel better.

Someone had taught her that.

Ror maybe, or the world in general, and Thomas was going to prove them wrong.

He finished the whiskey and one burning swallow and went to bed.

The next morning, Thomas rode into Weaverville with Adah’s list tucked in his pocket and his eyes open for trouble.

The town was small, barely 300 people, but it was the closest settlement to his ranch.

And if Ror’s men had been asking questions, this is where they’d start.

He tied his horse outside the general store and went inside, nodding to the clerk as he began gathering supplies.

Flour, coffee, dried beans, salted pork.

Nothing unusual.

nothing that would suggest he was preparing for a journey.

“Morning, Thomas,” the clerk said.

“A middle-aged man named Dawson, who’d run the store for as long as Thomas could remember.

” “Been a while since we saw you in town.

” “Had everything I needed at the ranch,” Thomas replied, keeping his tone casual.

“How’s business?” “Slow.

Always slow this time of year.

” Dawson began tallying up the purchases, his hands quick and practiced.

Say, you hear about the trouble over in Sacramento? Thomas’s stomach tightened, but he kept his expression neutral.

Can’t say I have.

What happened? Murder.

Some woman killed a bank accountant and made off with a pile of money.

They’re saying she’s armed and dangerous.

Got a reward posted for her capture.

$500.

That’s so, Thomas said, loading the supplies into a crate.

They catch her yet? Not last I heard.

Sheriff thinks she might have headed south, maybe into the desert.

Fool thing to do if you ask me.

Woman like that wouldn’t last a day out there.

Probably not, Thomas agreed, handing over payment.

Anything else I should know about? Dawson shrugged.

Just the usual gossip.

Oh, and there were some men through here a few days back.

Rough-l lookinging types.

Asked if anyone had seen a woman traveling alone.

Didn’t say why, but they didn’t strike me as law men.

Thomas forced himself to stay relaxed.

What’d you tell him? Truth.

Haven’t seen anyone like that.

They moved on pretty quick after.

Dawson paused, then added quietly.

Thomas, if you do see a stranger, especially a woman, you be careful.

Men like that don’t ask questions for friendly reasons.

Appreciate the warning, Thomas said, and meant it.

He gathered his supplies and headed back to the wagon, his mind racing.

So Ror’s men had been here, had asked questions, but they’d moved on, which meant they didn’t know Eliza was at the ranch.

Not yet, but it was only a matter of time.

He drove back faster than was wise, the wagon bouncing over the rudded road, and found Ada waiting on the porch with her arms crossed.

“Well,” she asked as he climbed down.

“They were here 3 days ago, looking for a woman traveling alone.

” Ayah’s face went tight.

Did they? Dawson didn’t tell them anything because he didn’t know anything.

But they’re still looking, and if they come back, then we’d better be ready.

Aida glanced toward the house where Eliza was likely resting, unaware of how close danger had come.

How much time do you think we have? A week, maybe less.

Depends on whether they’re working a grid or just following rumors.

Thomas began unloading the wagon, his movements automatic.

We need to move up the timeline.

Get Eliza strong enough to travel in the next few days instead of a full week.

She’s not ready.

She’ll have to be.

Aida helped him carry the supplies inside, and together they put everything away without speaking.

When they were done, Aida turned to him with an expression he recognized, the one that meant she was about to say something he wouldn’t like.

Thomas, I need you to think very carefully about what you’re doing.

This isn’t just about helping a woman in trouble anymore.

This is about going up against men who have already killed once and won’t hesitate to do it again.

Men who have the law on their side, whether they deserve it or not.

If this goes wrong, I know, Thomas interrupted.

I know the risks, Ada, but I also know I can’t send her out there alone.

Why not? The question was blunt, almost harsh.

Why is this woman’s life worth more than yours? You’ve built something here, Thomas.

A good life, a safe life, and you’re willing to throw it all away for someone you met less than a week ago.

I need to understand why.

Thomas was quiet for a long moment, searching for words that felt true.

Finally, he said, “You remember when I first came here after the war?” Adah’s expression softened.

“Yes, I was broken, half dead inside.

Didn’t care if I lived or died.

And some days I hoped I wouldn’t wake up.

And you could have turned me away.

Probably should have.

But you didn’t.

You gave me work.

Gave me a reason to get out of bed.

And slowly, piece by piece, you helped me remember how to be human again.

That was different, Ada said quietly.

Was it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks the same.

Someone who needed help.

Someone the world had chewed up and spit out.

And someone willing to offer a hand instead of walking past.

Thomas met her eyes.

You saved my life, Ada.

Maybe now it’s my turn to save someone else’s.

Aa looked away, blinking hard.

When she spoke again, her voice was rough.

You’re going to get yourself killed, you stubborn fool.

Maybe.

But I’d rather die trying to do something right than live knowing I did nothing.

And if Eliza gets killed, too, if your help gets her killed, then at least she won’t die alone.

And at least she’ll die fighting instead of running.

Ada shook her head, but there was no anger in it, just resignation.

“You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you?” “Yes, then I suppose I can’t stop you,” she sighed.

“But I can make sure you don’t go unprepared.

Come on, we have work to do.

” Over the next 3 days, the ranch became a hive of quiet preparation.

Thomas cleaned and oiled his rifle, checked the hor’s shoes, and mapped out a route to Sacramento that would keep them off the main roads.

ate a packed food that would keep hardtac jerky, dried fruit, and sewed a hidden pocket into Eliza’s dress where she could carry important documents.

And Eliza, for her part, pushed herself harder than Thomas thought wise.

She forced herself to walk the perimeter of the house twice a day, then three times, ignoring the pain that still flared in her ribs and the dizziness that sometimes made her stumble.

She practiced mounting and dismounting from a horse until she could do it without gasping.

She even insisted on learning to shoot, and Thomas spent an afternoon teaching her the basics of handling the small revolver Ada kept in a drawer.

“You’re not going to become a sharpshooter in 3 days,” he warned as she missed the target for the fifth time in a row.

“I don’t need to be a sharpshooter,” Eliza replied, steadying her grip.

“I just need to be able to point it in the right direction and pull the trigger.

” The sixth shot hit the edge of the target, and Eliza smiled, a real smile, fierce and satisfied.

On the fourth night, Thomas found her sitting on the porch steps, staring up at the stars.

He hesitated, then sat down beside her, leaving a respectful distance between them.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“Too much on my mind.

” Eliza glanced at him.

“You should still change your mind, you know.

It’s not too late.

” “Yes, it is.

” She shook her head.

“You’re risking everything for me, and you don’t even know if I’m telling the truth.

What if I’m lying? What if I really did kill Marcus Hulkcom? Did you? No.

But how do you know that? Thomas considered the question seriously.

I don’t not for certain, but I’ve spent enough time around liars to recognize one.

And you’re not it.

You’re scared and you’re desperate, but you’re not lying.

Eliza was quiet for a moment, then softly.

My mother used to say that the measure of a person isn’t what they do when things are easy.

It’s what they do when everything falls apart.

When I was in that desert, beaten and bleeding, I thought I’d reached the end.

That there was nothing left but dying.

And then you came.

She turned to look at him fully, her eyes bright in the moonlight.

You didn’t have to stop.

Didn’t have to help, but you did.

And now you’re willing to risk your life to help me clear my name.

I don’t know how to repay that.

You don’t have to repay it, Thomas said.

Just survive.

That’s enough.

Is it? Eliza asked.

And there was something raw in her voice.

Because I’m not sure survival is enough anymore.

I want my life back, my name.

I want to be able to walk through a town without looking over my shoulder.

I want to sleep without nightmares.

And I want, she stopped, swallowing hard.

What? I want the people who did this to me to pay, she said.

And the words came out like a vow.

Not just Ror.

All of them.

Everyone who helped him.

Everyone who looked the other way.

Everyone who decided my life didn’t matter.

I want them to face what they’ve done.

Thomas heard the steel beneath the words and recognized it.

It was the same hardness he’d carried after the war.

The need for justice, for balance, for the world to acknowledge that wrongs had been committed and couldn’t be ignored.

“Then we’ll make them pay,” he said simply.

Eliza looked at him for a long moment, searching his face.

Then she reached out and took his hand, squeezing once before letting go.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

They sat together in comfortable silence as the stars wheeled overhead and the night insects sang their endless song.

And Thomas thought that maybe, just maybe, this was what Ada had meant all those years ago when she told him that saving someone else’s life was the best way to save your own.

On the fifth morning, Thomas woke to find Ada already up and brewing coffee, her face set in grim determination.

Today, she said without preamble.

You leave today.

Eliza’s not ready.

She’s as ready as she’ll ever be, and you’re out of time.

Aida handed him a cup and nodded toward the window.

There’s a rider coming.

Been watching him for the past 10 minutes.

He’s circling like he’s looking for something.

Thomas’s blood went cold.

He set down the cup and grabbed his rifle, moving to the window to look out.

Sure enough, there was a man on horseback, maybe half a mile out, moving slowly along the ridge line.

He was too far away to make out details, but the way he was searching the landscape was unmistakable.

One of Ror’s men, Thomas asked.

Maybe, or maybe just a drifter, but we can’t take that chance.

Adah’s voice was steady, but Thomas could hear the fear beneath it.

Wake Eliza, get the horses ready.

I’ll pack the last of the food.

Thomas didn’t argue.

He went to Eliza’s room and knocked once before entering.

She was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed with her boots half-laced.

I heard, she said.

Someone’s out there.

We’re leaving.

Now, she nodded and finished with her boots, moving with a speed that belied her still healing body.

Within minutes, she was dressed and had gathered the few possessions she’d accumulated.

a spare dress, the revolver Thomas had given her, and a worn photograph of two people Thomas assumed were her parents.

They met Ada in the kitchen where she was tying off saddle bags bulging with supplies.

She pressed a small leather pouch into Eliza’s hands.

“Money,” she said.

“Not much, but enough to get you started if things go wrong.

” “And this?” She handed over a folded piece of paper.

“It’s a letter of introduction to my cousin in Sacramento, Mara Winslow.

She’s a nurse and she knows people.

If you need help, find her.

Eliza’s eyes filled with tears.

Ada, I don’t.

Aa pulled her into a fierce hug.

Just promise me you’ll come back safe.

Both of you.

We will, Thomas said, though he wasn’t sure he believed it.

They led the horses out through the back of the property, keeping the barn between them and the distant rider.

Thomas helped Eliza mount, and she settled into the saddle with only a small grimace of pain.

“Ready?” he asked.

Eliza looked back at the ranch, at the house that had been her sanctuary, at Ada standing on the porch, watching them go, and nodded.

“Ready.

” They rode south, away from the ridgeeline, and the watching stranger, pushing the horses as fast as Eliza could manage.

Behind them, the ranch grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely, swallowed by distance and the rolling hills.

And ahead, somewhere beyond the horizon, Sacramento waited with all its dangers and secrets.

Thomas glanced at Eliza, saw the determination in the set of her shoulders, and felt something settle in his chest.

Whatever came next, they’d face it together.

That would have to be enough.

They rode hard for the first hour, pushing through scrub oak and manzanita that scratched at their legs and caught in the hor’s manes.

Thomas kept them off the main trail, following deer paths and dry creek beds that wound through the hills like veins through stone.

Behind them the dust of their passage hung in the still air, and Thomas knew that anyone with half a tracker’s sense could follow if they wanted to badly enough.

Eliza didn’t complain, though he could see the strain in her face, the way she held herself rigid in the saddle, the white- knuckled grip on the res.

Every jolt sent pain through her healing ribs, but she kept pace without a word of protest.

When they finally stopped to rest the horses near a stand of cottonwoods, Eliza dismounted in one smooth motion, and immediately bent double, hands on her knees, breathing hard.

“You all right?” Thomas asked, offering his canteen.

She took it and drank deeply before answering.

Fine, just need a minute.

We can rest longer if you need to.

No, she straightened, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

The longer we wait, the more time we give them to find our trail.

I can manage.

Thomas studied her for a moment, seeing the truth beneath the brave words.

She was hurting badly, but she was also right.

They couldn’t afford to linger.

Sacramento’s 3 days ride from here if we push it, he said, pulling out the rough map he’d sketched based on memory and conversations with other ranchers.

But we’ll need to be careful once we get close to the city.

That’s where Ror’s influence will be strongest.

Eliza nodded, coming to stand beside him and look at the map.

We should approach from the east through the neighborhoods near the river.

That’s where the boarding house is, Mrs.

Chen’s place.

It’s in a part of town the wealthy folks don’t pay much attention to.

Working people, immigrants, anyone trying to make an honest living without much to show for it.

And Ror’s men, will they be watching it? Maybe.

Probably.

Eliza’s jaw tightened.

But I don’t have a choice.

The evidence is there, hidden in a loose board under the stairs in the basement.

I checked it three times before I ran.

Made sure no one could find it by accident.

If it’s still there, it will be.

Thomas said with more confidence than he felt.

We’ll get it and then we’ll find someone who can use it.

Adah’s cousin, this Mara Winslow.

You think she can help? I don’t know.

I’ve never met her.

But if Ada trusts her, that’s enough for me.

Eliza folded the map carefully and handed it back.

Thomas, when we get there, if things go wrong, if Ror’s men find us, you run.

Don’t try to fight them all.

Just run and save yourself.

Not a chance.

I’m serious.

This is my fight, not yours.

You’ve already done more than anyone had a right to ask.

I won’t let you die for me.

Thomas met her eyes, his expression unyielding.

Then don’t give me a reason to.

Stay close.

Stay smart, and we’ll both walk out of this alive.

” Eliza looked like she wanted to argue, but something in his tone stopped her.

Instead, she nodded once, sharp and final, and moved to check her horse’s saddle.

They rode on as the sun climbed higher, the heat building until it felt like riding through an oven.

Thomas led them through a series of small towns, places barely big enough to have names, just a general store and a saloon and a scattering of houses.

They stopped only once to buy grain for the horses and refill their water, and Thomas paid in cash without offering names or conversation.

The store owner barely looked at them, too busy with his ledger to care about two dusty travelers passing through.

That night they made camp in a rocky outcrop that offered shelter from three sides and a clear view of anyone approaching from the fourth.

Thomas built a small fire just enough to heat coffee and warm the beans Ada had packed and they ate in silence while the stars came out one by one.

“Tell me about the ranch,” Eliza said suddenly breaking the quiet.

She was sitting with her back against a boulder, her hands wrapped around a tin cup of coffee.

“How long have you had it?” Thomas poked at the fire with a stick, watching the embers flare and die.

15 years, give or take.

Bought the land cheap after the war.

No one wanted it.

Too rocky, too dry, too far from anywhere that mattered.

But I didn’t need much.

Just space and silence.

You were a soldier for a while.

Cavalry mostly.

Spent 3 years riding through places I’d rather forget, doing things I wish I hadn’t.

He paused, then added quietly.

When it was over, I couldn’t go back to who I’d been before.

Couldn’t pretend the world was the same place, so I came west and started building something new.

Eliza was quiet for a moment, absorbing that.

Did it help starting over? Eventually, took a long time, though, and I had help.

Ada mostly.

She saw me at my worst and didn’t flinch.

Just put me to work and let me heal in my own time.

Thomas looked up at her.

What about you? Where are you from? Sacramento originally.

My parents ran a small bookshop near the river.

They died when I was 17.

Kalera took half the neighborhood that year.

I kept the shop going for a while, but I wasn’t good at it like they were.

Eventually, I had to sell and I took the job at the bank because it was steady work and I needed to survive.

She smiled, bitter and sad.

I thought if I worked hard enough, kept my head down, followed the rules, I’d be safe.

Turns out the world doesn’t care how hard you work if someone powerful decides you’re in the way.

It should, Thomas said.

And maybe after this it will, at least for you.

Maybe.

Eliza didn’t sound convinced.

She set down her cup and wrapped her arms around her knees, staring into the fire.

I keep thinking about Marcus Hulcom, about how he looked the last time I saw him alive.

He wasn’t a good man.

He was stealing, lying, helping Ror rob people who trusted the bank.

But he didn’t deserve to die like that.

And now I’m the only one left who knows the truth.

And if I can’t prove it, if we can’t find that evidence, then he’ll just be another forgotten name and I’ll be the villain in a story I didn’t write.

We’ll find it, Thomas said firmly.

And we’ll make sure people know what really happened.

Eliza looked at him, her eyes dark in the fire light.

You believe that? Even now when we’re riding straight into the lion’s den, I have to believe it.

Otherwise, none of this means anything.

” She held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

“All right, then I’ll believe it, too.

” They took turns keeping watch that night, and when it was Thomas’s turn, he sat with his rifle across his knees and listened to the desert breathe around him.

Coyotes called in the distance, their yips echoing off the rocks, and somewhere an owl hunted on silent wings.

Eliza slept fitfully, twitching and murmuring in her sleep, and twice Thomas heard her cry out softly before falling silent again.

He wondered what she was dreaming about, wondered if she saw Ror’s men in her nightmares, or the desert where they’d left her to die, or the moment she’d realized no one was coming to save her.

When dawn came, pale and hesitant, Thomas woke her gently, and they broke camp without speaking.

The second day’s ride was harder than the first.

The terrain grew rougher, the heat more oppressive, and Eliza’s strength was clearly flagging, but she never asked to stop, never showed weakness, except in the tightness around her eyes and the careful way she moved.

They saw other travelers that day, a family in a covered wagon heading west.

The father’s face grim and hopeful in equal measure.

A pair of prospectors leading pack mules laden with equipment, talking loudly about a strike they were sure would make them rich.

A circuit preacher on a tired mule, his black coat dusty and his Bible clutched like a weapon.

None of them paid Thomas and Eliza any mind.

Just two more people moving through the landscape, anonymous and unremarkable.

But that changed on the third day.

They were less than 10 mi from Sacramento, following a road that ran parallel to the river when Thomas spotted the dust cloud behind them.

He rained in and turned to look, shading his eyes against the afternoon sun and felt his stomach drop.

Three riders moving fast and closing the distance.

“Eliza,” he said quietly, and something in his tone made her turn immediately.

She saw the writers and went pale.

“It’s them.

It has to be.

Maybe just travelers.

No.

Her voice was sharp with certainty.

Look at the way they’re riding.

They’re not just traveling.

They’re hunting.

Thomas cursed under his breath and scanned the road ahead.

They were in open country here.

No cover except for scattered scrub and the occasional boulder.

If they tried to run, the riders would run them down within minutes.

But if they stood and fought three against two, and one of those two barely healed from a beating, the odds weren’t good.

“The river,” Eliza said suddenly, pointing to where the water glinted through a break in the trees.

“If we can reach it, we can lose them in the shallows.

They won’t be able to track us through water.

” “It was a desperate plan, but Thomas couldn’t think of a better one.

Go now.

” They spurred their horses forward, leaving the road and plunging down the embankment toward the river.

Behind them, a shout went up.

The riders had spotted them breaking away and were giving chase.

Thomas risked a glance back and saw them clearly now.

Three men, hard-faced and armed, one of them pointing in their direction and yelling something Thomas couldn’t hear over the pounding of hooves.

The river appeared ahead, brown and swift with snow melt from the mountains.

Thomas hit the water first, the cold shocking after days of desert heat, and his horse boalked for a second before plunging in.

Eliza followed, and they pushed upstream, the current fighting them with every step.

“Keep going!” Thomas shouted over the rush of water.

“Don’t stop.

” Behind them, the riders reached the riverbank and paused, their horses dancing nervously at the water’s edge.

One of them, a big man with a scarred face that made Thomas’s blood run cold, raised a rifle and fired.

The shot went wide, kicking up a spray of water 10 ft to their left.

Thomas heard Eliza gasp and urged his horse faster, angling toward the far bank, where a tangle of willows offered cover.

Another shot.

This one closer, close enough that Thomas felt the wind of its passing.

They reached the willows and crashed through, branches whipping at their faces and tearing at their clothes.

Thomas didn’t slow down until they were deep in the thicket, the river hidden behind a wall of green.

“Off the horses,” he commanded, swinging down.

“We go on foot from here.

” Eliza dismounted, and they led the horses deeper into the undergrowth, moving as quietly as possible.

Behind them, Thomas could hear the riders entering the water, their voices carrying over the sound of the current.

spread out.

They can’t have gone far.

Forget the horses.

Find the woman.

Ror wants her alive.

Thomas and Eliza exchanged a look.

Alive.

That was something.

At least it meant they wouldn’t shoot to kill.

Not at first.

They moved through the willows like ghosts, using every trick Thomas had learned during the war.

Step on solid ground, not loose dirt.

Avoid breaking branches.

Breathe shallow and quiet.

Liza followed his lead without question.

Her face set in grim concentration.

The voices of the riders grew louder, then faded, then grew loud again as the men quartered the area.

Thomas could hear them crashing through the brush, cursing when the thorns caught their clothes, calling to each other in frustration.

“She’s here somewhere.

Keep looking.

” Thomas led Eliza to a dense thicket of blackberry brambles and gestured for her to crawl inside.

She hesitated.

The thorns were vicious.

the space barely big enough for one person, let alone two.

But Thomas gave her a look that borked no argument.

“Get in.

Stay quiet.

Don’t move until I come back.

” “Where are you going?” she whispered, fear sharp in her eyes.

“To draw them away.

If they’re chasing me, they’re not looking for you.

” “Thomas, no.

” But he was already moving, slipping away through the trees before she could stop him.

He heard her call his name once softly, and then silence.

Thomas circled wide, putting distance between himself and Eliza’s hiding place, and then deliberately stepped on a dry branch.

It snapped with a crack that echoed through the stillness.

Immediately, one of the riders shouted, “Over there! I heard something.

” Thomas ran, making just enough noise to be followed, but not so much that he seemed like he was trying to be caught.

He led them away from the river, away from Eliza, deeper into the wild country where he had the advantage.

Behind him, the riders crashed through the undergrowth like angry bears, too focused on the chase to realize they were being led.

Thomas ran for 10 minutes, maybe 15, until his lungs burned and his legs achd.

Then he found what he was looking for, a rocky outcrop with a narrow gap between two boulders, just wide enough for a man to slip through, but too tight for horses.

He squeezed into the gap and kept going, emerging on the other side into a small clearing.

The riders were close now.

So close he could hear them breathing hard, cursing as their horses boalked at the rocks.

He went through there.

Then get off your horse and follow him, you idiot.

Thomas didn’t wait to hear more.

He sprinted across the clearing and into the trees on the far side, using every ounce of speed he had left.

Behind him, he heard boots hitting the ground as at least two of the men dismounted to give chase on foot.

Good.

That evened the odds a little.

Thomas ran until he found a fallen log, massive and rotting, and dove behind it.

He pulled his rifle around and cighted down the barrel, waiting as the footsteps grew closer.

The first man appeared, young, maybe 25, with a patchy beard and wild eyes.

He was holding a pistol and scanning the trees, breathing hard.

“Come out!” he yelled.

“We know you’re here.

” Thomas stayed perfectly still, barely breathing.

The second man appeared beside the first, older, leaner, with a face like a hatchet, spread out.

He can’t have gone far.

They moved forward, cautious now, their guns raised.

Thomas waited until they were 10 ft away, then stood up in one smooth motion and fired a shot into the air.

The younger man yelped and dove for cover.

The older one spun toward Thomas, raising his pistol, but Thomas was already moving, ducking behind the log and running in a new direction, back toward where he’d left the horses.

More shots rang out, wild and panicked.

None of them came close.

Thomas ran until he couldn’t hear pursuit anymore, then slowed to a jog, then a walk.

His heart was hammering and his hands were shaking, adrenaline flooding his system in waves.

But he’d done it.

He’d led them away from Eliza.

Now he just had to get back to her before they realized they’d been played.

He circled back through the wilderness, moving carefully now, listening for any sign of the riders.

It took him nearly an hour to reach the river again, and by then the sun was sinking toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose.

He found the blackberry thicket and called softly, “Eliza, it’s me.

You can come out.

” For a long moment there was nothing.

Then the brambles rustled, and Eliza emerged, scratched and bleeding from a dozen small cuts, her dress torn, and her hair wild, but she was whole and unheard otherwise.

She looked at Thomas, took in his disheveled appearance and the rifle still in his hands, and her face crumpled with relief.

“You came back?” she whispered.

“Of course I came back.

” Thomas reached out and gently pulled a thorn from her hair.

“You all right?” I heard shooting.

I thought she stopped, her breath hitching.

I thought they’d killed you.

Takes more than three hired guns to put me down, Thomas said, trying for lightness and not quite succeeding.

Come on, we need to keep moving.

They’ll regroup and start searching again once they realize I gave them the slip.

They found the horses where they’d left them, still hidden in the willows and mounted up.

Thomas led them away from the river this time, cutting north through farmland and orchards, where the trees provided cover, and the smell of ripening fruit hung heavy in the air.

They rode until full dark, then made a cold camp in an abandoned barn that smelled of hay and mice.

No fire, no hot food, just jerky and water, and the horses tied loosely in case they needed to leave in a hurry.

Eliza sat with her back against a wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, and stared at nothing.

Thomas could see her trembling, delayed shock maybe, or just exhaustion catching up.

“They knew we were coming,” she said finally, her voice hollow.

“Rork knew.

” “Maybe.

Or maybe they’ve just been watching every road into Sacramento, waiting for you to show up.

” Thomas sat down beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.

Either way, it doesn’t change what we have to do.

Yes, it does.

It means walking into the city is suicide.

They’ll be watching every entry point, every street that leads to Mrs.

Chen’s boarding house.

We’ll never make it.

Then we don’t walk in the front door, Thomas said.

We find another way.

Sneak in after dark.

Stay in the shadows.

Move fast.

You know the city better than they think you do.

Use that.

Eliza turned to look at him, and in the dim light filtering through the barn’s gaps, he could see the fear in her eyes.

Not just of dying, but of failing, of coming so close and losing everything.

“What if the evidence isn’t there?” she whispered.

“What if Ror already found it?” “Then we’ll find another way to prove your innocence.

But we won’t know until we look.

” She closed her eyes, and a single tear slid down her cheek.

Thomas reached out hesitantly and wiped it away with his thumb.

I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I know.

So am I.

But we’re still here and we’re still fighting.

That counts for something.

” Eliza opened her eyes and looked at him.

Really? Looked at him, seeing past the rough exterior and the careful distance he usually kept.

Why are you doing this, Thomas? And don’t tell me it’s because it’s the right thing to do.

There has to be more than that.

Thomas was quiet for a long time, searching for words that felt true.

I spent three years of my life watching people die for reasons that didn’t matter.

Politics and pride and men playing games with other people’s lives.

And when it was over, I swore I’d never be part of that again.

Never stand by and do nothing while someone suffered because it was easier than getting involved.

He paused.

You were dying in that desert because powerful men decided you were inconvenient.

And I couldn’t I won’t let that stand.

Not while I can still do something about it.

Even if it cost you everything.

Even then.

Eliza stared at him for a long moment, and something shifted in her expression.

The fear didn’t disappear, but it was joined by something else.

Determination, maybe, or hope.

All right, she said softly.

Then, let’s finish this.

They slept in shifts again that night, and when dawn came, they were already moving.

Sacramento rose ahead of them like a promise and a threat, its buildings visible on the horizon.

Smoke from a thousand chimneys smudging the sky.

Thomas led them to the outskirts and stopped, studying the city from a distance.

It sprawled along the river, warehouses and docks on the waterfront, fine houses on the hills beyond, and in between the tangled streets where most people lived and worked.

Mrs.

Chen’s boarding house, Eliza said, pointing, three blocks in from the river near the Chinese quarter.

If we come in from the east through the alleys behind theies, we can avoid the main streets.

And Ror’s men, they’ll be concentrated around the nicer parts of town.

That’s where Ror has his office, where the bank is.

They might have someone watching the boarding house, but they can’t cover every building in the city.

It was thin reasoning, but it was all they had.

Thomas nodded.

Then that’s what we’ll do.

We go in after dark, get the evidence, and get out fast and quiet.

They spent the day hidden in a grove of eucalyptus trees, resting and waiting for night to fall.

Eliza cleaned and checked the revolver Thomas had given her, her movements careful and precise, while Thomas sharpened his knife and mentally rehearsed the plan.

When the sun finally set, and the city lights began to flicker on one by one, they mounted up and rode toward Sacramento.

The outskirts were quiet.

Just a few workers heading home late.

A drunk stumbling out of a saloon.

A woman hanging laundry in the fading light.

No one paid them any attention as they slipped into the maze of alleys that ran behind the main streets.

Eliza guided them with quiet confidence, navigating the narrow passages like she’d walked them a thousand times.

They passed the backs of shops and homes, smelling cooking fires and hearing fragments of conversation in a dozen different languages.

Finally, Eliza raised a hand and they stopped.

“There,” she whispered, pointing to a narrow three-story building with peeling paint and a crooked sign that read Chen’s boarding house in faded letters.

Thomas scanned the street.

No obvious watchers, no suspicious figures loitering in doorways.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

“I’ll go in alone,” Eliza said.

“If someone’s watching, they’re looking for a woman.

If they see me with you, they’ll know I have help.

” Absolutely not.

We go in together or not at all? Thomas? No arguments.

We’re exposed out here and I’m not letting you walk into a trap by yourself.

He dismounted and tied his horse to a post.

Come on, let’s get this done.

Eliza hesitated, then nodded and followed him to the boarding house’s back entrance.

The door was unlocked, and they slipped inside into a dim hallway that smelled of cabbage and lie soap.

The boarding house was quiet.

Most of the residents already asleep were out for the evening.

Eliza led Thomas to a narrow staircase that descended into darkness.

And at the bottom they found themselves in a cellar crowded with storage.

Crates, barrels, old furniture covered in dust.

“Over here,” Eliza whispered, moving to the far corner where the stairs met the wall.

She knelt and ran her fingers along the baseboard until she found what she was looking for.

A loose board that came away with a soft creek.

Behind it was a hollow space, and inside the hollow was a leather portfolio tied with string.

Eliza pulled it out with shaking hands, untied the string, and opened it.

Inside were dozens of pages covered in neat handwriting, copies of ledgers, transaction records, names and dates, and amounts that told a story of systematic theft.

“It’s here,” she breathed.

“It’s all here.

” Thomas felt a surge of relief so strong it nearly buckled his knees.

Then let a board creaked above them.

They both froze, looking up at the ceiling.

Footsteps, slow and deliberate, crossing the floor overhead.

Then a voice, cold and cultured, drifted down through the floorboards.

I was wondering when you’d show up, Miss Caldwell.

Eliza’s face went white.

Ror, she whispered.

The footsteps moved toward the staircase, and Thomas heard the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.

You’ve led me on quite a chase, Gideon Ror continued, his voice growing louder as he descended the stairs.

But I’m afraid this is where it ends.

You have something that belongs to me, and I intend to take it back, along with your life, of course.

Can’t have witnesses.

Thomas grabbed Eliza’s arm and pulled her behind a stack of crates, pressing a finger to his lips.

His mind raced, searching for options.

They were trapped.

One exit and worked between them and freedom.

Ror reached the bottom of the stairs and Thomas caught a glimpse of him through a gap in the crates.

Tall, well-dressed, with dark hair going gray at the temples and eyes like chips of ice.

He held a pistol loosely in one hand, supremely confident.

I know you’re down here, Ror said pleasantly.

And I know you’re not alone.

The man who helped you escape my people in the desert, perhaps.

How touching.

But it won’t save you.

Thomas metalized his eyes and saw his own desperation reflected there.

Then he made a decision.

He stood up, stepping out from behind the crates with his hands raised and his rifle left behind.

“Looking for me,” he said.

Ror turned, his pistol swinging around to point at Thomas’s chest.

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