Chapter 73

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

Ryker

I suppressed a groan as the giant's jaw dropped at her revelation. I liked and trusted the man, and so did Tucker, as he'd allowed him into the settlement, but I didn't know him well enough to trust him with Ellery's secrets. She should have kept that to herself.

Mouse didn't look astounded by her revelation. He was so secretive he'd probably known since the beginning, might have even watched her a few times, and never revealed he was there.

Ianto started laughing. The boisterous sound was infectious enough to make Mouse and Tucker smile, but I wasn't amused, and Ellery remained stone-faced while watching him.

"Sure," Ianto said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, "and I'm the king."

"I know you're not the king," she replied, "but I am the Robber. Believe me or not, but I've used this road to view those passing by and get away when necessary."

Ianto's amusement faded as he looked from me, to her, to Tucker, and back again. When Tucker gave a small nod, his eyes shot back to Ellery.

"You're not kidding?" the giant demanded.

"No, I already told you that," Ellery replied.

"Now that that's over…." Tucker removed a pencil from his pocket and erased some trees to add a road to the map. "Why is there a road that goes nowhere?"

"Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the Revenant Woods," Ellery answered. "I'm sure it's not the only one. I know these woods extremely well, and Mouse probably knows them better than me, but they still hold countless secrets."

Mouse nodded his agreement.

"Shit," Ianto muttered, apparently still not over his disbelief at Ellery's revelation. "But you're a woman ."

"How very astute of you," Ellery retorted.

Despite my irritation over her revelation, I chuckled.

Ianto ducked his head and gazed bashfully over at her. "Everyone believes the Hooded Robber is a man."

"They do, which works well for me. It kept Ryker from discovering who I was after I robbed him."

My amusement vanished at the reminder, and the giant's jaw fell so far it might have dislocated. " You "—he pointed at Ellery—"robbed him ?"

I almost broke his finger when he pointed at me.

"I did," Ellery replied.

The giant gawked at the two of us before bursting into louder laughter. He hugged his belly and leaned against a tree as tears streamed from his eyes.

I was half afraid he might choke on his laughter… or from my hands around his throat. Tucker placed his hand over his mouth and ducked his head, but he couldn't hide the tremble of his shoulders.

I wanted to kill them all.

The giant finally stopped laughing to inhale heaping gulps of air as he tried to get himself under control again. "Oh," he panted. "Oh, it makes so much more sense now."

"What does?" Ellery demanded.

Ianto's eyes sparkled when they met mine. "The two of you. The whole… your whole fucked-up dynamic."

When he started laughing again, I'd had enough. "We're here to plan a robbery, not for your amusement. Are you in on this or not?"

Ianto chuckled a few more times as he composed his face into a more serious expression. "Are you two going to kill each other?"

"No," I said while Ellery said, "It's a possibility."

We glared at each other, but Ianto's question broke into our standoff.

"So, when you told me she was helping you look for the Hooded Robber, you already knew she was the Robber?"

I didn't look away from Ellery as I responded. "It was something we were keeping under wraps."

"Since we're all going to be thieves by the end of this, he should know who he's working with and my level of expertise."

"That level of expertise will remain between us… and only us from now on. Some of Tucker's followers are going to help with this. They do not need to know who you are. We can't have that knowledge getting out, and the more who know, the more likely it will spread. No one else."

Ellery bit her lip before responding. "Fine."

I looked at the giant. "Is that understood?"

He held up his hands. "I won't say a word. I have a feeling you'd fry my ass if I did."

"I would."

Ianto didn't take offense to this as he smiled before chuckling again. We were going to have to beat the shit out of each other again.

When Mouse tugged on Ellery's arm and pointed at something on the map, she shifted her attention to it. Her forehead furrowed as she studied the area he indicated. "Is there another road there?"

Mouse nodded.

"Is it another dead-end road?"

Mouse nodded again.

"Should the boy be involved in this?" Ianto asked.

"Even if he decides to start talking again, he won't tell anyone. I trust him completely," Ellery said. "There's another road here, Tucker."

Tucker changed the map to reflect what she and Mouse indicated. Mouse pointed out a few more spots where there were other unknown roads. Some cut through a small section of the woods, but most dead-ended.

When Tucker finished making adjustments, we all moved closer to study it again.