Chapter Twenty

The next morning before the sun came out, Lucas was woken from his sleep by a firm shake. Lucas forced his eyes open and turned away from Gail. Blaze was kneeling on the ground next to him.

"I found out where the bandits are," Blaze whispered. "Last night, I wasn't sure where they were, but now I am. One of them popped out to take care of business. I figured someone would need to do that at some point, so I've been watching for the past two hours. They're quite a distance from here. It'll take about an hour to reach them. We have to be careful not to get caught. I suggest leaving our supplies here so nothing slows us down."

Lucas blinked the sleep from his eyes and sat up. The realization of what they were about to do was quickly making the last of his dream fade away. "When should we get Bernadette?"

"I think we should head over there now before they all wake up."

Yes, that was probably the smartest way to go about it, especially since Zeke had suggested the same thing. His gaze went to Gail. He was surprised she was still asleep. Did nothing disturb her?

He debated whether it was best to wake her or let her sleep. Who was he kidding? She had come along with the intention of helping him. She would be upset if they left without waking her.

He tapped her shoulder. "Gail?"

"Are you sure it's wise to wake her?" Blaze whispered.

"She wants to help us get Bernadette."

"It's best if she stays here where it's safe."

Lucas frowned. Would it be best if she stayed here? She had wanted to join him and Zeke on this trip, and he was glad she'd insisted on coming along.

Gail shifted into a sitting position. Lucas jerked. She had been sound asleep. How could she wake up so fast?

"Someone needs to warn you two if one of the bandits catches you sneaking up on them," she told Blaze. "Who is going to do that if I'm not hiding behind a nearby rock?"

Lucas blinked. It wasn't possible she had only been pretending to be asleep while he and Blaze were talking, was it? He didn't think someone just coming out of sleep could be this coherent.

"I'm only trying to keep you out of harm's way," Blaze replied. "I have Lucas to be my lookout. The opening they have will only fit one man at a time. That makes us even with them in this rescue."

Gail didn't seem happy with his argument, but after a moment, she relented. "Alright, I'll stay here, but how will I know if something bad happens to one of you?"

"Just keep watch from over there." Blaze pointed to the edge of the opening of the small cavern. "If you look toward the east, you can see where they're hiding."

A wave of uncertainty came over Lucas. After all of this traveling, he should be relieved. He did want to get Bernadette to safety. The longer she was stuck with the bandits, the greater the chances were that they would harm her. But it suddenly occurred to him that his safety wasn't guaranteed. What if he never saw Gail again?

His gaze went back to her. On his wedding day, he had dreaded spending an entire lifetime with her, and now he was scared the lifetime would be ripped away from him.

"Don't worry," Blaze assured Gail as he gave a firm pat on Lucas' shoulder. "I'll make sure no harm comes to him. You two will live a long and happy life and have lots of children. I'll make sure he keeps out of their sight."

Gail visibly relaxed.

Touched by her concern for him, Lucas gave her a lingering kiss. If, for some reason, Blaze was wrong and this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it'd be, Lucas wanted to convey how much he loved her. And a quick kiss couldn't do it.

Blaze, to his credit, patiently waited for the kiss to end before he helped Lucas to his feet. While Lucas slipped on his boots and hat, Blaze checked the bullets in his gun then set it in his holster. He checked another gun and emptied the chamber.

"The empty one is for you since you don't know how to shoot," Blaze explained. "Just point this at the outlaw, and act like you're going to shoot him if he doesn't do what we say, alright?"

Lucas indicated he would do as instructed.

Blaze brushed back his wavy hair then put his hat on. He strode over to the entrance and peered outside, his gaze quickly focusing on something in the distance.

Lucas had to give credit where credit was due. Blaze seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and that did help ease his anxiety. He offered Gail a tentative smile, which she returned, then joined Blaze at the entrance.

"Stay behind me," Blaze said in a low voice. "We will stick to the larger rocks as much as possible."

With a deep breath, Lucas followed him.

***

Something bumped against Bernadette and yanked her out of her slumber. She stiffened and felt the ground for a rock. She found it then opened her eyes. To her surprise, the person who had touched her hadn't been one of the bandits. Instead, it was a sleeping Zeke. He had collapsed against her. She relaxed. Then she pushed him away. Just because he was a lawman, it didn't mean she wanted to be this close to him.

He slouched in the other direction and landed on the hard ground of the cavern. She thought for sure this would wake him, but he only let out a light snore and continued sleeping. She grimaced. Some rescuer he was. He couldn't even stay up through the night to make sure none of the bandits were going to hurt her. Even if he was tied up and couldn't save her, it would be nice if he could yell at them to stop.

She shook her head and turned her attention to the others. Bower and Big Mike were sleeping. Squiggy was keeping watch at the entrance. It was just past dawn now, so she could see what he was doing. He was hunched over with some papers in his lap. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what held his interest. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

She shifted. The urge to relieve her bladder wasn't great yet, but she would need to go in the next hour. The other men should be awake by then. They typically woke up soon after the sun came out. There was no way she'd let Squiggy escort her to a private area. It had to be Bower. He barely glanced in her direction. Big Mike might look at her from time to time in a way that let her know he wanted to do something to her, but he never let it go beyond that. Squiggy, however, had a way of touching her whenever he had a chance to get near her. She doubted they would have kidnapped her if she was a man. Sometimes being a lady was unpleasant.

As if he was aware that she'd been thinking about him, Squiggy looked her way. She averted her gaze and covered her breasts with her arms. She didn't like showing him he intimidated her. Most of her actions were instinctive, but she really wished she could manage to control them so he didn't realize he had power over her. When someone knew you were weak, it gave them strength.

She heard Squiggy get up and had to resist the urge to make sure he wasn't still looking at her. When she realized he had stepped outside the hideout, she dared a glance at the entrance. He was nowhere in sight. Good. He hadn't approached her. She could relax. At least for now.

Zeke stopped snoring, and for a moment, she thought he was finally going to wake up, but he remained in the same spot, eyes still closed. She took another look at Bower and Big Mike. Both were soundly sleeping. They wouldn't notice it if she helped Zeke out of the rope, would they? Zeke might not be a great rescuer, but he might provide some help.

Ignoring her sore body, she got up from her spot and knelt in front of Zeke so she could see the rope that bound his wrists. She knew very little about knots, but maybe she could loosen them. She blinked in surprise when she noticed how raw his wrists were. She had to hand it to him; he didn't give up easily. He had tried so hard to free himself that his wrists were bleeding. She gave another glance around them to make sure no one was watching them then used her fingernails to start prying the knot loose.

Zeke stirred from his sleep and started when he noticed her.

She urged him to keep quiet. When he settled back into place, she continued to work on the knot. Just when it finally loosened, she heard the sound of a muffled skirmish from outside the cave. She hurried back to her spot in case the others realized she wasn't staying put.

Everything went quiet. She clasped her hands together and focused on taking nice, even breaths. One could only guess what was happening out there. Maybe Cooper had brought someone back with him. He hadn't been all that happy when Bower sent him away. Cooper could intend to kidnap her from Bower. Maybe he would seek the ransom for himself. Or maybe he would take advantage of her.

Her gaze went to Zeke who was slipping his hands out of the rope. She had helped him. He'd help her now, too, wouldn't he?

A tall, handsome man with broad shoulders and a strong build entered the hideout as if no one would be able to stop him. His piercing blue eyes met hers. Her heart leapt in her throat. She'd never seen anyone with such a commanding presence before.

"Are you Bernadette Reid?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.

Her mouth was suddenly dry. She couldn't speak. All she could do was nod.

Next to her, Zeke stood up. "She is, and I'm here to rescue her."

"Well, I'm Blaze Levi, and she came to Arizona to marry me," the gorgeous man told Zeke, keeping his voice low. He held his hand out to her. "Your brother, Lucas, is outside. I'll take you to him so you can be safe."

"She was safe with me this whole time," Zeke argued, his voice much louder than it should have been.

"What's going on here?" Bower barked.

The three looked over at the two bandits who were getting to their feet. Blaze pointed his gun in their direction, and while Bower pointed his gun at Blaze, Big Mike pointed his gun at Bernadette.

"I wouldn't be so eager to pull the trigger if I were you," Bower warned, a slight grin on his face. "You ought to have been quieter if you wanted to get her out of here without us noticing."

"Yeah," Big Mike agreed. "She doesn't go anywhere until we get the ransom money."

"That's right. One thousand dollars." Bower cocked his gun. "Did you come bringing it, or do we sell her to someone who's willing to pay for her? She's still a virgin, and she's a looker. Those things make her worth more."

Bernadette gritted her teeth. She really didn't like being talked about as if she were an item in a store.

"No one is selling her," Blaze said. "She is a lady. She is not an animal to be bought and sold."

"Now, wait a moment," Zeke interjected. "I'm a deputy, and I have the final say in what happens in this territory. Bernadette will not be sold to anyone for any reason. She will return to her brother."

Big Mike glanced at the rope in Zeke's empty hands and he smirked. "How are you going to make us give her to her brother? You got no gun. We took it yesterday when you failed to rescue her."

Zeke gasped. "No rescue is complete until the damsel in distress is safe where she belongs. I only let you think you captured me so you'd let your guard down."

The others gave a slight roll of their eyes. She didn't blame them. He would still be tied up if it hadn't been for her. He had, indeed, failed to rescue her.

Ignoring Zeke, Blaze approached Bower.

Bower held his gun up. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. I'm a good shot, and Big Mike doesn't mind shooting a lady. Even an injured lady is worth something."

Undisturbed by the threat, Blaze chuckled. "It's adorable that you two think you have a chance. Have you noticed that the third man isn't here?"

Bower's gaze went to the opening of the hideout, and Blaze lurched forward. Zeke grabbed her right before Big Mike shot the gun in her direction. Zeke rushed her out of the cave while the men started punching each other.

Bernadette trembled with a mixture of relief and excitement. She had finally been rescued, and the one who managed the feat was none other than her intended. She would have to thank him later. For now, she had to get out of harm's way.