Page 29 of The Copper Heir
Of course she would, she had men with guns and Glory had assured her that all of the women who worked there were perfectly safe. That didn’t stop her from struggling. She twisted and turned and when that didn’t work she pounded his back with her fists. The solid muscle that she had so admired the night before had become a prison from which there seemed to be no escape. After a couple of turns, the hallway widened and she recognized the fine carpet of the guest wing. Then he was opening his door and they were back in his familiar room where he sat her down a bit roughly on the bed.
She came up quickly, expecting him to hold her down, but he just stood there, watching her as she regained her footing. The door stood wide-open behind him, which surprised her. She had expected him to lock her in again. “You won’t get out of here with me. Glory assured me that she wouldn’t let that happen.”
He wasn’t angry anymore. His expression was suspiciously resigned as he watched her, making a foreboding tremor snake down her spine. Something was wrong.
“Glory won’t have much to say about it,” he said in a strangely calm, strangely soft voice.
She laughed. “Oh, I assure you that she will.”
“No, Emmy, she won’t.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down with those intense eyes. The thing was—she believed him. Something about that look told her that he was very confident in his words, but he wasn’t overly arrogant. He just stood there with quiet reassurance in what he said.
“What have you done?”
“We found your sisters.” That was it, no further explanation.
She shook her head in disbelief, though deep down inside herself something told her that he was speaking the truth. “I don’t believe you. It’s too convenient after last night. I only just told you about them.”
“Their names are Virginia and Rose. They’re about ten and eleven, give or take. Blonde.”
“I still don’t believe you. You could have asked anyone...” But he couldn’t have. No one at the brothel or in all of Helena, as far as she knew, knew her or her sisters. There was only Glory and she doubted that the madam had told him anything about them. It was impossible unless he’d gone back into Whiskey Hollow and talked to someone there.
He went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Zane, the one you call the giant, went back into town the night we took you and found the saloon owner. He was on his way out to your farm.”
“Dear God, did he shoot Jake?”
“Jake’s fine,” he hurried to reassure her. “Zane figured he was going after you and followed him to your farm where he found the two girls. He tied Jake up, then met up with us at the cavern.”
“Where are the children?”
“They’re here. In Helena.”
It was almost too much to take in at once. Her mind was swimming with the idea that her sweet little sisters had traveled all that way with outlaws. They must have been terrified. They must still be terrified. “Have you no decency at all that you would kidnap children?”
“They’re fine, unharmed and well taken care of at my home, just outside of town. My housekeeper raised me and I swear to you that she’s the best there is. I wouldn’t put them in danger.”
“You put me in danger. I’d never been shot at until you took me.”
“That’s not fair, Emmy. Campbell sent those men.”
“Don’t call me Emmy! I can’t believe that I let you...” Her voice choked off as she remembered all the ways she had touched him and had let him touch her. All the time she had led herself to believe that he felt something for her, when the entire time she had known better. She’d walked right into his arms with her eyes wide-open. She’d known it was possible he was only using her, but she’d done it anyway, telling herself that she’d just wanted to use him, too. He had known all along that he had her sisters and was just waiting for the right time to spring that trap. Conveniently that time had come after she had given herself to him. Men like him would always get what they wanted first.
“Emmy.” His voice lowered to a soothing tone and he stepped forward, cupping his hands around her shoulders to pull her forward, but she jerked away.
“Don’t touch me. You could have told me before we slept together, but you didn’t because you knew that I wouldn’t sleep with you if you did.”
“That’s not how I remember it. I never intended to sleep with you. We were arguing and then things got out of hand. You wanted me, Emmy. You wanted what happened between us as much as I did. Don’t let this ruin last night.”
“How can it not ruin last night? You taking me captive, you holding my sisters captive...?” Her voice rose with each word.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“How else could it be?”
“I swear to you that they haven’t been harmed, nor will they be harmed. We just want to exchange them for Cas’s brother. I didn’t start this thing. Campbell did.”
“I didn’t start it either, Hunter, but here we stand.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his face stoic but with no shred of anger left, and despite her best intentions she felt that look all the way down to her toes. “What happened between uslast night is real, Emmy. If I had wanted another woman in my bed last night, I would have found one. It’s you I wanted.”
