Page 81 of Their Property
“He asked about armies riding north to Sevier before you came downstairs. I told him I didn’t see anything, because, frankly, I don’t trust any men that come through here.” Her eyes met mine. “But if they treat you good, andyoutrust them, then…”
“What did you see?” I all but demanded of her. “How many, Gretchen?”
“About thirty hired guns stopped here three days ago. They weren’t soldiers, but they were…professionals, you know? All matching uniforms, shiny weapons. Clean cut and in great shape. I served them food and they all stayed hands off, thank fuck. But they were focused, and I heard them talking.”
“About?”
“Securing Perrysville. Is that in Sevier?”
I leaned back against the bar, the wind knocked out of me. “Yeah, that’s the capital.”
Gretchen’s eyebrows lifted. “Guess you got your answer.”
“What else did you hear? What about where they came from or whose orders they were under?”
She shook her head regretfully. “They were a quiet bunch. Like I said, focused. Only stayed for a night and then left early.”
“Maybe one of the other girls heard something? Can you ask around?”
“I can try, but I’m telling you, these guys stayed really tight-lipped. Everyone thought it was weird, because it’s the opposite of most men who can’t keep it shut.”
We both laughed a little at that. At some point, I started to feel more at ease while we talked. I was still tense and scared, but no longer in full-blown panic mode.
“Thank you, Gretchen.”
She squeezed my hands affectionately. “Girls gotta help each other, you know?”
“You’re absolutely right about that.”
Another series of shots fired, close and loud enough that I felt the bar shift as it absorbed the impact.
“Fuck, they’re getting around my cover!” one of the women yelled.
“Hold on!” a man’s voice answered, but more gunfire drowned him out.
The situation seemed to be getting worse. More shots from the other side were hitting their marks, if the panicked shouts were anything to go by. My feet felt like they were actually on fire now. Hiding while the others risked their lives was literally paining me.
“I can’t stay here.”
“Wait!” Gretchen grabbed my arm as I began to stand, her blue eyes massive. “You can’t go out there!”
“You don’t understand, I have to do something!”
“Don’t give your men a body to bury!”
“I won’t! I’m going to shield them.”
The words left my mouth before they registered in my head, like someone else had used my lips to speak. All at once, I became aware of the circular shield strapped to my forearm, my fingers wrapped around the smooth, wooden handle of an axe, and the weight of a metal helmet on my head.
Shield them, daughter, and I will shield you.
That omniscient voice in my head spurred me into movement like a shot of adrenaline. All my fear was replaced by a pressing need toprotectat all costs, to block the carnage coming for my men and those who hosted us here.
If Gretchen noticed my valkyrie garb, she didn’t mention it. She tried to keep me from walking out from behind the bar, pulling and pleading at me to stop, but I shook her off easily. Nothing would touch me. Somehow Iknewthis.
She, and everything else, sounded far away and garbled, like I was underwater. Multiple people yelled my name, but it was all white noise. Some kind of barrier surrounded me, I could tell that much. Shots continued to fire, but none of them came within feet of me. I felt like the sharp side of an axe, cold and impervious as I cut through the room.
Kitty and two other women hid behind an overturned table that was moments away from becoming splinters. One woman’s hands shook as she reloaded her gun while Kitty had taken off her T-shirt and was wrapping it around the other woman’s bloodied arm. All three of them opened their mouths and yelled as I walked past them, but the sound didn’t reach me. I ignored them and stood in front of their table to face our attackers instead.
