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Chapter Sixteen

H alfway into the day, Zeke found a spring of water. They rested in the shade of a large shrub after they had enough to drink.

“How are your feet doing?” Zeke asked. He had carried her along the rougher parts of the terrain but still worried about the pebbles and gravel that were stuck in the ground. While small, those could be sharp.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “They don’t hurt too bad. Thanks to you.”

She smiled in a way that made confronting the Red Ghost worth it. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten so close to the beast. After reading about it so much, it was no longer some story. It had been right in front of him. In the flesh.

“Did you get a good look at the Red Ghost?” he asked after a long moment of silence passed between them.

“No. All I remember is seeing large glowing eyes and a big snout.” She shivered. “I’ll be happy if I never see that thing again.”

“Do you think it was a camel like Blaze and Faye do?”

She thought for a moment then said, “I saw illustrations of camels from a book on exotic animals. That thing didn’t look like a camel. It was too scary.”

“I didn’t think it looked like a camel, either. I could see parts of it in the moonlight, and it was a large, hairy monster. Did you notice how many men were trying to shoot it?”

“Come to think of it, a lot of men did go after it.”

“Right. And that thing didn’t fall down. It didn’t even stumble. It just kept running.” Since she wasn’t dismissing what he had to say like Blaze and Faye did, he added, “I saw the demon that rides its back.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You did?”

He nodded. “It was all bony. At first glance, one would think it’s a human skeleton, but if it were a human skeleton, it would have flown off the thing’s back. Only a demon could hold onto it with the way it was running.”

She shivered again, and this time she put her arms around herself in a protective gesture. “I’m glad you managed to get us away from that thing. I don’t want to think of what it would have done to us if you hadn’t.”

“I got lucky.”

“I don’t know. That thing was strong enough to pull us all the way back to Granite Wash Pass.”

She was right. The Red Ghost had taken them a long way.

No ordinary animal could have managed such a feat.

He scanned the rocky, hilly terrain that was around them.

While not ideal, going around the small hills allowed them to stay out of sight from the men who worked in the mines nearby.

It also hid them from the Red Ghost. Though, with it now being daylight, Zeke doubted the thing would show up.

Monsters only liked to come out when it was dark.

“You’re braver than I originally took you for,” Bernadette said, her voice soft.

Surprised, he turned his attention back to her.

She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and met his gaze. “I’m sorry I gave you so much grief about the way you handled things with Bower and his gang.”

“Well, to be fair, I probably could have handled it better. Blaze had a plan going in. I didn’t. All I could think about was getting you back to your brother.”

“When the Red Ghost abducted me, you ran after me and jumped on the bedroll without thinking about it. Then you fought until you freed us. You didn’t have time to plan any of that out. You had to act quickly.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like the Red Ghost is known for announcing it’s coming before it shows up.”

“Zeke, I’m trying to pay you a compliment. It took a lot of courage to risk everything to help me like that.”

His face warmed in pleasure. No one had ever said words like that to him before, and the fact that Bernadette was the one who was saying them made those words even better. Despite the sudden burst of shyness that welled up within him, he smiled. “Thank you, Bernadette.”

She returned his smile. “You’re welcome. Lucas said you were a good, trustworthy man, and he was right.”

“Lucas said that about me?”

She nodded. “Lucas believed in you when the rest of us didn’t. I’m just glad I figured out he was right when I did.”

Now he was too bashful to keep looking at her. He’d always thought that if someone would view him as the lawman he wanted to be, he would be able to look the person in the eye with confidence. He didn’t realize how affected he would be when this moment actually came.

“I think I’m going to drink some more water before we continue to make our way to our camping spot,” Bernadette said after a long moment.

Zeke allowed himself the pleasure of enjoying Bernadette’s estimation of him for a few more seconds before joining her.

Faye picked up the discarded butt of a cigarette off the ground and studied it.

“Yep, this was Wilson’s alright. He always rolls his cigarettes so that the tip ends like this.

” She showed it to the others. “Pa did it the same way. Once in a while, he would smoke a cigar, but those get expensive.” She tossed the cigarette butt back on the ground.

“We are definitely heading in the right direction.”

“There’s only one way to get to Quartzsite from Granite Wash Pass,” Blaze said as he scanned the barren terrain ahead of them. “The question is, can we reach Lee and Wilson in time?”

“Do you have the map, or did you leave it with Zeke’s belongings?” Faye asked.

“I took the map.” He paused. “Zeke and Bernadette are a day’s journey behind us.

I doubt they’ll make it in time for the showdown.

A shame, too. I was hoping to have Zeke’s help.

” He let out a sigh then added, “Lucas and Gail, you two don’t have to worry.

Faye and I will make sure you won’t have to get involved in this. ”

“I didn’t think we would get involved,” Lucas replied.

Faye held her hand out to Blaze. “Can I see the map? I want to know exactly where this so-called treasure is supposed to be.”

“I doubt there’s actual treasure there,” Blaze commented in case she thought he was gullible enough to believe that outlaws were stupid enough to bury money and then create a map that others could find.

He reached into his pocket and gave it to her.

“The thing that matters is that Lee and Wilson believe it.”

“They aren’t the smartest people who ever lived, so I expect them to be fooled by it.” She unfolded the map and studied it.

Lucas shifted from one foot to another, an indication he wished to speak but was choosing his words carefully first.

“Is something worrying you?” Blaze encouraged.

Lucas glanced at the path behind them, and for a moment, Blaze thought Lucas was going to suggest they wait for Zeke and Bernadette to catch up to them. As it turned out, however, Lucas asked, “Do you know how many men and women are in Quartzsite? There weren’t any women in Granite Wash Pass.”

“There were a few women,” Blaze replied. “They stayed out of sight.”

“Well, is it going to be like that in Quartzsite?”

“No. Quartzsite is more than a settlement for miners. It’s an actual town. Gail will be safe there.”

He noted Lucas’ relief and was glad he was able to offer the reassurance. It was nice he didn’t have to worry so much about Faye. Yes, she was still vulnerable. Despite her bravado, she was still a woman, and a woman’s situation was always more sensitive, no matter what was going on.

He forced his mind back to Quartzsite. There were two dangerous outlaws running through this part of Arizona, and he had to help Faye apprehend them so good people could rest easier at night.

“I’ve only been to Quartzsite once,” Faye spoke up, “and that was five years ago. If everything is still the same, our best approach is to go around the south side of town and work our way up to the west side. We should check out the saloons again. Even if they are eager to get more money, my brother and his friend will probably want a drink first.”

Blaze hoped so. It would buy them more time, and right now, they needed all the time they could get. He took the map from her, put it safely away, and got up on his horse. Then the four continued on their path toward Quartzsite.