The Alchemy of Desire (13 page)

He relaxed and laughed as he backed away. “You must really like him to get this riled up.”

“Or I must really hate you.”

“Point made
.
” Another bang came from the barn. “I suppose I should go apologize to Diah and explain to him what really happened.”

“That would be a good idea.”

“Good afternoon, my lady.” He bowed to her. A mocking gesture, if ever she saw one. “And thank you for healing my shoulder. I feel like a new man.”

As he walked away, she resisted the urge to plant the dagger in his back.

Chapter Fourteen

Diah marched into the barn with his arms glued to his sides. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen. He’d gone to the house because he heard Cager scream. And what did he find? Oni, in the arms of his brother, kissing him.

Damn whore!

His fist splintered the wooden stall. His knuckles burned and he wiggled his fingers to make sure he hadn’t broken anything. But his anger still raged.

Cager wasn’t much better, either. It didn’t matter that he could have any woman he wanted. Why did he have to go after the woman Diah wanted? The woman he swore he was falling in love with until he saw this. It was Becky Morris all over again. He kicked the lantern on the floor. It hit the other stall and rolled away with a fresh dent in the metal frame.

“Are you going to destroy everything in my barn, son?”

Diah whirled around to see Jim standing behind him. Shame overwhelmed his fury. His eyes burned and he sank onto a bale of hay. “Sorry, Jim. It’s just…”

The sound of a slap came from the dugout, and the older man chuckled. “Sounds like Oni’s lost her temper too. What did your brother do this time?”

“You don’t want to know.”

Cager appeared in the doorway. “Diah, hear me out before you do anything.”

The rage surged through him again. Diah jumped to his feet and smashed his fist against Cager’s face, sending his brother sprawling in the dusty ground. He lunged, eager to land another punch and beat him to a bloody pulp, but Jim restrained him.

“Calm down, Big Red.”

Cager spat blood and rubbed his jaw. “Don’t call him that, Jim. It’ll only piss him off even more.”

“Fair enough.” He released Diah’s arms. “Now, what in tarnation is going on between you two boys?”

“I caught him and Oni together.”

“Together? As in the same room? Or together in the Biblical sense?”

“Close enough.”

“It wasn’t like that at all.” Cager climbed up on knees. A hand-shaped welt on his right cheek complemented the one forming on his left jaw. “Oni healed my shoulder and I was just thanking her.”

Diah’s ire rose again, pounding through his veins like a blacksmith’s hammer. He took a step toward his brother and felt a slight twinge of satisfaction when Cager cringed.

“Diah, I told you to calm down and I meant it.” Jim’s glare was more intimidating than his father’s ever had been, making him lower his fist. “Let me take a look at her handiwork.”

For the first time, he noticed Cager was no longer wearing the sling.

Jim pulled back the shirt and revealed a neat white scar. “Not bad at all.”

“Yeah, she did a good job. She was also quick to let me know she didn’t like the way I showed my appreciation.”

“See, boys, it was a simple misunderstanding. You’re both too big for me to make you kiss and make up, but I don’t want to hear any more about this. Is that understood?” Jim waited until both of them nodded before he left the barn. “I’ll go check on Oni.”

Diah wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Why did you do it?”

“Are you going to deck me if I tell you the truth?”

“Depends on what the answer is.”

“At least you warned me.” Cager skirted him and sat on the bale of hay. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to have a woman throw herself at you and not me?”

An odd feeling prickled down Diah’s spine. “Oni isn’t throwing herself at me.”

“No, I guess that’s exaggerating things. But she’s a hell of a lot more interested in you than me. I’m not used to that.”

“So you decided to try and change her mind?”

Cager wrinkled his forehead and rested his nose on his interwoven hands. “Yes and no.”

“What kind of crap answer is that?”

“I felt so good after she healed my shoulder, like I was back to my old self, that I just assumed she was like most women and would swoon when I kissed her.” He rubbed his cheek. “Obviously, I was wrong.”

“I’m glad she slapped you.”

“Yeah, she’s got an arm on her. I wouldn’t want to piss her off if I were you, Diah.” He tried to grin and winced. “I suppose I was also jealous. I see what’s going on between you two and I wanted to know for myself what her lips tasted like. Maybe then I could understand why you’re so head over heels for her.”

Diah leaned against the earthen wall of the barn. He was scared to admit that he cared for her, especially if he was going to catch her in the arms another man. “What do you mean, head over heels?”

“If you need me to explain it to you, then you’re even dumber than I thought.” He stood and brushed the dirt off his pants. “Just one question—if I hadn’t interrupted you last night, would you have fucked her?”

He remembered how much he’d wanted her as she sat there naked in the tub in front of him, and his skin grew warm. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

Cager laughed. “There’s you answer.”

Oni waited until she heard all three men in the barn before she slipped out, but she thought she saw Jim give her a slight nod from the doorway. On the other side of the buildings, she shifted and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She paused by a creek to catch her breath. She wasn’t sure if it was the running or just being a coyote that helped clear her mind. Her reflection stared back her and she tried to push away that nagging voice in her head.
Maybe you’re just running away from your problems instead of facing them.

The reflection disappeared as she dipped her muzzle into the water and drank. Hopefully, that would get the taste of Cager’s tongue out of her mouth. What possessed him to kiss her? As far as she knew, she hadn’t given him any indication she was interested in him.

The grass rustled on the other side of the river and she crouched to hide in the brush. A white-tipped tail similar to hers appeared. Several yips were followed by the flutter of feathers. A vulture flew into the tree above as the other members of the pack joined the coyote. The bird glared down at them and hissed.

Oni watched the pack claim the vulture’s meal and begin tugging meat from the dead animal. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had missed lunch. She hopped across the stones to see what they feasted on.

A pair of blank brown eyes stared at her from a bruised face.

A wave of nausea hit her and she took a step back. She shouldn’t feel such human emotions in this form, but when she saw the Lakota girl from last night, her heart ached.

She growled and worked her way to the front of the pack. A large bloodstain covered the front of her dress. She couldn’t tell if the girl had been shot or stabbed, but it didn’t matter. She was dead now. And Oni knew who was responsible.

A howl exploded from her throat. She was sure that if she were in human form, she would have cried. The girl didn’t deserve that kind of death, and she certainly didn’t deserve to be devoured by a vulture or a pack of coyotes.

She snapped at the other members of the pack whenever they tried to bite into the dead girl, but she knew she couldn’t stay here all night and protect the body. With a sigh, she shifted back into a human and dug a shallow grave. After she placed the Lakota girl in it, she covered the body with stones.

The sun was setting by the time she finished and she offered a quick prayer to the
Wakan Tanka
to care for the girl. Then she shifted back to a coyote and ran back to the dugout. She needed to warn Diah and Cager that Hinkle and his gang were in the area.

Diah stood in the doorway of Jim’s home as the orange sun slipped below the horizon. Still no sign of her.

Jim stomped his feet behind him. “Close the door, son. You’re letting all the cold air in.”

“Oni should be back by now.”

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘a watched pot never boils’? She’ll show up when she wants to. Now shut the door and get your ass in a chair so we can eat.”

Diah took the bowl of rabbit stew and pulled his chair up to the table. Something wasn’t right here. Jim knew more about where she was than he was willing to tell. His mind conjured up images of her reporting their location to Hinkle, but he quickly dismissed them. She wanted to avoid him as much as they did.

The latch rattled and Oni burst into the room. “Smells good, Jim.”

“Too bad there’s none left for you,” he replied with a grin.

She gave him a mock scowl and a nudge on the chin. “I help you catch those rabbits and this is the thanks I get?”

“You hands are cold, Little Trickster. Why don’t you dish up what’s left in the pot and put some hot food in your belly?”

Diah frowned. He had been staring at the plains for almost an hour. If she had been this close by, he should have seen her.

She met his gaze as she sat at the table and then looked away.

“Where have you been, Oni?” he asked.

“Scouting the area. Hinkle’s been near here.”

Cager stiffened in his chair. “How close?”

She finished chewing before she responded. “Came within a mile or two of here. He’s looking for us.”

Diah’s frown deepened. It was a bit harder this time to push his suspicions away. “How do you know that?”

“You know that case I brought back with me? I stole it from him.”

“And when did that happen?”

Oni looked at Jim before she answered. Dear God, were they both conspiring against them? “Four days ago. I saw some kind of airship flying out there, and when I got closer, I saw Hinkle meet up with some fat Irishman.”

“Shamus O’Kerry?” Cager said.

“Yes, that’s what Hinkle called him. They’re working together to catch you and get the White Buffalo pelt. They even found a Lakota guide, thinking she’d be able to lead them there.”

“Shit, I knew Lamont was an underhanded son of a bitch, but I never thought Shamus would be looking for it too.” Cager ran his hand through his hair. “Sounds like there’s trouble brewing between Lamont and O’Kerry.”

Oni rested her spoon in her bowl. “Maybe you had better tell me kind of trouble you’re in.”

Diah interrupted before his brother could answer. A war between the two biggest crime bosses in the country was bad enough to imagine, but that still didn’t explain why Oni was there. “We will, but first I want to know what you saw. You said Hinkle had a guide.”

“
Had
is the key word. It was dark out when they met, but I saw that he had a Lakota girl bound, gagged and pretty well beaten with him. I caused a distraction and helped her escape. Yesterday, we parted ways. She said she was returning to her home. Apparently, she never made it. Hinkle’s the only person I know of who would want her dead.”

The sadness in her voice reached all of them, and her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Diah could only imagine what state the girl was found in. He ached to comfort Oni and protect her, but his fear held him back. Until he discovered where Oni fit in all this, he couldn’t let his guard down.

Jim wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You can’t blame yourself, Oni. You did all you could to help her.”

“I suppose you’re right, Jim. Anyway, I think we should avoid the forts and trading posts for a while.”

“Why? Diah and I need some new clothes. Our packs are still sitting in Fort Pierre.”

“I grabbed two packs when I saddled the horses.”

Cager’s face twisted into a scowl. “Those contained our supplies, but not our personal belongings.”

“Yeah, I’ve had to share my razor with these boys.” Jim rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. “I have half a mind to grow out a beard this winter, so I suppose y’all can take it with you.”

“You two are wanted men.” Oni’s voice was hard and flat, adding further weight to her words. Diah’s gut tightened. Things just went from bad to worse.

Cager cracked a smile. “I’ve always known that. Women can’t keep their hands off me. Well, except for you.”

“Be serious, Cager. This isn’t a joking matter.” Diah turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“Hinkle mentioned that he sent out wanted posters to all the local forts with your names and descriptions.”

“That Yankee bastard!”

Another glare from him silenced Cager. For once, Diah felt like he was the cool and collected one, and his brother was flying off the handle. “We need clothes, especially since the weather is getting colder. You know this area better than we do, Oni. What do you suggest we do?”

She raised one brow in a challenge. “You’re trusting me?”

His pride mixed with doubt and formed a lump in his throat that he needed to swallow past before he could answer her question. His mind still urged him to be cautious. “You’ve done more good than harm.”

Her eyes narrowed. “That’s so gracious of you to admit that.”

“Stop pissing her off,” Cager muttered beside him.

Oni stood and took her bowl to the washbasin. “I’m going to check on Esnella. I’ve been worried about her.”

Diah wondered if the door banged closed behind her on accident or on purpose. “Who’s Esnella?”

“Her horse.” Jim laughed. “I told you she loved it.”

Cager’s grin only partially faded when he winced from the bruises on his face. “You’ve reach a new level of pathetic if she would rather spend time with her horse than you.”

Jim stood behind Cager and squeezed his newly healed shoulder. “Since you seem to need something to busy your hands, why don’t you do the dishes tonight?”

Cager scowled as he went to the sink and began scrubbing the bowls.

Diah stood and headed for the door. “I’m going to check on the horses and make sure they’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Jim slouched back in his chair and lit his pipe. “If you say so.”

He found Oni in the barn brushing her pinto and whispering to it in another language. Lakota, he assumed. It didn’t matter. He was content to watch her unnoticed.

The horse fidgeted and she looked up. “How long have you been there?”

“A few minutes.” He came closer and rubbed the horse’s nose. “Your horse is named Esnella, huh? Does it mean anything special?”

“It means
loner.
The army rounded up a group of wild horses, and they were going to kill her because she was the only one in the group who refused to be broken. I felt sorry for her, so I, um, set her free.”