She thought he was going to come after her. Silas was not the kind of man to be called a coward and she knew it. His face said violence, but to his credit he didn't move a muscle. He stood frozen for a long time, staring at her. All at once he turned to the door and thrust it open with more force than necessary and then let it slam shut behind him.

Chapter Forty-five.

Emmie walked away from the shed not long after Silas had gone inside. There was no way she could go back to cook with Great-Aunt Eve. So instead she wandered around the lawn. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized this was the ground her mother had walked as a child. Her mother's world had been such a secret. She had worked so hard to pull Emmie away from toxic environments. Yet she'd married Ronnie, an abusive alcoholic who struggled to love anyone, including himself. As crazy as these people were, Emmie had to wonder if her mother's running had actually led to a better life. She wasn't sure.

A large weeping willow was off a few yards from one of the large barns. She thought it odd the family's barns were nicer than their house. Being butchers, she guessed the cattle and pigs on this land were a part of their livelihood. Emmie found herself drawn to the willow tree. It was beautiful even against the dismal late fall landscape. She ducked, walking under the willow tree's sagging branches, and nestled between two giant roots at the base of the tree, leaning her back against the rough bark. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them, cradling herself like a child. If it was cold out here, she couldn't feel it. She only felt numb. She thought of her confrontation with Silas. Why had she come back here? She couldn't explain it to Silas, but something in her gut told her to come home.

She had actually forgotten about the note Silas had left her until he brought it up. It was in her purse in the kitchen. She didn't want to read it anyway. What could it possibly have to say that she didn't already know?

As much as Emmie just wanted to be mad at him, she found her anger wavering the longer she sat there. After a while one of the butcher brothers came out and checked on the pig roasting over burning embers. Roasting a pig was a pretty big deal. Was this a special meal for Silas and the men? Emmie thought her mother's kitchen had always been the soul of the house. Having a good day? Let's celebrate with some cobbler. Having a bad day? Let's go peel potatoes and you can tell me about it. Someone is coming over? Let's make a Sunday roast to celebrate. Her mother may have left the Sloan family but clearly they had stayed with her in spirit.

A loud bang came from the shed breaking Emmie from her thoughts. It wasn't like a gunshot, more like a table being thrown across the small structure. Cain, who had been checking on the pig, ran to the door, thrust it open, and then ran inside. Emmie sat up straight trying to see what was going on. What was wrong with her, sitting out here like nothing was happening just a few yards from her? Even if that man inside had been responsible for the fires, did he deserve what was happening in that shed? Silas left the shed swearing a blue streak with Trick close on his heels. Silas was shaking out his hand like it had been hurt. Trick was talking animatedly with his arms spread out wide. Emmie saw Silas rub his jaw in his cla.s.sic I'm about to bust a vein so let me rub the hide off my chiseled jaw instead. He didn't have his suit jacket on anymore. It was too cold for him to be walking around outside in only his s.h.i.+rt and vest. Clearly he must have been feeling a little numb too. He nodded periodically at whatever Trick was saying. After a moment he fished a cigarette out of his pocket and pointed at the shed as he said something. Obviously something had finally happened in that shed and she bet they had learned something new from the way they were acting. Emmie stood, keeping her back pressed firmly to the tree in an attempt to blend in. She wished she could get close enough to actually hear their conversation.

Silas spun and looked off in the distance toward the willow tree she was standing under. She moved behind a cl.u.s.ter of branches, not really wanting her hiding spot to be found out. Silas said something to his brother and Trick turned to face the tree. Emmie twisted the ring on her finger anxiously. Silas's arm extended out in her direction. He pointed right at her then crooked his index finger in the universal come here motion. When she didn't immediately move toward him, he pointed at her again and then pointed at the ground in front of his feet.

She slowly moved out of the confines of the tree and walked up to him, careful to keep her chin up and her shoulders back. When she reached him, he crossed one arm over his body and lifted the other to rub his mouth, staring at her before he spoke. His eyes were like storm clouds. He was still angry. How could he not be? She had called him a coward.

"You think you can be helpful here, Emmie. My little tough girl, eh?" he asked.

She didn't reply.

"Tell me, who is that man?" he asked, pointing to the shed.

"I haven't the foggiest idea who he is." She looked at Silas like he was a mad man.

"Are you sure? Because he knows you." He took a step closer to her, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Silas I don't know what you are talking about." Emmie crossed her arms around her chest.

"I thought you came down here to be helpful, sweetheart. A positive ID on that man would have been helpful when you first saw him in the cabin." Silas looked at her with mock disappointment.

"Si, come on," Trick said in an attempt to stop his brother. Silas ignored him.

"Are you telling me you think I should know that half-naked man that the butcher carried through the house earlier?" she asked, confused.

"Emmie, I thought you wanted to be partners in my world," he said, taking another step closer to her.

She swallowed hard. "I've never seen that man before."

"Sweetheart, he is the one who arrested you at the Tealbach. The one you ran out and told me about in Chicago. Tall blond, remember?" Silas asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't know . . ." Emmie thought back to the man she saw wiggling on the ground. She tried to put the two images side by side in her brain but couldn't seem to answer with any certainty. "I can't . . . I can't say for sure. I guess he could be," Emmie said.

"It's not easy to identify a man, is it Emmie? When you are riddled with emotion in the situation, it's not easy to remember the details," he said louder, like he was some kind of teacher.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, looking at him.

"Because I want you to understand what kind of danger you could be in here. What if you had crossed that man in Louisville? That man who knew you were connected to me. A man that had already taken you once. You could have walked right past him and never known you were facing danger. You thought you remembered him, but the truth is, he could have taken you again and you wouldn't have realized the danger until it was too late."

"If I'd seen him in Louisville, I might have recognized him," she said, jutting her chin out.

Silas grinned, laughing. "He was bound at your feet and you didn't recognize him. How would you have recognized him on the street? You are not aware of the danger you face here. You might have a lot of people you love in Kentucky but I don't. I've got you. I'm prepared to make decisions that you can't, just to keep you safe."

Her throat tightened at his words. She was surprised it was the Kentucky comment he'd referenced from their argument rather than the fact she'd called him a coward. She had meant for the coward comment to take him down a notch, not the fact that she loved others in Kentucky.

"Silas, I . . ." She tried to find the words to say she was sorry but couldn't make herself utter them. Maybe because she was still mad he said he'd wanted to leave her a.s.s in Chicago. So she asked a question instead, "What do you mean you're prepared to make decisions that I cannot?"

He ignored her question and asked one of his own, "You want me to share some information we just learned? Something you got right?"

Emmie nodded, unable to believe he was going to tell her something.

"That police officer in there is working with the Parbour family. You were right. Not only was he involved when they baited me in Louisville, we've also learned he and his friend covered up the fire and car explosion here in Bardston at the butcher shop. That's how we got the identification. A young man was murdered in that car and that son of a b.i.t.c.h covered it up for fifty dollars. That's the sort of men we are working with here, Emmie."

Silas moved closer to her. His demeanor was still icy but it softened a little as he reached out his hand to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She could see his knuckles were busted open. Emmie grabbed his hand and ran her fingers over the cuts. He let her inspect it. He was letting her see him without pulling away from her. He had shared information with her. Silas was trying.

Coward. She had called him a coward. He stood there, looking down at her. She brought her mouth down to his hands and closed her eyes, almost as if in prayer. Silas grabbed her chin and pulled her face up to his. They were nearly nose-to-nose. She could feel his lips close to hers. She licked hers in antic.i.p.ation for the kiss that never came. Instead he spoke.

"That cop is on more than the Parbour's payroll, Emmie," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She pulled back a few inches. He released her chin. "You were right about something else too. Bo Johnson did have something to hide when you called him last night."

Emmie's mouth dropped open as she understood his meaning. "No."

"Those Johnsons have made some bad plans for Walter's family," he said quietly.

Her trembling hand came up and covered her mouth. "No."

Chapter Forty-six.

"Are you ready to go?" Trick asked.

Emmie snapped her head around to him. "Go? Where are you going?"

Trick looked over at his brother, clearly indicating he was not answering any questions. Emmie noticed for the first time Trick looked uneasy, more uneasy than the current situation should allow. His eyes were cold and unfeeling. Gone was the spark of humor that he could usually find in even the most dismal of circ.u.mstances.

"Trick?" Emmie touched his arm gently, making his name a question.

He stood frozen, unresponsive to her touch.

Emmie thought back through what she had just learned. If the thought of the Johnsons in this scheme had made her feel broken, it had crushed Trick. Millie. Trick had been seeing Millie. Did he think she was involved too? Emmie rubbed his forearm. He turned his cold eyes to hers.

"Trick, honey. Millie couldn't have known anything. She's a sweet girl," she said.

Trick popped his neck before he answered, "Yeah, well, our little police friend in there said differently.

Emmie's mouth fell open. "He said Millie was involved? How could Millie be involved?"

Trick rubbed his mouth, then ran his hand through his hair. "Because I was a d.a.m.ned fool." With that he turned to face his brother. "I'll meet you around front."

Emmie turned to face Silas. "How do you know that man's not a liar?"

"Do you think I would tell you the Johnsons were involved if I wasn't positive?" he asked.

She bit her lip and shook her head. "What about Walter? Is he in danger?"

"No, we're headed there now. They were going to burn Walter's place next. I'm not sure if they have targeted his place in Bowling Green or Louisville. It seems everyone involved in that last little apple pie scheme was going to be punished by fire as a message to us," Silas answered.

"What are you going to do with Walter? Max needs to stay here where his doctors are. Is there a safe place for them here, out of Parbour's reach?" She couldn't bring herself to add the Johnsons to that list.

"Trick has a friend at the police station here. We are going to put Mae and Max at their house until this is done. They will be safe there," Silas said.

"Can I go with you to help get them settled?" She had to ask even though she knew he was probably planning to leave her here with her newfound family.

Just when she was sure Silas was going to say no he nodded in agreement. "I don't guess there is any harm in that. I know last night they were disappointed when you weren't with me."

"Thank you, Silas." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

His clamped tightly around her waist, resting his chin on her neck. "I'm sorry about Bo and his sister."

Emmie's heart stung with Silas's words. It couldn't be true. She couldn't bring herself to believe it. Regardless of what that man in the shed had said, she couldn't believe Millie and Bo were involved in any plan that would hurt Walter's family.

"Is everyone coming?" she asked, looking back at the shed.

"No, they are finis.h.i.+ng the-" Silas stopped short and cleared his throat. "They are going to finish talking to the man. There may be a thing or two left to learn."

She knew she shouldn't ask but she had to. "You aren't going to kill that man, are you?"

Silas opened the car door for her. She slid into the back and he took the front. Trick took off. He never answered her. Moll. That's what Will Thomas and the Revenuer Parbour had called her in the cabin.

"Silas, can't we just turn him over to the police? I mean I'm not sure you need that man's death on your conscience. As bad as his decisions have been, is it really for you all to decide if he lives or dies?" she asked quietly. She had been afraid to say the words aloud but more afraid not to.

"Emmie just dry it up okay. We've got enough on us right now and aren't really interested in your two cents worth," Trick snapped.

"Patrick," Silas said in warning.

Trick's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. Emmie noticed his right hand was bleeding. Clearly Silas wasn't the only fighting Irish in that shed. She had never in her life heard Trick's voice be so full of venom. To be feeling that much anger, he must be hurt badly. He cared a lot more for Millie than any of them knew.

"Trick, I've known Millie for a long time. She's a good girl. She reminds me a lot of Jemma. She wouldn't do this to you or Walter. I don't think Bo would either. Let's just think this through before you two drag either of them into a shed." Emmie laughed at her joke.

Neither of the boys cracked a smile at her comment. Oh G.o.d. What were they going to do to the Johnsons? What had Silas said? I'm able to make difficult decisions that you cannot. What decision had been made?

"Seriously, guys. What are you planning to do with the Johnsons? Let me talk to Bo. I've known him long enough to know if he's lying. You know you can trust me," she said.

"My patience is growing thin from you asking me to take you to see Bo," Silas said, looking out the window.

"I thought you said you had patience for me," she said, referencing their conversation in his bedroom.

"Everyone has their limit. You are pus.h.i.+ng mine."

Emmie couldn't reach Walter's house soon enough. She rushed out of the car and practically ran up to the front porch. Silas caught her arm and pulled her back to him.

Her back was against his chest as he spoke quietly in her ear. "Let me talk, I'm going to share what he needs to know."

Emmie nodded in agreement.

Silas ran his hand down the length of her right arm, grabbed her hand, and ran his fingers over the ring he had given her. "Good, trust me on this. I promise I'm only trying to keep you and those you love safe."

Emmie nodded again. He released her hand and they walked side by side to the house.

Walter stepped outside to meet them. She had never been so happy to see an old man in overalls. She took the stairs two at a time on her way up to him. Generally speaking, Walter wasn't a big hugger. But when Emmie wrapped her arms around his waist the old man squeezed her so tight she could barely breathe.

When he released her he turned to Silas and frowned. "I'm glad to see she's safe in Chicago."

Silas rolled his eyes at the older man's comment and opened his mouth to speak but Trick came up and whispered something in his ear. Silas nodded and Trick walked down the porch and around the house.

Emmie rubbed her mouth in an effort to keep it shut. She so badly wanted to unload on Walter that Silas thought Bo was involved in the fires, but she had promised to trust Silas. This was his news to share . . . and he was saying nothing. She turned and gave him a pointed look.

"That's a nice ring you got there, Emmie," Walter said, looking down at her hands. "Did Silas give that to ya?"

"Yes, he did."

Walter looked at Silas and grunted, "Looks like he forgot which hand to put it on."

Emmie's mouth dropped open at his words. Silas just laughed.

"Walter, please . . ."

"I'm just saying he best be thinking about buying the cow," Walter said.

"Do not compare me to a cow." She looked at him in disbelief.

Walter actually smirked.