Chapter 8
Matilda's fear began turning into something hotter.
“You kept me scrubbing your floors while you stole from my family.”
Abigail laughed.
“Your family?”
She leaned forward in the saddle.
“Your mother was a kitchen whore who seduced a rich fool.”
Jedodiah moved toward the door.
Matilda caught his arm.
“No.”
She stepped outside.
The cold air struck her face.
For once, she didn't lower her head.
Abigail stared at her.
Matilda stood in Jedodiah's enormous coat, hair loose around her shoulders.
“You slapped me because I accepted one silver dollar.”
Abigail smiled.
“I should've done worse.”
“Why?”
“Because I spent years waiting for you to reveal what your mother gave you.”
Matilda touched the locket beneath her dress.
Abigail noticed.
Her eyes widened.
“There.”
Her voice became almost hungry.
“The locket.”
Jedodiah appeared behind Matilda with his rifle.
Abigail's men raised theirs.
“Give it to me,” Abigail said.
Matilda shook her head.
“Then we'll burn the cabin and take it from your corpse.”
Silas's weak voice came from inside.
“You can't.”
Abigail looked toward him.
Silas stumbled into view.
“You still don't understand what Elias did.”
Abigail went pale.
“Get inside, old man.”
Silas smiled.
“Your father didn't steal Harrow's mine.”
“He did.”
“No.”
Silas leaned against the doorway.
“He stole the wrong one.”
Abigail stared.
Silas laughed softly.
“The silver vein was bait.”
Jedodiah's eyes narrowed.
“What are you saying?”
Silas looked at the coordinates.
“Elias discovered something else beneath Black Ridge.”
Abigail shouted, “Kill him!”
Everything happened at once.
One of the hired men fired.
Jedodiah pulled Matilda behind the log wall.
Silas fell.
Jedodiah fired back.
A rider tumbled from his horse.
The remaining men scattered behind trees.
“Silas!”
Matilda crawled toward him.
Blood spread across his shirt.
“No. No, no.”
Silas grabbed her hand.
“Listen.”
His breathing rattled.
“Under the cabin.”
“What?”
“Not silver.”
He pressed something into her palm.
A small iron key.
“Cellar.”
“There is no cellar,” Jedodiah said.
Silas smiled faintly.
“That's what Elias wanted everyone to believe.”
His eyes returned to Matilda.
“Your mother made me promise.”
“Promise what?”
“To wait until you came home.”
Matilda's tears fell onto his hand.
“I didn't know this was home.”
“You do now.”
His grip weakened.
Then Silas Reed closed his eyes.
Outside, Abigail screamed orders.
Jedodiah barred the door.
“We can't stay here.”
Matilda looked at the key.
“There's something beneath the cabin.”
“Could be nothing.”