Free Dangerous Heart by Tracey Bateman Page B

tomorrow.”
    Because the fact of the matter was that Web had no idea how he was going to manage to grab the money and make sure his young’uns were safe. The best he could do right now was get away by himself somewhere and think on it a bit. He walked away from camp. But not so far that he couldn’t keep the campfire in sight. Lane would like nothing better than to catch him out alone and do him in. The longer he walked the more he thought about Lane until he came to a sober conclusion. With the traitor’s poison spreading through the group,Web had no choice but to find out once and for all where Ginger’s loyalties lay. He couldn’t care less about whether or not she ever put a bullet in that doctor. In a raid, men on either side would be killed, and no one was to blame. War was war. And he didn’t believe in revenge. It was a waste of time. Only once had he given in to bloodlust. That was his secret, and he’d never do it again.
    He would enter the camp and introduce himself as Ginger’s Pa that had been looking for his girl. She had friends there. If they trusted her, they’d surely trust her pa. It wouldn’t take long to make friends with Harrison and find out about the money. Then Ginger could do what she needed to do, and they could grab the money and be on their way before anyone was the wiser. It was time to get on with the new plan. Ginger wouldn’t be happy with her role, but she had no choice.
    A grim smile slowly stretched his mouth as he imagined the entire plan in his mind.
    Tonight, he would sleep like a baby. And in the morning, he’d join the wagon train and reunite with his two children. Hopefully, his stomach would settle down by then.

Five
    Ginger made her way through camp toward the supply tent where Buddy was kept, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed in the bustle of nighttime activities. She’d hated to lie to Toni, but the only way to get out of the tent was to pretend she needed to go and do her business. The kind of business a person had to do alone.
    Earlier, she’d heard Blake instruct Two Feathers to post one guard at the entrance to the supply tent. That was a mercy. Getting past one guard wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Especially when that guard was Nate Lyons—not the smartest man Sam could have chosen to keep watch.
    She figured Grant would have gone back to his own tent by now. And she was determined that her brother wasn’t going to die while she slept in her warm tent. As she approached, she changed her course, snatching up a stone as she tiptoed around to the back of the tent. Aiming carefully away from the tent, she tossed the rock a few feet from Nate. He turned his head sharply—just as she’d intended. Predictably, when the sound didn’t immediately repeat, he retook his positionand looked straight ahead. Ginger tossed another stone and another one. Nate took the bait. “Who’s there?”
    Cautiously, he walked toward the sound and away from his post, which would most likely get him a firm tongue lashing from Sam or Blake. A fact that made Ginger feel a little guilty, but not enough to stop her from her mission to get inside that tent where her brother was being kept. She stealthily moved along the cloth wall, making her way around the front. She ducked inside without being spotted.
    She should thank her lucky stars that Nate was missing a few brains. Anyone smarter wouldn’t have been fooled. As a matter of fact, she’d been meaning to speak to Blake about Nate’s incompetence. Now she was glad it had slipped her mind.
    â€œBuddy,” she whispered. “You awake?”
    â€œYeah,” came the returning whisper. “Boy, am I ever glad to see you. They tied me up. It hurts somethin’ fierce. Can you cut me loose?”
    Indignation flashed through her as she observed his precarious position. Poor Buddy’s uninjured arm was stretched across his body where