Free Brodie's Gamble by Shirleen Davies Page B

out today, told him Maggie was innocent of dealing the fatal blow to Arnie Stoddard. Knocked him out? Yes. Killed him? Doubtful. Brodie believed a good lawyer could piece together a defense any jury would accept.
    A bigger mystery remained. Who arrived at the cabin after Maggie left, and why did they want Arnie Stoddard dead?

    Maggie had tossed and turned on the thin, uncomfortable bed all night. Images of Brodie leaning over her, lowering his mouth to capture hers, then pulling away in horror woke her more than once, her clothes soaked, head swirling. The look he’d given her when he’d broken their kiss haunted her. Disgust and pity passed over his face before he’d taken her by the elbow, roughly guiding her back to the jail and her cell.
    Opening her eyes to the sound of men talking, she swung her feet to the floor and sat up. Rubbing her eyes, she concentrated on the voices, recognizing Brodie and Jack whispering. All she could make out was Brodie saying he expected to be back by noon.
    Drawing her knees up to her chest, she moved back against the wall, closing herself off from everything around her, much as she did while living with Arnie. It was her fantasy world. One she created in order to disappear from the grim reality of what had become her life. Nothing had changed since Arnie died. She still found herself retreating, locking herself off from the rest of the world and the pain it caused. The only way she’d experience peace was to escape. Get as far away from Conviction, and Brodie MacLaren, as possible.
    Maggie let out a relieved breath at the sound of the front door closing. Brodie had left, leaving Jack in charge. She smiled, realizing her chance may have come sooner than she expected. An hour passed before she heard the voice of a man she didn’t recognize. Within minutes, Jack and the other man, a U.S. Marshal, unlocked David Meeks’ cell, escorting him by gunpoint to the front. No one spared her a glance, as if she were invisible. She wished it were true.
    Hearing the men leave, she walked to the front of her cell, wrapping her fingers around the bars.
    “Deputy?” She waited a moment, then tried again. “Deputy, are you out there?”
    “Just hold on a minute. I’m coming.” Jack came around the corner. “Been a right busy morning, Miss King.”
    “I saw you take Mr. Meeks out.”
    “Yep. That U.S. Marshal arrived right on time. Now, what can I do for you?”
    Maggie nodded toward the back.
    “Oh, sure. I’ll just get the key.” A few seconds later he returned with the key in one hand, Brodie’s extra gun in the other. “You just step back until I get this door open.”
    “Thank you, Deputy.” Maggie smiled sweetly as she walked past him and out the door to the privy. Glancing around, she saw a few people milling about at the far end of the alley, but they weren’t paying them any attention. “I won’t take long.”
    Walking around to the door that faced a large stand of trees, she stepped inside, using the piece of wood in one corner to brace it closed. Steeling herself, Maggie thought through what she was about to do. Earlier, while lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, she’d gone over the plan until it became real and not another one of her fantasies.
    Her stomach roiled as she studied the piece of wood holding the door closed. It had been her plan to use it to knock Jack out, grab his gun, and take off. After what happened to Arnie, the thought of striking another man, someone who’d done her no harm, didn’t feel right. Yet she had no choice. This was her one chance at freedom. When Brodie returned, her opportunity would be lost and there might never be another. With a shaky hand, she grasped the rough-hewn stick, tightening her fingers around it. Taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, she pushed the door open a crack, then shrank back at the sound of gunfire.
    “Deputy, you gotta come quick. They’re holding a man at gunpoint.” She could hear what sounded