The Union (20 page)

Keely bit her lip. Of course she hadn't known about the McKennas. Excepting the trip to Spokane, since Waters' warning McCullough kept her in town. But Lacy seldom asked for help. What could Keely do but accept?

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Lunn Gaffney had been waiting for his chance at McCullough. Now, as Gaffney walked away from Waters' office, he smiled. Waters had called him in to brief him about McCullough's attempt on Monihan. Gaffney sneered. So McCullough thought he'd be going alone to meet Monihan. What kind of a fool did McCullough think Waters was? No, Waters would be there, tailing McCullough, Gaffney at his side.

Lunn stepped out of the building into the fresh sunshine outside. The air smelled heavy with the scent of recent rain. Lunn looked up to see the last of the rain clouds being chased away by the breeze. Rain, like clear glass beads, sparkled on the surrounding trees. Monihan would not be stupid enough to show up at the meeting unarmed. Lunn chuckled. McCullough, with his plan to smoke Monihan out of the mine, was smart. But not smart enough to outsmart Gaffney.

Waters wasn't clever enough either. Ever since Lunn had confessed to Waters his part in Michael's death, he'd held Lunn prisoner to his wishes. So Lunn had become Waters' hired thug and gun, assassin for the union. Tied to each other's secrets as they were, neither could squeal on the other, him and Waters. And though Gaffney didn't like the killing, he did it to protect himself. Now came payback time. Lunn was coming along as Waters' insurance, to shoot Monihan should McCullough fail to. So if Gaffney, out of professional eagerness, fired early and happened to miss Monihan, but hit McCullough, who could charge him with anything other than union spirit, if anyone other than Waters found out at all?

Yes, it was a good plan. Monihan would have to fire back. Waters was sure to assert that it was Monihan's bullet that hit McCullough. That would suit both their needs—protect Gaffney from murder charges, and feed the fire against the mine owners.

A sudden worry over Keely crept into his thoughts. Would she blame him? He thought a moment longer. Keely would never know the truth, just as she didn't know about Michael. Once McCullough was dead, Keely would be his. Who else could she turn to?

As he thought, Gaffney strode up the street and into the woods outside of town. He stopped suddenly under a skinny white pine. In a flash of inspiration, he shook the tree and was immediately showered with pine-scented rain. He shook himself like a dog and laughed, enjoying the earthy feel of cool rainwater on his skin.
 

Tomorrow, McCullough. Tomorrow.

The plan was deceptively simple, and that's what worried Dietz as he stood and tucked his Derringer into his pants pocket. The little gun was only good at close range, but easily concealed, it yielded the advantage of surprise. Today he intended to be fully armed. He picked up his Colt and spun the cylinder slowly, loading a bullet into each chamber. One shot in the Derringer, six in the Colt. Seven shots. He hoped not to have to fire a single one.

McCullough had supposedly sent Monihan a missive, asking him to meet McCullough in the clearing up Clark Road outside of town. McCullough allegedly baited Monihan by offering to give him information about a planned attack on the Gem and negotiate some kind of truce. Because McCullough had spared a scab's life his first day in town, the union boys hoped Monihan would trust him and come down to show his respect.

Of course, back when Dietz went to Spokane, he had warned Monihan that the whole event was a planned attack on his life, and that while Monihan was called away, the miners planned to flood the Gem. Monihan would not show up. An armed guard would be sent in his place. Yesterday, Dietz had gone to Waters late in the afternoon and requested a backup. Dietz wanted a witness to see that the scabs had ambushed him, as the play was to appear.

Dietz sighed. He would not have attempted the risky operation except that he saw an opportunity to pass along valuable information to the mine owners. Around camp the hunt for the spy had intensified. Heavy suspicion fell on Patterson. Just recently the Butte Union had sent a spy breaker named Dallas out. As such, Patterson had been unable to reach the Wallace post office on any reliable schedule. And Dietz was not having much better luck.

According to Dietz's own plan, the horsemen would surround him. He would appear to fight off the men, while secretly handing off a message. He would break free and hide in the forest while the scabs rode off. Dietz's backup would be hiding in the woods effectively unarmed. Earlier Dietz had filled his gun with duds. He could fire to his heart's content, but with a weak load of gunpowder, the bullets weren't going anywhere.

Dietz took a deep breath. The plan seemed solid, but still a foreboding fear lurked, creeping from the corners of Dietz's mind to front and center. Dietz shook it off.

"Breakfast, McCullough." Keely's voice floated up the stairs from below. Damn, when had the mere sound of her voice gained the power to overwhelm him?

"Coming," he called back. Moments later he ambled down the stairs to the aromatic smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls. Flushed from working over the oven, Keely looked like fresh bread herself—warm, moist, and ready for the taking. Dietz smiled to himself, remembering the same glow on her face in bed, after their lovemaking. He ignored his urges, and forced his thoughts back on business.

She held a plate burdened with cinnamon rolls and eggs out to him as he walked up to her. "Sweet, like you, lass." He took the plate and bent to whisper in her ear. "Save a little energy for me later. Make we can cook something up."

Keely laughed. As Dietz pulled his chair up to the table he noticed a basket filled with food sitting on the kitchen counter. Keely's charity work. "Are you going visiting today?" Dietz nodded toward the basket.

She was busy dishing out breakfast to another boarder. She didn't answer. He finished his breakfast and rose to leave, pausing to take Keely by the elbow and bring her around for a kiss.
 

"Where you off to, McCullough?" she asked.

"Union business." He stared at her as she smiled up at him. "Stay home today, lass. It's not a good day to be out and about." She looked doubtful. "Promise." He squeezed her arm.

"I've a few things to do."

Stubborn woman. "Stay about town then."

She smiled back at him.

Keely sighed as she watched McCullough leave. Something was up today, something that made McCullough nervous. She plunked into a chair at the table and picked at a roll in front of her.
 

After leaving Lacy's yesterday, she'd stopped by to see the McKennas. Poor, desperate people. She'd given Mrs. McKenna all the money Keely had on her, a whopping thirty-five cents and made her promise to buy the children a meal. Keely had made her own promise—to stop by today and bring them a basket of food.

McCullough was worried enough to ask her to stay in. Something he'd never done before. But the McKennas were starving to death bit by bit. How could she explain a day's delay to those hungry children? She had to go. Surely whatever the union had planned for the day would take place by the mines. The McKennas camped on Clark Road, far away from any danger. She hadn't actually promised McCullough a thing. Besides, she would be careful, and he would never know.

Dietz and his backup, Selter, hid beside the road, concealed by a dense spread of oceanspray and popberry bushes with white berries still green on the vine. Dietz cocked his head, listening for approaching hoof beats.

"Remember," Dietz warned. "When they get here I go out alone. You're not to fire under any circumstance unless I signal for help. Got it?"

Selter was young and inexperienced, and to Dietz's knowledge not prone to violence, the perfect accomplice for this mission. The boy's gun trembled as he practiced aiming at the road.

"Point that thing down toward the ground. We don't want any accidents," Dietz said. Impatience overwhelmed him. Selter kowtowed, obviously in awe of McCullough. Dietz doubted the boy actually had the nerve to fire, but there were no certainties in life.

Leaves rattled behind them. Dietz swiveled around and scanned the area. No breeze, no animals or humans in sight. Still, Dietz couldn't get past his sense of foreboding and the feeling that someone watched him. Had Waters followed him after all? Dietz thought he'd made himself clear. Waters was to stay away. Dietz frowned. If Waters were out there, he was a damned good tracker.

Dietz felt his pocket, checking for the message he intended to hand off. If anyone caught him with it, he was dead. He heard riders approaching. The sound spurred a burst of energy in him and a heightened sense of his surroundings. Whether Waters lurked out there or not, it was time to put on a show. Dietz turned to Selter. "Stay down."
 

The pounding of horse hooves grew louder.

"Sounds like more than one horse," Selter whispered.

"Damnation," Dietz muttered.

The riders came into view and stopped at the appointed place. Beside him Selter tensed.

"McCullough, we know you're out there. Monihan sent us." The scab who spoke looked nervous, but his voice did not waver. "Step out and present yourself before we spray the bushes."

"I have to go out. Hold your fire until I signal you," Dietz said to Selter. Muttering curses, Dietz slid forward out of the bushes and into the road.

"Where's Monihan?"

"Drop your weapon," the scab leader commanded. Dietz tossed his Colt to the ground.

"Monihan?"

"He doesn't trust you," the lead scab said. "Before he comes out he wants some proof that your intentions are honorable."

"Look, all I want is for the strike to end and the men to go back to work." Dietz stood perfectly still in the middle of the road. "I can't give my information to anyone but Monihan."

"Give him a good faith offering. If he likes it he'll come down and meet you for the rest."

"Why should I trust you?"

"What choice do you have?"

Dietz handed the scab the message he'd written out. "That's only part."

Lunn crouched in the bushes next to Waters, shaking with rage. Damn that Monihan for welching on his word. What was he supposed to do now? Well, to hell with it. Taking out a few scabs might be compensation, at least in Waters' mind. As McCullough stepped forward toward the scab, Lunn took aim at his back.

A sudden crunch of a twig caught Dietz's attention just as he handed the message off. He turned toward the sound. His heart stopped. Keely stepped from the bushes, humming, an empty basket on her arm. For a moment, time stopped. Dietz caught the surprised look on her face, feeling it would be burned into his memory for all time. Almost instantaneous with seeing her, he saw a gun barrel sticking out of the bushes behind them, away from where Selter hid. Damn, someone meant to shoot him in the back, but Keely blocked the path.

He dove for Keely, sending her sprawling. He heard the rush of her breath as he fell on her, knocking the wind from her. Gunfire cracked the still air. The scabs rode off, camouflaged by the wake of dust at their backs.

"Damn it, lass. I told you to stay home," Dietz said when the fear pounding in him resided enough for him to speak.
 

He should have said something else, something kind. But she'd scared him, stepping out of the woods like that. He looked down at her as tears welled and wet her cheeks. Her soft rounded breasts heaved beneath him as she gasped to get her breath back. He saw the cold fear in her eyes, and the hurt that clouded them. Damn the lust pumping through him and the overwhelming desire to protect her. He was falling in love with her, cruelly, futilely in love.

"I thought I told you to keep your wench at home, McCullough. Now look what she's done." Waters stood over them, his voice venomous.

Without thinking Dietz pushed himself up off Keely and faced Waters. "You arrogant son of a bitch. I told you to let me handle this. Was taking pot shots at scabs more important than getting the job done? I had things under control."

"The hell you did, McCullough. I told you to kill Monihan, not give him information."

Dietz threw a punch and knocked Waters flat before he thought of the consequences. "No one calls me a traitor.
No one
." Dietz stood over the bastard, waiting for him to get up, itching to take another swing at him.

"McCullough!" Keely yelled from behind him. "Stop!"

Dietz turned to face her and her accusing look.
 

Shit! She heard what Waters said about McCullough killing Monihan.

"Keely—"

"No, McCullough. We don't fight our own." She turned to Waters. "I'm sorry, Mr. Waters. McCullough warned me to stay home, but I ignored his wishes." Dust streaked her hair, face, and clothes, but fire lit her eyes. She dusted herself off, picked up her basket, and walked away from the men down Clark Road toward home.

Dietz watched her go. Damn if he'd go after her.
 

Selter stepped from the bushes looking shaken and pale.
 

Dietz glared at Waters. "You ruined the operation and damn near killed my wife." Anger pulsed in Dietz's ears as he pointed to himself. "I'm the expert in terrorism and undercover work. I'm through taking orders from you. From now I make my own plans—who to kill and when."