And judging by the attack on the ranch—
Perhaps it already had.
By afternoon, another problem arrived.
Tom Reese.
The rancher strode into Crow's Hollow covered in dust and fury.
The moment he entered Martha's saloon he found Evelyn.
Relief flashed across his face.
Then anger.
"Hell, Evelyn."
He grabbed her shoulders.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Barely."
Tom looked toward Caleb.
The relief vanished immediately.
"What happened?"
"Our ranch was attacked."
"Our?"
Evelyn sighed.
"Not helping, Tom."
Tom ignored her.
His eyes remained fixed on Caleb.
"Who attacked it?"
"We don't know."
Caleb lied smoothly.
Tom didn't believe him.
Neither did Evelyn.
A tense silence followed.
Then Tom lowered his voice.
"Three riders came through town yesterday."
Everyone froze.
"What riders?" Caleb asked.
Tom looked around carefully.
Then—
"They asked about Samuel Hart."
A chill spread through the room.
"Did they say why?" Evelyn asked.
"No."
Tom hesitated.
"But they carried Kane brands."
The room became deathly still.
Apparently even Tom knew the name.
"Where are they now?" Caleb asked.
"Gone."
"North?"
Tom nodded.
"Toward Black Ridge."
Caleb stood immediately.
Decision made.
Evelyn recognized the look.
Determination.
Purpose.
Danger.
"You're going there."
"Yes."
Tom laughed.
"That's suicide."
"Maybe."
The calm response irritated him.
"But I've spent too long running."
Evelyn rose too.
"I'm coming."
Three people objected simultaneously.
"No."
The answer came from Tom.
Martha.
And Caleb.
Evelyn folded her arms.
"Wonderful. Nothing makes me feel safer than unanimous disagreement."
"You don't understand what's up there," Caleb said.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"But apparently my father did."
Caleb remained silent.
"And whatever secret got him killed belongs to my family."
Another silence.
Long.
Uncomfortable.
Finally Martha shook her head.
"She's got Samuel's stubbornness."
Caleb groaned.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Evelyn smiled for the first time all day.
It felt good.
Especially when Caleb looked slightly defeated.
At last he nodded.
"Fine."
Tom looked horrified.
"Fine?"
"She's coming."
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Probably."
Caleb picked up the map.
"But she's right."
The three simple words changed everything.
Because for the first time since meeting him, Caleb wasn't treating her as someone to protect.
He was treating her as a partner.
An equal.
The realization warmed her unexpectedly.
Outside, the afternoon sun drifted toward the mountains.
Far beyond those mountains stood Black Ridge.
The place her father feared.
The place Victor Kane controlled.
The place where answers waited.
And as Evelyn stared northward through the saloon window, one certainty settled in her heart.
By the time they returned from Black Ridge, her life would never be the same again.
The journey to Black Ridge took two days.
For most of it, nobody spoke much.
The mountains rose higher with every mile, dark against the autumn sky.
Evelyn couldn't stop thinking about her father.
Everything she had believed about Samuel Hart had changed.
He wasn't merely a rancher.
He had been a lawman.
A hunter of criminals.
A man carrying secrets so dangerous that armed riders had attacked his ranch months after his death.
And somewhere ahead waited the truth.
Beside her, Caleb rode silently.
He seemed different now.
Less guarded than before.
Yet somehow more troubled.
Whenever Black Ridge appeared on the horizon, a shadow crossed his face.
Martha had remained behind in Crow's Hollow.
Tom had insisted on accompanying them.
Much to Caleb's annoyance.
"I'm still not sure bringing him was a good idea," Caleb muttered on the second morning.
Tom overheard.
"Good. The feeling's mutual."
Evelyn groaned.
The two men had spent nearly forty-eight hours finding new ways to dislike each other.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Storm clouds gathered beyond the mountains.
By afternoon they reached the river separating ordinary territory from Black Ridge.
The water flowed swift and cold.
On the opposite bank stood a weathered wooden sign.
The faded letters were barely visible.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT
Tom whistled.
"Friendly place."
Caleb studied the surrounding hills.
"They know we're here."
"You see someone?" Evelyn asked.
"No."
That worried her more.
Because Caleb was rarely wrong.
They crossed the river near sunset.
The landscape immediately changed.
Dense pine forests covered steep slopes.
Old mining roads twisted through the mountains.
Abandoned equipment rusted beside forgotten trails.
Everything felt eerie.
Empty.
As if the land itself were holding its breath.
Several miles later Caleb suddenly raised a hand.
Everyone stopped.
"What is it?" Tom asked.
Caleb pointed downhill.
Smoke.
Not wildfire smoke.
Campfire smoke.
Someone was nearby.
They carefully dismounted and approached through the trees.
The camp appeared beneath a rocky cliff.
Three men sat around a fire.
Armed.
Dangerous looking.
One of them wore a black coat bearing a silver emblem.
A crown.
"The Kane brand," Tom whispered.
Evelyn's stomach tightened.
For years Victor Kane had been little more than a name.
Now his presence surrounded them.
Caleb studied the camp.
"There should be more."
Before anyone could respond, a voice echoed from behind.
"There are."
All three spun around.
Rifles aimed directly at them.
Half a dozen mounted riders emerged from the trees.
The trap had been perfect.
Tom reached toward his pistol.
A rifle cocked instantly.
"Don't."
The warning sounded sincere.
Tom froze.
Evelyn slowly raised her hands.
Caleb remained unnervingly calm.
The riders surrounded them.
A tall man with a thick beard approached.
His cold eyes settled on Caleb.
"Well."
A smile spread across his face.
"Victor will be pleased."
Caleb sighed.
"Hello, Mason."
Recognition flashed between them.
"You know him?" Evelyn asked.
Mason laughed.
"Oh, we know each other."
The amusement vanished.
"He killed my brother."
The atmosphere instantly darkened.
Mason pointed toward Caleb.
"Tie them up."
Within minutes their weapons were gone.
Their hands bound.
Their fate no longer theirs to decide.
Night had fallen when they finally reached Kane's stronghold.
Evelyn expected a fortress.
Instead she found a town.
An entire hidden community buried among the mountains.
Dozens of buildings lined narrow roads.
Mining operations covered the slopes.
Watchtowers overlooked every approach.
Hundreds of people moved through the settlement.
Workers.
Guards.
Merchants.
Families.
The sight shocked her.
"What is this place?"
Mason smiled proudly.
"The future."