Page 63 of Barbed Wire Hearts

I pause. “My work information should be confidential.”

“And yet they found you all the way out here,” Levi comments. “I’m sure you let your work know your new address for paychecks?”

Wiley frowns. “Levi may be onto something here.”

Levi shakes his head at me. “Leave it to you to be bad at staying anonymous.”

“Hey, fuck you,” I spit, annoyed. “I’d like to see you try it. I’ve tried my fucking best. I didn’t think they’d chase me so far.”

He meets my eyes. “I have.”

Blinking, I straighten. “You have what?”

“Tried it. And no one found me when I didn’t wanna be found.”

“What?” I ask dumbly, but he doesn’t answer me, letting his gaze linger instead. Dakota’s comment about them being a nest of rattlesnakes comes back to my mind, a reminder that there are secrets here I don’t know. “What does that mean?” I ask again, needing to know, needing some answers.

“Later,” Dakota murmurs. “Too many ears out here.”

With the other ranches slowly adding in, our numbers have grown insanely large. The sheer amount of cowboys out here now is almost terrifying. So I understand that there are too many ears. Cowboys ride along all sides now, herding the massive group of cattle. I wonder exactly how many there are.

“Fine,” I grumble, but my eyes dance back to Levi when he starts driving again. I take in the way he holds himself, the way he so easily moves like a coiled snake. He has his secrets and I’m starting to think the attitude isn’t just formed from his accident. What sculpted him into the man he is? What hurt him deeper than Kill Dozer ever could?

I glance over at Wiley and Dakota, noting that they both carry themselves with a confidence that only comes from knowing you can defeat any foe. Each of them is careful with their movements, purposely keeping them casual, as if the secrets could escape if they’re not in full control at all times. I hadn’t seen it before, but I do now. I see it all.

It’s foolish of me not to be afraid.

It’s even more foolish of me to know I don’t want to leave, no matter what those secrets are.

Secrets don’t scare me, but they probably should.

They probably fucking should. . .

ChapterForty

Kate

That night, we get to settle down around a nice campfire that Levi builds. Wiley brought marshmallows—because of course he did—and so we each get to pick out a stick and roast them. I’m happy to roast the marshmallows, looking forward to the graham crackers and chocolate Naomi brought out to us with our dinner.

“A little birdie told me you’ve never had smores,” she’d teased me. “Seems like everyone should experience a smore at least once.”

She’s right. I deserve to experience smores. I want it with a vengeance. So I’m cooking my marshmallow and preparing myself to dig in.

Levi doesn’t seem nearly as interested in roasting marshmallows as I am. He grabbed a stick, but he doesn’t actually roast anything. Instead, he just sits watching the fire.

Most of the other cowboys head home at night like the rest of ours do. The cattle will be here in the morning and won’t stand up until the sun starts to shine or we encourage them to, so they have plenty of time to go get some shut eye and come back. Only a few other people camp like we do, but they’re far enough away, we all have our privacy.

“I think one of y’all needs to start spilling secrets,” I say after we’ve all been silent for a few minutes. The only sounds come from the crackling fire and the cattle behind us. Every now and then, one of them makes a soft moo, but for the most part, they rest. Two days of walking is a lot, but it’s nothing compared to how much more we have to go.

“Oh yeah?” Dakota asks, his eyes on the fire.

“You all know mine now,” I point out. “It’s only fair.”

Dakota glances at me with a raised brow. “What makes you think we planned to be fair, Kate?”

“You told me I belong here,” I counter aggressively. “That I’m not going anywhere, and yet I can’t know exactly who the three of you are?” There’s no answer, each of them sitting silently. “Are you in some sort of government agency you can’t tell me about?”

Levi snorts. “The only one with any affiliation to the government is Wiley. And only because he was in the Army for a while.”

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