Page 15 of Captured Desires

“The Pinkertons are offering me a pardon, aren't they? For all my crimes, once I join up?" Maverick was unyielding. "This is my last score. My last act as an outlaw. After this, I'm yours."

Pearl's breath caught at the intensity of his words, the unspoken promise in them. She knew she should protest, should insist on doing things by the book. But looking into Maverick's eyes, seeing the flicker of hope beneath the weary resignation, she found herself wavering.

"All right," she said at last. "We'll find the gold, together. But after that, mate bond or no mate bond, you're coming with me."

Maverick's eyes glinted in the lantern light, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I’d be glad to.”

***

PEARL WENT BACK TOtown and retrieved her gear from the boardinghouse and gathered some supplies. She was going to stick to Maverick like glue until he allowed her to bring him back to the Pinkertons. While she was there, she specifically looked up the vampire mating bond information in Sarah’s notes. There wasn’t much there, but it did confirm what Maverick had told her. And she double-checked again: still no tattoo.

When she got back to the abandoned mine, Maverick had gathered his gang around a weathered wooden table. He’d spread out the murdered deputy's notebook and the various clues he had collected.

"We've got five clues here that could lead us to the hidden gold,” he began, his voice low and serious. “We need to split up and follow each lead, see where it takes us."

Clyde, Esmerelda, and Harlan leaned in, their eyes glinting with anticipation and curiosity. Pearl stood beside Maverick, looking at the clues and trying to make any sense out of them.

Maverick tapped a faded map fragment. "Clyde, I want you to take this map and scout out the area it depicts in the mountains. Look for any signs of the stolen gold or a gang's hideout."

Clyde nodded, his fingers tracing the cryptic symbols. "You got it, boss."

Next, Maverick slid the deputy's journal toward Esmerelda. "There's a mention of a 'secret cave' and a 'fallen tree pointing the way' in this entry. I need you to search the surrounding woods for any caves or unusual tree formations."

Esmerelda grinned, her fangs glinting in the lantern light. "Consider it done. I'll sniff out that cave faster than a bloodhound."

Maverick turned to Harlan, holding up a picture of a mining camp. "Harlan, I want you to investigate this abandoned mining camp. See if you can find any other traces of the gang's presence or clues to the gold's whereabouts."

"I'll turn that camp upside down if I have to," Harlan said.

Finally, Maverick gestured to the rough sketch of the rock formations and a Native American petroglyph. "Pearl and I will follow up on these last two clues. We'll search for the three spires and the canyon indicated by the Indian picture. If any of you find something, send up a signal, and we'll come running. And watch your backs out there. We don't know who else might be searching for this gold."

Chapter Five

The night air hungheavy and humid as Pearl and Maverick rode through the dense Missouri forest, the sound of cicadas and the occasional hoot of an owl breaking the eerie stillness. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the trail.

As they approached the towering spires that loomed in front of them, Pearl felt a flicker of apprehension. The deputy's notes had led them here, but what would they find? The ancient rocks had jagged edges that cut into the night sky like teeth. They dismounted and tied their horses to a nearby tree.

---