Page 58 of Stolen Time

But you’re fine with risking my safety,Seth thought then. There had been times over the years when his older brother’s words or actions had upset him, even angered him, but until now, he’d never experienced white-hot, burning fury over Charles’s apparent disregard for anyone other than himself.

That anger left Seth at a loss for words, creating a brooding silence that his brother decided to fill.

“It won’t be forever,” he said. “Only until November or thereabouts, when the roads start to get icy. At that point, they’ll move their operations to the south and come into Prescott through a different route that won’t take them over the mountain.”

“And when spring comes again?” Seth replied, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice. “Do you think they’ll have conveniently forgotten about me by then?”

“Of course not,” Charles said easily. “But I’ll negotiate with them, make it understood that they’ll need to find someone new for the Jerome run by the time the roads clear. In the meantime, you’ll keep all of us safe…and make some good money on the side that you can spend on that pretty girl of yours.”

Blood money,Seth thought, but again, he held his tongue, especially since he knew he was being a bit melodramatic. Running liquor was against the law, but most people saw breaking Prohibition as a victimless crime.

Well, except for those unfortunate souls who might come up against the wrong side of the bootleggers and never be heard from again.

Still, he hated the idea of being roped into that kind of activity, hated that his brother’s rash actions were forcing him to participate in criminal behavior that could result in his going to jail if he ever got caught.

But Charles was right. Aprima’sconsort didn’t work unless it was some kind of artistic pursuit that still allowed him to stay home and remain at her side. Being a shopkeeper certainly didn’t fall into that category, which meant Seth had to take over his brother’s position at the store.

A position that provided perfect cover for the much darker, more dangerous matters he pursued on the side.

With a looming sense of finality, he said, “When’s the next run?”

“Tomorrow night,” Charles replied at once. His tone had shifted to one of relief, as if he knew that by asking such a question, Seth had already agreed to take on the Prescott delivery route.

Of course it was Friday night. He didn’t much like the idea of breaking off his date to go dancing in Cottonwood with Deborah, although maybe there was something else he could offer her, like going to the movies on Saturday evening. It wouldn’t be quite the same, but it would be better than nothing. He’d just have to invent some sort of plausible excuse for canceling the date, although he supposed the sudden shift his career would probably be enough to explain away the change in plans.

What else could he do, now that he’d already tacitly agreed to take his brother’s place at both the store and on the Prescott run?

“It’s quite simple,” Charles went on. “You just need to drive the truck to the exploratory mine shaft. The barrel of moonshine will be hidden toward the back, behind some boulders we rolled in there to provide camouflage. Fill the jugs provided with moonshine, load them into the truck, and drive them to the Palace in downtown Prescott.”

Seth’s eyebrows lifted. A bootlegging operation was happening in the same restaurant where he’d taken Deborah to dinner only the day before?

Now his brother’s expression turned almost condescending. “You mean you really didn’t know there was a speakeasy under the Palace?”

“Not being in the habit of frequenting those sorts of places, no,” Seth retorted.

Charles didn’t even blink. “I never realized you were so holier-than-thou.”

That was probably the last phrase Seth would have ever applied to himself. “I’m not,” he said. “But I try to avoid situations that could bring trouble to our clan.”

Maybe the slightest lift at the corner of his brother’s mouth. “There won’t be any trouble,” he said smoothly. “As long as you do as you’re told. Tomorrow, you’ll go to Lionel Allenby and inform him you need to resign from your foreman’s position to come work for the family business. I know he’ll be understanding.”

Of course he would, because by then, Charles would have already let him know what had happened…or at least, he would have provided a heavily edited version of the events of the past day, one that would pass muster with a civilian.

Seth didn’t bother to comment. His brother might have set them on this perilous course, but it sure looked as though he’d have to be the one to safely steer this ship to shore.

17

REVEALED

I wasa little startled to see Seth coming up the front walk that Friday morning. We already had a date set for that night, and even though I was more than happy to be around him at every possible opportunity, I knew his schedule was busy enough that coming to see me in the middle of the day — except on a Sunday, like when we’d gone on our picnic — just wasn’t in the cards.

So what was he doing away from the mine on Friday at a little past ten?

He wasn’t wearing his working clothes, either, but an outfit he’d sported during one of our dates — pleated linen trousers and matching vest, a striped shirt and tie underneath. While I had to admit he looked particularly dashing in the ensemble, it wasn’t exactly the sort of thing you’d put on to supervise a bunch of sweaty men at a dusty mine.

Because I’d already seen him approaching the front door, I was ready when he knocked, opening it almost as soon as he began to lower his hand.

“Hi,” I said. “Come on in.”

---