The Man Who Hated Ned O'Leary (Dig Two Graves 2)

He met Ned’s gaze, and truth hung in the air like the stench of blood. Ned had murdered Cole’s savior and little Tommy’s father all in one. Tommy knew it too, but it didn’t need to be addressed tonight. Cole was tired.

“You should sleep,” Ned said. “We have a long ride ahead, so we’ll venture out as soon as the sun starts to rise.”

“We’ll take turns keeping watch, so the Wolfman won’t get to you,” Cole said, trying to smile at the boy.

Tommy didn’t reciprocate, but he finished his food while Cole and Ned ate. The meat was gamey, prepared with no seasoning, but it tasted good, and Cole showed his gratitude by nodding at Ned with his mouth full.

Ned stared back at him from across the fire, his gaze somewhat dim despite the crackling flames reflecting off it. Their argument had come to a brutal end, and while none of them wanted to return to it now, it had been left unresolved and kept bothering them like a splinter stuck under a toenail. Neither of them spoke until Tommy curled up in the bedroll and started snoring softly.

“I didn’t know just how tired I was,” Ned mumbled at last, shifting closer to keep his voice down.

Cole moved too, and soon enough they sat across the fire from the boy, who seemed to be asleep at last. “I won’t stop being tired until he’s somewhere safe. I know nothing of caring for a child,” Cole said, glancing at Dog, who trembled, seemingly dreaming of better times, when he’d been free to run. Maybe he’d just die in his sleep by morning, and put an end to Ned’s emotional agony.

“Why would Lotta entrust him to Zeb? Maybe he stole him, or even killed her. Should we… take him to her family? You know where they lived, right?” Ned asked, his red hair on fire as it reflected the flames.

Cole’s face fell. He’d been keen to communicate with Lotta when Tom had brought her in as his new bride, and the things he’d found out from her chilled him to the bone. She hadn’t been born mute, and he could bet that neither had the boy. “Her family… they’re not good people, Ned. They cut her tongue out because she was insolent. If her choice was between them and Zeb, I’m not surprised that she picked that sack of grudges.”

They sat in silence before Cole decided to speak again. “We can’t leave him with Lotta’s family, but there’s orphanages. Should be one in Denver.”

Ned glanced at Cole, as if he wanted to eat his soul. “And we’ll go together?”

Cole scowled. It was as if their argument had never happened. “Don’t think it’s a good idea, Ned. We part ways as soon as we’re down from the mountains. I’ll take him to the city, and you… you can do whatever you please,” he said, staring into the bright flames, because his stubborn mind was already coming up with scenarios in which he and Ned met again a few years down the road. He’d recognize him anywhere, even from afar, because he’d be wearing the jacket Cole had made for him.

Cole would have been pleasantly surprised if Ned made something out of himself and didn’t succumb to drink, keeping his promise to never touch booze again. Perhaps then, they could have another month together—or another two—before Cole left again.

Ned chewed on that, and Cole stayed tense, waiting for him to subvert the future. “I’ve got nothing left. Can you not bear my company for a bit longer? Denver could be a good place to look for work.”

There it was, a ploy to tie Cole down. To cuff his leg to Ned’s as if they were a two-person chain gang and one might not run off without the other. But Ned was right—he did have nothing but the clothes on his back. “I could… give you some money to start,” Cole said, finding it hard to look Ned’s way. He’d been careful with cash and had savings that amounted to a handsome sum. He might as well share it, in gratitude for Ned’s hospitality.

“Money doesn’t keep watch when you sleep, and won’t help you feed yourself in the forest when there’s the kid to look after. I’ll stay,” Ned said as if it were his decision to make.

Cole knew this wasn’t about Tommy but Ned’s selfish needs, yet something about the stern way he stated his plans made Cole’s cheeks feel warm. “You know he’s going to come after you once he’s old enough?” he whispered.

Ned’s shoulders sagged, and he stared across the fire at the tiny blond boy who would one day grow up and become as dangerous as any young man with a thirst for blood. “Maybe that’s the price I pay.”

Cole swallowed around the discomfort in his throat. His fingers were cold and numb, so he embraced himself to warm them, but to no avail. “We could convince him it was me. I’m the better shot.”