Wildstar

"Maybe we should fetch Mei Lin," Flo said after Jess had tried for the third time to convince them she didn't need any hired help.

And so Mei Lin was called to interpret. The pretty Chi­nese woman had worked here at the boardinghouse since Jess's mother saved her from a life of prostitution in an opium den, but she lived with her husband in the small Chinese community at the edge of town, and apparently she knew these people.

Mei Lin held a discussion in rapid Cantonese with the newcomers, then turned to Jess. "They say they here to work for you, Missy Jessie."

"But I don't need them. Please tell them I'm sorry but I can't afford to take on any more workers."

Another conversation ensued.

"They already have payment, full month," Mei Lin re­layed. "Salary very generous."

Jess stared. "That's impossible. Who would have paid them?"

"I can guess," Flo said with a satisfied smirk. "You still gonna try to convince me that gorgeous fella isn't sweet on you?"

Devlin. It had to be him. Rather than flatter Jess, how­ever, the realization that he'd gone behind her back for the second time in one day only annoyed and frustrated her. "He may have bought part of the mine from my father," she said tightly, "but he has no right to interfere with my boardinghouse!"

"Now, Jess, don't you go gettin' on your high horse. You know we could use the help around here. What with you being gone so much lately, Mei Lin and I just haven't been able to keep up."

That sent a stab of guilt through Jess. "I know, Flo, and I'm sorry. But I can't let Devlin spend that kind of money on this place. I won't be able to repay him."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be repaid." The widow looked at the eager Chinese laborers, who were smiling and nodding and making small respectful bows. "Me, I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I think we ought to put 'em to work. You can always argue with Devlin later."

Jess gave in grudgingly, with a silent promise to do more than argue with Devlin. She intended to give him a piece of her mind at the first opportunity. It was bad enough for him to make secret deals with Riley behind her back and to send her expensive presents as a result of a promise he'd made under duress. It was another thing en­tirely for him to blatantly meddle in the running of her boardinghouse.

What occurred next, however, made Devlin's interfer­ence in her business pale in comparison. Doc Wheeler stopped by to check the gash on her temple that she'd re­ceived in the mine explosion.

"I'm all right, Doc," Jess protested as he pushed her down in a chair. "Flo's already seen to it."

"Might as well look now that I'm here. That Devlin fella ordered me to get over here first thing, and I don't dare report back to him empty-handed."

Jess's lips tightened—and not in pain, even though Doc was poking and prodding at her scalp.

"Just where do you and that young fella stand, anyway? I thought he'd taken sides with you and Riley."

"He has," Jess said, puzzled.

"Didn't know he was so cozy with Ashton Burke."

"What do you mean, cozy?"

"Why, he was at Burke's house early last night. I had to drive into Georgetown and I saw him myself at the front door, talking to that fancy butler. Seemed mighty odd to me when you're in the middle of a mine feud."

Jess felt a sudden coldness start to creep over her skin and curl in her stomach. Devlin and Burke? There had to be some mistake. "I . . . don't know what he was doing there," she replied in a voice that didn't seem like her own.

"Well, it just seemed strange."

Yes, it did seem strange. The coldness inside her inten­sified as a horrible suspicion began to take root. She tried to dismiss it. It wasn't possible that she and her father had been betrayed, surely. Devlin and Burke hadn't been in league together all along. Devlin couldn't have been work­ing for Burke and merely pretending to be on their side . . . could he?

Disbelief, shock, denial all screamed at her in warning. She couldn't accept that Devlin might be a traitor. It wasn't true. And yet there was no denying that Devlin had been keeping company with Ashton Burke. Doc had seen it with his own eyes.

No, what she was thinking wasn't possible. She knew Devlin. She had lived in the same house with him and rid­den with him and faced death with him. She'd made love to him, for God's sake.

But did she really know him? Until two weeks ago, be­fore she'd offered him a job as night guard, he'd been a total stranger.

And he had been with Burke the first time she 'd met him.

He had followed her outside the saloon, and she'd con­vinced him to take the job. He had seemed so reluctant at the time. . . . Dear God, had she just played right into his hands?