Have you got a friend nearby? You might need to hold somebody's hand.

24. For the Love of a Daughter

Rose rolled over with a groan. Her head hurt and she was still reeling from the bizarre dream she'd just woken up from; stripping naked in front of all the guests at Lisa's birthday party while the men chanted Strike! Strike! Strike! over and over again.

Cracking one eye open, she caught sight of the shawl thrown on the end of the bed and sucked in a sharp breath. She was practically naked last night, but only for the eyes of one man. Dimitri. Guilt and desire coursed through her as she became lost in the memories of what they had done together, and she buried her face in the pillow in remorse. He gave her every opportunity to stop, but she had to go and throw herself at him like a loose woman with no morals or self-control. And she couldn't blame Natalie's love potion either – she enjoyed every second of their liaison and would have gladly gone even further if her lover had allowed it. What must he think of her now? She practically just proved she was a whore.

A few minutes ticked by, during which she alternated between fantasising about what would have happened if Deputy Belikov hadn't come to his senses and returned her to the house, and wallowing in self-loathing for probably ruining her chances with the only man she'd ever really wanted. Eventually, Rose came to an uncomfortable decision; she had to talk to him – fully dressed this time. If he didn't want any more to do with her then she'd rather find out sooner than later.

The girl pulled herself up into a seated position, instantly clutching at her head to stave off the woozy, throbbing feeling that pulsed behind her eyes. If she could just make it to Lisa's washstand and splash some water on her face. Hold on. Where was Lisa? she frowned, looking at the vacant, rumpled sheets beside her. It was too early to be out of bed on a Sunday. Six o'clock at the latest. Maybe she'd just stepped outside to use the toilet?

Braving the few steps to the washstand, Rose wet her face and neck then carefully surveyed her reflection in the mirror. She felt so different after last night's romantic encounter that she almost expected Dimitri's kisses to be emblazoned on her skin. Fortunately there was no visible evidence of her indiscretion. Once she'd finished braiding her hair, she began the tedious process of putting on half a dozen layers of petticoats, then reached into the wardrobe to retrieve the white muslin dress she usually wore to church. They wouldn't be attending the service today, given that James Nathan was still being held prisoner in town, but Reverend Karp would likely stop by for a visit later in the morning, and Madam Kiroy was very particular about observing the proper customs and manners for the holiest day of the week.

Hmm. Strange. Lisa's evening gown wasn't hanging up where she left it last night. Maybe she'd gone to return it to Natalie for safe keeping? Rose was keen to get out to Dimitri's campsite before the rest of the household was awake, but she didn't want to risk getting caught if her friends were already up and about. Tiptoeing down the hallway, she pushed lightly on Natalie's bedroom door, expecting it to be locked, but it swung open at her touch. No Lisa. Now no Natalie.

Rose's heart started to beat a little faster. Somebody told her something last night. Something important... Dimitri said he loved her. She pushed back flutters of longing at the thought. No. Not that. Think.

She cast her eyes out the window and caught sight of the creek, its surface glinting softly with the morning sunlight. That's right. Christian! The lights! He said they carried a hidden message. Strike. Oh no! Her attention pulled back into the room, falling on Natalie's empty bed. Strike – it was a signal to attack. Lisa and Natalie were both missing. She had to get help. She had to find Dimitri.

Rose was halfway to the deputy's camp when she spotted him coming in the opposite direction to meet her. The evening clothes he'd been wearing (or not wearing) last night had been swapped for his usual attire; the shaggy edges of his hair peeking out from beneath his cowboy hat, the dark leather duster kicking back against his legs with each purposeful stride.

'I'm glad you came, Miss Roza,' he spoke quietly when they were finally face to face. He looked wary, troubled. 'I wanted to apol—'

'I don't care about that,' Rose snapped. 'Something's wrong. I can't find Lisa. Natalie's missing too. I think they've been taken!'

In a second, Dimitri's mood shifted and he transformed into a deputy sheriff once more. 'Are you sure? Could they be out for a walk, perhaps? You told me once that Lisa keeps a nature journal – she might be taking observations?'

'No. I know there's something wrong! I can feel it! Christian. The lights.' Rose turned suddenly. 'Look, if you don't believe me then I'll go and find her myself,' her gaze had fallen on Reverend Karp's house in the distance. Christian O'Hara might know where Lisa was.

'Wait! Just calm down,' Dimitri grabbed her arm before she could escape, forcing her to look at him. 'If Lisa and Natalie are missing, you're not going to help anybody by rushing off without a plan. We'll hunt for the girls together, but we'll do it methodically - starting here. Now tell me about the lights.'

They fell into step beside one-another as they hastened towards the Lisa's house – Rose filling the deputy in about the coded message that Christian had intercepted a few nights earlier – and in a matter of minutes they had reached the back door of the Draymore homestead.

Dimitri drew to a halt, his brow furrowed. 'Stay behind me, Roza,' he brushed her arm lightly. 'If it was an attack and the perpetrator is still in the house, I don't want you getting hurt.'

She wanted to stop and analyse what he meant by that - was he speaking to her as a deputy to his charge, or as a man to the woman he loved? But there wasn't time to wonder about that now. Lisa needed her. She gave Dimitri a small nod and followed him into the building.

Now that Rose had taken a few minutes to calm down, little details jumped out at her glaringly. A picture-frame in the main hallway hung crookedly on its hook – another one of Natalie's needlepoint creations – suggesting there had been a struggle. There were scuff-marks inside the front door where a man's boots had tracked smears of reddish-brown clay into the house, and when they reached the dining room, Rose saw that a cup of tea had been poured and left to go cold. Madam Kiroy usually sat in here in the mornings before she set the table for breakfast, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Had she been taken too?

A faint noise broke the silence and Dimitri held up a finger to his lips; waiting, listening. Soon it came again, soft and strangled like a gasp or a sob. The deputy indicated for his assistant to follow him and took off in the direction of the sound, hand hovering ready by the pistol at his hip.

Their search led them to a corner of the house that Rose had rarely been in before. Madam Kiroy had deemed her bedroom and the adjacent hall strictly off-limits, (though that hadn't stopped a certain trouble-seeker from making the occasional raid to retrieve confiscated property or hide some variety of insect or small rodent under the unsuspecting woman's pillow). Approaching the bedroom now, Rose felt a sense of foreboding and held back a pace as Dimitri used the barrel of his gun to push the door open.

Madam Kiroy – the tyrant of Cottonwood Creek Ranch – was collapsed on her bed, her upper-body slumped at an awkward angle from where she was propped against the pillows. She wasn't sleeping but she wasn't exactly awake either. Her eyes shifted vacantly at the sound of somebody entering the room and she groped weakly for the bible that had slipped down off her lap to rest, half-open, on the blanket beside her.

Dimitri was at her side in an instant. 'Madam Kiroy. Can you hear me?'

When the woman turned her head, he saw that her irises had been nearly swallowed by the black expanse of her pupils, and it was clear that she was struggling to breathe. The smell of human excrement tinged the air, but the deputy didn't recoil from the disturbing scene, hurrying to draw the sheet and blanket up over the woman's chest in an effort to ease the violent waves of shivering that wracked her body.

'What happened, governess?' the deputy pressed, but he needn't have asked.

At the same moment he spied an overturned bottle on the bedside table, and he muttered a string of Russian curses under his breath as he read the label. Battley's Sedative Solution. Laudanum. She'd taken the whole bottle.

'He took her. He took my Lisa,' she babbled, high as a kite, slipping in and out of consciousness as the drug took deeper hold of her.

Rose had been waiting in the doorway, unsure what to do, but she rushed to the bedside and grabbed the woman by the shoulders, urging her to focus. 'Who? Who took her?' The girl was struck by a repulsive thought. 'Was it James Nathan - the outlaw off the posters? Was he here?'

Madam Kiroy looked at Rose like she had two heads. (Laudanum was known to induce hallucinations – maybe that's what she was really seeing.) 'No outlaw. Victor. Victor Dashley... He said he was going to get the preacher… I tried to stop him but he—' she rolled her eyes across at the empty bottle and started to hyperventilate, the respiratory attack ending in a coughing fit that made her black-out for at least half a minute before she came around again, dazed and clearly in distress.

'But why? Why would he take her?' Rose pleaded her to answer, a nauseated feeling rising in her stomach as she tried to grasp the meaning behind this madness.

The suffering woman reached for her bible, but her hands shook so badly she knocked it onto the floor and a piece of paper fluttered out.

'Take it,' she whispered, and Rose bent down to unfold the paper, seeing that it was a map; detailed and precise in its rendering but lacking any identifying labels, apart from a few clusters of letters and numbers that looked like a code of sorts. 'I found it… tidying his desk,' Madam Kiroy explained woozily, each breath a torment. 'He lied to us all. Rose. You were right to take Lisa away from here… Find her. Save her… Whatever it takes, don't hesitate.'

The effort of that last sentence induced a coughing fit so violent that when she looked up again there was a large patch of blood blossoming on the stark, white sheet tucked under her chin.

Dimitri had been observing the conversation with growing alarm, but the woman's final words sent a chill up his spine. Something about what she said, coupled with the other-worldly tone of the governess' voice transported him back to a day two weeks ago when Aunt Rhonda read his fortune. What was it she told him? Something about pins and needles. He shivered, the message appearing clearly in his mind. But it wasn't the brothel madam he heard speaking the fateful words – it was the shrill, cracked voice of his grandmother, Yeva. Pins and needles, needles and pins. Death awaits the one who hesitates.

'Well what are you waiting for?' the lady in the bed gasped. 'You can't do anything for me… Get to Lisa… Tell her I only ever wanted the best—' She couldn't finish. A tortured breath caught in her throat and she choked on it, her eyes wide with panic as she clutched at the sleeve of the girl by her bedside, and Rose looked on in horror as the woman she'd hated for so many years slipped away into death; ungracefully and terribly afraid.

When it was over, Rose found she couldn't move, and it was only the touch of Dimitri's hand on her arm – peeling the dead woman's fingers away from her sleeve – that jolted her back to her wider surroundings.

'Victor Dashley did this to her?' she whispered, watching as the deputy pulled the sheet up over the body, unable to tear her gaze away from the thing that only moments ago was a person she knew. 'What if he did the same thing to Sonya Karp? What if he's about to do the same thing to Lisa?'

Deputy Belikov turned then, grasping her shoulders firmly and fixing her with his steady gaze. 'Rose. Roza,' his voice gave her something to focus on amidst the rising darkness of fear and dread. 'We don't know that for certain. Stay calm. We'll figure this out. Madam Kiroy said Victor was heading to see the preacher – they may still be next-door. And if not, then Christian O'Hara might be able to explain what that map is all about. Maybe it will lead us to where they have taken your friend?'

Rose gulped in a breath of stale air, suddenly needing to be out of this room that smelt of death and despair. 'Let's go,' she agreed, and they hurried outside to prepare the horses.

'Miss Hathaway?' a rumpled Christian O'Hara answered the door after what seemed like an age; his hair pointing in all directions, a dressing gown thrown over his pyjamas, and dark circles under his eyes. As he spoke, his trademark matchstick found its way out of the pocket of his robe, and began its nervous dance across the back of his fingers. 'Just because we shared a dance or two last night doesn't mean I want you stopping by whenever you feel like it. You do realise it's Lisa I—'

'Shut-up Christian,' she pushed past him, eyes searching the room. 'Where is she?'

'Who?' the man frowned after her. He was still waking up, and the reminder of last night's frivolity was currently thumping an unrelenting rhythm against the inside of his skull. He really shouldn't have let Victor Dashley ply him with so much brandy.

At that moment, Deputy Belikov entered the room, removing his hat and pacing up to Christian as Rose continued her hunt throughout the house.

'Sit down, Mr O'Hara,' he advised.

The younger man was immediately suspicious. 'No, I don't think I will. What's going on?'

Dimitri sighed. 'Madam Kiroy is dead. Lisa Draymore and Natalie Dashley are missing, and we have reason to believe they are in the company of Victor Dashley and the preacher. I can't say for certain, but Lisa may be in grave danger. Do you have any idea where they might have taken her?'

Christian's face turned a shade paler – if that was even possible. 'Reverend Karp usually heads into town early on a Sunday for private devotions and to run over his sermon before the morning service. Victor would know to find him there.'

Deputy Belikov glanced toward the door, willing Rose to hurry so they could be on their way, but the blue-eyed gentleman grabbed Dimitri's arm tightly, his voice sharp with panic.

'Don't you dare leave without me, deputy,' he warned. 'If Lisa is in danger then I'm coming with you,' Christian was already removing his dressing gown as he headed towards his room to change.

'Good grief!' Rose cried out as she approached from down the hallway, covering her eyes at the sight of her best friend's suitor wearing only a long, cotton nightshirt; the lower half of his legs sticking out from beneath the loose-fitting garment like a pair of bristly pipe cleaners.

Her indignant protest was overshadowed by a more insistent voice.

'Hold on a minute,' Deputy Belikov called out, making the other man pause. 'Can you tell me what this is? We believe it has something to do with Miss Draymore's disappearance.'

Not caring about Rose's discomfort in the slightest, Christian discarded his robe over the back of a chair and snatched the folded paper from the deputy's hand. 'It's a map.'

'Obviously,' Dimitri answered curtly. 'You're a surveyor. Is there anything unusual about it? Anything that might mean something to you?'

The man scowled impatiently at the paper in his hands, clearly annoyed they weren't commencing their search for Lisa immediately. 'This is a copy of an original property map that would have been drawn up to accompany a deed of ownership.'

'Which property?' the Russian prompted.

'Not property. Properties. This line down the centre is Cottonwood Creek. To the left is the Draymore estate, and to the right are Reverend Karp's lands, see?' He pointed out the various landmarks. 'Houses, outbuildings, roads and trails, timber sources. All of it. How did you get hold of this?'

The deputy's eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of this new information. 'It was taken from Victor Dashley's desk. Were you aware that he had a personal interest in the land? I was led to believe he was only staying at Cottonwood Creek Ranch in the role of protector and benefactor to Lisa Draymore after her parents' deaths last year, until her coming of age.'

'That's all I know of the matter,' Christian shrugged, still studying the map. 'Wait… that's odd,' he looked up sharply.

'What?' Rose was beside him in an instant, curiosity winning out over her revulsion at his pasty-white legs.

'See here,' he pointed out a short sequence of letters and numbers. 'These are bearings – north and west – that show the exact location of a property's boundaries… But look at this,' Christian went on, stabbing a finger at a point not far to the left of the creek, towards the back of Lisa's property. 'As far as I was aware, Cottonwood Creek marks the border of the two properties, but this location is nearly half a mile to the east of the watercourse. Whatever this bearing is marking, it's been added since the original land survey was taken. I'd hazard a guess that's where the lights have been originating from.'

They were all quiet for a few seconds, trying to piece together what it all meant, before Rose piped up. 'Well, that's very interesting, but right now I'm more worried about getting Lisa back. We can check out the site later. Come on, deputy - we have to get to the church.'

'Of course,' Dimitri snapped into action. 'Mr O'Hara, I realise you want to help, but I need you to do something for me first. I have a feeling we're going to require back-up. Go next door and get Mason Ashford. Tell him to bring his Remington and meet us at the chapel.'

'What about Eddie Castile as well?' Christian suggested, his usually sarcastic face stern and alert.

Dimitri shook his head. 'Not possible. Sheriff Peterson sent him off yesterday afternoon to meet up with Hank Croft and give him an update on our outlaw situation. Maybe that's for the best, though. I'm not sure what we're walking into and the fewer people we put at risk the better. When you arrive in town, stop by the sheriff's office before you join us. We'll need Alberta too.'

Christian nodded grimly in agreement then gripped Deputy Belikov by the arm, his voice low and tense. 'Miss Draymore means the world to me, deputy. If anybody harms her in any way, make sure you leave a piece of them for me.'

He didn't drop his gaze until the Russian dipped his head in assent, and it was only then that Mr O'Hara stormed off to his room to throw on some clothes, leaving his guests to see themselves out.

'Come, Roza,' Dimitri took her hand, leading her out of the house to where their mounts were awaiting them. 'Duty calls and we must answer.'

All was quiet when the deputy and his assistant arrived in town – still too early for people to be out and about in the streets. The couple halted their horses a distance away from the chapel and dismounted, planning to walk the final stretch to maintain the element of surprise.

Rose was chafing at the bit to get inside the church and see if Lisa was there, but Dimitri held her back; catching her by the shoulders and studying her with concern.

'I don't know what we're going to find in there,' he said quietly. 'If I had my way, you wouldn't be stepping foot inside that building…'

She began to protest but he shook his head, cutting her off.

'…but I know what it feels like to want to protect a friend, and I'm not going to take that opportunity away from you. Just promise me you won't do anything rash. Men can behave unpredictably when they feel threatened. If we can't resolve this peacefully I want you to keep your head down and stay out of the line of fire.'

She wasn't really listening. 'Can't we just go in now?'

'No, we can't,' Dimitri drew her chin up to look at him. 'Rose. Are you even listening to me? Don't get yourself hurt.'

'I'll do what I have to do,' she answered defiantly, avoiding his gaze.

'Roza,' he almost pleaded, hands dropping to encircle her waist, and she blinked up at him, actually seeing him this time. 'I love you, you understand? Don't get hurt.' He stooped to capture her mouth – his kiss raw and unapologetic.

Her breath caught in her throat. He was choosing this – not because she kissed him first, or because he was too drunk to stop himself. She thought he might be angry with her for pushing him too far after the party, when he'd made it very clear why it was important for them to wait, but by some miracle he was professing his love for her and proving it with his lips – in full view of anybody who might step out of their front door to take in the fresh, morning air.

'Well, don't you get hurt either,' she stretched up to loop her arms around his neck, taking and giving assurance in the meeting of their lips. 'I love the darned socks off you, cowboy, and you'll be in big trouble if you don't make good on the promises you gave me last night. Now let's go and find my friend.'

There was no noise coming from the church as they approached. It was only when Deputy Belikov mounted the short flight of stairs to the main entrance that they heard Reverend Karp's voice – his muffled words becoming clearer as Dimitri pushed the heavy wooden door open, motioning for Rose to stay behind him.

'I require and charge you both, as you stand here in the presence of God, before whom the secrets of all hearts are disclosed, that, having duly considered the holy covenant you are about to make, you do now declare before this company, your pledge…'

Rose pushed past the deputy, the breath robbed from her lungs as her attention fixated on the sight before her. A bride and groom were standing at the altar, each flanked by two attendants. The altar table was lit with candles and festooned in garlands of flowers, and Reverend Karp stood between the happy couple dressed in his ceremonial purple stole; a weighty, gold-leafed bible open in his hands.

It would have been a beautiful scene, except for two things. The bridesmaid to the far left of the party was being held at gunpoint by one of the ushers… and the bride was Lisa.

'What the hell is going on here?' Rose wanted to scream, but the words came out as a choked whisper.

'Aah. I wasn't anticipating more guests,' Victor Dashley turned from his place in the centre of the bridal party, flashing a toothy smile. 'How delightful you have come to share in our happy occasion, Miss Hathaway... deputy. I believe you know my wife to be?'

Lisa turned slowly, and even through the sheer fabric of the bridal veil, Rose could see that she had been crying. The bride shook her head in warning, glancing to a pair of men – Victor's hounds – who were standing at the rear of the church, their guns drawn and pointed at the two newcomers.

It took every ounce of Rose's self-control to prevent herself from sprinting up the aisle and tackling the smug old bastard to the ground.

'Let. Her. Go,' she hissed, boring her feet into the floorboards. She wouldn't have cared if she got shot, but Dimitri was in the line of fire too and she didn't want to risk him getting hurt.

Victor laughed. 'You think I'm forcing her to the altar, my dear girl? Oh no. The lovely Miss Draymore is marrying me of her own volition, I assure you. Do you see a gun pointed at my bride?'

Technically, there were no guns pointed at Lisa.

'It may be true she needed a little… encouragement to agree to the idea,' the old man continued, 'but she was more than happy to go through with the wedding on my assurance that Mr O'Hara wouldn't befall a sudden and unfortunate accident in the line of his employment. Indians can be so volatile to work with, you understand?! One never knows when they will stop talking business and start taking scalps.'

Rose wanted to vomit. 'So you're blackmailing her into marrying you. Why? What did she do to deserve this?'

Victor looked bemused. 'You say that as though marrying a powerful and well-respected man like me is a bad thing! How quaint. Miss Draymore will want for nothing once she signs her name in the register. It's as much a benefit for her as it is for me!'

'And what exactly are you getting out of the deal, Mr Dashley?' Dimitri's voice was deathly calm, but Rose could sense his tension coiling underneath the controlled façade.

'Deputy. I'm so glad you asked, but you already know the answer, don't you? Why else would I offer you a position as my property manager if I didn't intend to take on some property? The Draymore house is nothing to me, of course, but the lands are valuable beyond measure. As a businessman, I know how to harness their true potential, and we shall all share in the profits together,' he announced magnanimously, patting Lisa on the shoulder in a way that made Rose's skin crawl.

The dark-haired girl shot a questioning look back at Deputy Belikov before returning her attention to the old man at the front of the church. 'So you didn't plan to attack Lisa?' she demanded, repulsed by the truth. 'You wanted to marry her for her land? But you're old enough to be her grandfather. That's just… sick!'

Victor Dashley's lips pulled back into a leering smile. 'Oh, I've got plenty of life left in my bones yet, Miss Hathaway, but never fear… I have no carnal interest in your friend. We only need to grace the marriage bed once to consummate the union for legality's sake, and then she's free to continue on as she was before. She'll be my wife in name, of course, but she can take on Mr O'Hara as a lover if she so desires. It's of no consequence to me!'

'You piece of—' Rose had no qualms about cursing in a church but she piped down immediately at the feeling of cold metal pressing under her right ear.

'Don't talk to my daddy like that,' Natalie hissed in her ear, and Rose glanced away from the groom to see that the chief bridesmaid had left her place at the altar, skirting around behind the pews to dig a tiny pistol into her neck.

Dimitri watched on helplessly under the close attention of Victor's hounds.

'How could you, Natalie?' Rose couldn't believe the girl had betrayed them, but somehow she wasn't entirely surprised either. 'You must know this is wrong. I thought you were our friend?'

'But I am your friend, Rosie,' she giggled. 'And now Lisa is going to be my friend and my new mama too. It doesn't get any closer than that!'

If there wasn't a gun to her head, Rose would have punched Natalie in the face. Her breathing accelerated as her eyes darted around the room, trying to find a solution to this hellish mess. And that's when she noticed Reverend Karp, swaying nervously behind the altar.

'What's your part in all of this, reverend?' Rose practically shouted. 'It's your job to protect the innocent! How could you do this to Lisa? You've known her since she was a baby. You baptised her for crying out loud!'

The preacher looked all of his seventy-one years as he bowed his head in shame, but it was Natalie who answered.

'It's amazing the lengths a father would go to for the love of a daughter,' she crooned, flashing her own father a big smile.

'What do you mean?' Rose frowned deeply. 'Sonya Karp is dead and as far as I can tell, it was probably your darling daddy who killed her.'

'Are you sure about that, Rosie?' an excited giggle bubbled out of Natalie's mouth.

'Do forgive me,' the groom interrupted. 'I quite forgot to introduce the rest of the wedding party. Spiridon and Ben you've met at the ranch,' the groomsmen each turned at their name and nodded as if this was an entirely normal situation, 'and I believe you are already acquainted with my fiancée's other bridesmaid?'

The woman at the edge of the group had been silent and still until now, under the cold custody of the nameless hound's pistol, but her captor forced her to look up and Rose gasped in shock.

It was Sonya Karp.

'You're alive?!' Rose squawked, taking a step forward before Natalie's derringer jabbed roughly again at her neck, a sharp warning sounding from the deputy behind her.

Sonya was alive, if you could call it that. Normally slim and graceful, the young woman now appeared gaunt and frail. Her complexion was pallid and her eyes red-rimmed from weeping.

'I'm so sorry,' she whispered weakly, before covering her face with shaking hands to hide from Rose's accusing gaze.

'What did you do to her, you pile of steaming horseshit?' the girl demanded, ignoring the derringer's bite as her eyes flashed back to Victor Dashley.

'She did it to herself, little wildcat,' Victor said dismissively. 'The laudanum had nothing to do with me… at first. It was only when she refused my kind offer of marriage that I had to take more drastic measures.'

Deputy Belikov melted into life, his voice forced. 'You tried to marry Sonya first? Micky Tanner suspected she had been harassed by a suitor, but we were looking for a younger man.'

'Why should age stop me if I see something I want?' the groom scoffed. 'I saw an opportunity to get a parcel of land I desired, a mother for my daughter, and a pretty companion to share my bed. Who wouldn't go after such a prize? Remember what I told you, Deputy Belikov? If you want something in this world, all you have to do is reach out and take it. Frankly, I'm surprised you're even here. Eight glasses of Serbian vodka for you and two laudanum-spiked lemonades for the young lady, and yet you're still causing me unnecessary delays. If you heeded my advice, you'd still be lying by your fire with the little slut naked in your arms.'

'How dare you!'

'Don't deny it, deputy,' Natalie piped up. 'I saw everything. Show me where the heart is? How romantic!'

Dimitri was ready to snap, but Rose distracted him with a question that had been niggling at her mind.

'If you're so good at taking what you want, Mr Dashley, then why isn't it Sonya you're marrying right now?'

He gave her a sour look. 'Admittedly, Miss Karp was my first preference, but the reverend refused to perform the ceremony. So I offered him a deal. He'd officiate the marriage between myself and Miss Draymore on the occasion of her eighteenth birthday, in exchange for his daughter's freedom. I kept Sonya as collateral in the cellar of one of Reverend Karp's outbuildings - if he refused to go through with the wedding, then I would send the red-head off to be the newest attraction at Aunt Rhonda's bordello. With her sister Ambrosia.'

Rose's eyes widened in shock.

'Don't look so surprised, dear. When my man Spiridon stumbled across a little tart in Rhonda's whorehouse who looked just like our dear Sonya Karp, it only took a bit of digging to learn that the good reverend isn't so good as he likes to appear. Turns out he was once quite a favourite of Aunt Rhonda's and he clearly gave her a little more to remember him by than the fees for her services.'

Dimitri looked like he was going to tear the man limb from limb. 'So you were happy to marry either girl against their will. What is it they both have that's so important to you?'

Victor closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh. 'Gold, Deputy Belikov. Wagon-loads of gold! I found small deposits in the Cottonwood Creek the first time Dr Draymore invited me to visit his ranch. When Natalie stayed on as a pupil of Madam Kiroy, I left Spiridon behind to fossick at night - camping on the property in secret... I'm sorry if my hound scared you, dearest,' he added as an aside to Lisa. 'Spiridon has quite a taste for hunting wild game and I'm afraid he isn't well enough housetrained to clear away his messes.'

Rose's mind flashed to the animal remains they'd found down by the creek. If Dashley's manservant had been leaving carcases out on the property it was no wonder there had been such an increase in the number of wolves in the area.

'My men have been getting closer and closer to finding the source of the deposits,' Victor continued, his mood effervescent, 'and only two nights ago we finally struck the main seam! With this windfall I'll be able to finance the final push to submit my bid for the telegraph line contract, which will secure my wealth forever. My daughter will be able to take any suitor she wishes and I can live out the rest of my days in prosperity and happiness!' He paused in his gloating, brow furrowed. 'You two, on the other hand, will not fare quite so well. Natalie. Be a dear and take care of the problem, will you?'

Deputy Belikov's hand was on his gun in an instant but it wasn't the sound of his bullet that echoed through the church.

'Get your hands off her,' Mason Ashford appeared in the doorway like an avenging angel, silhouetted by the morning sun, his warning shot making everybody in the room freeze. 'You won't get away with this, Dashley. Help is on the way,' he strode into the church, gun raised; heedless to the armed men along the walls who shifted their aim to the reckless young cowboy. 'Did you really think—'

Another shot rang out.

Time stopped as Mason took a step forward, then stumbled and fell to one knee, his hand clutching at his chest where blood was oozing through his fingers, staining his shirt crimson.

'But—' he looked down at his hand, confused by the sticky, red liquid that was already pooling on the floorboards beneath him. 'I thought that was supposed to hurt,' he looked up at Natalie's smoking pistol in surprise, before his eyes fell on the dark-haired girl standing next to her. 'I love you, Scout,' he choked, spluttering and gasping as blood filled his lungs and escaped from the corners of his mouth.

No longer able to hold his weight up, Mason slumped to the floor, his lifeblood slowly seeping out of him.

A laugh broke the unnatural stillness. 'Listen to him – choking out his love for you, Rosie,' Natalie mocked. 'If it wasn't so pathetic I'd feel sorry for him,' she took a half-step closer to the dying cowboy, bending slightly to prod him with her boot. 'She doesn't love you, you stupid oaf. She loves—'

'Choke on this, you evil bitch!' Rose's voice sounded alien in her own ears, and she used the split second of Natalie's break in concentration to twist out of her grip, lunging at her with full force and swiping at her neck.

'No!' Dimitri cried out, drawing his revolver as the two girls tumbled on the ground, Natalie's gun discharging once more before the pair came to rest by the body of Mason Ashford.

A shrieking wail pierced the room – an eerie, lamenting sound that reminded Dimitri of the cry they'd heard out on the prairie – and he saw Sonya cover her face, trying to hide from the gruesome sight before her.

Rose was straddling her enemy, brandishing something above her head. It was the hat-pin she'd ripped from Natalie's own bonnet, and it was covered in blood.

Pins and needles, needles and pins. Death awaits the one who hesitates.

'This is where the heart is, Natalie! Let's see if you have one!' Rose stabbed down once, twice, three times, only vaguely aware of the swirling movement around her; Dimitri's gun ringing out as Spiridon charged at the girl who was attacking his boss' daughter; Lisa crouching in the arms of Reverend Karp; Sonya using every last scrap of strength she had to pick up her father's bible and smashing it over Victor's head, knocking him to the floor; Alberta swarming into the building like a one-woman army, followed by Christian and Adrian (how did he get there?) who sent Victor's hounds – clothing in flames – howling out through the back doors of the church.

All of this was happening around her, but Rose didn't register any of the details. All she saw was the face of the friend she loved, taken from her before his time, and she threw herself over his body to protect him from the chaos surrounding them; slashing at anybody who tried to come near her and screaming desperate, heart-wrenching cries. 'Don't touch him! Don't you dare touch him!'

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Author's Note:

A moment of silence for those we have lost…

Mason, we will always love you. Kiroy, at least you came through in the end. Natalie, there is no remorse in my heart for your death. Spiridon also.

So this is a mash-up of the battle to save Lissa at the end of book 1 + Rose killing Victor in Spirit Bound (only here Natalie is the victim) & of course Mason's death in Frostbite.

Did you guess what Victor was really after? If you go back and re-read the story at a later date you will find little clues sprinkled all the way through.

Poor Rose is hit with her 'spirit darkness' at last. Let's see what Dimitri can do to bring her out of it in the next chapter.

So the 'pins & needles' prophecy was referring to hatpin (Rose) vs. needlework (Natalie) - a bit subtle, but hopefully it came through.

As you might expect, this was chapter was extremely difficult to write. Apologies to those who are reeling at the loss of Mason (again) and great thanks to the kind readers who gave me some extra encouragement to make it through this chapter - Lea, Annie, Solitaire, Sierra, AnaMys, Maleficent, Sarah. You all rock.

Yes. I want to hear what you thought - even if it's just No, no, no!

Yes. I will make it up to you with the next chapter entitled 'The Cabin'.

Leave me some love in the reviews if you can :-) More love = sexier cabin scene! ;D (Actually, it's going to be sexy whether you leave me a review or not, but I like hearing from you!)