"Enough," Nick roared. "This is not up for debate young lady. You are not going," he declared as he loaded a shot gun and checked his pistol.
"I am," Audra insisted. "I will not sit home and worry by myself." She grabbed a rifle from the cabinet and began loading it.
"Audra, this is no time for argument," Jarrod tried to reason with her while he checked his own guns. "This is dangerous and we cannot watch out for you and try to worry about mother too."
"I can look out for myself Jarrod Barkley, thank you very much," Audra's eyes were burning holes in Jarrod. "I am going."
"Listen sis," Heath was calm as he walked over and put his hand on the rifle she was loading. "You know that we are going to do everything we can. But Audra, you know that mother would want you to wait here. Besides, if we have to go ahead and give them the money, they might send her back here or show up back here with her. We wouldn't want them to find an empty house."
"If they had taken me instead, you all know that you wouldn't treat mother this way," Audra growled and felt tears welling in her eyes. "If they had taken me instead of mother, you wouldn't ask her to stay."
"I would," Heath kept his voice even. "I would absolutely tell mother to stay here and for exactly the same reason. If they had taken you, would you want mother out there with us?"
"No you wouldn't," Audra began to cry. "And even if you did, you know that she wouldn't do it. She would be out there at Indian Springs with you. I am going Heath, she would want to be the first one I saw when you pulled me out. She is always there for me and I intend to be there for her."
"Audra," Jarrod put his rifle on the table and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel. Really I do, but please stay here, for mother's sake."
"Fine," Audra dropped the rifle onto the table and ran out.
"I'll go talk to her," Heath turned to go,
"No, no," Nick's voice was calmer now. "I'll do it," he walked out of the library and up the steps when he heard Audra's bedroom door slam.
"Audra," Nick knocked on the door and opened it up without waiting for a response. She was laying on the bed sobbing into a pillow. "Come on now honey," he walked over and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."
"I don't care about that," she sobbed. "I only care about mother. I don't want to sit here and feel so helpless. I want to go with you, I want to do my part to help. You know that mother would go with you, you know it."
"I know," he patted her shoulder. "But honey, you are doing your part by staying here. Heath is right. They might bring her back or send her back here when they get the money. If they find no one here they will know that we didn't do what they said and they might hurt her. Or if they sent her back and there was no one here, how would that be for her? If you are here then neither of those things will happen. Besides, the three of us will be more focused on the job at hand if we know that you are safe back here."
"Fine," Audra sniffed. "I will stay. But Nick," she sat up and wiped her eyes.
"What is it honey?"
"Please bring her home."
"We will," Nick hugged her tight and then left her alone again.
"Well," Jarrod asked when Nick reappeared in the library.
"She will stay," Nick told him. "Now come on, let's get moving. It's dark enough now. We can get up close enough to that abandoned mine in an hour or so."
"I hope we've figured right," Jarrod said to no one in particular. "I hope they're not camping in the open."
The three of them grabbed their hats, their loaded guns and filed out the door. Heath was last out. When he turned to close the door, he saw Audra standing at the railing on the second floor. She nodded to him and he nodded back. It was her unspoken way of telling him to be safe and be quick and he had every intention of trying to oblige. The three brothers went to the barn and saddled their horses.
"Boys," Jarrod said as they mounted up. "No chances. No matter what happens out there, we have to make sure that mother makes it out of there."
"Agreed," Nick said gruffly.
"No argument here. Let's move," Heath nodded.
"Right Jarrod answered. "Just like we planned."