Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,92

whatever work she could to get by. She was in one of those cities when she met a kind man who fell in love with her. She married him but she was too afraid to tell him the truth about her abilities or her past, and when he found out, he … didn’t love her anymore.”

Tolya noticed Barbara Ellen’s face settling into a tiny frown—noticed Deputy Jana’s sharp look. he said to the rest of the terra indigene.

Yuri asked.

Virgil replied.

Tolya said.

A tear ran down Abigail’s face. “They’ll come here. On the train. Her father likes to travel by train. Sooner or later, they’ll come. To gamble, to plunder. To kill. They’ll come.” She was still telling a story instead of admitting she was talking about herself.

“What are these humans called?” Tolya asked.

“Blackstone. They’re the Blackstone Clan.”

Abigail and Barbara Ellen leaned against each other, exhausted. And Jana?

he asked Virgil.

Virgil replied.

“Thank you for this story,” Tolya said, addressing the humans. “You have given us many important things to consider.” More than you realize. “I hope you can put this aside now and enjoy the rest of your day off.”

“We’re all helping Kenneth and Evan at their house,” Jana said with a strained smile. “Today’s plan is to haul the rest of the personal belongings out of the house so the cleaners can come in later this morning and scrub it from top to bottom. Then we’ll give the children’s bedrooms a fresh coat of paint.”

Tolya thought that sounded like an appalling way to spend a day off, but he smiled since he was pretty sure that was the correct thing to do. “Then we won’t keep you any longer.”

The terra indigene waited until the humans left the conference room. Then they all looked at each other before Tolya turned to Virgil. “Black stones. Blackstones.”

Virgil nodded. “Looks like the Hope pup was right about that too.”

* * *

* * *

“Walker’s General Store, Jesse speaking.”

“Jesse Walker, this is—”

Recognizing Tolya’s voice, Jesse focused on the new member of her family and said firmly, “Down, Cutie.”

A beat of silence. “I beg your pardon?”

His tone of voice, somewhere between bewildered and insulted, made her laugh. “I was talking to the puppy. She’s in her pen”—Jesse took the couple of steps needed to reach the pen and quiet the puppy, who had been trying to climb out to be closer to her—“and has to stay there.” To make sure the pup did, she crouched beside the pen and began petting.

Another beat of silence. “You named her Cutie?”

“Are you going to tell Virgil?”

“No. Absolutely not.” Now he sounded horrified.

“Her official name is Cory Walker, but Rachel insists on calling her Cutie-pup or Cutie for short.”

“Rachel Wolfgard named the puppy?”

“She did.”

Tolya sighed, a long exhalation.

Jesse’s humor faded when she realized she’d stopped petting the puppy and now had her right hand wrapped around her aching left wrist. “You didn’t call to ask about the puppy.”

“No, I called to ask if you had heard of the Blackstone Clan. They’re a family of Intuit gamblers and swindlers.”

A chill went through Jesse. “I’ve never heard of them. Why have you?”

“Abigail Burch is from that family and says she has been hiding from them for many years now. She believes they’ll kill her if they find her.”

Jesse’s hand tightened around the wrist that now throbbed as a confirmation of Tolya’s words, and remembered the drawing Hope Wolfsong had made that showed Abigail dead. “They will.” She thought about Abigail, who had made soaps and candles and worn old-fashioned dresses and read tarot cards—and who had hidden her real self so well even Jesse hadn’t sensed the truth about her.

“Apparently she can sense if a particular stone will bring a person good luck or bad,” Tolya said. “This is an unusual skill?”

“Yes.” Being able to bring about a run of bad luck would certainly benefit gamblers and swindlers.

Cutie started yapping, craving attention. Or needing something else. “Tolya? I’ll call you back.” Jesse hung up, grabbed Cutie and a leash, and rushed through the back of the store and out the door. She walked the pup for a few minutes, letting Cutie become familiar with the scents and land behind the store.

An excuse, to give herself time to think before she called Tolya.

Had