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“You left me alone with her,” Jericho charged.
Maggie took his anger, without argument or complaint. “I left, because I didn’t want to take anything else from you. I wanted you to give me your story, free and clear. I wanted to deserve it.”
“I thought you did,” North said, and somehow the way his voice had gone soft and hollow tore through her.
“I’m sorry, Jericho,” Maggie told him, taking another step closer. “I was a different person then, but that’s not an excuse. I’ve never stopped being sorry—”
“If you were so sorry, you would have told me,” he said.
That made Maggie press her lips together. There was no excuse for what she’d done, but there was even less of an excuse for keeping the secret for so long. Still, she had to make him understand. “I can’t go back and undo it. I wish I’d been brave enough to trust you. But I need you to know that making that mistake made me realize that Ruth wasn’t perfect or infallible. And I never let her do it again. Ever. Not to you, not to anyone.” She glanced at Esta, who was frowning thoughtfully at her. “Not even when it would have been easier.”
“You’re willing to do it now, though,” Jericho pointed out. “You’ve kept it all this time, and now you’re willing to take the choice from a man who’s done nothing to you.”
“If there were any other way…” If getting the dagger weren’t so important. Maggie met his eyes then, her shoulders a little straighter. “I can’t take back my past, Jericho. But with the dagger, we might have a real chance to make a different future for ourselves. For everyone with the old magic. So, yes. I’m willing to use the truth tablets again to make that future—for you. For us.”
“Whatever happened in the past, Maggie’s right—we need to focus on what we can do now,” Esta said softly. “I don’t love the idea of drugging someone, but the sooner we know if Pickett still has the dagger, the sooner we can either retrieve it from him or get on with finding it. I don’t see any other way. Not with multiple Brotherhoods closing in.”
Maggie was thankful for the support, but it didn’t stop North from turning away from her. It was like he couldn’t even look at her.
“Cordelia,” Esta said. “What are the chances you could slip Pickett the formulation?”
Cordelia frowned. “We work together, but not together, you know? People mostly keep to their own, and it might draw attention if I’m cozying up to a man I’ve never shown any interest in before. Especially a man like Pickett.” She let out a sigh. “Honestly, that alone might cause Pickett trouble with some of the others. Not everyone in the show was happy when the Curtises added him to the bill, mostly because of the color of his skin. A lot of the cowboys didn’t like being upstaged by someone they see as beneath them.”
“Then that won’t work. We don’t want to cause Pickett any more trouble than we absolutely have to,” Esta said. “Is there anyone else that could help? Another of the Antistasi you might trust?”
“I can do it,” Jericho said, his voice flat and dull as an old penny.
“Jericho—” Maggie started, but the look he shot in her direction had her going silent.
“There are too many people involved as it is. If Cordelia can get me onto the grounds, maybe get me a position in the show, I can get close to Pickett. I know my way around a horse well enough.”
“But the Syndicate is there.” Maggie’s stomach dropped. Jot Gunter had almost killed North once before. If they found him now…
“I can handle myself around the Syndicate,” Jericho told her. “At least with them, I know exactly what I’m dealing with.”
Maggie felt his words land hard, and the look he gave her was worse than a fist to her gut.
“It might be tricky with the raid, but then, maybe that’ll help. There’s sure to be some positions open. I could introduce you to the manager and try to get you set up today?” Cordelia offered.
“Sounds fine to me,” North said, grabbing his hat from the table as he ignored Maggie’s fragile silence. It was almost like he couldn’t wait to get free of her.
“What about us?” Maggie asked.
“It’ll be safer for y’all to stay here,” Cordelia told her flatly.
“But—” Maggie protested.
“No way. We’re coming with you,” Esta insisted.
“The grounds were crawling with federal marshals when we left,” Cordelia reminded them. “With all that happened earlier, we can’t risk someone recognizing you as easily as I did. And you”—Cordelia looked directly at Maggie—“what do you know about cattle?”
Maggie shook her head. “Nothing,” she admitted. But she didn’t want to let Jericho go off without the two of them patching things up.
“It’s bad enough Pickett has probably already realized someone’s robbed him,” Cordelia told her. “We can’t chance you sticking out like a sore thumb and drawing attention.”
“Cordelia’s right,” Jericho told them, but he didn’t look at Maggie when he spoke. “It’ll be safer for both of you to stay here.” His words felt like a door closing, and she didn’t have the key.
“Then it’s settled,” Cordelia said, clearly satisfied. “The two of you will stay here, and I’ll take Jericho back to the showgrounds with me and get him introduced to Aldo.”
