Chapter 2

Levi shifted his pistol to his other hand and grabbed the door handle. This would be easy enough; the doors on this train opened outward. Levi had only to wait for the man to take hold, and push him out into nothingness. He didn’t look capable of hanging onto a door handle for very long.

The men riding hard behind him were brandishing pistols and glaring, and Levi realized they were more interested in the man trying to board than his horses. He made a snap judgment and threw the door wide before the man rode up to it, ducking back as the three pursuers began shooting. With more skill than he anticipated, the man swung himself up into the car and next to Levi.

“Thanks,” he said, not bothering to look at Levi. His voice confused Levi; it didn’t match with his educated-man-on-hard-times look but rather with the kind of small town accent Levi was more familiar with. Levi switched his pistol back to his dominant hand, suspicious of how much he liked their shoulders bumping against each other.

“Don’t thank me yet,” said Levi as the man reached toward a holster. “Haven’t decided if you’re here for trouble.”

The man pulled out an impressive weapon, shiny and like nothing Levi had seen this far west. He could figure out what it was, though, and it made him watch the man’s face more intently. He appeared to be focused on his pursuers, though, who were putting holes in the still-swinging door as they rode closer.

Levi had confirmation moments later as the man leaned out the open door briefly and discharged the weapon with a hiss of superheated air. He fell back, pulling the door shut, the train now gaining enough speed that the horses could no longer keep up. Levi decided he liked the feel of a panting man bumping up against him and leaned forward, breaking the contact.

“We use bullets ‘round here,” he said, indicating the man’s steam pistol with a nod. He gave a chuckle and holstered it, pulling off the bandana with the other hand. He extended the first for a shake.

“Asa Eberhardt,” he said, still breathing heavy. “Thanks again. Thought I was going to miss my train.”

Levi considered, then holstered his own weapon and took the hand. Some white people had qualms about shaking a black man’s hand, but Asa was not one of those. He was making a good impression on Levi. Too good, if he was honest—he liked them bold, and Asa’s grip was strong. He wasn’t the typical educated man, and that was tempting in itself.

“Levi,” he said, “Levi Branton.”

“How long before they catch up again, you think?”

Levi shrugged. He didn’t much care, as long as all involved stayed away from his horses. Which he should check on again. He had left them completely unattended for the action up here.

“I wouldn’t know,” he said, turning away. Asa said nothing as he left, but Levi could swear he felt the man’s eyes following him as he retreated down the train car.

The Cauldewell Cogs were all fine, exactly where Levi had left them. They were displeased with the transport, but that was unsurprising. He rechecked every inch of the two cars they were in for anything suspicious, then returned to his own car only to find Asa sprawled on one of the seats, toying with a fountain pen.

“What’ve you got back there?” he asked as Levi entered but did not slide the door shut. He was still keeping an eye on the route back to the horses.

“I didn’t ask why three men wanted to kill you,” said Levi, and Asa laughed at that.

“Fair enough,” he said, sitting up, capping the pen, and tucking it into a pocket. “‘Fraid I had to crash your compartment. Most of the others are filled with missionary women. Not my kind of missionary.”

He made a face, and Levi searched his expression to glean any kind of meaning from it. In the end he gave up, unable to tell whether Asa was saying he wasn’t into women or religion. Instead he tried the tactic of sprawling out, sighing and removing his hat, stretching his legs wide to see what Asa would do. The man seemed completely unperturbed with either the loss of space or Levi’s ankle butting up against his own. He even spread his own legs a bit wider, bumping their boots together as he leaned forward toward Levi, arms resting on knees.

Either this man was working on some scheme, or he was as interested in Levi as Levi was in him. And Levi dared not hope too much for the latter, not yet at least.