Trouble in Disguise: 5 (Eclipse Heat) by Gem Sivad Read Free Book Online Page A

fancy sitting room intending to retrieve her prisoner and leave fast.
    So why was she in bed with Deacon McCallister, grinning like a loon? It was a fact that she’d always had a hankering for him. She reined in her exuberance and concentrated on getting on with the job of collecting her prisoner and taking him to jail.
    Had she not been hanging around outside the sitting room door eavesdropping, she probably could have made her escape with Ned in hand then. But she’d heard Deacon discuss counterfeit money with Lydia and had lingered. From that point on, she’d altered her plan moment by moment, risking her prize in order to be here.
    When Lydia had almost caught her lurking outside the door, Miri had squeezed hurriedly into the broom closet on the first floor. From there, she’d heard the madam send the new girl, Melanie, up to wait in Deacon’s room.
    As soon as the way was clear, Miri reemerged as Calvin and hastened behind the girl, redirecting her to another room. It had been simple then to slide into Deacon’s suite and wait for him. She hadn’t any fancy nightwear, so she’d settled for her butler shirt to cover the parts of her that needed covering.
    She’d have liked to stay until morning, though that risk was unjustifiable. Anyway, no matter if she wanted to cuddle in Deacon’s arms and have one more bout of loving to remember the rest of her life—she couldn’t. For the sake of her prisoner, she had to leave. And it was just as well.
    Deacon was all set to kick up a ruckus in the morning and she didn’t think it would be a good idea to hang around for the event. Besides, cool and dark under the porch though it was, Ned Jackson was probably a mite thirsty by now. He’d been quiet, but that didn’t surprise Miri either.
    She’d left Ketchum guarding him and the wolf she hunted with would keep Ned silent. Carefully, Miri shifted toward the edge of the bed, putting real distance between her and Deacon as he rolled on his side, dropping his arm to clutch a pillow.
    It was all she needed to slip from under the covers and make a beeline for the dresser where he’d left the key to the door. She pulled her wig and butler suit from their hiding place in the drawer and slid into the pants, retrieving the white shirt from the floor and tucking her shirttails in.
    She picked up the pearl button he’d cut from the shirt and Miri cast a quick look at the bed. Deacon was on his side facing the opposite wall. Quickly she hid her hair under the wig, unlocked the door and stepped into the hall before again turning the key in the lock and sliding it under the door for him to find in the morning.
    Though it was the predawn hour when few were stirring and the house was at its quietest, it took all of her skill to avoid running into Lydia Lynch’s security detail prowling the hallways. She passed through the kitchen where one of the outside guards stood drinking a cup of coffee and talking to the chef. Miri knew it was time to make her move.
    Dawn was turning the night sky pink when she crawled under the porch and pulled Jackson from underneath the steps by the scruff of his neck. After a day lying in his own sweat and piss, he was a smell to be reckoned with. One whiff and she had to clench her teeth to keep from retching.
    She ripped his gag off and handed him a canteen for a drink. When she started to slap the gag back on, he thrashed around and fought her until Ketchum got in his face and growled. Having a wolf assist in captures convinced a lot of the outlaws to cooperate.
    With Ketchum by his side and Miri’s gun against his back, Jackson was docile. She walked him to her mount and, once there, didn’t give him time to fuss or fight. Shoving her shoulder into his gut, she lifted Ned and laid him belly-down over Possum’s saddle. Ketchum stood guard as Miri stepped in the shadows to transform herself.
    She made quick work of donning Beau’s heavy buckskins, pulling on the bounty hunter clothes in a bulky layer