The Outlaw and the Lady (4th in the Crane Gang Series)(womanxwoman)

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Casey Dougal looked over the papers on her desk. A new shipment of inventory had come in and she needed to get to the warehouse and look them over. She hoped this shipment would include more variety. Not every man wanted to lay with a virgin woman—some liked more experienced women, some liked men, and hell, some preferred their partners on the younger side.

Casey didn't care. It was not her responsibility to deem things moral or immoral. She was there to provide her clients and customers with exactly what they wanted. This was a business she had built all on her own and just now business was booming.

A knock on her office door pulled Casey from her thoughts. She closed the file she'd been looking through and cleared her throat. "Come in."

Two of her most trusted and closest workers stepped into the room and they did not appear very eager to be there. "Horace, Jake, why are you here? You're supposed to be overseeing the shipment arrival."

Horace and Jake got into a temporary shoving match as each tried to push the other to the forefront. Casey folded her hands on her desk and raised her brow as she watched their ridiculousness.

"We have news," Horace stated, losing the battle.

She tapped her nails against her polished desk. "About?"

Horace's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Harvey."

Casey rolled her eyes at mention of her younger brother. Harvey Dougal was always getting himself into trouble and Casey was always rushing to his rescue. It was annoying, certainly, but that is what family did. They were there for each other.

"And what kind of trouble has my dear brother gotten himself into now?"

Again, the pushing match began as Horace attempted to step back. This time it was Jake who lost. He stepped forward, wringing his hands. "He's dead, ma'am."

Casey blinked several times. Surely her ears were deceiving her. "What did you say?" she asked slowly.

Jake sighed. "He's dead."

Pain lacerated Casey's heart. Yes, her brother was an immature man who was always in one bit of trouble or another, but she loved him. He was all she had left of her family.

Case rose from her chair and walked to the window, looking out across the city as she attempted to gain control of her emotions. "How?"

"He was murdered."

Casey folded her hands behind her back and felt her jaw pop. "Murdered? Who murdered my brother?"

"All we know is it was a woman named Willamena. And it happened in a small town in New Mexico."

Willamena. The name was unfamiliar. "Where is this Willamena now?"

Horace stepped forward. "Harvey managed to shoot her once before she killed him. We heard she's still in that town."

Casey felt rage replacing the pain in her chest. She would squash that damn woman like a bug. She would avenge her brother.

"Gather some men," she ordered. "The best with guns I have. We're going to New Mexico."

***

Willa was standing alone at the corral watching Preston trot around on his favorite pony. The boy was decent for his age and size. Eleanor had told her that he was a sickly child with breathing issues and a medication he had to take from time to time. She said it wasn't as bad as when he'd been younger but it seemed it had stunted his growth a bit.