I want to find that treasure. And when I do, I want my freedom. As long as this map remains on my back, I'll never know what it feels like to be safe. Our eyes met. Will you help me?
She asked. I should have said no. The sensible thing would have been to take her straight back to the market, put this whole nightmare behind me and get out before it swallowed my life whole. I should have walked away, shut the door, and forgotten every word she had told me. Instead, I heard myself say, "Yes, I'll help you." For the first time since I had met her, Seiya smiled.
It was small and uncertain, almost shy, but it was real. Thank you, Cade. You don't owe me thanks, but I do need to ask you something. What? Where is the treasure?
Seiya rose from the bed and crossed to the window. She lifted one hand and pointed toward the distant mountains. Somewhere out there, but the trail will be dangerous, and we aren't the only ones looking for it. What do you mean? There are cruel men roaming these lands.
Hunters, killers, desert jackals. They're all searching for me. Every one of them wants control of the map. And you trust me anyway. Seiya turned from the window and faced me.
I don't trust anyone, but with you it feels different. I can feel it in here. She touched her chest. How can you know I won't betray you in the end? I can't.
But something in my heart keeps telling me I'm supposed to trust you. Silence settled between us. And in that silence, I understood that my life had just turned onto a trail with no way back. I was no longer just a lonely cowboy trying to keep a worn out ranch alive. Now I was part of something far bigger.
A hunt for a buried fortune. A journey that could easily get us both killed and a mysterious Apache woman carrying a living secret across her back. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. But by then, backing out was no longer an option.
The next morning, I woke before the sun had fully cleared the horizon. The air was cool and clean, carrying the dry scent of Arizona earth. I went downstairs and found Seiya already awake making coffee in the kitchen. Morning, I said. Good morning.
She looked different somehow. Her shoulders weren't as tight as before, and some of the strain had faded from her face. Sleep all right? Better than I have in years. I smiled.
Glad to hear it. We ate breakfast without saying much. tortillas, beans, and coffee strong enough to wake the dead. The kind of meal that belonged to country like this. When we finished, Seiya set her cup down and looked straight at me. Are you ready?
Ready for what? To begin. To go after the treasure. I leaned back in my chair. Seya, before we take one step, there's something I need to understand.
What? How dangerous is this really? She didn't hesitate. Very dangerous. Desert trackers have been following me for years.
Some only want the gold. Others want something much worse. What could be worse? They want my skin. A cold feeling moved through me.