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interesting about it?” They spoke in unison.
    She needed to think…alone. John and Mat were distracting her.
    Getting up, she walked over to the window and, as slowly and silently as she could, slid it open. “You two have to leave now before someone walks by and hears I’m not alone in here. I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself than I already have.”
    They looked at her with their mouths open in shock.
    “Are you serious?” John asked.
    “Yes, now scoot out of here.”
    Mat pointed his finger at her as a smile widened his mouth. “I know that look. You’re on to something, aren’t you, Belle?”
    “Maybe.” She shrugged.
    “Then tell us,” John begged.
    “Not just yet, I can’t. As soon as I know more, I’ll get in contact with you both. Okay?”
    “Oh, all right. I guess we don’t have a choice.” Mat nodded, looking disappointed.
    Pulling the curtain to the side, gesturing them to exit, she said simply, “No.”
    “Fine,” John added and bent to get out the window.
    Mat didn’t look at her, just urged her as he got out. “The minute you know, you’ll come tell us, right? And you’ll be careful, too?”
    Not saying a word, fearing someone could hear them outside and come looking to see who was making noise, she nodded.
    When they made it down to the ground a few minutes later, she closed the window and leaned on the wall. Gazing up to the ceiling, she bit her lip nervously. A metallic taste on her tongue told her she made a tiny gash in her lip, and she bled slightly.
    Licking her lip to stop the flow, she walked over to her top bureau drawer to get her nightgown.
    Her instincts had been right about the handsome, mysterious duo. A lot more was going on with them than they let on. Why would they come all the way from Texas to work on the train? And of all the jobs to get there, they got the expressmen’s jobs. How convenient they’d know the combination of the safe and have easy access to all the gold, money, and bonds stored on the train.
    While beginning to undress, her hands did the movements, but her mind roamed a million miles away. “I was right about you boys. You’re up to something, and I need to find out what.”
    Once she changed into her cotton nightdress, she slipped under the covers and snuggled to get warm.
    “And the perfect time to do that will be tomorrow night. Whoever came up with the motto ‘divide and conquer’ was a genius. Together, boys, you’ve got each other’s back, but alone, your vulnerabilities will show.”
    She rolled over to face the window and whispered as she closed her eyes, smirking, “Get ready for tomorrow night, Trevor, because I’ll certainly be. I’ve got a nice surprise in store for you. Maybe even two.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Trevor knew where his mind headed and just let it lead him, enjoying the trip.
    His eyes had gotten heavy after the voices in Belle’s room ceased and James turned out the oil lamp’s flame, going to bed. He did the same and surprisingly fell into sleep instantly.
    As darkness enveloped his conscious, his subconscious awakened.
    The knock was faint but distinguishable. James looked at him through sleepy eyes and mumbled, “Will you get it, Trev?”
    Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up slowly and stretched, yawning. He couldn’t have been asleep for more than five minutes when the sound awoke him. Walking over to the door, he opened it, not knowing whom to expect.
    To his delight, the vision that waited behind the door took his breath away. She stood there dressed in a sheer nightgown with her housecoat open, teasing him with the curves of her breasts and hips. A look of terror shadowed her eyes.
    She lifted her brow and whispered, “I’m sorry to wake you, Trevor, but I heard a noise outside my room, and when I went to look, I thought I saw someone running away. I got scared.”
    At first, he couldn’t draw his attention from her body. She obviously didn’t realize how much of her curves