Savage Spring (16 page)

Tag realized that, after tonight, he would never be satisfied until he found out who she was. He wanted her in his life, not as a shadowy, silent dreamlike figure that came to him in darkness, but as someone whom he could reach out and touch whenever he wanted. He found, to his surprise, that he needed her at all times!

Alexandria felt the soft groan rising in her throat and clamped her lips tightly together to keep from voicing her pleasure. She admitted to herself that she lived for these nights when Falcon made love to her. It was becoming more difficult all the time to keep her silence. It was becoming almost impossible to play the part of Alex in the daytime. Many times she would become aware that her eyes were following him hungrily, and the love she felt for him cried out to be voiced.

As Falcon took her body soaring into the sky, she sprinkled kisses across his throat. She hadn’t known one could feel such deep love and longing for a man. When his lips settled on one breast to tease and caress the nipple while his fingers brought the other to a hard rosebud peak, Alexandria thought she would cry out from the beautiful feelings that spread throughout her body.

“I need you, I need you,” he breathed hotly in her ear.

Alexandria felt Falcon drive deeper into her, and his body began to tremble in total fulfillment, stirring an answering fire and fulfillment within her.

He kissed her and held her so tightly she thought her ribs
would break. When he rolled over, he carried her with him and caressed her lightly while kissing her eyelids, her lips, and her throat.

Alexandria curled up in Falcon’s arms, feeling strangely contented and at peace.

“You have never spoken one word to me, little one, and yet I can sense your goodness. After what I have been through tonight, you are like a breath of fresh air to me. I want to breathe in your goodness to sustain me in the days ahead.”

She raised her face to him, not understanding his meaning. Tag sensed her unspoken question and buried his face in her soft ringlets. “I cannot tell you what I mean, little one. One day you will know what I am doing, and why I must keep my own counsel. I do not ask you why you only come to me under cover of night—therefore, you must not question me about my private life.”

Alexandria closed her eyes, knowing they both had secrets they couldn’t share with each other. She lay silent for a long time, until she could hear his steady breathing and knew he was asleep. Easing herself off the bed, she placed the letter she had written to him on the pillow and slipped silently out of the room.

Tag awoke the next morning when the early morning sunlight came streaming into his room. Reaching out his hand, he came fully awake when he discovered he was alone. Raising up on his elbow, he wondered if he had imagined the night before when he had danced with his silent lover and she had taken him to the heights of ecstasy.

His eyes narrowed in puzzlement when he saw what appeared to be a letter lying against the pillow where she had slept. Picking it up, he started to read:

Dear Falcon,

I wanted to warn you about Mrs. Landon and her lawyer, Melvin. I overheard them discussing you and want
to alert you that they are checking on your identity. Please beware, for I know they are not your friends. I heard them talking about forging papers and trying to kill someone named Taggart James and his sister, Joanna. This led me to believe they are dangerous and unscrupulous. You must beware. I will not come to you again, but I shall never forget you. Take care of yourself.

Xandria

Tag reread the letter, trying to make sense of it. So her name was Xandria. How could she know about Claudia? Why had she chosen to reveal her name to him, if indeed it was her real name? What did she mean she wouldn’t come to him again? He would tear the whole damned town apart searching for her if he had to. Alex would know how to get in touch with her. He had to talk to her and find out how she knew about Claudia. Could Xandria know his true identity? No, that was impossible.

Pulling on his trousers, he walked to Alex’s room and rapped on the door. When there was no answer, he pushed the door open to find the room empty. He knew where he would find the boy and rushed down the stairs, heading for the garden. He wanted some answers, and he suspected that Alex could furnish them for him.

Alexandria was gathering a bouquet of red and white tulips when she heard footsteps on the garden path. She turned to see Falcon approaching. His features were stormy, and she could tell he was irritated about something by the stubborn set of his jaw.

For a moment she feared he had discovered who she was and was angry with her for deceiving him.

“Alex, I want to talk to you,” Tag’s voice boomed out. “I have had just about enough of your little game!”

“I…don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Don’t you? Who in the hell is Xandria, and why does she finally tell me her real name?”

“Did she?” she asked, relieved to find he hadn’t discovered her identity after all.

“You know damn well who she is, and I think it’s time you told me.”

“I cannot do that. To do so would place her in danger.”

“Would you rather I ask around and find out for myself? I now have a name to go on.”

“No! Please don’t do that. You can’t know what the consequences would be if you were to do such a thing. Xandria must have trusted you, or she would never have told you her name. Will you betray that trust?”

“You could tell me about her, and it wouldn’t be betraying a trust.”

“No, Falcon, do not ask it of me. I can only tell you that she is running away from something that is very bad. If you were to start asking questions about her, she would be in very grave danger.”

Tag gripped Alex tightly by the shoulders. “If she is in danger as you suggest, why doesn’t she trust me? I would protect her.”

“I cannot answer for her. You must just forget you ever knew her.”

“No! I cannot do that. You must go to her and tell her I want to see her tonight.”

“She has gone away. I doubt that she will ever return,” Alexandria said, knowing it was best if she never came to him again as Xandria. He was beginning to be too suspicious.

“Can you tell me how it is that she should know about Mrs. Landon?”

“I can only tell you that she is afraid that you will come to harm from Mrs. Landon and her lawyer friend.”

“Tell me all you know. I cannot tell you how important it is to me.”

“I will tell you what I can, which isn’t very much. What would you like to know?”

“Is her real name Xandria?”

“Yes, in part.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean I can’t tell you her entire name,” she answered hurriedly.

“Did Xandria ever mention someone named Taggart James to you?”

Alexandria hesitated for a moment. Could she tell him what she had overheard without casting suspicion on herself? “She did tell me that she overheard Mrs. Landon discussing this James person and his sister, Joanna. She told me they said something about forging some papers, and that if they, the Jameses, showed up, they would have to be…killed.”

“Anything else?” Tag wanted to know.

“Yes, the lawyer questioned if you could be this Taggart James, and Mrs. Landon said you weren’t. She assured him she would know the Jameses if they should show up. Does any of this make sense to you?”

Tag nodded his head, and a faraway look came into his eyes. “Yes, more than you can guess. If Xandria should return, will you tell her I want to see her?”

“Yes, but I don’t think she will.”

Tag felt his heart contract. He felt such a deep sense of loss that it was almost like a physical pain. He looked at Alex and found the boy watching him. Pushing his troubled thoughts aside for the moment, he smiled at him. “Alex, are you above a little thievery if it’s for a good cause?” Tag asked, smiling slightly.

“What cause?”

“Again I must ask you to trust me. I have a notion to break into that lawyer’s office tonight and see if I can find anything of interest.”

“That would be unlawful, wouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps, but I think the end will justify the means. What do you say…will you go along with me and Farley?”

Alexandria stared at him for a moment. She knew that if he were going to be in danger, she wanted to be at his side. “I will go with you.”

He laughed and ruffled her curls. “I found a true and loyal friend when I rescued you from that sailor, did I not, Alex?”

“I am your friend, Falcon. I would do anything you asked,” she replied, her golden eyes shining earnestly.

“Anything but tell me where to find Xandria,” he corrected.

“Yes, anything but that. Would you trust me if I were to betray a friend?” she questioned.

“You could never betray Xandria to me, Alex. I would never do anything to harm her. I have come to care a great deal about her.”

There were many questions she would like to have asked him, but she didn’t dare. “When will we go to the lawyer’s office.”

“Like I said earlier, we will go tonight. We will wait until everyone has gone to sleep, then you, Farley, and myself will sneak away. I have been watching his office, and there is a small window in the back that should be large enough for you to climb through. You will then open the back door and let me in. How does that sound to you? Does it test your sense of adventure?”

“It sounds crazy and dangerous to me,” Alexandria admitted.

“It won’t be as dangerous as you think. We will have Farley on the outside to alert us in case of danger.”

“It still sounds crazy to me. What could that man have that would be of interest to you?”

“He holds my life in the palm of his hand. If I want the advantage, I must find some papers.”

Alexandria didn’t understand at all, but as she had told him, she would do anything he asked of her. She knew deep in her heart that he was an honorable man and that anything he did would be for a good reason.

“I’ll be ready when you are,” she said, walking toward the house and leaving Tag with a puzzled expression on his face. Sometimes Alex seemed older than his young years. Tag
knew he would trust the boy as he did Farley. There were only the three of them in a hostile environment. He knew that if Claudia found out his true identity, he might never get his inheritance back, and he would have trouble even staying alive.

If luck was with him tonight, he would find the papers that were so vital to him. He smiled, thinking if he were fortunate enough to find the documents, what Claudia’s reaction would be when she discovered them missing!

Farley led the horses around to the back of the law offices of Melvin Garner and watched as Tag and young Alex cautiously approached the back door. He placed his hand on Tag’s horse to gentle him and looked skyward. The bright moonlight shed its light on the town, casting the back of the buildings in half-light. He had tried to talk Tag out of coming tonight, because of the full moon, but the young man had been set on breaking into that Mr. Garner’s office.

Tag looked up and down the deserted alleyway. It seemed unnaturally quiet, and he wondered if he had been foolhardy to try such a daring plan. Glancing down at Alex, he could see the boy was eagerly waiting for him to tell him what to do. He hesitated, not wanting to place the boy in any danger—after all, this was his fight, not Alex’s.

Alexandria could tell Falcon was having second thoughts, and she touched his hand. “If you will break the window, I believe I am small enough to fit through. All you have to do is give me a boost up.”

She saw the doubt on his face. “I don’t know, Alex, I have been wondering if we aren’t on a fool’s mission. I have no
right to ask you to help in this. I must remind you it could be very dangerous.”

Alexandria realized that if she didn’t do something quickly, Falcon would probably change his mind. She surmised that the papers he wanted must be important to him or he wouldn’t have wanted them in the first place.

Seeing a piece of discarded pipe lying on the ground, she picked it up and quickly wrapped her coat around it so there would be less noise when she broke the window. Tag was looking back toward the horses when she moved forward and delivered a heavy blow to the window. The sound of shattering glass seemed to split through the silence.

“What the hell…” Tag said, swiveling around.

Alex gave him an impish smile as she agilely climbed up to the window ledge.

“I’ve changed my mind, Alex, come down right now. You could cut yourself on the broken glass!”

“Shh,” she said, smiling down at him. “There will be no danger if you don’t alert everyone with your loud voice.”

“Alex, come down…
now!”
he commanded.

She only laughed and climbed through the window, taking care not to cut herself. Her feet had no sooner touched the floor when she heard a key grating in the front door. Seeing that she was in some kind of storage room, she quickly ducked down behind a wooden crate.

She prayed silently that Falcon would know someone had entered the building and not call out to her!

Tag saw the light streaming through the window and cursed to himself that Alex would be so foolish as to light a lamp. He was about to call out to him when he heard voices coming from the inside and realized that Melvin Garner must have arrived at his office with a client. He flattened himself against the building, knowing he was too large to fit through the window. There was no way he could help Alex. He hoped the boy wouldn’t lose his head and do anything foolish. Surely he would know to hide and stay out of sight.
He motioned for Farley to keep the horses quiet. Tag removed the gun from his belt and waited, knowing that if Alex were discovered he must be ready to break down the door to rescue him.

Alexandria peered over the crate and hoped against hope that the two men she could hear talking in the office wouldn’t decide to come into the storage room. If they did, they would be sure to see the broken glass from the window that littered the floor and know something was wrong.

Minutes passed with the slowness of hours as she waited apprehensively for the two men to leave. She was certain that Falcon and Farley were aware of the two men by now. Alexandria was comforted by the fact that they wouldn’t abandon her should the worst happen.

Sitting down, she leaned her head against the wall and listened to the droning voices in the next room. Up to now, she hadn’t paid too much attention to what the men were discussing. Then she recognized one of the voices. He was the same man she had heard talking to Mrs. Landon the night of the party.

“Damn it, I don’t care how important the news is you have to deliver to me! I will not pay you one cent more than what we agreed on in the first place!”

“I have news that will concern you and Mrs. Landon, all right. You will want to hear what I have to say, but you will pay my asking price,” the other man said.

“Like hell I will! You were paid to kill Taggart James and his sister. Since you apparently haven’t done so, I won’t pay you anything.”

“I think you will, because I can tell you where Taggart James is at this very moment.”

There was a long silence, and Alexandria shifted her weight, listening intently.

“All right, if the information is worth hearing, I will double the price. Where is Taggart James?”

Loud laughter drifted back to Alexandria. “Well, sir, it would seem that he’s here in Philadelphia. I talked to a
trader at Fort Union, and he said that Mr. James and some old trapper known only as Farley passed that way no more than a few months ago, and they was heading here to Philadelphia.”

Alexandria opened her mouth in shocked surprise. In that moment, she realized that the man she knew as Falcon Knight was in truth Taggart James! He had to be—there couldn’t possibly be another old man named Farley. Nothing made any sense to her. She couldn’t understand anything about what was going on, but one thing was clear: Falcon…Taggart James…was in trouble. She strained her ears so she could hear what else they had to say.

“Where can I find Taggart James?” the lawyer, Mr. Garner, asked.

“Now, that I don’t know. All I know is what I told you.”

“What about Joanna James?”

“Well, that’s the fly in the ointment. That woman is heavily guarded, and she never rides out alone. It would take an army to get to her. I wasn’t about to risk my life trying. You didn’t tell me she was the wife of Windhawk. Nobody in their right mind would try to harm Windhawk’s wife!”

Alexandria heard the clinking of coins and knew the man was being paid for his information. Shortly thereafter the light went out, and she heard the grating of the key in the lock. She waited for several moments before she stood up and walked silently to the outer room. The moonlight was streaming through the front windows, and she scanned the room, looking for the place where Mr. Garner would keep his important papers. She now knew what Falcon wanted, and she was determined to find it for him.

Knowing the danger to herself should the two men return, Alexandria took her courage in hand and lit the lamp. She knew full well that Falcon would be waiting for her to let him in the back door, but she decided it would be far better if she were to find what he wanted on her own. That way, if the men did return, only she would be in danger.

Seeing a box of loose files stacked against the wall, she
disregarded them, knowing Mr. Garner wouldn’t keep Taggart James’s files there—no, they would be locked up somewhere. Placing the lamp on the floor, she tested the desk drawers until she found one of them locked. Grabbing up a letter opener she found on the desk, she fumbled and pried until the lock broke! She thumbed quickly through the documents until she found several with the name Taggart James written across them.

Alexandria quickly blew out the lamp and stuffed the documents down the front of her trousers. She then raced toward the storage room. Pushing a box over to the window, she scrambled on top of it and hoisted herself up to the window. Her heart was drumming as she climbed out the window and dropped to the ground.

Immediately, Falcon swung her around to face him. “You little fool, if you ever do anything like this again I will throttle you!” he said, trying to cover up how worried he’d been about Alex’s safety.

In the bright moonlight she could see the anger etched on his face. “By your rash action tonight you have cost me the chance to get my hands on some very important documents. Once they discover the place has been broken into, we won’t have a chance to go in again.”

“Shouldn’t we be away in case they come back?” she asked, knowing she had what he wanted.

His face held a grim expression as he turned and stalked away, heading for the horses. As they rode back toward the house, Alexandria tried to figure out what was happening. Why would Mr. Garner hire men to kill Taggart James who was really…Falcon Knight? Joanna must be Tag’s sister, but who was Windhawk? She was beginning to realize that her life and Falcon’s were a tangled web of deceit. If it wasn’t so serious, Alexandria would think it was amusing that neither of them was who he claimed to be!

Alexandria glanced sideways at Falcon, and though his face was half in shadows, she could tell he was still angry with her. Her hand went down to the documents she had
tucked into her trousers. He would forget all about his anger once she showed him the papers.

When they reached home, Farley led the horses to the stable while Falcon took Alexandria by the arm and led her toward the house, forcing her to run to keep up with his powerful strides. When they were inside the house, he led her into the study and pushed her down into a chair without looking at her.

Alexandria watched as he paced back and forth, and she smiled to herself. “You’re angry with me, huh?”

He stopped before her, and she saw the anger drain out of his face. “Damn it, Alex! You could have been…didn’t you realize the danger you were placing yourself in? Mr. Garner is a dangerous man! He wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you if he had found you in his office tonight. I hope you have learned your lesson.”

“You were worried about me?” she inquired, feeling warm all over.

“Hell, yes, I was worried! You always seem to be getting yourself in trouble. Tonight I thought I was going to have to go in shooting to get you out. One day you are going to get yourself into trouble and I won’t be there to save you. What will you do then?”

“It was your idea that I climb through the window, Falcon…not mine,” she reminded him.

Alexandria watched as he doubled up his fists and raised his head to look at the ceiling. “I don’t know where to turn. I guess I thought it would be so easy, but…oh well, I’ll just have to try another tactic.”

“Were the documents you wanted so important?”

His blue eyes rested on her face. “You can’t imagine,” he whispered. “I doubt that they would have been kept in Mr. Garner’s office anyway. Most probably, Claudia has them with her.”

Alexandria reached into the front of her trousers and withdrew the papers, holding them out to him. “Could this be what you wanted?”

He looked at her with with a puzzled expression. Alexandria watched as he read the name scribbled on the front, and his eyes widened in shocked surprise. He flipped through the documents, and she watched a smile spread over his face. When she caught his eye, she noticed the tension appear to drain from his face, and relief seemed to be reflected in the blue depths of his eyes.

“Alex, how did you know this was what I wanted? How did you get them?” He sat down in a chair and stared at the papers in amazement.

Alexandria moved over to him and dropped down on her knees before him. “I wasn’t sure until tonight when I overheard Mr. Garner talking to a man in the outer office. I know you are Taggart James.”

He watched her closely. “What makes you draw that conclusion, Alex?”

“Mr. Garner was talking to a man about you. Apparently, he and Claudia Landon had sent the man to kill you and someone called Joanna. The man told him that he couldn’t get close enough to Joanna to kill her and that she was married to someone named Windhawk whom the man seemed to fear.”

“I see nothing in that that would make you believe I am this Taggart James, Alex,” he said, still watching her face closely.

“The man told Mr. Garner that he learned at Fort Union that you had come to Philadelphia with an old trapper by the name of Farley…you see, the rest was easy. I then realized that the documents you were after would be about Taggart James. I found them in a locked drawer of the desk.”

Tag ruffled her mink-colored hair and laughed deeply. “You are a scamp and have caused me nothing but trouble—still, I thank my lucky stars for the night you came into my life, Alex.”

She basked in his praise, wishing she dared throw herself into his arms and tell him she wasn’t really the boy he
thought her to be. She wanted to tell him that she was the girl who had lain in his arms, giving him all she had to give.

“I must caution you, Alex, not to tell anyone what you have learned tonight. I’m sure you gathered from the conversation you overheard that Mr. Garner and Claudia wouldn’t hesitate to hire other men to come after me. We must be very careful.”

“I don’t understand any of this, Falcon. Why do they want you dead? What kind of threat do you represent to them?”

Tag hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell Alex. The boy had proven his worth to him many times over and he trusted him completely, but wouldn’t it be best to keep him in ignorance? What if Claudia and Mr. Garner tried to get to him through the boy?

“All I can tell you, Alex, is that Claudia is married to my Uncle Howard, who has stolen all that my father left to me and my sister, Joanna. I have come to Philadelphia to take our inheritance back.”

“Who is the woman you said you loved…where does she fit in all this?” Alexandria asked.

Tag’s eyes narrowed, and he searched Alex’s face carefully. “How could you know about the woman I loved? I told no one but Xandria…”

“She…Xandria told me,” she said hurriedly, realizing the mistake she had made and trying to cover it up.

“I wasn’t aware that Xandria discussed our private conversations with anyone else. I wasn’t even sure she could talk.”

“I…she doesn’t usually discuss private matters with anyone, but…”

Tag took Alex’s chin between his hands and turned her face up to him, studying her closely. “What else did Xandria tell you, Alex?”

“N…nothing, she told me nothing else.”

“Who is Xandria, and what is she to you?” he asked, still staring into her eyes.

“I…she is my…sister.” The lie came hard to Alexandria’s tongue, and she wished she could look away from Falcon’s deep, piercing gaze.