Chapter 12Dead Man’s Corner glowed as the sunlight sliced through the darkness. Eliza reined in her horse, surprised and dazzled by the way the light danced around the buildings. The peace of the fresh morning made the town look new, look whole, somehow. She hoped the golden light was a sign from above, a sign that they would accomplish their mission. Behind her, the men waited for Ford’s signal, all aware of, and agreeing to, the plan he had formed the night before.
Eliza turned her head to study them, the sight of them still a surprise. They were rough, angry men. Many of them wounded, scarred, or maimed. Many of them without surnames, their Christian monikers replaced with mere labels or nicknames. They all moved quietly and spoke gently in the dark, lulling Eliza into an odd sense of
