Wait!” Hettie screamed. Her heart gave a lurch as she tried to breathe past the lump in her throat. “I’ll give it up, okay? Leave the train alone. Don’t hurt anyone.”
Stubbs exhaled shakily. A smug look slowly eased onto his sweating face. The other men shifted uneasily. “I knew you’d see reason. You’re not a bad person. Not like me.”
She sucked in her lower lip, defeat and defiance warring inside her. “I’m going to put Diablo on the ground.”
“I don’t think so. You could conjure it back the minute I reach for it. So what you’re going to do is hand it over to me directly. You’re going to tell that infernal piece I’m the boss, and then, if you’re lucky, I’ll take you back to Chicago to stand trial for murdering my agents.” He rolled his shoulders back. “Maybe the judge will be lenient, se
