Cold air rushed inside.
The snow had stopped.
The sky was clear.
She heard a distant shout.
A man's voice.
Then silence.
Clara hurried around the side of the shelter.
Beyond the trees, a narrow trail descended toward the frozen creek.
She saw movement.
Two men on horseback.
One wore a dark coat.
The other carried a rifle.
And between them, on foot, stood Elias.
Clara stopped.
Her heart began pounding.
The taller rider pointed his rifle toward Elias.
She could not hear every word, but one sentence carried clearly through the cold air.
"Give us the ledger, Roarke, and nobody gets hurt."
Clara pressed herself behind a tree.
Her breath came quickly.
Elias stood motionless.
His hands remained at his sides.
The rider spoke again.
"We know you've got it."
Elias answered calmly.
"You're wasting your time."
The second rider shifted in his saddle.
"Mr. Voss said you'd be difficult."
Clara felt a jolt.
Arthur Voss.
Nathaniel's lawyer.
The men had come from Chicago.
Or had been hired by someone connected to the banking syndicate.
The first rider dismounted.
He approached Elias.
Clara could see his face now.
A narrow scar crossed his chin.
His expression was hard.
He carried the rifle carelessly, but Clara could tell he knew how to use it.
"Last chance," he said.
Elias looked at him.
"You ought to turn around while you still can."
The man laughed.
"Threatening me?"
"Warning you."
The rider stepped closer.
Clara saw his hand move toward Elias's coat.
Then Elias acted.
Fast.
So fast she barely understood what happened.
He caught the rifle barrel, twisted it away, and drove his shoulder against the man's chest.
The stranger stumbled backward.
The second rider raised his weapon.
Clara's breath stopped.
"Elias!"
All three men turned.
She stood beside the trees, holding the lantern high.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then the rider with the rifle swung toward her.
Elias shouted, "Clara, get down!"
She dropped behind a fallen log.
A shot cracked through the forest.
Wood splintered above her.
Elias lunged toward the armed rider.
The horse reared.
The man lost his balance.
His rifle fell into the snow.
Clara heard a furious shout.
Then the heavy sound of a body striking frozen ground.
When she dared look again, Elias stood over the first attacker with one knee pressed against the man's back.
The second rider was scrambling toward his horse.