Cale sat across from Lange as Hank kept watch on the clearing that had previously been Hank’s camp. They’d managed to use the Worthingtons to direct the men here, but so far Saul had eluded them. And Walt hadn’t been much help. He seemed glad to be away from Miller and offered to help get him. Cale wasn’t sure if he trusted him or not.
The business with Tess had put him in a foul mood all the way around.
The sound of distant gunfire set them all on alert.
“Gimme back my guns,” Walt demanded.
“No,” Cale replied.
Hank cocked his head, and Cale nodded, grabbing his rifle. They both took off on foot. Lange was tied up. That would keep him out of trouble and out of their hair. And if not, then Cale had little sympathy for his outcome.
Another lone gunshot.
They moved silently through the trees, and Hank veered to the left as Cale headed straight in. Coming from behind, he saw an Apache on horseback, and although the warrior faced away from him, he knew it was Jackrabbit.
As soon as he caught sight of Cocheta, Tess beside her with a gun pointed at the Apache, he raised the rifle and aimed it directly between the man’s shoulder blades.
“Da’áízhi!” Cale yelled.
Jackrabbit stilled.
A shot rang out and the Apache spun from his horse. The horse bolted, and Jackrabbit landed on the ground.
Tess and Cocheta screamed, and Cale searched for the shooter because it sure as hell wasn’t him. Was it Hank?
Cocheta ran to where Jackrabbit lay, and Cale went, too, keeping his rifle at the ready, scanning into the woods.
“Get outta here!” he yelled at both of them. “Go to the left. Take cover.” He stood in front of them, protecting their position, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough if all hell broke loose. The two of them began dragging Jackrabbit toward safety, and immediately shots blew dirt into their face .
Cale fired twice in quick succession.
Shit.
“Leave him! Go! Now!”
The women ran, and from the corner of his eye, he saw them take refuge near another body, who, near as he could tell, was Saul.
Cale held his position before Jackrabbit’s body, debating his course of action. He didn’t know if the warrior was dead, and if he didn’t clear out, he’d likely be hit at any moment.
Who was shooting?
And where was Hank?
Finally, Hank showed himself, hands up, pushed forward by a man Cale recognized as part of Sid Haverly’s posse. Soon, three more men materialized from the perimeter, along with Haverly himself. All held pistols or shotguns aimed at Cale.
“You’ll just move away now,” Sid said. “That Apache is ours.”
Cale didn’t lower his weapon. “I think you already got him.”
“We need to be sure.”
“Wait!” Tess.
Unease rippled through Cale, and he fought the urge to turn and order her back.
He heard her move behind him. He needed to drop the rifle and get the Colts loose. It was the only hope of taking out as many of them as he could.
“Your nephew, Douglas, is safe,” she said.
“Now, how would you know that?” Sid asked.
“I’ve seen him.”
From her voice, Cale positioned her on his left, at about seventy degrees.
“Jackrabbit isn’t guilty,” she continued. “He was the one who returned him. Douglas is at Vern Blight’s cabin, just north of here. He’s waiting for you.”
Sid narrowed his gaze. “That’s a damn fine story, but I got no reason to believe you’re tellin’ the truth.” He shrugged. “And besides, that one holdin’ the rifle was responsible for the death of several of my men. As I see it, the lot of you is accountable for many wrongdoings, not the least of which is fraternizing with the Apache. They’re scum and vermin, and if you’re gonna take up with ’em, then you have to accept the consequences of those actions.”
Cale flicked a glance at Hank. As bad as some of the manhunts had been in the past, this one ranked at the top. If only Tess wasn’t here...
Cale couldn’t place the first shot. He ducked, dropping the rifle with his right hand, and in one fluid motion drew the left iron. He shot one man and twisted toward Tess’s last location. A cacophony of gunfire erupted. Reaching her, he shielded her and drew the right Colt, laying down fire as he pushed her backwards toward cover. As soon as he was out of shots, he slammed into her and pushed her to the safety of a rock wall where Cocheta cowered.
He spun the chamber of his left gun, swiftly ejected the spent casings then reloaded. Tess raised her own weapon and fired four shots. He yanked her back, took her gun and handed the third and empty pistol to her. “Reload.” He returned fire, but they were pinned down, and his line of sight was compromised.
He continued to shove the spent revolvers to Tess for her to reload. Anything to keep her from shooting. His blood ran cold as a vision of her with a bullet in the head filled his mind. He needed to do something before he ran out of ammo.
“Get back and stay down!” He made no effort to soften the demand, all but barking the order at her and Cocheta. For a moment, he looked Tess in the eye. He knew she must be frightened, but she stared back at him with clear-eyed resolution. She wasn’t backing down.
He swung away and left them.
* * * *
“Cale!”
Tess reached for him but it was too late . He disappeared, the ping of gunshots ricocheting, and the acrid smell of gunpowder filling the air.
She still held her Colt, or one of the three she’d been rotating to Cale. The supply of ammo had gone with him, but this one was fully loaded.
She had six shots.
Squaring her shoulders, she gripped the gun with both hands and cocked the hammer.
Uno, dos, tres...
She ran to a tree trunk, stopped and shot, huddling when return fire splintered the wood. She grunted and thumbed the hammer again. She might not have good aim, but she could at least provide a distraction for Cale, maybe giving him enough time.
Blood dripped onto her hand.
Am I hit?
She didn’t recall getting shot.
The sudden silence brought her up short. Glancing past the tree trunk, she wondered if it was safe. Her heart raced. She raised the Colt and stepped around the tree. Across the clearing, she saw Haverly raise a gun to her.
Determined to pull the trigger on her own pistol, she frowned when her fingers wouldn’t perform the task. The Colt slipped from her hands, and she fell to her knees. The last thing she remembered was Hank killing Sid Haverly.