Maggie couldn’t remember a time when her heart had pounded harder. Coming around the corner behind Braddock, she barely had the breath to shout his name. It didn’t matter. The word would have been lost like the shot she fired that went wild as the whole street seemed to rock.
She held on to the wall, trying to steady herself as her body reacted to the blast like an anvil resisting the strike of a hammer. It left her breathless. As the initial shock subsided, all she saw was billowing smoke and dust where Doc’s building had stood.
Behind her, someone was tugging at her sleeve. She could hear a voice but it sounded muffled and far away against the ringing in her ears. The world tilted as she turned. Leo had been lagging behind and the blast seemed not to have affected him as badly. She could tell he was yelling at her, the urgency transmitting along her arm as he tried to drag her away.
She glanced over her shoulder, choking on a sob. If only she had arrived a few seconds earlier, not paused for breath before trying to put a bullet in Braddock, Doc might still be alive. Now, he was undoubtedly dead and Braddock was clambering unsteadily to his feet with a smile spreading slowly across his face as he stumbled towards her.
She raised her hand, but it was empty. She didn’t remember dropping the gun but everything had happened so fast. Even now, she felt as though she were in a dream as her gaze scoured the ground for the lost weapon.
‘Come on!’ Leo shouted, close to her ear.
Her feet moved against her will and then she was running, following Leo between scattered buildings and abandoned lots. She didn’t know where they were going. She didn’t care. Braddock had killed Doc and probably Rick too. Given the chance he would kill her, but only if she didn’t kill him first, and she wasn’t ready to die.
She tried to look back, to see if Braddock was following but Leo pulled her on, dragging her when she stumbled. Just when it seemed her heart would explode, he shoved her inside a warehouse, slamming and barring the door behind them. She stood with her back pressed against the wall, her legs barely supporting her as she surveyed her surroundings.
It brought back a fleeting memory from her childhood of when she had accompanied her father on business. He had been interested in real estate and she had picked up an understanding of it along the way. This place must cover 3000 square feet and had obviously been abandoned for a while. It was stripped bare of everything that might have had any value. Now only dust motes hung on shafts of light that filtered in through high windows and gaps in the walls where the wood had rotted or been ripped away. At the far end, she saw the horses standing together in a huddle, stamping the ground and obviously frightened by the explosion.
Leo finished securing the door and stood with his back against it, eyes closed, breathing hard. She could feel him trembling and, as she glanced sideways, she noticed a trickle of blood where his teeth were tearing at his lower lip.
She reached out and squeezed his hand. In the heat of the moment, it was easy to forget how young he was. His fingers closed over hers in a tight grip for just a second, then he pulled free.
‘We should go,’ he croaked.
He was right. Braddock had seen them. It would only be a matter of time until he found them and without the Schofield she didn’t like her chances against him.
Live to fight another day.
‘Live to find another day,’ she agreed, echoing Frank’s words as she pushed away from the wall and started running towards the horses.
~*~
The blast had left Braddock feeling sick, and unsteady on his legs. When the lamp had smashed, igniting the kerosene that he had carefully poured earlier, the flames had spread more quickly than he anticipated. The effect had been spectacular when the dynamite, placed behind the false front at each corner, had exploded in near unison. The building had collapsed in a billow of smoke and dust, debris flying as the whole place disintegrated in a smothering cloud.
Braddock felt exulted by the result but he had paid for his success. He hadn’t had time to take cover and the blast had hit him like a sledgehammer, while dirt and debris battered him and dust brought tears to his eyes. If it hadn’t been for the brief sight of the woman, he might have keeled over, but instead he staggered after her.
He didn’t worry when he lost sight of her. He had a good idea that she would head for the horses and, thanks to the simpleminded girl’s information, he knew their exact location. So, he staggered on, driven by the burning desire to take his final revenge on Frank O’Bannen.