33
Yep, Justin figured she would make the finest wife a man could ever hope to have. She knew how to leave a trail, how to escape, how to attack, and how to hide.
He sighed as he left Angie behind, just like he seemed to have to do all the time. And every time he did, danger found her. But the blasting gunfire coming from across the trail told him his family was in danger. They needed his help.
An ugly choice to make.
He forced himself forward. When he was north of Watts, he slipped to the edge of the woods and studied the opposite side. He couldn’t make out any sign of the villains. He inched his eyes on down to where his family had to be hiding. Because of his angle on the trail, he was able to see Cole, just a part of his shoulder. Justin watched him every second, wishing he’d lean back just a bit, look this way, and see Justin through the trees.
It was a lot to wish for.
He’d have shouted or fired his gun in the air, but if he did, he’d lose the chance to sneak up on the outlaws. A rustling sound back from where he’d left Angie caught his attention. He looked, tense with worry. What was she doing out from behind the tree? What if she was seen by the wrong people? He then saw her step away from the tree. Thankfully, he hadn’t yet gone that far from her.
She looked at him, nodded, and held up her rock. No, she’d kept her rock and found another, this one with no rope. She tossed the rock up in the air as if testing its weight, then flung it with all her strength. It crashed through the branches Cole was crouched behind. He turned his head and looked right at Angie. The relief on his face warmed Justin’s heart.
Then Angie pointed at Justin, and Cole turned and saw him.
Cole pointed with his pistol at a gnarled pinyon tree that grew out of a pile of boulders. Steady gunfire roared from there and also from a second spot on past the pinyon. Justin nodded, then pointed at himself and the trail.
Cole frowned, then nodded back. Justin hurried down his side of the woods. The gunfire from his family slowed some with their aim high, firing into the air. Before the villains could notice, Justin darted across the trail and closed on both men, his gun drawn.
Kidnapping a woman was a serious crime. Any abuse of women in the West was considered a terrible act. A woman was a rare and fine thing, and usually even the lowest of villains wouldn’t harm one. But they’d run into a group with no such decency. With the right judge, a man could hang for kidnapping and marking a woman. All three men—Watts, Windy, and Alonzo—no doubt knew they faced long jail terms, if not a noose. Watts had held tough when they’d questioned them and managed to walk out of jail. Then he’d come right back to the CR to finish his job.
Justin didn’t think Watts would ever talk. And Windy and Alonzo both worked for him while they’d done their spying. They kept their true purpose to themselves the whole time, so Justin didn’t underestimate them. But they weren’t hardened men like Watts. They were men who might do a lot of talking to save their mangy hides, especially if they knew another man might talk first to save himself and leave his partners to go to prison.
The shooting from both sides had slowed now. Justin’s family was being cautious. They knew exactly where he was. A shiver climbed up his spine as he peeked around a tree. Were Watts and Windy on to him?
He approached them swiftly, listening for their guns. Thankfully, they had spread out. If they were side by side, he’d’ve had trouble subduing both of them at once.
He heard the nearest gun fire and poked his head again around the tree. It was Windy. Within a couple of steps, facing away from Justin. No sign of Watts.
He rounded the tree with a few quick steps and slammed the butt of his gun into Windy’s head. Windy went down and flopped a couple of times on the ground like a landed trout. Then he went limp. Justin took his gun, hog-tied him, then looked to see if any of his family was visible. He caught sight of Heath, who waved behind him. He must be within sight of Sadie and Cole.
Heath crawled on his belly straight for Justin. After reaching him, he whispered, “Justin, give me the gun. I’ll fire it every so often in hopes Watts doesn’t figure out his partner’s been taken out of the fight.”
Justin jerked his chin in agreement. Then, stooped low, he headed for the still-firing gun. Watts was somewhere deeper into the woods.
Just like he said, Heath shot Windy’s gun a few times, aiming it up in the air. Justin glanced around the bushes that hid him and saw Watts firing his gun. He ducked back out of sight and gathered himself to plunge out of the woods at Watts.
He leapt out from cover.
“Freeze, Boden.” Watts’s harsh voice came from off to the side.
Justin spun to find Watts with his gun leveled on him, aimed at his head. Too bad for Watts, because Justin’s gun was just as well-aimed, right at his belly. It was a standoff, and Justin didn’t see any way out of it but both of them dying.
“You’re surrounded, Watts. I’ve got four men riding with me.” Well, two men, and Sadie and Angie. “We’ve taken both your partners prisoner. If you want to live through this day, lay down your gun and come along peacefully.”
Watts’s response was a guttural laugh. “I’m sick of this fight and only want out. I’m not letting you take me to jail. The man who got me out last time said never again. But I’ll let you live if you help me get out of here—if you call off your family and give me a head start. Otherwise your life means nothing to me.”
“Have you gotten the word yet that Dantalion is dead?”
The shock on Watts’s face made it clear he hadn’t heard the news.
“Yep, he’s dead and in the ground. We’ve kept the fact quiet, even used it to flush Windy out as the traitor he is. Too bad we didn’t get Alonzo, too.” Justin managed a smile. “Whatever you do here, you’re not getting paid. You understand that, right?”
“You just stand down, Boden. Call off your family and let me ride away. You’ll never see me again. I’m ready to be shut of this country.”
Justin shook his head, not lowering his gun by so much as a fraction of an inch. Watts wasn’t a man to be trusted, plain and simple.
“You’ve been a thorn in my flesh since the day I took this job,” Watts spat out.
“Me, a thorn in your flesh?” Justin said. “I’m the one who’s been shot at. I’ve seen my father nearly killed, my brother-in-law take a bullet, my brother almost killed too, my sister fighting for her life against Dantalion—which she won, by the way—and a woman I care about get kidnapped. I’ve been a thorn in your flesh?”
“That’s right.” Watts’s eyes went killing cold.
Justin could see he was getting ready to pull the trigger.
A rope came flying toward Watts from his left and hit his arm. It wasn’t a rope—it was a rope tied to a rock. The rock whipped around Watts’s arm and jerked it sideways as he fired his gun. The shot went wild, but after a second of off-balance shooting, he brought his arm back up just as a dull thud made his eyes go wide and glaze over.
He dropped the gun and collapsed in front of Justin. As his body sank slowly to the ground, Cole appeared, an inch at a time, standing behind Watts. Cole held a gun by the muzzle, and it appeared the gun butt had just been applied with some force to the back of Watts’s head.
Justin heaved a sigh of relief. Cole nodded his head. And Justin knew the owner of that rope. He turned as Angie came dashing out of the woods into sight.
Sadie and Heath came next. All five of them stood and grinned at each other. Justin said, “I think we’d better get them tied up and slung over their horses before they wake up.”
Heath pointed. “Their horses are over there. Only two of them, though.”
“What about Alonzo?” Sadie looked around, sharp-eyed and wary.
“I know where his horse is.” Angie raised her hand shoulder-high and wiggled her fingers a bit.
Justin turned to Angie. “Angie snuck up and knocked him cold. She led me to him, and I left him trussed up like a spring calf. We’ll go fetch him and load him up.”
Sadie shook her head. “So Angie got two of them?”
“I helped with Watts,” Cole said, but with no real upset in his voice.
“And I’ve been keeping an eye on Windy,” Heath added. “I took over right after Justin conked him over the head and knocked him out.” Heath didn’t look like he cared much who got the credit.
“We’ll round up their horses and haul ’em to Skull Gulch, and then so long as we’re in town, Angie and I are getting married.” He strode to Angie’s side and caught both her hands. “Right?”
She smiled without one second’s hesitation. “Right.”
Sadie laughed, and the whole family started clapping. When they quieted again, Sadie said, “I haven’t even told you about the wanted poster we found on top of Skull Mesa.”
Angie whispered to Justin, “I climbed Skull Mesa yesterday. Sadie told me I’m supposed to taunt you with that fact.”
Narrowing his eyes, Justin looked at his sister. “What wanted poster?”
“It’s a picture of Dantalion, but with a different name, wanted back east for murder. We thought if we could find out what he’d done, we might find friends of his who would give us more to investigate.”
“We’ll ask the sheriff to check it out,” Cole said. “We know Dantalion was paid to attack the Bodens. We know someone higher than him is involved. But whoever it is no longer has anyone working for him. Let’s hope having all his hirelings arrested puts an end to this.”
“Angie and I will go find Alonzo’s horse and get him packed up. We’ll meet the rest of you on the trail.” Justin held on to Angie’s hand and started hauling her toward Alonzo. He needed to hurry up with the arresting, then get on to the more important part of this day.
Once they’d left the woods and crossed the trail, Justin looked at Angie and smiled. “Taunt me, huh?”
She nodded. “But being nice to you is much more fun. Is it over, then? Are these three the last of the men conspiring against you?”
“Yep. Cole still needs to figure out all those chicken scratches in that notebook, just so we can be sure and find who started everything, and we’ll track down Dantalion and his old crimes, but I think our troubles are finally over.”
A chill rushed down Justin’s back, and he wished he hadn’t been so bold. It was like he was daring someone else to shoot at his family.