Dark Warrior: Kid (Dark Cloth Series Book 2) (21 page)

Range War

Kid and Kat were to slip her grandfather off the train in Omaha, where Old Man Charlie had bought a wagon and waited for them.
She nearly squealed when she saw him, hardly waiting for him to step down so she could hug him fiercely. He laughed, hugging her back. She swallowed, when she realized there were tears in his eyes.

The old timer would take her father quietly through to the other-side of where the ambush had been planted, and meet them there. She knew Charlie would guard him with his life.

He came around the wagon to help Mandy down, and Kat gave her friend an exuberant hug. “I’ve never been so happy to see you,” she said.

Mandy laughed, hugging her back.

When they parted, Mandy grinned at her. “So you’ve managed to bring home some pretty determined enemies,” she teased.

Kat laughed. “I do my part,” she said. “After all,” she teased, “it can’t always be about
your
enemies.” She gave Mandy an impish grin.

Mandy laughed and playfully swatted her. “Well, show me your grandfather,” she said. “I’m so excited to meet him.”

Kat sobered at this. “He hasn’t really been awake too much,” she said. “They poisoned him pretty bad. We’re not even sure he will make it.”

“Oh, honey,” Mandy breathed. “I’m so sorry.” She put her hand on Kat’s shoulder. “Well, if we can get him home,” she said, “I’ll see if the grandmothers can help.”

Kat nodded, trying for a smile. That did encourage her though, and she tried to show Mandy that. “Thank you,” she said.

She led Mandy onto the train to her grandfather’s berth. Mandy went to her grandfather, taking his hand into hers. She stayed like that for several minutes, then waived at the men to come and get him. Jake and Kid picked him up carefully and carried him off the train, setting him in the wagon and glancing around.

They looked around again when they left the train, concerned that someone would follow Mandy back onto the train, or follow Old Charlie in the wagon, to finish off her grandfather. They searched the crowd, for anyone who seemed to pay them any attention, but no one appeared to care what they were doing.

Mandy would wait on the train till it reached Cheyenne. They’d packed pillows around the bed, to make it look as though Kat’s grandfather still slept there.

“Hawk will be coming up from behind the ambush,” Mandy confirmed.

Kat grinned, then nodded, as Kid grabbed her hand to pull her from the berth. Pulling away, Kat quickly hugged her friend. “I’ve never been so happy to see you,” she said to her friend.

Mandy took her hand into hers, giving it a squeeze, then hugged her again. And Kid and Kat slipped quietly from the train.

Just to be safe, Kid and Kat followed Charlie for a spell, just in case. But no one showed up there either. Everything remained quiet.

They had considered trying to
sneak
her grandfather off the train, but in such a small town there couldn’t be much sneaking. Small towns generally didn’t have enough commotion going on to cover up what went on with the train, so none of them saw the point in trying that tactic. Either someone watched for them here, or they didn’t. All they could do was look out for danger.

Kid and Kat had discussed their plan in detail, with Jake, trying to decide the best course of action. Jake got off the train to hand over the men that Kat had ambushed. The one she’d stuck with her skinnin’ knife went to the doctor. The other went to the jail house. Jake got back onto the train to watch over Mandy for a spell. When no one out of the ordinary came to get on the train, he debarked and went to meet Kid and Kat.

Mandy had slipped back into the berth, where she would hide, with the made up version they’d left for their enemies of her grandfather’s sleeping form. As it turned out, Hawk had several more hands slip on the train, in the shadows to guard her, just before it had taken back off.

Kat had watched it go, worried for her friend, and now she rode, knowing that she couldn’t focus on her fears for Mandy. Fear would make her weak—and she had to remain strong. She couldn’t allow anything side-track her from what they were about to do. They would all need their wits about them when the time came.

Kat knew that the train would make several stops, giving them plenty of time to get far enough ahead to find where their enemy had laid the ambush for them. Still, Kat and Kid had to ride hard to give themselves enough time to find the group, who intended to stop the train. Mandy had indicated that when Hawk came up on the other side of the gang, he would have several of the men from the ranch with him—and a posse.

They rode in the darkness, till they couldn’t see anymore, rose before the crack of dawn and were ready to ride again as soon as the sun gave them the first rays to light their way. They managed to gain a full day’s ride ahead of the train by the time they came to where they would have to start searching for the gang who intended to ambush the train.

Anticipation fueled Kat’s veins. She could easily see the heightened awareness that Kid had taken on too. His nostrils flared, his body tense to spring into action. She felt her mount step to the side as he reacted to the edge in the atmosphere around them. Kid’s own mount’s ears twitched, sensing the heightened alertness in their riders.

The forest around them took on an eerie silence, as the animals themselves waited to see who had come—and what was about to happen. Kat had the sense that however long she lived, she would never forget this day.

For miles, they rode in silence, picking their way through the rocky areas, slipping through the forest quietly as they went. No one would have even known they’d been there—if not for the battle that would take place.

They rode, never taking their eyes off the train tracks, knowing the ambush would take place somewhere, where those who hunted them would feel like they had the advantage. Likely, they would choose somewhere where they couldn’t only block the train, but that would give them some cover as well. And so Kat and Kids searched for such a place, while never losing sight of who would be waiting.

When they came to a hill, Kid held up his hand. Kat remained on her horse while Kid went on silent feet toward the top. There, he crawled over the edge. He came down the hill just as silent, and Kat knew they’d found George’s army of men.

She eyed him. “Are there as many as we heard?” she asked.

He nodded. “There not even trying to be quiet,” he said. “They must think they’ve already won.”

Kat nodded, and they quietly headed back the way they’d come. When they’d gone a distance, they spotted Jake coming down the trail. Kid told him about the men, and Jake rode out to take a look for himself. When he returned, he gave them more bad news. Apparently, her cousin hadn’t been content to just hire an army. Jake had spotted that gunman, who had hunted Kat in Cheyenne, in camp too.

They didn’t have a fire that night, just bedded down on the cold ground. The next morning, they headed out to check on George’s men. When they got close to the cliffs, to one side of the train tracks, Kat spotted the gunman.

Jake saw him at the same time Kat did and broke off, tearing off after him. Kat watched Jake riding away. They were upwind, had the cliffs to one side, and they hadn’t been spotted. Jake rode hard, trying to reach him before he’d had time to slip away.

And Kat knew that Jake wasn’t just out to try and shoot him. Jake wanted answers.

She heard something ping the rocks before she heard the retort, and she and Kid leapt off their horses behind the cover of the rocks. Peering out, another shot met her attempt to get a bead on who had fired that shot. Several men rode up from the distance.

Kat looked around.

“We’re pinned down,” Kid said.

“Yeah,” Kat said. “I noticed that.” She peered down the train tracks. “Look,” she said, pointing.

Kid frowned. “Are they piling up trees?” he said.

Kat bit her lip. “That’s what it looks like to me,” she said.

Shaking his head, Kid looked again. “Surely, he doesn’t intend to derail the train,” he said.

Kat shook her head. “I think he intends to hold it up,” she answered.

Kid shook his head, peering at her. “If he only intended to ambush the train, kitten,” he said, “I don’t think he’d plant those piles of trees right after the bend in the tracks.”

Horrified, Kat turned to stare at what he’d spotted. Sure enough, George had planted several piles of pine trees—right after a blind bend. When the train did come around that bend—there would be no way for it to stop in time.

“Why would he do that?” she asked, alarmed. “Surely even he understands that all the people on that train—will die.”

Kid nodded, frowning at her. “He understands,” he said.

Shocked, Kat stared at him. “What is wrong with him?” she said. “He hasn’t lived long enough to carry that kind of hate in his heart.” She stared at the tracks again, feeling helpless—and sick. “He hasn’t even lived that
bad
of a life.”

Kid shook his head. “We don’t know what kind of life he’s led,” he pointed out.

Dismayed, Kat turned and stared at him. “Whatever kind of life he’s led—it can’t be any worse than some of the things people have suffered out in the wild lands of the West,” she hissed. “It can’t be any worse than what your people—or mind—have endured.” She turned to look, one more time, horrified. “What kind monster would do such a thing?” she asked again.

“I don’t know, kitten,” Kid said, shaking his head. He looked out toward the men, holding them down to the cliffs, then back at the tracks—where they’d be forced to watch a train load of people be killed.

Kat turned to stare at him. “Kid—Mandy is on that train,” she said.

Kid’s face turned chalk white at this. His gaze narrowed on the army of men, who had them pinned down. His reaction caused Kat to turn, scanning their surroundings for a way out.

But all she saw was rock.

War

Kat’s mind raced, searching for answers.
She thought about Jake. But Jake had gone after the gunman. She didn’t like how Jake would another gunman to talk to him. Jake was fast. But there was always the chance that someone else was faster.

She watched as a man came riding into the camp that the men had set up, outside their shooting range. He rode in hard, and Kat couldn’t help but wonder about Jake, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time they saw him.

Once more, Kat turned and scanned the cliffs for any way out, but try as she might she couldn’t spot one. Shots rang out, some kicking up dirt twenty feet or so from them.

No one wanted to get any closer, so they kept neatly out rifle range.

Kid and Kat remained pinned down. Maybe they weren’t stuck, hiding behind some small boulders, the way they’d been the last time she’d been pinned down with Old Charlie and Jake, but they were still just as pinned next to the cliffs, while shots rang out all around them. They were stuck much the same way, backed against a rock side, with no way out.

They took their occasional shots at the men, who kept them pinned, heard an occasional shot returned, while both of them tried to get a bead on where George might be.

Kat couldn’t wait to get her hands on him, and lamented on the ways she was going to deal with him when she did.

Kid grinned. He’d heard that she and Mandy had given pretty grisly accounts of what they’d planned to do to McCandle’s men, the last time someone had been fool enough to pin them down this way.

Kat saw Kid take a hard look at his horse.

“Got an idea?” she asked him.

He nodded. “Do you think you could keep these guys busy?”

Kat started to nod, then realized what he planned. “Not for a suicide mission,” she hissed.

He stared at her. “Kat that train is going to come around that bend, in what could be less than an hour, unless it just happens to get delayed again.”

Kat turned to stare at the train tracks.

George had done a lot, to cause harm, for a young man who acted so innocent. And she still didn’t know if she could actually kill him. He seemed like more of a wayward kid—than a killer. Yet that wayward kid had strategized, and operated, this whole plan against her grandfather. He’d instigated and pulled off a massive takeover of all of his estates—and eliminate
all
of his enemies. She didn’t know what she would do with him—when this day was over—but she did know that he had payback coming.

Surprised, she realized that she didn’t look forward to this. That for the first time, she’d find this difficult. She got that she saw him as a child. But he’d been a child—who killed. She shouldn’t see him any different than any other killer.

She turned to stare at Kid.

This killer had been her family. And that made it different.

Looking out, Kat shook her head. Her young, little cousin had brought an entire army to kill her, her grandfather—and all of her friends.

She stared at the train tracks—where a young man plotted to kill a whole train full of people. She would show him no more mercy than he planned to show all the people on that train.

She might not be able to bring down an entire army of men. But she would get to her cousin.
She’d find a way.

Ignoring Kid’s idea—which would surely get him shot, she scoured the cliffs behind them. If she went up, she’d be a sure target for any one of those men who happened to be a good shot.

Appalled, Kat’s gaze searched the crag of rocks surrounding them. She squatted, eyeing the path between, tensing, getting ready to sprint to try and make it through a split. She heard Kid’s hiss, behind her. He didn’t like what she was thinking either—anymore than she’d liked what he’d been thinking.

That’s when she heard the shots, coming from much farther away, and she hesitated, looking around.

Her head jerked in that direction, looking for who had caused them. She knew Kid had done the same. She eyed the outlying area. More shots rang out, and a bunch of George’s men scattered in all directions, shooting as they ran for their horses, mounting up and taking off.

Relief flooded her. Hawk’s men had found them at last. As she watched, several horses raced past them. The posse, she realized. She heard a bugle and she realized—Hawk hadn’t just brought a posse.

Kat grinned. The United States Army would keep on George’s men until they brought them in.

There were too many men in George’s large army for them to have any chance of getting away. Men scrambled in every direction. Horses reared and took off running. Men ran on foot, toward the cliffs, and Mandy and Kid awaited them.

When the chaos had calmed some and many of the men had been rounded up, Hawk raced up and pulled his horse up short before them, hitting the ground running before his horse had even come to a complete stop. He took Kid into a huge bear-hug, then turned to Kat. In the past, she would have hesitated—but things had changed. She felt as happy to see him—as he obviously was to see them, and she hugged him back without thinking too much about it.

Hawk’s gaze traveled over them both. “You’re both unharmed, then,” he said.

Kid nodded. “You found us just in time.” Kat’s head jerked toward the train tracks. “But maybe not in time to keep from derailing the train.

She knew that, with every minute, George was getting away—but right now, they had a much bigger problem. She turned back to look at Hawk. His gaze had followed hers to where there were several large piles of pine trees lay across the tracks, and she saw his eyes widen, realizing.

His gaze traveled the tracks, realizing they curved around a bend. “There’s not enough time for the train to see that,” he said, alarmed.

Kid nodded, heading for his own horse. With a running jump, Hawk remounted his horse and headed toward the tracks.

Once more, Hawk hit the ground, running. “We can’t pull them off,” he yelled. “We don’t have enough horses to pull at anything that size.

“We don’t have anything to chop them up with either,” Kid yelled back, still attempting to pull at one. “They’re too large….”

Kat stared at him “What about burning them,” she said.

“It would take too long,” Hawk said, shaking his head. “They’re too green.” He looked around, trying to find something—anything that would help them. “It would take forever just to get them to catch on fire,” he said. He went back and pulled a lasso off his saddle. “All we can do is hook the horses together and try to pull them far enough off the tracks….”

Kat glanced in the direction that the army had taken their prisoners. The rest had torn out after the ones who were getting away. They were too far away. There wasn’t enough time.

In the end, the army did ride close enough to see what was happening, when one soldier spotted them, then saw the trees. Within minutes, a bunch of men returned with saw blades and axes, but the work was still too slow.

Kid and Hawk had worked quickly on the first pile, but fifteen minutes later they’d only manage to get three horses to pull just one of the trees off the tracks.

The men behind them were faring better, but there just wasn’t enough time.

“This isn’t working,” Kat yelled. “We’ll never get them all cleared—and if that train hits—even one pile of trees….” She didn’t have to say the rest.

“Someone has to try and stop the train,” Kat said.

Kid nodded. “Go,” he said.

But as it turned out, there wasn’t even enough time for her to do any more than make the bend. Kat had no more than reached the curve, where she could see around, before she spotted the train fast coming down the way. Alarmed, she nudged her gelding onto the tracks, taking her lasso in hand and waving her arms in huge sweeping motions.