Read Iron Eyes Must Die Online

Authors: Rory Black

Tags: #bounty hunter, #cowboys, #old west, #frontier life, #the wild west, #rory black, #western frontier fiction, #iron eyes

Iron Eyes Must Die (13 page)

BOOK: Iron Eyes Must Die
8.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads


Did
they kill the telegraph worker, old-timer?’ he asked in a low
growl.

Hanney rested his shotgun down on a
chair.


Nope.
They sure scared the critter though. Toby Gunn went running when
them outlaws showed up.’

Iron Eyes leant over and pulled the desk
upright, then ran his bony fingers through his wet matted hair.


Is he
still in Rio Concho?’


Yep.
He’s still in town. Toby’s bin holed up in the back of the cafe for
weeks. I never seen a man so plumb rattled before.’ Hanney sighed
heavily.


Get
him,’ Iron Eyes snapped.

Hanney nodded and picked up his heavy shotgun
again.


Why?
This stuffs wrecked, boy.’


It
can be fixed by someone who knows how it works, Hanney,’ Iron Eyes
said. ‘Get him here and tell him that he’ll not be harmed by
anybody. I need these wires fixed so I can get my bounty money
authorized. This town also needs the law to come and sort a few
things out.’

Hanney made as though to leave,
then paused and tapped the bounty hunter
’s arm. Iron Eyes glanced at the
livery man.


Something eatin’ at ya, old-timer?’


Yep.
I’m thinkin’ about them six riders we spotted out there on the
desert a few minutes back, Iron Eyes. They’ll be here in less than
a hour. A lot faster if they spur them horses.’

Iron Eyes exhaled heavily and rested his hip
on the edge of the desk. He looked down at the floor
thoughtfully.


I’m
troubled by them riders too,’ he admitted. ‘I saw their rifles and
bullet belts in the lightning flashes. They ain’t nothin’ but
trouble. No peaceful
hombres
carry that amount of weaponry.’


More
outlaws?’

Iron Eyes nodded.


Reckon so.’


Ya
look worried,’ Hanney said.


I am
a mite troubled, old-timer.’ Iron Eyes stood and led the livery man
to the gaping hole in the wall where the door had once been. ‘I’m
running low on bullets for my Navy Colts. Ya know anywhere in this
town where they might have a couple of boxes of .36s?’


The
hardware store could have some,’ Hanney said.


Check
after ya get the telegraph operator.’ Iron Eyes watched the livery
man as he made his way down the boardwalk into the shadows. He then
strode to the edge of the porch and looked out at the
desert.

Iron Eyes could still see the six riders as
the sky erupted in bright electrical flashes. They were still
approaching Rio Concho.

The bounty hunter pushed his hands into his
deep trail coat-pockets and felt the remaining score of bullets. He
knew that if these riders started a new battle, he needed more
.36s. A lot more.


Who
are you?’ he muttered.

~*~

Snake Adams raised a hand and
slowed his skittish mount. The five riders behind him eased back on
their reins. The six horses stopped in a line less than a mile from
Rio Concho. Even through the driving rain they could see
the bright lights
of the small border town ahead of them. Yet Adams sensed that there
was something wrong. The storm was becoming more and more violent
and making the horses increasingly nervous. The outlaw leader
steadied his mount, pulled the brim of his hat down against the
rain and focused hard.


What’s wrong, Snake?’ Kyle Parker asked. ‘How come you
stopped? We’re almost there.’

Adams was silent. He just kept looking at the
town.

Brewster eased his horse closer to the
brooding horseman.


What
ya seen, Snake? Trouble?’

Ferdy Mayne leaned on his
saddle horn and watched the rain flowing off the brim of his hat
over his horse
’s neck.


That
town looks dead apart from them streetlights.’

Adams looked at Mayne.


That’s right, Ferdy. It does look dead, don’t it? Where are
all the people?’


Is
that why we stopped?’ Coop Starr asked.

The outlaw leader sighed heavily. His eyes
darted from one shaft of lightning to another.


That
town is real quiet,’ he said again. ‘Too quiet.’


Maybe
they all hit the hay early in these parts, Snake,’ Lynch
suggested.


Half
the folks living there are Mexican, Ben,’ Adams reminded him. ‘Them
critters only come to life during the night. They sleep most of the
day.’


Could
be the storm,’ Brewster suggested.

Adams nodded.


Ya
could be right, One Ear.’

Brewster smiled. It was the first time in
years that Snake Adams had agreed with anything he said.


How
come we’re headed there, Snake?’ Lynch asked. ‘Of all the towns in
the West, how come we’re headed to Rio Concho?’

Snake Adams held on to his reins firmly with
both his gloved hands.


OK.
OK. I’ll tell ya. The envelope in my shirt is real valuable, like I
said before. A man by the name of Jackson Wylie from Boston is
waiting there for us. He was the man who told me of the plan them
Eastern dudes had cooked up. The paper in my shirt is some kinda
deed. It’s the deed to mineral rights for the whole
territory.’


Mineral rights?’ Starr repeated. ‘Did ya say mineral
rights, Snake? What are they?’


Hell,
I don’t know. Oil or coal or something,’ Adams guessed. ‘All I know
for sure is that whoever has this deed owns it. It was being sent
from one rich dude to another. They have some kinda company that
wants to mine the minerals in these parts.’


What’s this Jackson Wylie character gotta do with this?’
Lynch asked.


He
has a company that wants to get the better of the other dudes,’
Adams replied. ‘Wylie is willing to pay us a lot of money for this
document, no questions asked. All we have to do is exchange it for
a couple of big bags of fresh minted golden double
eagles.’


You
said something before about the treasury, Snake,’ Parker
added.

Adams nodded.


That’s right, Kyle. That was one of the varmints we killed
back at Waco. The government got a sniff of these companies making
a lotta money out of this deal. They were trying to get a chunk of
tax from them.’


Jackson Wylie?’ Brewster said the name.


That’s right, One Ear.’ Adams nodded.


Sounds like a Southern gentleman,’ Brewster
said.

Adams shook his head.


He
ain’t from the South and he ain’t a gentleman. He’s an eastern
back-stabber. Rich though. Mighty rich.’


If
all we gotta do is exchange that document for gold, why ain’t we
riding, Snake?’ Mayne asked.


Where
ya meant to meet up with him?’ Starr asked.


The
Avalon Hotel!’ Adams nodded. ‘I hear it’s the finest hotel in the
territory.’


Sounds good.’ Lynch grinned. ‘I could use a soft bed for a
change.’


Ya
right, Ben. Let’s ride!’ Snake Adams yelled and slapped his reins
on the neck of his mount. The horse broke into a gallop in the
direction of the town.

The six horsemen spurred and thundered
through the raging storm toward Rio Concho.

Chapter Seventeen

The Happy Suds saloon was as quiet as a
church in hell. Only a handful of men too drunk to have heard the
earlier bloody showdown remained propped against the bar as Iron
Eyes pushed the swing-doors apart and entered. The bartender looked
up and felt his heart quicken its pace at the sight of the gruesome
apparition. Sheets of blinding lightning illuminated the bounty
hunter as Iron Eyes shook his mane of wet hair off his scarred
face.

Iron Eyes walked silently across the
sawdust-covered floor until he reached the long counter. He rested
his left boot on the brass rail and stared hard at the pale-faced
man.

The bartender approached nervously.


Ya
want a drink?’

Iron Eyes gritted his teeth.


Why
else would I be here?’


Beer?’


Whiskey!’ Iron Eyes corrected. ‘A bottle with a label on it
and an unbroken seal.’

The bartender reached under the counter and
produced a bottle of a quality superior to the normal rotgut he
served his regular customers. He placed it before the bounty
hunter.


That
to ya liking? It’s the best I got.’

Iron Eyes placed a few coins next to the
bottle.


That’ll do fine.’

The bartender scooped up the
coins and moved to the opposite end of the bar. Iron Eyes studied
the interior of the saloon carefully as he plucked a thimble-glass
off a stack near the wall. He scratched a paper seal off the
bottle
’s
neck, then pulled its cork with his small sharp teeth. He spat it
out and filled the small glass.

The drunken eyes inside the
saloon watched the tall scarred man as he downed the hard liquor in
one swallow. He refilled the glass and swallowed its
fiery contents
again.


Are
you the critter that killed them outlaws earlier?’ the bartender
asked warily as he polished one glass after another.


Yep!’
Iron Eyes answered.


You
must be mighty brave, mister.’

Iron Eyes poured another glass of whiskey and
lifted it to his cracked lips.


Nope,
not brave,
amigo.
I’m just a hunter that kills vermin. Human
vermin.’

The bartender looked over Iron
Eyes

shoulder as the swing-doors parted again. He watched the elegant
figure enter and walk towards the bar counter and the bounty
hunter.


You
looking for someone, stranger?’ a crisp, unfamiliar voice asked
from behind the bounty hunter.

Iron Eyes looked up at the mirror hanging
behind the bar and saw the reflection of a well-dressed man who was
moving towards him.


You
talking to me, dude?’ Iron Eyes asked after he had downed a
drink.

The man reached the bar. He
stood
beside
the disheveled figure and smiled. It was a smile that could have
soured milk.


I
repeat, are you looking for me?’

Iron Eyes tilted his head. He stared hard at
the man beside him. He was neatly dressed and well spoken. He
simply did not seem to belong.


Why
would I be looking for you? I ain’t even sure I know what you
are.’

The man
’s eyes traced their way up and down
the battle-worn figure beside him. He found it impossible to hide
his disgust and displeasure at what he saw.


Do
you have something for me?’ the man hinted.

Iron Eyes placed the bottle down.


I’m
starting to get a tad annoyed with you,
amigo.
Why don’t ya go bother somebody else?
Somebody that ain’t likely to skin ya!’

The man leaned closer and winked.


Let’s
not beat about the bush. You have something that I’m more than
willing to pay for. Understand?’

Iron Eyes looked at the bartender.

The nervous saloon worker shrugged and
started to polish even more glasses. Iron Eyes then turned back to
face the well-dressed man. He sniffed the unfamiliar fragrance that
wafted off him.


You
wearin’ perfume, mister?’


Cologne, why?’ The man smiled.


I
thought so!’ Iron Eyes grunted. He grabbed the man by his throat
and lifted him off his feet. The man clawed desperately at the
hands around his throat. Iron Eyes stared at the face as it turned
blue. He then dropped him. The man’s legs buckled. He coughed and
held his throat. Iron Eyes pulled back his right arm, clenched his
fist and punched the man hard in the centre of his face. The sound
of the breaking nose filled the saloon. With blood pouring from his
shattered features, the man staggered backward and fell on top of a
card-table.

He was unconscious.

Iron Eyes snatched his whiskey
bottle off the bar and took a long swallow
from its neck. He stared at the
bartender.


Ya
know who this feller is, barkeep?’

BOOK: Iron Eyes Must Die
8.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Maybe Yes by Miles, Ella
Lush by Lauren Dane
The Turtle Moves! by Lawrence Watt-Evans
Death on a Branch Line by Andrew Martin
Weave of Absence by Carol Ann Martin
Abduction! by Peg Kehret