Lee (The Landon Saga Book 6) (11 page)

Chapter thirty-six

I could smell something cooking as we got closer, and I could also smell some coffee.

My gun hand hovered naturally over my Colt handle, and Brian carried his rifle in the crook of his arm. I heard a soft click as he pulled the hammer back.

I felt a coldness coming over me. I thought of the hotel we’d lost, and for some reason April and June’s face flashed before me. I was suddenly irritable, but I also felt a hard, lonely feeling in the pit of my stomach.

They heard us coming. They stood and backed into the darkness, and as they did I recognized Brock and Amos.

“It’s them,” I said softly, and Brian nodded.

“Who’s out there?” I heard Brock’s voice.

“Lee Mattingly and Brian Clark,” I replied curtly. “We’re coming in.”

I heard a low, amused chuckle.

“Come on in!”

They returned to the fire, and we walked up and stopped about thirty feet from them. Brock stood in front of me, and it was silent as everybody studied each other.

I took a quick look around their camp. They had two mules picketed beside their horses, and I also spotted four crates stacked on the ground.

I looked back at Brock, and a wolfish smile had appeared on his face.

“I’m not in the mood to wave at the angels tonight,” he said, and his voice was thick with sarcasm.

“I don’t mind that one bit,” I replied.

Brock snorted, and asked, “How’d you find us?”

“Miguel. He wants his mule back.”

Brock laughed at that, and I glanced at Amos.

His face was tight and drawn. There was also a prideful look in his expression, like he was itching to boast.

I decided to give him a chance.

“I take it you work for Ike,” I said in a flat voice.

“That’s right. I have been from the start,” he scoffed.

“And it was you two that robbed us,” I encouraged.

“That was the plan,” Amos said, and then he laughed.

“Who broke into the safe?” I prodded for more information.

“I did,” Amos boasted. “That’s why Ike hired me. There isn’t a safe invented that I can’t crack.”

“And it was also you that attacked me,” I said.

Amos nodded, and added, “I enjoyed that too.”

“I bet you did,” I forced a smile.

“Why are you here, Lee?” Brock spoke back up and changed the subject.

“I told you; Miguel wants his mule back. You boys stole him, so I’m taking you two back to town. You also just confessed to robbing our hotel.”

“And if we don’t go back?”

I smiled in response.

Brock grunted. He glanced at Amos and looked back at me.

“You’re good, but you ain’t as good as me,” he said.

“What’s in the crates?” I asked as I ignored his comment.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Brock sneered.

“As a matter of fact, I would.”

“There’s only one way you’re going to find that out.”

“All right then,” I nodded.

Brock was enjoying himself, and he took his time. I watched him closely as he faced up to me, and his eyes were hard.

“I’ve never liked you,” he said.

“Funny, I’ve never liked
you
.”

“Let’s see who’s the best,” Brock said, and he grabbed for his Colt.

I jumped forward. My arm flexed, and my Colt was in my hand. I aimed effortlessly and pulled the trigger. Flame and smoke exploded from the barrel, and I heard a thumping sound as my bullet hit flesh.

Brock had fired too, but my slight movement forward threw his aim off. I felt the sharp whip of a bullet as it fanned air close to my head, and then I saw Brock stagger backwards. He fell on his back, kicked out, and was still.

Meanwhile, the roar of gunfire was all around me. I glanced sideways, and Brian stood there with his rifle in his hands. He had a wild look on his face, and his arm bled from a slug that had creased him. 

Amos lay on the ground, choking and gasping for air.

“You all right?” I asked Brian.

He nodded.

“He nicked me, that’s all.”

I nodded, relieved, and we both reloaded our weapons. Then, we checked on the downed men.

Brock was dead. However, Amos was still alive, but not for long. Blood was choking him, and it ran out his mouth and down his cheek.

Brian and I squatted on our heels beside him.

“Help me, please,” Amos managed.

“Not much we can do,” I said as I studied the wounds. “You’ve got a bullet in your gut and another one in your chest.”

“I’m dying,” Amos whispered, and his eyes were wide with fright.

“Looks like it,” I agreed. It was silent, and I added, “You might as well answer a few questions. Where were you and Brock headed?”

Amos stared at me. A few seconds passed, and then his face relaxed.

“Bronc,” he said in a gasping whisper. “There’s rifles in the crates. We’re supposed to meet the Gant brothers.”

“Morgan and Boyle Gant?”

“Yes. They’re Ike’s partners.”

“And they’re trading rifles to the Injuns,” I figured, and Amos nodded.

I glanced thoughtfully at Brian and looked back at Amos. I started to ask another question, but then I stopped. His eyes had glazed over, and he was dead.

“Well,” I said as I stood. “That’s that.”

Chapter thirty-seven

Brian’s arm bled a little, but not bad. I had some bandages in my saddlebags, and I wrapped his arm good and tight.

After that we picketed our horses next to theirs, dug our cups out of our saddlebags, and walked over to the fire.

They had cooked some fried salt pork and biscuits. The biscuits were burned black, but the pork was still edible. We tossed the biscuits into the bushes, poured us some coffee, and sat round the fire and chewed on the pork.

We didn’t feel like talking much, so we ate in silence.

I always felt exhausted after a gunfight, and I also got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glanced at Brian, and I could tell that he felt the same way.

“Well, we got the fellers that robbed us,” Brian finally said.

“We did,” I nodded.

“But this won’t get our hotel back.”

“No, it won’t,” I agreed.

“I wonder what happened to our money?”

“Ike probably has it.”

Brian nodded and looked around camp.

“What are we going to do now?” He asked.

“I’ve been pondering that,” I said. “You heard what Amos said. They were on their way to Bronc to meet Morgan and Boyle.”

“I heard that, yes.”

“I know Morgan. He’s a smart, educated feller, but he’s no good. He almost killed me once.”

“I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never met ’em.”

“They’ll have a long wait before they figure out that Brock and Amos aren’t coming,” I said, and I smiled at the thought.

“They probably will.”

“It would be a shame to keep them waiting,” I commented.

Brian looked at me over the rim of his coffee cup.

“What are you getting at?”

“Ike stole our business,” I said, and suggested, “Why don’t we steal his?”

Brian pinched his face in thought.

“That won’t get our hotel back either,” he pointed out.

“True,” I agreed, and then I started to add, “But, it’ll-.”

“Make you feel better,” Brian interrupted.

“That’s right.”

Brian gestured at Amos and Brock.

“You said killing them would make you feel better too. Did it?”

“Not yet,” I admitted.

“It’s a long ride to Bronc,” Brian objected.

“It is,” I agreed.

It was silent then. A few minutes passed, and we both drank several cups of coffee.

Finally, Brian sighed.

“You’re going to Bronc with or without me, aren’t you?”

“I reckon so.”

“And there’s no way I can talk you out of it?”

“Probably not.”

Brian studied me a moment and sighed.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll ride along then.”

I smiled and nodded.

“What about April?” Brian asked suddenly, and the mention of her name made me jump.

“What about her?”

“Should we ride back to town and tell her we’ll be gone for a while? You told her we’d be around.”

I was startled by the question, and I frowned irritably to cover my surprise.

“Why would I do that?”

“I thought you, her, and June were getting along pretty good.”

“We were friends.”

“It seemed like more than that to me.”

“That’s all it was,” I said sharply, and asked, “What gave you that idea?”

“Only what I saw.”

I snorted, and it was silent while I searched for the right words.

“She’s had it rough this past year. But, she’s also a nice lady, and June’s a good kid too,” I said. “As much as they’ve been through, I figured they needed a friend. That’s all.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so,” I said firmly.

Brian nodded and took a swig of coffee. 

Chapter thirty-eight

We were up early. We cooked some breakfast, and afterwards we unpacked our shovels and buried Brock and Amos.

After that we turned our attention to the livestock.

We messed around with their horses, and we discovered that they were both extremely gentle. So, we decided to use them instead of the mules to pack the rifles. We packed them down, and they didn’t give us any trouble.

We turned the mules loose. We figured Miguel’s mule would drift back home, and the other mule would probably go with him. We reckoned Miguel could have the extra mule for his troubles, plus the crippled mule.

There was nothing else to tend to, so we packed up camp, climbed on our horses, and took out going north. 

***

It took us eight days to reach Bronc. We traveled mostly in a slow trot, and we made good time.

The loss of our hotel still stung, and we didn’t talk much about it. I figured the pain would ease as time went along, but it didn’t. Instead, anger slowly built inside me, and I was more determined than ever to bring Ike down.

I also missed my morning breakfasts with June and my conversations with April. I tried hard not to think about them, but their faces refused to leave my memory.

We camped that final night about a mile from Bronc. We unsaddled and picketed the horses, cooked up some supper, and afterwards we sat around the fire and made plans. 

“Morgan would probably recognize me,” I said, and Brian nodded.

“I think it would be best if we pulled them away from town,” I suggested. “Be less witnesses that way.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“You could ride into town and meet them, and then bring them back here.”

“Then what?”

I smiled, but didn’t reply.

Brian studied me thoughtfully and nodded.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll ride into town in the morning.”

I nodded and took a swig of coffee. 

Chapter thirty-nine

Brian Clark woke at sunup. After breakfast he saddled his horse, said goodbye to Lee, and took off towards town.

He traveled in a slow trot. It was a clear morning, and the warm sun felt good on his back.

He was still hesitant about going up against the Gant brothers. If it had been up to him, they would have forgotten about Ike and drifted on.

But Lee was twenty years younger and more impulsive. Lee was also his friend, and Brian had always been loyal to his friends. So he would stay with Lee until the bitter end, whatever that might be.

Brian had never been to Bronc, and he was surprised at how small it was. There were only three buildings. There was a livery stable, a trading post, and a cantina.

He felt uncomfortable as he rode in. The street was dry and dusty, and little whirlwinds swirled around him.

The street was empty, except for two horses that were tied to the hitching rail in front of the cantina.

The horses looked familiar, and Brian frowned as he tried to place where he had seen them. But he couldn’t remember, so he dismounted and tied his horse to the hitching rail.

He stepped up onto the front porch. He reached down and felt his Colt, and it gave him a reassuring feeling. He breathed deeply and walked through the swinging doors.

He paused inside the doorway. He let his eyes adjust, and then he glanced around.

The cantina wasn’t much of a place. It was dark, and it smelled of whiskey, sweat, and cigar smoke. There were a few tables spread about, and the bar was two long planks laid on top of two whiskey kegs. 

A fat Mexican stood behind the bar. He looked unconcerned and uninterested.

Two men were seated at a table in the back corner. There was a dark shadow that fell across their table, and he couldn’t see their faces very well. However, he could tell that one was big and wide shouldered, and the other one was small and hard bodied.

There was a coffee pot on the table, and they both held cups. The cup partly hid the smaller one’s face as Brian walked towards them.

Brian finally got a good look at their faces, and he stopped midstride. His mouth fell open, and he was visually shaken.

The men at the table were studying Brian, and they frowned curiously when they recognized him.

“Well now,” Cooper Landon said calmly. “If it isn’t Brian Clark.”

“Sure is,” Yancy Landon agreed, and he frowned curiously at Brian. “What are you doing here?”