Relentless (16 page)

Les, Ugly Joe and Cale had been in Flat Rock for a few days, and they’d been having such a good time that they’d given no thought to moving on. They were winning when they gambled, and they were making the saloon girls at the Hitching Post Saloon earn their keep. Life was good for them—real good.

It was after dark, and Les and Ugly Joe were in a high-stakes poker game when Cale decided to go down to the stable to check on their horses. He’d been drinking in the Hitching Post since midafternoon and felt the need to get outside.

Melody had heard him say where he was going and tried to stop him from leaving. She stood seductively in front of the swinging doors to tempt him to stay and go upstairs with her.

“You sure you want to leave so soon, Cale?” she purred.

“I’ll be back in a while,” he said. “Wait for me.”

“But what if I want you—now—” Melody gave him her most alluring look as she reached out to put a caressing hand on his chest.

Cale liked what she was offering. He grabbed her and yanked her to him to kiss her.

“That should keep you ’til I get back.” He stuffed some money down her bodice. “Make sure you’re ready for me.”

She smiled up at him. “I’ll be ready, big guy. You’ll see. You hurry back now, you hear?” She gave him a bold wink as he left the saloon.

Though she hadn’t gotten him upstairs, she had gotten some cash out of her ploy, and that pleased her for the time being. She went on to tease some of the other customers, knowing she probably had a good half hour before Cale would return.

Cale was drunk and in a troubled mood as he made his way down the street to the stable. He’d found himself thinking about Jim again, and worrying about him. When they’d parted on the trail, everything had seemed fine, but after all this time without any sign of him at all, Cale wasn’t so sure. The thought that his good friend might be dead angered him, but he knew there was nothing he could do but wait and hope Jim was still out there somewhere, trying to catch up with them. He thought about riding back in the direction Jim would be coming to see if he could find him, but there was no telling just where his friend might have ridden.

Cale reached the stable and took a look around. He found their horses were in good condition and being well taken care of. The owner of the stable wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and that was fine with Cale. He hadn’t wanted to talk to anybody, he’d
just wanted to get away from all the noise in the saloon for a while.

As he started back toward the saloon, he heard what sounded like a fight going on in the alley behind the stable. He didn’t know who was back there, but he’d thought he’d take a look just to see what was going on. He always liked a good fight.

And that was just the decision Grant had hoped the outlaw would make.

Grant and Dusty had reached Flat Rock an hour before and had checked the town out carefully and quietly. Grant had spotted the outlaws through the saloon window and had known this was going to be the night that Les Jackson, Cale Pierce and Ugly Joe Williams were brought to justice.

He’d made sure he and Dusty stayed out of sight while they waited to see what the gang was going to do. He couldn’t have been more pleased when he saw Cale leave the saloon and head off down the street. He and Dusty had stayed back, watching the outlaw’s every move and then hid in an alley when Cale went into the stable. As soon as the outlaw emerged, the two of them started a ruckus that could not be missed.

When Cale started down the alley, Grant was ready. He staggered toward the outlaw, eyeing him in the dark of the alley.

“What are you doing?” Grant challenged. “Looking for trouble?”

Cale was used to dealing with drunks, so he wasn’t the least bit worried about being able to
hold his own with this one. “I’m always looking for trouble,” Cale said arrogantly, believing he was about to have himself a real good time.

“Well, you found it,” Grant announced as he looked up and aimed his gun straight at the other man.

The dim light in the alley glinted off a Texas Ranger badge and Cale knew he was in real trouble. He started to go for his gun, but another voice spoke out from behind the Ranger.

“Don’t even think about it—”

Cale thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he had no time to worry about that. He was desperately trying to figure out how to get away from the Ranger. He was furious with himself for going into the alley now, but he didn’t move, knowing he’d be dead in an instant if he tried to draw his gun.

“You’re under arrest, Pierce,” Grant told him. “Get down on the ground, facedown, and don’t try anything. I’m taking you in. Whether it’s dead or alive is your choice.”

Cale did as he’d been ordered. He wasn’t totally without hope, though, for he was sure Les and Ugly Joe would free him.

Grant didn’t trust the outlaw at all. He clubbed him with his gun, knocking him unconscious, and then quickly tied him up and gagged him. He checked Pierce’s pockets and found a key to a hotel room.

“Looks like this is where they’re staying,” he said, tossing the key to Dusty.

Dusty had been staying out of sight, armed with
her own gun, keeping lookout for Grant just in case the other two outlaws showed up. She deftly caught the key. “What are we going to do with him?”

“Watch him for a minute. I’m going to get the stable hand.”

“Do you think it’s safe to trust anyone in this town?” she worried.

“If the stable hand knows what’s good for him, he’ll help us,” Grant said, his expression grim. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Grant made his way into the deserted stable and knocked on the door to the small back room.

A sleepy-looking older man threw open the door and glared at Grant. “What do you—”

And then he saw the Ranger badge. His eyes widened.

“You’re a Ranger?”

“That’s right, and I need your help.”

“Anything—anything you need—” the man quickly agreed, knowing better than to defy a Ranger.

“I was hoping you’d see things that way. Come with me.” Grant started back out to the alley. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Gus.”

“I’m Ranger Spencer.”

They made their way to where Dusty was standing guard. Grant was pleased to see that Cale was still unconscious. He didn’t want any more trouble out of the outlaw.

“Help me carry him back to your room. I want you to keep him locked up for me until we come for him.”

“What did he do?” Gus looked from the tied-up man to the lawman.

“He’s part of the Jackson gang. We’re taking him in.”

“The Jackson gang?” Gus looked frightened. “They’re here in Flat Rock?”

“Not for much longer,” Grant assured him.

“I’m glad you’re here, Ranger Spencer. We’re not the most peaceful town around, but we don’t need their kind here. And who you got with you?”

“This is ‘the kid,’ ” he answered, offering no more.

“Oh—” Gus could tell the Ranger had said all he was going to say.

Grant lifted the outlaw by the shoulders while Gus took his feet.

“Go see if the street’s empty,” Grant ordered Dusty. He didn’t want Les or Ugly Joe to get wind of what was going on.

Dusty hurried ahead to check things out.

“It’s clear,” she called back quietly.

Grant and the stable hand quickly carried Cale into the stable and straight to the back room.

“Where do you want him?” Grant asked.

“Put him on the floor. He don’t deserve no better than that,” Gus answered. He’d heard how murderous the Jackson gang was, and he was going to make sure this man’s killing days were over. When the Ranger came back, the outlaw was going to be right where the lawman had left him.

Grant lowered Cale to the floor, then quickly checked his gag to make sure it was tight, as well as the ropes that bound his wrists and ankles.

“I appreciate your help,” he told Gus.

Gus nodded. “When are you coming back for him?”

“As soon as we bring down the other two,” Grant said, taking one last look at the outlaw and then leaving the room. “Make sure this room stays locked. I don’t want any surprises.”

“I will. You have my word on it.”

Grant and Dusty quickly left the stable, heading for the hotel.

“You did a good job back there,” Grant told her, impressed that she’d been steady and had shown no fear. “But it’s going to get worse from here on out, so be ready.”

“I will be.” Dusty had always thought Grant was smart, and after watching him in action, she knew he was a force to be reckoned with. If anyone was going to bring down Les Jackson, it would be Grant, and she was going to be right there with him. She was, after all, his partner now—he’d said so. “It looks like your friend Frank didn’t get here ahead of us.”

“I know. I’ve been wondering where he is. He’s a good man at tracking, and now I’m starting to get a little worried.”

“You think something might have happened to him?” She looked over at Grant as they moved slowly through the darkened streets of Flat Rock.

“I intend to find out.”

She heard the edge of tension in his voice and didn’t say anything more.

Grant stopped about a block away from the hotel
and drew Dusty back into the shadows of the deserted street to plan their next move.

“I’m going to take a look around the hotel. The way you climbed in my window back in Gold Canyon has given me an idea. I’m going to see if I can figure out a way to surprise each outlaw in his room. If we can do that, it’ll be a lot easier to take them.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Not right now. Just stay back here out of sight. I won’t be long.”

Dusty didn’t like the idea of Grant going off by himself. She was afraid someone might ambush him. She realized then as she watched him walk away that in spite of the anger she’d felt when he’d left her behind, she did love him. Accepting the truth of her feelings wasn’t easy, but she had to admit he was an honorable and strong man, and his motive for leaving her behind had been to protect her and keep her safe.

Dusty found herself actually smiling in the darkness. He’d said it. She was his “partner” now, and she liked the sound of that. She kept her hand resting on her sidearm, and as she awaited his return, she said a prayer for his safety.

Grant focused solely on what he had to do. Les and Ugly Joe were still on the loose, and he was going to put an end to their killing ways tonight. He moved down a side street and circled around behind the hotel. It frustrated him to discover that there was no covered porch on the back of the building, so he and Dusty wouldn’t be sneaking in through a window.

Grant went back to find Dusty. He knew what he had to do. They would go up to Cale’s room and wait for the other two to show up at the hotel. Then he would make his move. He couldn’t afford any mistakes when he was dealing with Les Jackson, not even if the man was drunk. Jackson’s reputation as a fast and deadly gun was well-known. Grant knew he had to be faster—and deadlier.

He was glad Dusty had listened to him. He found her right where he’d told her to stay.

“We’re not going to be climbing in any windows,” he told her. “There’s no way to get to the second floor.”

Dusty was disappointed, but knew they could figure something out. “I’m ready. Let’s get this over with.” She was looking forward to seeing Jackson pay for what he’d done.

Grant was tense and ready for action as he looked down at her. “So am I.”

It was late when Ugly Joe threw his poker hand down in the middle of the table in total disgust. He angrily pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. This was the first night he’d lost at gambling since arriving in Flat Rock.

“You quitting?” one of the men asked, disappointed. He’d liked taking the ugly stranger’s money.

“You’re damned right, I’m quitting. I’m done,” Ugly Joe snarled, staggering away.

“Don’t forget to come back tomorrow night—” the man joked, but he quickly shut up when Ugly Joe turned back and gave him a deadly look.

Ugly Joe glanced at Les, who was still sitting at the table. “You coming?”

“Yeah. I reckon it’s quitting time.” Les finished off his whiskey and got up, too.

“We’ll be back tomorrow. You boys be ready. We’re gonna win back what we lost tonight.”

“We’ll be right here,” the other gamblers assured them.

In the dark of Cale’s room, Grant and Dusty waited tensely for the other two outlaws to show up. When they’d come into the hotel, the clerk hadn’t been at the desk, so Dusty had quickly checked the sign-in book to see what rooms the outlaws were staying in. She’d had some practice sneaking a look at hotel registries, so Grant had known she was good at it.

They’d kept quiet once they’d reached Cale’s room, not wanting to miss the outlaws’ approach in the hallway. Before too long, they heard loud footsteps outside in the hall and the raucous sound of drunken laughter.

“There are some benefits to laying low like this,” Ugly Joe told Les as they reached the top of the stairs at the hotel.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Like sleeping in a real bed at night.”

“You’re right about that.”

“Too bad we ain’t got no willing women with us, but I guess we can’t have everything.”

“There’s a few over at the saloon who’d take care of you,” Les said. “For a price—”

They both laughed.

“Yeah, they’d do just about anything for the right price.”

“I wonder what happened to Cale?” Les looked toward the door to Cale’s room and saw no light coming from under the door.

“I’m sure we’ll find out in the morning.”

Ugly Joe stopped at his room.

“You got any plans for tomorrow?” he asked Les.

Les looked at him, his expression a bit dark. “Yeah, I got plans. I’m going to win my money back from those boys.”

“I like the way you think, Les. We’ll plan on that,” Ugly Joe said as he unlocked his own door and went in.

Les went on to his room at the far end of the hall.

Ugly Joe stumbled inside. He usually wouldn’t have worried about keeping the door locked, but the gang had split up the haul from the stage robbery, and there was no way to keep all that money on him all the time.

Lurching drunkenly about the room, he managed to shut and lock the door behind him. He went to light the lamp and left it burning low as he sat down on the bed to take off his boots. He wasn’t even worried about getting out of his clothes tonight. He just wanted to lie down and pass out. Ugly Joe stood up for a minute to unbuckle his gun belt, and after tossing it on the table at one side of the room, he stretched out on the bed. He thought about getting back up and putting out the lamp, but thought it would take too much energy. He closed his eyes, ready to relax.

When Grant heard Les and Ugly Joe in the hall, he knew he’d made the right decision about waiting in Cale’s room for the outlaws’ return. He hadn’t expected both of them to show up at the same time. Had he and Dusty been waiting in Les’s or
Ugly Joe’s room to take one of them by surprise, they would have had to deal with both men together.

Grant went to Dusty.

“Ugly Joe’s in the room next door, so here’s what we’re going to do—” he began in a whisper, then went on to explain his quickly conceived plan.

Her eyes widened at the brilliance of his idea, especially after what they’d just overheard the outlaws saying in the hallway.

“How soon?”

“We’ll give it a few more minutes and let them get settled in.”

She nodded, more than ready to take action.

Ugly Joe was just about to fall asleep when he heard a soft knock at the door.

“Yeah? Who is it?” he mumbled, thinking it was probably Les and wondering what the other man wanted.

Ugly Joe was surprised when a low, enticing feminine voice came to him through the door.

“Hey, handsome, I got some room service for you—Les told me I should take real good care of you—”

Ugly Joe couldn’t imagine how Les had gotten back to the saloon fast enough to send one of the girls to him, but he wasn’t going to question his luck.

He sat up and slowly got to his feet.

“Hold on, honey—Don’t go nowhere—” he called out in a slurred voice. “I’m coming—”

He unlocked the door and opened it, only to get the shock of his life.

He was expecting a scantily dressed saloon girl, ready to meet his needs.

Instead, he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

“What the—?”

Ugly Joe was so stunned, he stood unmoving for a second, and his slight hesitation gave Grant just the opportunity he needed. In one move, Grant stepped boldly into the room. He’d hoped to be able to take down Ugly Joe as easily as he’d gotten Cale, but he wasn’t so lucky. The outlaw tackled him, and they grappled together on the floor.

Dusty knew that any undue disturbance would bring Les running from down the hall, so she quickly came inside, and shut and locked the door behind her.

The fight was a fierce one. Desperate to escape, Ugly Joe gave no thought to anything but survival.

Dusty knew Grant could handle him, but she wanted to help. This was one of the men who’d killed her father. She holstered her gun and ran to the washstand. She grabbed up the pitcher, then turned back to the fight. The first chance she got, she smashed the pitcher over the outlaw’s head. The pitcher shattered, and she watched in satisfaction as Ugly Joe collapsed, unconscious and bleeding.

Grant quickly knelt beside the outlaw and rolled him over.

“How is he?” Dusty asked, drawing her gun again. She wanted to be ready, just in case.

“He’s out,” Grant said in disgust.

“Good.”

He got to his feet and looked at Dusty. “You’re pretty handy with a pitcher.”

“Thanks.” She felt confident as she stared down at Ugly Joe where he lay bloodied on the hotel room floor. The thought came to her then that her father would have been proud of her. Tears threatened, but she forced the painful emotion from her. There was no time for that now. They had another outlaw to bring in.

Grant quickly tied up Ugly Joe with a length of rope he’d brought along. He gagged the outlaw, too.

So far, so good.

While Grant was tying up the outlaw, Dusty swept away the broken pieces of pitcher and checked Ugly Joe’s gear to make sure there were no knives or other sharp objects that he might be able to reach if he regained consciousness while they went after Les. She remembered her own efforts with the sharp rock back at the gang’s campsite. She wasn’t going to give him any chance to break loose and escape. She quickly unloaded his rifle and then went to get the outlaw’s revolver. She stuck it in her waistband, just in case she needed an extra gun.

Ready for more trouble, Dusty looked toward Grant as he finished with Ugly Joe. He looked so rugged and so in control. She wanted to go to him and hug him. She wanted to stay in the safe haven of his arms, but she knew better.

There was no time for any emotion right now.

They were about to face down Les Jackson.

Grant was unaware of her thoughts. He was only concerned with acting quickly enough to catch Jackson off guard.

“We need to move fast. I don’t think anybody heard us,” Grant said, “but I don’t want to take any chances.”

The final moment had now come in what seemed like his endless pursuit of the killers.

He wanted Les Jackson, and he was going to get him.

Grant saw no need for subtlety in dealing with the cold-blooded killer. They knew Les was in his room, and with any luck, he’d passed out by now. His time of running free was about to come to an end.

“There’s no playing with Jackson,” he told Dusty. “I’m going to kick the door in and go right after him.”

“What do you want me to do?” she asked, ready to back him up.

“Just stay down and watch the hallway.”

“I can do that,” she assured him.

Grant saw the fierceness in her expression and knew she was ready for whatever might come their way. A part of him wanted to kiss her right then, but he controlled the urge. There could be only one thing on his mind right now, and that was getting Jackson.

“Let’s go.”

Dusty followed Grant from Ugly Joe’s room, and she was relieved to find it was quiet in the hall. No
one had been disturbed by the fight with Ugly Joe. They moved silently down the hall to the room they knew was Jackson’s.

They both drew their guns, and Grant’s gaze met Dusty’s one last time for a long moment. Then he kicked the door with all his might and threw himself into the room, tumbling down low.

Drunk as he was, Les hadn’t even bothered to light the lamp. He’d just stretched out on his bed fully clothed and had gone sound asleep. The sound of the door crashing open brought him instantly awake and upright in the bed. He went for his gun and started blindly firing rounds in the darkness.

Grant had been ready for him. Though the only light in the room was from the dim light of the hall, Grant came to his knees and got off a shot at Les that found its mark. He heard Les scream and fall off the bed on the far side. Grant didn’t know if he’d killed the outlaw leader, so he moved silently closer to check. He found Les unmoving on the floor and reached down to grab the gun that had fallen from the outlaw’s grip.

Dusty was a little frightened by all the gunfire, and people were coming out into the hall, looking around. “Is it all right, Grant?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered tightly. He quickly lit the lamp on the table and went to the doorway. He stepped into the hall, his gun and Jackson’s still in hand, so everyone could see his badge. “I’m a Texas Ranger. Go on back to your rooms.”

Everyone hurried to do just as he’d ordered.

Grant left the door open so he could keep track
of what was going on in the hall. He told Dusty to stay by the door and then went to the far side of the bed to check Jackson more carefully. He wasn’t sure if he’d killed him or if the outlaw was just unconscious. When he rolled the injured man over, Jackson groaned. Grant dragged him out from behind the bed to check his wound. It was a chest wound, and bleeding heavily. Grant could tell the wound was serious.

“He’s alive?” Dusty asked, coming to stand by him.

“For now. Let’s get him on the bed.”

The two of them lifted the outlaw and laid him on the bed. Grant took the blanket and used it to try to stop the bleeding.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” Dusty wondered as she went back to guarding the door.

“I don’t know.”

Les was conscious, but he didn’t want the Ranger to know that. He’d been shot before, but never like this. He knew he was dying, and he didn’t have long.

Les had managed to open one eye just enough to catch sight of the Ranger’s badge, and it infuriated him. He’d recognized Dusty’s voice when they’d spoken to each other, and his anger at being outsmarted grew. He had to get even—somehow.

Les knew then what he was going to do. If he was going to die, he was going to take one of them with him. He still had his single-shot derringer in his pocket, and since he didn’t have long to live, he was going to use it now.

When Grant turned away to get a towel from the washstand, Les knew it was his only chance to exact his revenge. He drew the gun and rolled slightly to get a shot off at Dusty, who was standing by the door.

Grant had caught sight of a movement on the bed and turned just as Les was getting ready to fire.

“Dusty! Look out!”

Grant threw himself at her to shove her out of the way just as Les got off his one and only shot. The bullet winged Grant’s upper arm, but it didn’t stop him. He drew his own gun and fired, killing the outlaw instantly.

“Grant!” Dusty saw that he’d been hit and rushed to him.

Grant sat up and looked to her. “Are you all right? You weren’t hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. You saved me,” she said, kneeling by his side to check his arm.

Grant looked over at his wound and knew it wasn’t serious.

Dusty pulled out her own handkerchief and bound his arm. “That should hold it until we have time to clean it properly.”

They both stood up, and in that instant, Dusty couldn’t help herself. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, burying her face against his chest as her tears began to fall.

“Thank God, it wasn’t serious—” She could feel the tension in him as she held him close.

He held her for a moment, then gently took her arms from around him. He looked down at her, his
expression grave as he realized how close Jackson had come to shooting her. “You could have been killed.”

“No. Not with you here,” she said, remembering Francie calling him her guardian angel. She lifted one hand to caress his cheek, knowing just how deep her love for him was.

Grant gave her another gentle hug and then put her from him. There was a lot he had to say to her, but this was not the time or the place.

He turned to look at Jackson where he lay dead on the bed. Even on his death bed, the man had thought only of killing. The realization sickened Grant and he turned away.

“We’ve got a lot to accomplish tonight. I’ll take Ugly Joe down to the stable while you go get the undertaker. There’s no law here in Flat Rock, so after we finish taking care of Jackson, we’ll take the other two back to Gold Canyon and turn them over to the sheriff there.”

Dusty knew it was going to be a difficult trip, but they’d do it. “How soon do you want to leave?”

“At dawn.”