The Fall of Rome (24 page)

She heard Rome plotting with his brother and Seth, though she couldn’t make out their words. The anticipation was unbearable. Fingers trembling, she reloaded. She wasn’t convinced the assailant wasn’t Brady. Maybe his men lay in waiting.

“That rifle won’t do you any good, Garrett,” the shooter called, breaking his silence and sending a chill through Kat. Not Brady. But a gang member, maybe? Obviously someone who knew Rome and held a grudge against Seth. “I’ve got the advantage all the way around, Wells Fargo man.”

“That you, McCree?” Rome bellowed.

“You should have dealt with me last night face to face when you had the chance, you son of a bitch!”

Kat’s skin prickled with dread. She didn’t know any McCree, but she knew this wasn’t good.

“Why’d you shoot my associate, instead of me?” Rome asked. “Like you said, you have the advantage.”

“‘Cuz he broke my fuckin’ nose!”

“Guess I should’ve done worse,” Seth grumbled.

“Hell’s fire, Wright,” Rome said in a teasing tone. ”Didn’t you know Butch is fussy about his pretty face?”

Kat’s temper rivaled her fear. How could they joke? Seth could be bleeding to death. Any one of them could be next.

“You hangin’ in over there, sugar?” Rome called from his position.

The endearment at this particular time was not appreciated. On the other hand, his casual manner smacked of confidence, and she surely took solace in that. “Happy as a flea in a doghouse,” she grumbled.

Someone laughed. Someone closer to her than Rome. Seth, she thought. “Just listen for my cue, Kat, then empty your bullets into that rock.” Definitely Seth.

She wished she could see him, any of them, but she was hunkered down behind a small boulder with cacti, brush, and rocks obscuring all but the road they’d traveled and the opposing higher ground. One wrong move and she risked getting shot by that maniac, Butch McCree.

“I suffered unspeakable injustice in that prison, Garrett. Swore if I ever met up with you and your brother, I’d settle the score!”

“Probably noticed, Boston isn’t with me, McCree. Why don’t we postpone this party until he can face the music with me?”

Kat noticed a slight difference in Rome’s voice. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Was he nervous? She’d never heard him rattled, so maybe that would account for the picayune variance. At the same time she noted movement behind her. A blur. She thought she caught a glimpse of a brown frock coat. Athens? What the devil was he doing?

McCree noticed, too. Bullets ricocheted off the rocky wall to her back. She heard a yip, and her gut roiled thinking he’d winged Athens or worse. She turned, but the gentler Garrett brother was nowhere to be seen.

“Your friend’s a damned coward, Garrett. Ran off and left you with a wounded man and a useless woman!”

“Only half-right, you bastard,” Kat said to herself. She cocked her gun and aimed. If she saw a clean shot, maybe she could at least nick him.

Rome yelled out a disparaging remark about McCree’s mother, instigating a verbal row.

Kat was no prude. She was used to Rome’s foul language, but he stunned her with a string of lewd insults. Had he gone
loco?
Seth was wounded. Maybe his brother, too. She pondered taking action herself and squirming over to help Seth. Did Rome plan to
talk
McCree to death?

Just then Seth said, “Now,” and she did as directed and let loose. She fired shot after shot, and when the chambers emptied, she reloaded. Her ears rang from the exchange of fire. She wasn’t sure if she was hitting anything, but apparently Seth and Rome were making good use of those long-range rifles. Rock shattered and rained down on Butch McCree.

She prayed with all her might for one of their bullets to hit home. She ran out of ammunition and noticed suddenly the absence of gunfire. She heard a shrill whistle, saw a hat waving in surrender. Saw a man--Athens?--haul a limp McCree from his hiding place. She couldn’t believe it.
“Athens?”

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, gun pointed.

“Whoa.” Athens held up his hands. “Just wanted to make sure you’re all right, Kat.”

She blinked. “How did you ... Weren’t you . .She looked at the teakettle ridge and back. Athens was wearing Rome’s duster and Stetson. So that meant Rome . . . “But I heard Rome shouting at McCree.”

“That was me.”

“But you sounded like him.”
Almost like him.
“And talked like him.”
Exactly like him
.

“Inherited a gift for acting, remember?”

“But I’ve never heard you talk like that before. So ...”

“Earthy?” He sleeved sweat from his brow. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have earthy thoughts.”

Kat was stunned.

“Seth’s hurt bad,” he said. That got her moving. She scrambled alongside him, her heart lodging in her throat when she saw the lawman propped against a boulder, the rifle at his side, his shirt soaked through with blood. “Jesus.”

“Looks worse than it is,” he said, head lulling.

“You’ve gone sheet white, Seth.” She pointed to his poor dead horse, fearing the owner was close on his steed’s heaven-bound hooves. “See what you can find in those saddlebags, Athens. Something we can use to bandage the wound. We need to stop the bleeding.”

She ripped Seth’s shirt to get a better look. So much blood. She heard the sound of an approaching horse, Rome’s voice. “I should’ve killed the bastard, but considering McCree’s view on jail, knocking him out instead seemed the sweeter payback. He’s gonna be pissed as hell when he comes to behind bars.”

Kat looked over her shoulder and saw Rome dismounting, leaving an unconscious McCree draped over the saddle. “Seth’s in a bad way, Rome.”

“The hell you say.” He neared and crouched next to the pale, sweating man. “Damn, Wright.”

Seth licked dry lips. “Did it go through?”

Rome shifted him slightly, inspected his back. “No.” He glanced at Kat, then Athens, who passed over one folded shirt, then ripped another into strips. “This bullet’s got to come out.”

Kat felt ill. “How do we--”

“Best to get professional help.” Rome applied pressure while Kat wrapped and tied off the bandage. “There’s a town, Fulton, just through this pass and an hour east. Can you make it that far, Seth?”

The man grunted. “Screw you, Golden Boy.”

Rome’s lip twitched. “Right. You’re a tough son of a bitch.”

“Got something worth living for.”

Emily
, Kat thought, heart sinking.

“How did McCree get the jump on us?” Seth asked. “Don’t know,” Rome said. “Didn’t ask.”

The miscreant groaned, and Athens glanced over at the bound man. “What are we going to do with that piece of dung?”

“Leave the goddamned horse killer for the coyotes,” Seth said though clenched teeth.

Fond of his own horse, Rome commiserated, only he didn’t want to risk the chance of McCree somehow escaping. He looked to Athens. “
Or
you turn him into the authorities in Fulton.”

“You mean
we
.”

Rome shook his head. “Kat and I need to press on to Phoenix. Boston and Frankie should be there by now.”

“Unless Brady caught up to them first,” Kat said, throat tight.

“He didn’t,” Rome said in a tone that brooked no argument. “But there’s a chance he’s hot on their tail.”

“He’s right,” said Seth to Athens. “Time’s ticking.”

In more ways than one
, Kat thought, hoping Seth was as tough as he professed.

“Dammit, Rome.”

“I didn’t plan this, Athens.”

“Fate,” the PMA director griped, “is not my friend.” Kat didn’t know what he was talking about. She didn’t ask. She was too busy helping Rome haul Seth to his feet.

“You’ll have to double with me for a spell, Kat,” Rome said as they maneuvered the weakening lawman onto her mount.

She didn’t comment. She didn’t care. What mattered was that Athens got Seth to a doctor and that she and Rome rode hell-bent for Phoenix.

“Not a word to Emily,” Seth grit out as the others saddled up. “If either of you wire London, leave off mention of me. I don’t want her to worry.”

“Just get yourself stitched up,” Rome said, hauling Kat up behind him, “and get your asses home.” He reined in close to his brother. “Never thought I’d feel comfortable partnering with anyone aside from Boston. You just shot that notion to hell. My brother, the Peacemaker.”

Kat swallowed hard as the two brother gripped hands.

“We’ll catch up soon as we can,” said Athens. “Do whatever you have to do to keep Frankie and the family safe, Rome.”

He tugged down the brim of his hat. “Whatever it takes.”

Kat held tight to Rome as he spurred his mustang north. The last time she’d ridden double with him, they’d been young and selfish and in love with the idea of one another. Now there were no more illusions. And without Athens and Seth, no backup. Just the two of them against a man they both hated. Just the two of them fighting to keep the Garrett family and a little girl safe. Question was, when the smoke cleared, would Rome embrace the future Kat had her heart set on? Would he embrace Frankie?

Overwhelmed, she rested her forehead against his shoulder. So much for not feeling.

Phoenix

“You go now,” whispered Mrs. Chen. “She sleep. I watch.” London had spent the morning holding his wife in his arms, assuring her that she was not to blame for Tori Adams’s death. A sensitive soul, Victoria blamed herself for what she perceived as a moment within her control. London argued otherwise. Sensing his wife was logical and grounded, he had faith she’d come to terms. Acknowledging and accepting the tragedy was the only way she could move on.

It took him a while, but he finally convinced her to take the medicine the doctor had prescribed two days prior. Something to calm her. She’d barely recovered from the influenza. She hadn’t slept the night before. She’d experienced a life-altering morning. No wonder she was exceptionally fragile.

Now she slept, and Mrs. Chen was right, he needed to go. He needed to update his family on her well-being, as well as their relationship. He’d promised to meet them at Athens’s house. That had been three hours ago. He could almost hear Paris fretting even though she was halfway across town.

He stole a last look at his sleeping bride before shrugging on a frock coat and finger combing his hair. “I appreciate your kindness, Mrs. Chen. I won’t be long, but if you need me sooner, I’ll be at my brother’s.”

The petite woman responded by shoving him out the door.

That coaxed a smile out of him, as did thoughts of the future. His future with Victoria.

Focused on squaring things with his family, London hurried down the stairs and outdoors. He’d sent Teddy home the moment he’d shown up for work and closed the saloon for the day. On a flexible schedule, Parker came and went as needed. He was always a step ahead and typically knew London’s mind. London had half-expected the man to show up at dawn, magically anticipating London’s need of facilitating a quick wedding. So far today, no Parker.

The afternoon sun burned off remnants of last night’s storm. The town buzzed with activity. Citizens, some on horseback, some afoot, greeted him as he made his way to Washington Street. Aside from the casual “
How do you do
” he fielded “
Congratulations
” and “
Is it true?
” Word of his nuptials had already spread. He hastened his steps.

Athens’s home stood on the outskirts of town. Utilizing shortcuts, he’d easily walk the distance in under quarter of an hour. He jogged onto Central Street and plowed into Parker. The collision knocked the assistant’s spectacles askew and shocked London. “Hell’s fire, man. What happened to sneaking up on me?”

Parker passed him a telegram.

B ON WAY TO PHOENIX WITH PRECIOUS CARGO. SNAKE IN PURSUIT. SOUTHERN PLAYERS FOLLOWING. NEED BACK-UP CHORUS. ENLIST LOCAL STAR. SHOWTIME. - S. WRIGHT

London read the note a second time before commenting. Last he’d known, Boston was at San Fernando. Was the
precious cargo
a nun? More likely he had Kat in tow--precious to Brady, the
snake
.
Southern players
being Seth, Athens, and Rome. Only how had Kat ended up with Boston and not Rome?
Local Star
being the local badge, Marshal Clancy.
The chorus
, his deputies. Details were murky. One thing was clear. Trouble was coming to Phoenix. But when? “This just came in?”

“I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I kept stopping by the telegraph office. Nothing. Nothing. Then this.” He jerked off his hat, jabbed his fingers through his short, fair hair, then slapped the hat onto the back of his head. “The message actually came over several hours ago. There was a mix-up. As this news is of a sensitive nature, I didn’t make a fuss, but oh, how I wanted to strangle the new telegraph operator.”

“Discretion was indeed wise, Mr. Parker. Let’s practice some now, shall we?” He tugged the man into a deserted alley, needing privacy to corral his own thoughts.

“I apologize, sir,” Parker said at a lower volume. “I’m perplexed and concerned. Why would Boston lead Bulls- Eye Brady and his gang to Phoenix? Zach and Zoe are here. Miss Kaila.”

Victoria.

“I worry about the safety of all good citizens, of course, but I have grown especially fond of the Garrett children. I despise the thought of them being exposed to a gang of murdering outlaws.”

“As do I.”

“But, selfishly, I am also eager to face and thwart the Ace-in-the-Hole gang.” He hitched back his coat allowing London a glimpse of a pearl-handled six-shooter. “Instead of going into the field, the action is coming to me.”

The same action London had craved only a few days before. Only his yearnings had taken a detour the minute Victoria walked into his life. Still and all, he couldn’t shake that word
serendipity
, and he couldn’t ignore the drive to protect those he loved.

He gestured to Parker’s holstered gun. “Know how to use that piece?”

“Practice every day, sir. At the risk of sounding boastful, I always hit my mark.”

“Glad to hear it, Mr. Parker, because as of now you’re on active duty.”