by Three Men
“I’m not sure, just that…” A sudden blinding flash of pain attacked the back of Troy’s head. He felt almost as if he had been shot. He closed his eyes against the pain and bent forward on his horse, gasping for breath.
“Troy, what’s the matter?”
He shook his head, unable to speak, unsure if, when he did, James would believe him. He pulled his horse to a stop, and felt James do the same beside him. He took several long moments to catch his breath, still reeling with pain and the vision he had witnessed.
He opened his eyes to see James’ anxious expression and shook his head. “It’s not over.”
“What’s not over?”
“Chris is in trouble.” He didn’t know how or why he knew, but he knew something had happened, was happening, to the kid as surely as he could shift to wolf. “We need to hurry.” Troy spurred his horse into a gallop.
Wordlessly, James followed suit. Troy could hear the hoof beats of James’ horse dogging Troy’s horse’s heels. He remained glad he didn’t have to waste time explaining any more than necessary when time proved of the utmost importance.
Troy saw the felled bodies behind the barn, and his heart tripped.
“Oh, Lord, no!” James saw them too and brought his horse to a stop before leaping off and running to Lucy and Caesar at the large oak.
Troy got off his horse before the animal fully stopped, running behind James and skidding to a stop just beside him. He watched as James bent to untie Lucy’s bindings.
Troy made himself useful tending to Caesar, who slowly came around at his prompting.
“Lordy, is he all right?” Lucy asked, ringing her hands.
Troy helped Caesar to his feet, and held on as the man steadied himself against the tree.
Lucy stood on the other side of him and wrapped an arm around her husband’s waist.
“I’ll be all right. Don’t worry about me none,” Caesar assured them. “It’s that boy you need to worry about.”
“Chris? Where’d he get off to?” Troy asked. The heart in his throat clogged it so much he was surprised he could get the words out.
Lucy handed over a folded piece of paper, wiping tears from her eyes with her free hand as Troy took it.
He unfolded the paper and quickly read, the words running together as his vision blurred with apprehension.
“Some young lady came out here in a wagon, threatened us all with a gun, and had Caesar tie Chris to the buckboard. Strangest thing, Chris seemed to know her. He called her—”
“Hannah,” Troy rasped when he got to the signature at the end of the note.
“The young dancehall girl from your saloon?” James asked.
Troy nodded, handing the note over to James. “She wants both of us to come out to the cove.” He looked at James as James read the note, and when James looked up at him with the same confused look that Troy knew he wore, Troy said what was on both their minds.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” James turned to Lucy and Caesar, forehead creased with concern. “You two going to be all right?”
“We’re right as rain,” Lucy quickly assured him. “You two hurry on now and get that boy back. I don’t trust that little hussy far as I can throw her not to hurt him. She was a mean little thing. Mean as a rattler.”
The description seemed so far removed from the Hannah that Troy knew, so far removed from the young waif he had taken in and given a job to two years ago, that it made his head spin with disbelief.
Hannah couldn’t have been much older than Chris.
What made her such a heartless criminal? What made a young thing like that resort to kidnapping and violence, and why strike against the three of them? Troy had been nothing but kind to her since he’d met her, had only tried his best to help her because he knew what it was like to be alone in the world. What beef could she possibly have with him, Chris, or James?
Rather than dwell on the why, he concentrated on locating Chris, concentrated on connecting with the link that had been established at the point when Troy felt the pain in his head. He tried to home in on that link and found it non-existent. It was as if a light had been snuffed out.
He swallowed hard when he remembered how intense, how blinding the pain had been.
Christ, he hoped Hannah hadn’t shot Chris or worse. Troy couldn’t countenance a world without that kid in it. He didn’t want to exist in one without Chris.
Except there remained James, and Troy did love both the younger and older man dearly.
He looked at James and saw his fear hovering just under the surface, but like Troy, he tried to keep it at bay—for Chris.
It still didn’t stop James from rushing off to mount his horse as soon as he finished reading the note and pocketing it.
“Where are you going?”
“To find them.”
“Not so fast.” Troy approached James’ horse and grabbed the reins with one hand as he pet the animal’s head with his other. “We need to devise a plan before we run off half-cocked.”
He watched James close his eyes and take a deep breath. Several moments later, he opened his eyes to look at Troy and nodded.
“You’re right, so what do you suggest?”
Troy smiled, for the first time in a long while feeling in control, like he could finally contribute to something with his God-given scenting and tracking skills that didn’t only involve killing and maiming another human.
He moved closer to James as James leaned forward. “Here’s what we’re going to do…”
* * * *
“Finally decided to rejoin the living, sleepy head?”
Sleepy head? He hadn’t fallen asleep. He’d been knocked out cold thanks to Hannah.
Chris struggled to a sitting position, using the tree at his back for leverage. Once he got his bearings, he blinked to bring his kidnapper into focus, the glaring light from Hannah’s campfire keeping his vision blurry.
“Didn’t expect you to stay out so long.”
“You hit me pretty hard.”
“Sorry, don’t know my own strength, I reckon.”
Chris grimaced at her sarcastic tone. “I reckon not.”
“Glad you woke up to join the party as I reckon your friends will be here directly.”
“How long was I out?”
“Couple of hours.”
He wondered what she had been doing all that time to occupy herself and felt suddenly dirty and defenseless despite the fact he was awake now. Two hours unconscious in the presence of someone who meant him no good left a body feeling decidedly exposed.
“Thirsty?” Hannah held a tin cup full of cool water to his lips, and Chris gratefully ducked his head and took his fill without even thinking about what might be in it besides water before he pulled back to glare at her.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“I’m not being nice, just protecting my investment. For the time being, anyway. We wouldn’t want James and Troy to think I’ve been mistreating you.”
“Do you really care what they think?”
“I care more than other people seem to.”
Chris frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What it means, my dear perverted boy, is that had you been paying attention to who and what you were getting mixed up with, maybe you wouldn’t be in the predicament you’re in.”
“Are you talking about my relationship with James and Troy?”
“Blasphemous is what it is, just plain against nature.”
“And I suppose what you’re doing is okay in God’s eyes?”
Hannah pulled a big, shiny hunting knife out of her boot, and Chris tensed, pressing himself back against the tree as if to become one with it and escape Hannah’s notice.
He really needed to cut back on the bravado when he was tied up and at the practical mercy of someone so obviously off her mental reservation.
Hannah stared at the ground intently, using the tip of her knife
to gouge deep grooves in the dirt between her legs for several silent moments.
Chris waited for her to come at him and cut his throat for being such a smart aleck.
Instead, she raised her head to look him directly in the eyes, the fire beside her casting an unnatural glow across her face. Her hazel eyes glimmered like the fire and sent a chill down Chris’ spine. She raised her knife to point at him.
“I really don’t have anything against you, you know—not you or Troy. He’s been good to me. He has. Sometimes he even reminds me of my brothers the way he likes to take care of people and make sure they’re okay. Protective like, you know what I mean?”
Chris silently nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. He had been the recipient of Troy’s care and concern since he’d landed in Wolf Creek several days ago. He also knew the best thing for him to do was to keep Hannah talking about herself and her life. Maybe then she’d forget about him for a while and what she had planned for him, Troy, and James. Maybe, if he kept her talking long enough, he could find out what those plans were. He had to get her to reveal herself, because if he got out of this alive, he wanted to be able to give James and Troy as much information about Hannah as possible, anything that would help them all make sense of this.
So if she didn’t have anything against him and Troy that left…James?
She satisfied his curiosity with her next words. “It’s that colored marshal, it is. He’s the one I’m after. He’s the one that really deserves to be punished.”
Chris winced at the ugly way she said the word, wondered how James dealt with her sort of attitude and hatred every day of his life as Chris knew he had.
“You don’t like me maligning your precious lawman, do you?”
“What has he ever done to you to deserve your judgment?”
“He took the best things in my life away from me!”
Chris flinched as she lunged forward, waving the knife right under his nose.
Whoa, easy now, pardner.
He waited in silence while Hannah settled back on her heels, simultaneously slipping the knife back in her boot. She took several deep breaths as if to get a hold of her emotions.
“I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s just that I get so all-fired angry when I think about that high-and-mighty lawman and what he’s taken from me.”
“What…what did he take from you?”
“My brothers, Connor and Court. He’s got them rotting in some jail cell. Where they don’t belong, I might add.”
Oh, boy, he had to tread carefully with his next words. How did he ask what her brothers had done without sounding accusatory or making it seem that her brothers deserved whatever James had seen fit to do to them? He knew James would never have arrested anyone who didn’t deserve it.
“What did James claim they did?”
“The marshal claims they’re outlaws. They ain’t hardly no such thing. They’re just family men trying to provide for the ones they care about is all. They did what they had to do, and the marshal arrested them for it.”
Just like he thought, the girl wouldn’t see the truth of things, too blinded by the idea of her noble brothers suffering at the hands of the law unjustly. It wouldn’t matter what Chris said to her now. She had her mind made up, and he remained sure her brothers were probably more than a little responsible for her determination.
He had to try to get to her, though.
“Your brothers older or younger?”
“They’re both older. They left home to make a way for me and our mama, make sure we had enough to live comfortable-like.”
Chris reckoned he knew how Connor and Court had made a way for their sister and mama. They’d probably done what so many other young men who didn’t follow the cowboy and mining paths did. They’d resorted to easy money, robbing and stealing. He’d seen it over and over since he’d come out West. Connor and Court’s kind was the exact kind—out for a quick fortune, no matter what they had to do to get it—who kept James and his kind in business.
He cleared his throat before saying, “I reckon you would miss them.”
“Something terrible. They’re my only family left now after my mama died. And it’s your marshal’s fault! She died of a broken heart, she did. Died grieving my brothers’ imprisonment.”
God, this was getting out of hand. Seemed no matter what he said or did, he set the girl off. Chris had to get out of the—
He caught movement from the corner of his eye, something in the shadows.
Hannah peered into the darkness beyond Chris’ right shoulder.
Had she caught it, too?
She quickly bounded to her feet and dusted off her trousers. “Enough dilly-dallying. We need to get ready for our guests.”
“I reckon you’re right.”
Chris released the breath he had been holding. He never thought he’d be so happy to hear anyone’s voice in the whole world as he was right then when James stepped out of the darkness to his right with his hands raised.
That didn’t explain the movement he’d caught on his left, however. He didn’t think even James could move that fast.
Troy!
Chris’ heart pounded as James slowly approached Hannah.
“That’s far enough, marshal.”
James stopped when Hannah moved to Chris’ side and held her gun just under his chin.
God, she was fast, as fast with the gun as she seemed with the knife.
He knew her threatening him wouldn’t stop James, though. He knew that James had more up his sleeve than met the eye. He had Troy lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to take Hannah down.
“Why don’t you just put the gun down so we can talk about this?’
“You mean so you can arrest me like you arrested my brothers.”
“Your brothers?”
“Connor and Court?” Hannah raised a brow and waved her gun at James with impatience. “Oh, come on now, marshal. I know you heard it all. You know why I’ve brought you here.”
“And you know I was only doing my job. The job the people of this territory and Judge Parker hired me to do.”
“You weren’t hired to arrest God-fearing men and good providers like my brothers.”
James nodded. “I’m sure they were only doing what they felt they needed to do.”
“Damn right.”
“As was I.”
“Don’t think you and your fancy talk is going to get you and your boy out of this. It’s just your tough luck, I reckon, that you arrested the wrong two men. And I’m aiming to get my revenge.”
“Before you do that, why don’t you let the young’un go? He doesn’t have anything to do with this, now does he?”
“That’s for certain. It’s you I want.”
“And you’ve got me.” James spread his arms wide as if offering himself up for whatever retribution Hannah had planned for him.
Chris heard the growl before he saw Troy.
He gasped at the sight of the large gray wolf stalking toward them out of the forest.
Hannah whirled at the noise, gun raised in the wolf’s direction.
Troy prowled forward.
Hannah began squeezing the trigger.
“No!” Chris flung himself forward, his shoulder bumping into Hannah’s leg and knocking her off-balance.
As payback, Hannah managed to clip him on the side of the head with the butt of her gun when she went down on one knee.
Troy howled, the sound rumbling up from deep in his throat as Chris collapsed, dazed.
Hannah grabbed Chris around the scruff of the neck and pushed the barrel of her gun against his temple where she’d hit him.
“Let him go, Hannah. You don’t have to do this.”
Chris didn’t know how James remained so calm and realized when he looked into the marshal’s eyes, even through his blurred vision, that James wasn’t calm at all. In fact, he looked terrified, not like he had been when Hannah’s
brother had held Nellie hostage the same way Hannah held Chris hostage.
“Well now, I reckon I do.” Hannah’s grip tightened around the collar of his shirt until she almost choked him. Troy growled again, and she dragged Chris with her toward the fire as James and Troy slowly flanked her.
“You two abominations need to keep your distance, or I promise you both I’m going to fill him full of lead.”
“I don’t think you will, honey. You would have done it by now,” James said, and Chris saw the slight tremor of his hands despite how steady his voice had sounded.
“I’m not your honey.” Hannah gritted her teeth and pressed the muzzle of her gun harder against Chris’ head. “Stay back.”
Chris winced, more from the thought of Hannah turning her gun on James or Troy and shooting them rather than from any physical pain the gun muzzle caused.
“I’m staying back.”
“And call your animal off.”
Chris knew Troy understood every word Hannah said and obviously chose not to listen, for when James glanced over Hannah’s shoulder, his eyes widened and he shook his head ever so slightly.
Hannah didn’t have time to react before Troy took a flying leap forward and clamped his teeth down on her wrist.
She screamed and dropped the gun, furiously beating against the wolf’s large head with her free hand.
Chris scrambled back on his hands and heels, gulping down air as James picked him up and carried him out of the line of fire.
Hannah went for the knife in her boot, raising it overhead and quickly plunging the blade into the back of Troy’s shoulder. Troy yelped but instantly clamped his jaws back down on Hannah’s wrist with renewed vigor and strength.
Hannah shrieked and raised the knife for another attack, but a shot rang out before she could thrust the knife again.
Troy released his hold the same second that Hannah flew back, a red splotch darkening and quickly spreading across shirtfront.
The wolf moved haltingly, lurching over to where Chris and James sat. He nudged the top of his head against James’ hand and whimpered.
