by Bobbi Smith
They were too angry right then to realize the truth of his words. They thought only of his betrayal.
"The Kid'll want to know why you gave up the woman so easy."
Slade turned a deadly look on them. "The Kid'll thank me for saving your worthless, stupid necks!"
They fell silent.
Once things were under control, Rob came riding down from where he'd been keeping a gun on them. Alyssa ran out to meet him.
"Thank you! You saved my life!" she told him tearfully.
"I'm just glad I got here in time. Are you all right?" he asked worriedly as he dismounted before her.
"Yes ...I'm fine." She tried to sound convincing, refusing to show how scared she'd really been. It had unnerved her to discover that no matter how hard she'd fought, she'd been unable to free herself from Slade's commanding hold.
"Good." He was thrilled to see that except for being a little bruised and dirty, she was unharmed. He wanted to hold her and reassure her, but he held himself back, unsure how she would react to him if he did. He glanced over to where Clemans and Brown were holding the three prisoners at gunpoint.
"What do you want me to do with them, Sheriff?"
Rob smiled. It was a cold, conqueror's smile. "I want them to be real comfortable the rest of the night. Handcuff all three of them together, back-to-back. Even if they try to run, they won't get far that way. Then sit 'em down over there by the fire, so we got a good view of them."
"Yes, sir!" Clemans hurried to do as he'd been ordered while Brown covered him.
When that was done, Brown came to where Alyssa was sitting with Rob.
"Here's your gun, ma'am." He held out her firearm to her.
She took it. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you."
"No need to apologize. Look what they did to Ursino." Brown nodded to where the other deputy was lying, his shoulder swathed in bandages.
"How's he doing?" Rob asked.
"He's hurtin' pretty bad and needs to see a doc. We can't get the bullet out."
"There's a bottle of whiskey in my saddlebags," Rob said. "Let him have all he wants. In the morning, Clemans can take him back into Black Springs."
"Are you sure? That'll only leave three of us to guard them."
"We'll be fine," the sheriff told him. He would make sure there were no more escape attempts.
Alyssa didn't bother to remind them that she would be a fourth gun. After today, she had a long way to go to prove her worth to them in that way.
As she settled in for the night, she relived the terrifying events of the day and began to tremble. It was late before she finally fell into an exhausted slumber.
Alyssa woke before dawn. She was unable to get back to sleep, though, for in her mind, she kept reliving the horrifying moments when she'd been helpless in the outlaws' hands. It had been a terrible feeling to be totally defenseless. She'd thought that by carrying her gun, she'd be safe and able to protect herself, but yesterday she'd found out just how wrong she'd been.
As terrifying as the experience had been, though, her thoughts kept returning to Slade Braxton. He could have used her for a hostage or a shield or let one of his friends shoot her; instead, he'd released her. She found his action puzzling. Slade Braxton was a murderer without a conscience. She knew that. Yet he had let her go.
Alyssa knew they were expecting the Kid to rescue them, so she supposed that could have been part of the reason he'd ignored Nash's and Johnson's shouts to let them shoot her. Slade must have realized their escape would have turned into a slaughter if he'd kept her, and obviously he hadn't been quite prepared to die. Thinking of it that way, it only made sense that he'd give her up.
As logical as it seemed, though, Alyssa still found herself wondering about a man who could face his companions' hatred and ridicule without the slightest show of emotion. They were a frightening, unnerving lot, and she would be glad when the trial was over.
When the deputies started to stir, she decided to get up, too. There was no point in lying there, sleepless and tense. They might as well get on the trail again.
Rob and Clemans had taken turns tending to Ursino through the night. They planned to ride for home as soon as they could.
Alyssa went to see if she could help them in any way. Her nursing skills were limited-Emily was far more gifted in that area than she was, but she wanted to help if she could.
"How's Deputy Ursino doing?" she asked Rob.
"He'll make it, but the ride home is going to be tough on him-even after all that whiskey."
She looked over to where Clemans was helping the wounded deputy to stand. She flinched when she saw the pain reflected in the man's ashen features.
"Truth is, though," Rob went on. "I'm just glad he's alive... and you, too. That confrontation could have turned into a bloodbath yesterday."
"I know. I was thinking about that last night," she told him. "Braxton seemed to be the only one without a death wish."
"Maybe he knows something we don't," Rob said tersely.
"Like where the Dakota Kid is and when he'll make his move?"
"Exactly. Braxton's the worst of the lot. He was wanted for murder before he ever joined up with the gang, and he's only gotten worse since. It'll feel real good to see them put that noose around his neck."
Alyssa shivered in spite of herself. "It's terrible to be so bloodthirsty, isn't it?"
"`An eye for an eye,' "he quoted. "`Course, Braxton would have to hang twenty or thirty times to match his reputation."
"I wonder how a man comes to be like that?" Her gaze followed Slade as Brown freed him from the other two prisoners and shackled his wrists in front of him again.
"Who knows? I figure the man's probably halfcrazy. He'd have to be to do the things he's done."
"Crazy?" She looked at him, a bit startled. Of all the things she'd suspected of Slade Braxton, crazy had never been one of them.
"Not crazy like a raving lunatic or anything, but sly and cunning. He's got to be smart to have stayed alive this long with the big bounty that's on his head. No doubt there were bounty hunters gunning for him everywhere. But we're the ones who brought him in, and his days are numbered now. Once that jury hears the evidence against him, we won't have to worry about Slade Braxton killing anybody ever again."
Alyssa knew she should feel good about that, but as Rob was speaking, she glanced toward Slade to find that he was watching her from across the campsite. His dark-eyed gaze was intent upon her, and she felt the power of his regard to the depths of her soul. He looked every inch the dangerous gunfighter this morning. His beard shaded his jaw with dark shadow. He looked disreputable, a pirate of the high plains.
Alyssa found herself mesmerized and had to force herself to look away. As she did, though, she remembered his words to her the day before as he'd released her-Be quiet and stay down low as you go. If he was as amoral as Rob believed, why would he have cared if she'd gotten shot or not?
"Rob...?"
He looked at her expectantly.
"What happened yesterday was my fault, and I was thinking maybe I shouldn't be wearing a gun," she admitted, regretting having been caught off guard by the prisoners.
"Don't even think about it. I've seen how you handle a gun-you're good. I know it and you know it."
"But they might have escaped yesterday-"
"They tricked Ursino, too, you know, and he's one of my best deputies," he reminded her.
"I know, but-"
"Forget it."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. You handled yourself well yesterday. Any other female probably would have fainted dead away or done something stupid, but you kept your wits about you. That took guts."
Alyssa nodded tightly. His praise helped bolster her flagging self-confidence, for she felt she'd failed them by not being more careful.
"Looks like they've just about got Ursino ready to ride. We'd better start packing up."
"Thanks for going to see my mother for me."
; "She was worried about you, but once I explained what had happened, she understood. Did she send along what you needed?" he asked, having given her the small bag Loretta had packed for her the night before.
"Yes, thanks. I wasn't looking forward to making the whole trip in one set of clothes. I wouldn't have been a pretty sight by the time we got to Green River."
"Glad to oblige." He grinned at her.
They bade Clemans and Ursino good-bye as the two men started back to Black Springs. It wasn't going to be an easy trip for the injured deputy, and they hoped he made it without too much trouble.
Once Clemans and Ursino had gone, it was time for them to head out. The terrain they were to cover this day would be rougher than it had been the day before. They would be following the river for part of the way, and the opportunities for ambush would be many. They would have to take care and watch for any sign that the Kid might be waiting.
Slade was exhausted as he mounted up. Handcuffed to the others as he'd been all night, he'd gotten no sleep. Now as they headed out, he knew it was going to be a rough ride. He'd traveled this way before and knew the trail was narrow and rocky.
Hawkins and Rob rode up front, with the prisoners following behind. Brown and Alyssa brought up the rear. They kept up a steady pace and stopped only when necessary to rest the horses.
It was late afternoon when dark clouds began to gather. Rain soon followed. They paused long enough to don their slickers, then started up again.
Rob refused to let the wet weather stop them. An occasional shower wasn't unusual at this time of year, but when the rain didn't let up after an hour, he became concerned. The river was running higher and faster than normal. He knew how treacherous the water could become if the storm was as heavy behind them as it seemed to be up ahead.
When the lightning began in earnest, Rob started to look for shelter. The narrow canyon with its steep, rocky walls offered little in the way of cover for them, though, so they kept going. They would have to get to the other end before they could find any real protection from the downpour.
Though Alyssa was wearing her slicker and had her hat pulled low over her eyes, she was still getting drenched. She told herself that if the men could do this, so could she. Sighing, she tightened her grip on the reins and straightened her shoulders. Surely, the storm would end soon.
A bolt of lightning split the sky directly in front of them, cracking loudly and startling the horses.
Spartan shied at the brilliant flash and the crashing boom that followed. Alyssa brought him under con trol with an effort and tried to calm him.
"You all right?" Rob called back to her, seeing how her horse had tried to bolt.
"I'm fine."
"We'll stop as soon as I can find a safe place on some high ground." He was forced to shout, for the thunder continued at a deafening roar and the sound of the rising, rushing waters threatened to drown him out.
They moved on, battling the elements.
"The good news is, it isn't a freak snowstorm," Brown told her as a particularly strong gust of wind blasted them.
"Don't even talk about it!" Alyssa cautioned. She knew how fierce the winters could be in the territory, and an unexpected snowstorm could prove deadly to the unprepared. "But you're right. Thinking about it that way, the rain doesn't seem quite so bad." She managed to give him a soggy smile.
Up ahead, Johnson kept watching for some sign that the Kid was near.
"I wonder if he's up there somewhere, just waiting for the right time to make his move?" he muttered to Nash.
"I hope so," Nash answered. He looked over at Slade and added, "`Course, we wouldn't be in this fix right now, if our good ole buddy Slade, here, hadn't gone yellow on us."
Neither one of them had spoken to Slade yet that day. They were still angry about the way he'd turned the girl over to the deputies without a fight. They firmly believed they could have negotiated their way to freedom if he'd just gone along with their threat to kill her.
"Yeah," Johnson agreed. "I wonder if the Kid knows what a coward he is?"
Slade heard them talking and looked over at them. His expression was cold. "I wonder if the Kid knows how stupid some of his men are?"
Both Nash and Johnson tensed at his insult and glared at him, wishing they had their guns.
"It made more sense to me to stay alive and have the chance to escape again later, than to get shot down like a dog by a sheriff who already had the drop on us. Emerson is a smart man. He wasn't about to negotiate with us. He didn't have to."
"We could have shot her!"
"And then Emerson and the others would have shot us," he said, amazed at their complete lack of logic. But then, he'd known when he made his decision about Alyssa that they were going to brand him a coward. Their opinion of him didn't matter, though. What mattered was that she hadn't been hurt.
"Maybe," Nash said sullenly.
"There was no maybe about it. They had us in their sights. It was over. We're just going to have to find another way out," Slade went on.
At that comment, they looked at him with a little less disgust.
"So what's your big plan?" Johnson asked snidely, confident that he didn't have one.
"I haven't thought of one yet."
The other two snorted in ridicule.
"But I will."
"Sure you will," they agreed sarcastically and turned their attention back to the trail as lightning rent the sky again.
"It doesn't seem to be clearing off at all," Rob told Hawkins as they rode on through the drenching rains.
"I thought it would have started to clear by now."
"How are the others doing?"
Hawkins looked back over his shoulder. "It looks like they're keeping up all right."
"Good. With any luck at all, we should be able to find some kind of shelter soon."
The river was flowing fast and swift. Alyssa was holding her own. Though Spartan was still shying at the lightning, she was able to keep him under control. There were occasions when he could be headstrong, so she was glad that he was proving manageable in spite of the miserable weather.
And then it happened.
Lightning cracked frighteningly right in front of them again. Brown's horse reared and threw himself toward Spartan. Spartan panicked as the other horse crashed into him. He bolted forward, blindly charging into Slade's mount, then lost his footing and slipped sideways. He stumbled down the low, sloping bank and into the deadly current.
"Alyssa!" Rob had turned at the first sound of trouble. Seeing her danger, he tried to ride to her.
Alyssa was battling to regain control of her frightened mount as Spartan fought to keep his footing against the power of the rushing waters. She was not one to lose control, but as she felt herself slipping from her seat, she knew she was in trouble. Spartan lurched toward the bank, and as he did, she lost her grip on the reins and made a desperate grab for the saddle horn.
Slade was the closest to her. When he saw what was happening, he didn't hesitate. He urged his mount forward directly into the river.
"Hang on!" he shouted over the roar of the crashing waters and booming thunder.
He reached her before Rob, so the sheriff stayed back at the water's edge, not wanting to make things worse. Maneuvering the horses would be rough enough with just the two of them. Three could be chaotic.
As Slade urged his mount next to Alyssa's, Slade violently cursed the handcuffs that limited his freedom. If his hands had been free, he could have grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to safety before him on his horse. They would have been all right then, but restrained as he was, there was no simple way to get a grip on her.
"Grab onto me and hang on!" he ordered as he kneed his horse in as close to hers as possible.
He leaned toward her as he fought to control his own balking mount. Alyssa kept one hand on her pommel as she reached out to grab Slade's arm. She missed on her first try as Spartan shifted and stumbled, whinnying in terror, and in spite of
her fierce self-control, she let out a scream.
"Now!" he ordered, knowing it wasn't going to get any easier.
Lightning cracked nearby again, and Spartan par tially reared and shifted backward. His eyes rolled in fright as the thunder boomed around him.
Alyssa cried out again. She could feel herself losing her seat completely, and she clung to the pommel in desperation.
Slade knew he had to do something. He moved in closer once more and tried to reach out to her. He managed to grab her arm, and she reached out toward him just as both horses panicked. Slade kept his hold on her, but then his horse shied and he was forced to release her to keep his own seat. He made a grab for his saddle horn, but missed.
"No!" Alyssa screamed as she realized he was falling into the torrent.
She made a desperate attempt to reach him and managed to grasp his arm for a moment, but the current was too strong. Slade was torn from her grip and swept away by the fierce, battering current.
It was at that moment that Spartan, bumped by Slade's frantic horse, gave a lurching leap toward the bank that completely unseated her. Alyssa managed only one cry for help as she, too, was tossed into the raging torrent.
On the bank, Rob had gotten out his rope, hoping to lasso Alyssa and pull her in to shore. His lasso fell into the water near her, and she tried to make a grab at it, but it was too late. She missed his lifeline by inches and was swept away downstream.
Nash and Johnson saw that the lawmen were distracted with their rescue attempt and decided to make a run for it. Hawkins anticipated their move, though, and turned on them, his gun in hand. He was in no mood to tolerate anything from them today.
"Don't go getting any ideas about taking off, boys," Hawkins ordered.
Rob and Brown rode along the bank, trying to find a way to save Alyssa and Slade, but there was nothing they could do as the rushing river washed them farther and farther away. They could see them, surfacing and going under as they were battered by the massive rocks and boulders. He knew that handcuffed, Slade was helpless to save himself, let alone help Alyssa.
"Let's go!" Rob ordered, grabbing the reins to Alyssa's horse as Brown took charge of Slade's. Both mounts had managed to climb back up the bank to safety, escaping the river's wrath.
