“How long exactly?” Slocum asked as he rolled off her.

  She stretched out and slipped one hand under her head so she could gaze up at the dark orange sky. “A few minutes after I was sure you hadn’t come to my house to kill me.”

  Slocum looked at her with a puzzled expression that was more than enough to pull another smile out of her. When Leanne laughed, her entire body shook in a manner similar to when she’d been in the midst of her climax. Her breasts were still wet from the creek and her nipples were partially erect. Just looking at her was almost enough to prepare Slocum for another tussle. Unfortunately, his body needed a bit longer to get some wind in its sails.

  “I suppose we should get a fire started,” she said. “Or did you already fix a big supper for us?”

  “I gathered some wood. As for supper, I’ve got some beans and maybe some old jerky in the bottom of one of my saddlebags.”

  “I threw something better than that into my bags before I left.”

  “You brought food before any of your other things?” he asked.

  “It’s important to have your priorities straight.”

  “Yes,” he said as he reached out to peel her slip the rest of the way up and over her head.

  Although Leanne didn’t struggle against him, she did look more than a little surprised when the wet material came away from her face. “What are you doing, John? Aren’t you hungry? Shouldn’t we be worried about those men coming along to find us while we’re . . . like this?”

  “You weren’t worried about that before,” he pointed out.

  “I probably should have been.” When his hands started wandering along the front of her body to settle over her breasts, she leaned into him and asked, “What brought about this change of heart?”

  “It’s like you said. Priorities.”

  14

  Eventually, Slocum and Leanne got around to having supper. She’d brought a sizable hunk of ham along with some bread. Since that was all she’d grabbed before running out of her house, they had sandwiches and some of the coffee that Slocum had scrounged up. He wanted to ask where she’d been hiding the ham during their first few nights together, but didn’t bother. Those had been tense, quick meals taken while he’d been mostly concerned with keeping track of the courier and anyone who might be following them. He knew he was far from the clear, but Slocum was able to ease up a bit on his self-appointed duty. If the courier had made it this far without being ambushed, he could certainly go the rest of the way. And if Darrel or his men were fast enough to get ahead of everyone else, Slocum never stood a chance of guarding against them in the first place.

  Leanne slept soundly beneath a sky full of glittering stars. She curled up under a coarse blanket with her legs tucked against her body. Slocum, on the other hand, wasn’t able to drift off so easily. After staring out through eyes that refused to stay closed, he got up and picked a spot from which he could keep watch. After a few hours, the day began to press in on him. Slocum shifted his hat toward the front of his head, and he allowed his posture to slump.

  He awoke to the shifting of hooves against exposed rock. It wasn’t a loud noise, but the movement brought Slocum directly from his slumber and snapped his hand to the grip of his Colt. Instead of any outlaws approaching the camp, he found only the same two horses that had been there the night before.

  “Good morning,” Leanne said from a newly stoked fire.

  “I was going to pull you over to where you could lay down, but didn’t want to wake you. How’d you sleep?”

  “Just fine,” he replied while standing up and rubbing the knot that had formed in his neck. “Is that more coffee?”

  “Just the way you like it.” Shrugging, she added, “Or at least, just the way I can make it. I’m afraid I’m not so good without a proper stove.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out the first night. You wouldn’t have fared well if Jack made you ride along in a chuck wagon.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I hear some wonderful things can happen if you serve a bunch of loudmouthed idiots too much rotten beef.”

  Slocum chuckled and forgot about his aching back long enough to enjoy a few sips of coffee that could peel the paint off the side of a steam engine. All those pleasant thoughts were pushed from his head when he spotted the cloud of dust being kicked up to the west.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked once she caught him staring away from the camp. Leanne spotted the dust as well and started to stand up to get a better angle.

  Slocum grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the ground. “Keep your head down,” he said. “And put that fire out. Bury it to keep too much smoke from rising.”

  “Is something wrong, John?”

  “That’s what I aim to find out.” Slocum stayed crouched as he rushed over to his saddlebags. The field glasses were at the top, so he could get them and bring them back to the western side of the camp.

  After a minute or two, a pair of horses crested a rise that enabled Slocum to get a better look at them. They were still a bit too far for him to see details, but they were obviously not just a few casual riders out to stretch their animals’ legs. “Collect our things and get ready to move out,” he told her.

  Leanne knew better than to question him and she quickly gathered what she could. When she’d finished, she saddled her horse and waited quietly beside the restless animal. “Should I head out on my own?”

  “No. They’re headed straight for us, so we’ve got to assume they already spotted the camp. Even if they didn’t,” Slocum added as he saddled his horse, “it’s too late for us to get away without being spotted.” Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing and studied her carefully. “Do you have a hat you can wear?”

  “Just one of Jack’s I took for hot days.”

  “Perfect.”

  Slocum exploded from the scant bit of cover provided by the trees along the perimeter of his campsite. As soon as he was certain he’d made enough of a commotion, he shifted in his saddle and fired his Colt into the trees.

  The other two horses were close enough for him to hear the riders shout to one another. By this time, Slocum had gotten a good enough look at their faces to peg them as Darrel Teach and Mark Landry. Rather than greet the two outlaws with a friendly wave, Slocum brought his horse around and fired again.

  Darrel was the first to close the distance enough to be heard clearly when he shouted, “What the hell’s goin’ on?”

  “Never you mind,” Slocum replied as he holstered his pistol and took the rifle from his saddle’s boot. “If you allowed that son of a bitch to get away, there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Slocum hadn’t bothered looking at the other men up close and wasn’t surprised to hear the sound of pistol hammers being cocked back. When he wheeled around to face them, Slocum did his best to make it seem it was the first time he’d laid eyes on the outlaws since Reno.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Darrel snarled.

  Mark Landry held his Winchester rifle propped against his shoulder and gripped a .32-caliber pistol in his left hand.

  “I was wondering when the hell you’d show up,” Slocum said. “I believe I caught up to that courier you’re after.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about,” Slocum replied. “I talked to that horse trader and found out what he was up to. Didn’t take much to figure out what you men were after.”

  Darrel nodded slowly. “Guess that just leaves one question. What are you after?”

  Before answering that, Slocum turned and looked to the north. “Damn it all to hell! I knew I shouldn’t have wasted time talking to you two!” With that, he steered his horse away from the outlaws and tapped his heels against its sides.

  The next few seconds ticked by in a quiet eternity.

  Slocum knew the outlaws had their guns out and were ready to pull their triggers. He also knew they weren’t strangers to killing men. If either one of them decided to shoot, he put the odds at about fifty-fifty on them hitting him badly enough to put him down for good. Since it was too late for Leanne to make a clean getaway and too much to hope that the outlaws wouldn’t have spotted her or her horse when they rode past the campsite, Slocum’s choices were limited.

  There were a few words passed between the outlaws, but none of them seemed harsh enough to worry about. Just to be safe, Slocum hunkered down over his horse’s back and twisted the reins back and forth to make it more difficult for them to take a point-blank shot. The one factor that Slocum counted on to buy him some time was that Mark Landry was the one next to Darrel. If it had been anyone other than the dark-skinned rifleman, Slocum wouldn’t have made this play. But with a long-range shooter like Mark on his side, Darrel didn’t have as much of a reason to end things so quickly. Even a halfway decent sharpshooter could pick off Slocum anytime he chose in such open terrain. That wasn’t exactly a comforting thought, but it did grant Slocum a few extra moments to make his move.

  When he reached the trees, Slocum snapped his reins and rode straight into them using a path he’d already scouted as one he could maneuver without being in danger of tripping his horse. He fired a few more times and then let out a quick, piercing whistle.

  Darrel cautiously made his way through the trees behind Slocum as Mark circled around to cut anyone off who might try to come out the other side. His pistol was holstered and the Winchester was at his shoulder.

  “You’re testin’ my patience, Slocum!” Darrel shouted.

  Slocum swung his leg over his saddle horn and was on the ground before his horse had come to a stop. Keeping the animal between him and Darrel, he rushed toward the edge of the tree line. Once there, he hollered, “Found his damn horse!”

  “Whose horse?”

  “He went this way. I’m telling you, I’ve tracked the son of a bitch this far!”

  Slocum picked through the trees until making his way to the thickest section near the edge of the creek. Once there, he held his pistol at arm’s length and stalked toward a figure lying on the ground.

  Rushing until he got Slocum in his sights again, Darrel stopped and looked at the two people in front of him. The figure on the ground was dressed in simple riding clothes and wore a hat that was big enough to cover almost all of her head. Leanne rolled onto her side, looked up at Slocum, and held her hands out to protect her face.

  “What the hell is this?” Slocum asked. Thumbing back his hammer, he glared down at her with murderous intent burning in his eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I was just on my way to my uncle’s spread,” she replied in a trembling voice. “Please! I don’t have anything of value, but you can take what you like. Just don’t kill me.”

  “Where’s the courier?” Slocum asked. When she didn’t answer, he squatted down so his face was only a few feet away from her. “Answer me or I’ll kill you right here.”

  “That ain’t who you’re looking for,” Darrel said.

  “I tracked that other rider straight through here. If she’s not with him, then she could know where he went.”

  “She’s not with him. The man we’re after was riding alone. Also,” Darrel added, “he left ahead of schedule. He’s already gone.”

  Slocum looked over his shoulder at the outlaw. Teach’s gun was no longer pointed at him, but Mark Landry made his way into the trees and had his sights lined up on Slocum’s head. “I was hoping to bring that courier to you,” Slocum said, “but this ain’t a complete loss.”

  “Why would you be after that courier?”

  “Like I already told you. I know what’s going on and I know how important that rider is. I figured we could make a hell of a lot of money if we catch up to him.”

  “Why not just keep him for yourself if you think he’s so valuable?” Darrel asked.

  Feeling his hook sink in a little deeper, Slocum replied, “Because I’m guessing we’ll have a much easier time getting a hold of whatever the courier will lead us to if we work together. You men are famous around here, so having a wild card in the deck could make the difference in getting this job done properly.”

  “You think that courier can lead us to something?”

  “Of course. I ain’t stupid, you know. If you didn’t want to see where he went, you would’ve just shot that courier the minute he rode out of Reno and helped yourself to whatever he was carrying. For that matter, you could have shot him from his saddle anytime along the way.”

  “We might have if he’d left when he was supposed to.”

  “That’s right,” Slocum said. “Change of schedule. So you’re telling me the Terrors of White Pine rode into Reno looking for a courier and didn’t bother keeping watch on everyone who came and went from there?”

  “Lots of folks come and go every day.”

  “And how many of them have you tracked down and caught no matter what sort of head start they got?” When he didn’t get a reply, Slocum said, “That’s what I thought. Where are those other three you ride with?”

  Darrel’s eyes narrowed as he said, “Other two, you mean. Carl was killed.”

  “In Reno?”

  “You know damn well where it happened.”

  Slocum’s muscles tightened as he prepared to defend himself. He didn’t make any moves yet, but he knew where both of his targets were and was ready to take them down. “Why would I know such a thing?”

  “Because you killed him.”

  “I wouldn’t have minded knocking that little redheaded prick down a few rungs, but I sure as hell didn’t kill him.”

  “Carl’s not the one with the red hair. You’re thinking of Yancy.”

  “Yeah? Well, I didn’t kill him either.”

  Darrel studied him for a few seconds before shifting his eyes to Leanne. She was lying on the ground beneath Slocum’s gun, too petrified to move and almost too nervous to take a breath. “So what do you plan on doing with this one?” he asked.

  “I’ll take care of her,” Slocum replied. “Give me a moment.”

  Reluctantly, Darrel nodded. He and Mark walked through the trees to collect their horses. Having not fully taken Slocum into his confidence, Darrel seemed more anxious to get out of the trees to a place where he could keep everyone in front of him. It was just what Slocum would expect from someone who’d survived for more than a week with such a well-known gang.

  “So you’re telling me you didn’t come out here to meet that courier?” Slocum growled.

  “No! I don’t even . . .”

  Rather than force Leanne to continue her act, Slocum dropped to one knee and lowered his voice to a snarling whisper that would barely be heard as a rustle in the wind from beyond the trees. “You all right?” he asked.

  Still too frightened to say much, she nodded.

  “You know a place you can go that’s safe? And not your uncle’s place. I told you what you’d be in for, but I’d rather not drag anyone else into this.”

  “There’s a . . . there’s . . .”

  “Take a breath. They can’t see your face and they can’t hear you if you keep quiet, but I need you to tell me quick.”

  When she wiped away the tears trickling from her eyes, Leanne pressed her head back against the ground until it was almost completely covered by the swaying grass. “My second cousin used to fish at a spot about ten miles from here. Maybe less. It may even be along this same creek, but I’m not sure.”

  “All right. About ten miles in which direction?”

  “North. Maybe a ways west. I don’t—”

  “Good enough,” Slocum cut in. Since he could feel the outlaws’ anxiousness like a charge in the air, he raised his voice so they could hear his tone if not all of his words. “You’d better tell me where to find it.”

  “There’s a cabin. It’s real small, but the only one in the area. When I get there, I can light a fire so you’ll see the smoke.”

  “Fine, but wait for a day before you do. If I’m not there in three days, get to your uncle and tell the law about what you saw where this gang is concerned.”

  “What about you?”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Slocum snarled so the outlaws could hear. As long as they didn’t know what came before or after some of his words, it served him well not to hide all of them. Dropping his voice again, he added, “Don’t move until we’re gone. Not one hair. Then get away from here as soon as you can.”

  She nodded.

  “Now cover your ears.”

  “John,” she whispered. “Be careful.”

  He nodded just enough to move the brim of his hat and stood up. “Cover ’em good.”

  Leanne started to wrap her arms around her head, but quickened her pace when she saw Slocum stand straight up and point his Colt down at her.

  Two shots blasted through the air in quick succession, both kicking up mounds of dirt several feet away from Leanne’s head. The sound was deafening, but she’d prepared well enough to come away from it without anything more than a dusty face and ringing ears. As Slocum started walking away, he fired another shot that thumped into the ground about a yard away from her left side. He replaced the spent rounds with fresh ones from his gun belt and made his way to the outlaws waiting for him just beyond the trees.

  “She didn’t know a damn thing,” Slocum said.

  “You killed her?” Mark asked. The expression on his face bordered on shock, but wasn’t quite there yet. Although he couldn’t show it, Slocum’s opinion of the man rose a few notches for that.

  Placing the Colt into its holster, Slocum kept his hand on the grip and nodded. “She saw my face and she saw yours. She could’ve heard what we were talking about. For that matter, there’s a chance that she truly did know the courier and may have ridden ahead to warn someone if I let her go. What the hell would you have me do?”

  “He’s right,” Darrel said.

  “She could’ve been just some innocent woman,” Mark protested.

  “Or she may not have been. Either way, there’s too much at stake to risk it.” Then, Darrel looked through the trees to the spot where Leanne was still lying.