“You ain’t wearing a star no more, Marlowe.”
“And that one you’re wearing don’t mean nothing to me, Horner.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed.“You’d best get used to it.Cuz like it or not, I’m the law in this town.”
“And there’s a snake in every woodpile.”
Behind Horner, the two deputies edged away from the sheriff, making room for any gunplay that might develop.
“You keep poking that woodpile,” Horner growled, “and you’re gonna find that’s a rattler in it.”
As the two men stared hard at each other, Caleb knew he could drop all three.From the Badlands to the Black Hills and beyond, it was known how fast and how deadly he was.Then the sheriff blinked.
“Lucky for you I don’t rile easy, Marlowe.”
“Blessed,” he said dryly.
Horner turned his head and barked at his deputies, “See what those boys have on ’em.The judge’ll want something to put on them death certificates.”
The two men moved around Caleb toward the dead men.
“Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Not so fast.That don’t mean this is over.I can’t just turn you loose.”
Caleb frowned.“Why?”
“I don’t decide who’s at fault.”
“Who decides?”
“Judge Patterson.”
“Then I’ll come back in the morning and talk to the judge.”
“Nope.You ain’t going nowhere, Marlowe, until he says you can go.”
“I ain’t running.”
“Maybe not.But I still ain’t turning you loose.”
Caleb’s patience thinned dangerously, but without even looking, he knew the deputies would have their pistols trained on his back.
For one dangerous heartbeat, the street went completely silent, and Caleb knew exactly how quickly this could end.Three dead men.Maybe four.
But Gabe Rogers stood too near the line of fire.
And Caleb had spilled enough blood already tonight.More than enough.
The sheriff mistook his silence for surrender.
“Lucky for you,” Horner drawled, “I’m feeling generous tonight.”
Caleb looked at him steadily.
“No,” he said quietly.“Lucky for you, the boy’s standing there.”
The deputies stiffened.Even Horner’s smug expression faltered slightly.Then the sheriff recovered and jerked his chin toward the jail.
