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Chase firmed his lips and frowned. "Sure you do, but you gotta use your head. No sense going in there and getting your head blown off."
Just then a grasshopper landed by Mathew's mouth, for a few seconds he tickled his lip, then as though disinterested, he walked off, then jumped high and away.
"I'm not a patient man," Mathew grumbled.
"Neither am I, especially with Katherine in there, but we have to be. He might try to use her as a shield. So we have to take him by surprise."
"All right, but I sure wish that sun would go down."
Chapter Twenty
The sun broiled the backs of their head and ears, stewing their brains into massive headaches, as it blushed then finally waned against the horizon. Mesmerized by a beetle trying to overturn a small rock, they realized the time had come when there was no shadow.
"You take the left, I'll take the right, move slowly, stay low until we are nearly on the other side. You get to Katherine, I'll handle Hawks." Chase was saying as he eyed the young man once more.
"Can't do that, this is my call, he killed all three of my brothers. I ain't forgetting it. You get to Katherine, I'll take him," Mathew argued.
"Maybe we ought to both take him." Chase grinned.
"Sounds reasonable." Mathew grinned back.
"Okay let's go," Chase said as he began to move in the darkness.
They moved in circular motions, both closing in on the station quickly. Both had their guns ready and hesitated only when they heard a noise.
Chase spotted their shadows under the tree, Katherine and Hawks weren't moving about much though. He wondered why they had been so still all day. Now it was night, cooler and they could move about more freely, but they weren't moving.
The whirring sound of a bullet halted Chase as he rounded the corner of the station and was about to advance on Hawks.
"Hold it right there," Hawks yelled. "Unless you want the head of this bastard child blown off, hold it."
Chase stopped, mulling Hawks words as he did so, his eyes darting at the two images in the darkness. One was Hawks, the other was Katherine. Had he known about Katherine all along? Had he told Katherine?
Obviously Mathew had the advantage right now, as Hawks hadn't spotted him.
"Let her go Hawks, this is between you and me now," Chase called out to him from a safe distance.
"I didn't think you'd make it, Rivers. You must have nine lives." Hawks laughed.
"Let her go, Hawks," Chase demanded.
"Now why would I want to do that?" Hawks laughed again. "I seen you out there waitin' all day. Thought that the sun would do the job on you. But reckon you are tougher than I thought."
Hawks' voice was loud and harsh. He had the rifle by his side and his pistol aimed at Katherine's head.
"You come any closer and she's a dead woman." Hawks instructed, "Now throw out your gun and come here."
"All right…but don't hurt Katherine." Chase decided to play into his hand, hoping that Mathew had a good aim when he got him out in the open.
Chas tossed his gun and started toward Hawks.
"Anyone else get out of that shack alive?" Hawks asked.
"Didn't have time to check, Hawks," Chase said, firming his lips and casting the shadows of Hawks and Katherine a quick glance. He couldn't make them out completely, there wasn't enough light. Perhaps Mathew would make his move if he could draw Hawks out. At least Mathew was waiting, that was good thinking.
"That's far enough," Hawks said.
"What's going on here?" Chase asked, hoping to make Hawks relax a little.
