AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was too easy.
Jesse pulled the rope tighter, securing the knot and inspecting his work. Silas would have to struggle hard to get out of the ropes. He’d also have a headache that would be pounding like drums inside his skull when he woke. That is if he woke up at all. He’d hit him a lot harder than he’d intended.
“You ready?”
Jesse nodded and stood, giving Ben the go-ahead to keep going. So far they had Lewis’ men riding at the back of the herd tied together and knocked out cold. He hoped they stayed that way.
They rode for the front of the herd. It had slowed enough he knew Lewis had stopped for the day which meant it was now or never. When Jeb, Harland, and Clyde didn’t show up for supper, Lewis would send someone to go find them and they had precious little time between now and then.
When they reached camp, Issac had a pot of cowboy beans simmering on the fire and Lewis and the men Jack had brought in were already helping themselves. A few of the cowboys Holden had hired on were there too, all of them looking to him for a sign. It was going to be a long night and he was already tired.
His stomach growled when the scent of the cooking beans reached him. A moment later, Ben’s did too. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Were they up for a fight in their current state? Probably not.
“Let’s eat,” he mumbled under his breath. “We’ve got plenty of time yet.”
They both served themselves and sat around the fire while Virgil told anyone listening about a bank robbery they’d pulled off not long ago. They were nearly finished eating when Lewis spoke up. “Where are Jeb and Harland?”
Everyone looked at each other, then shrugged.
Lewis held his bowl out toward Isaac. “Get me some more.” He looked at every man standing nearby as he waited for his food. “Clyde ain’t here either.” He shook his head then pointed to one of the cowboys. “You—go find them. My men get to eat first. You worthless cowpoke can take what’s left.”
The cowboy sat his bowl down and walked away from camp, giving Jesse a sideways look when he did. Things were about to get interesting.
Jesse finished off his beans and carried the bowl to the wash bucket where Issac stood. Ben joined him a moment later. “You need to find some place to be that isn’t here, Isaac.”
Issac gave him an inquisitive look. “Why’s that?”
“Because things are about to get real ugly.” He handed his bowl to him and kept his voice low. “Just stay on the other side of the wagon out of sight.”
The cowboy Lewis sent after the others walked back into the circle of light the fire pit provided. Jesse inhaled a breath and looked at Ben. “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He nodded and turned back to Lewis as the cowboy told him he didn’t see them anywhere. Lewis yelled, “Well saddle up and go find them!”
“That’s not necessary,” Jesse said. “I know where they are.”
Lewis turned a cold glare his way. “And where would that be?”
Jesse blew out a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “Knocked out and hog-tied last time I saw them.”
It took Lewis a few seconds for the words to sink in but once they did, his face turned a blistering shade of red. He stood, tossed his bowl behind him and laid a hand on the butt of his pistol where it hung in a holster. “Hog-tied?”
Jesse nodded and lowered his arms. “Yep. It was a good tie too. It’ll take them a while to get themselves out of it. Well, once they wake up it will.”
He’d heard of life flashing before one’s eyes as they were about to die and he believed it the moment Lewis pulled his gun and pointed it at him. Thoughts of Alex rushed through his head so fast he could have sworn he smelled her perfume and heard her laughter floating on the breeze.
He smiled, stood to his full height and charged toward Lewis as if the hounds of hell were hot on his heels.
It tookJack hours to go to sleep. Alex fought the pull of it, determined to see her plan through and the moment she was sure he was out, she stood and quietly made her way to the horses. She saddled hers and Owen’s as quickly as she could, turning her head to make sure Jack continued to sleep several times. When she was finished, she retrieved the rock from under her blankets.
She was almost at Jack’s side when she saw Owen move out of the corner of her eye. He blinked at her when she looked his way, then opened his mouth as if to speak but she put a finger to her lips and told him to keep quiet. When he saw the rock in her hand, his eyes widened.
She’d envisioned this moment a hundred times since she’d found that rock and standing over Jack, arm raised, it was hard to follow through. What if she killed him? Could she live with his death on her conscience?
Could she live with the knowledge that she’d been kidnapped and never even tried to get away?
No. She wanted everyone to believe her when she said she was capable of taking care of herself and now it was time to prove it. With a silent prayer and an inhaled breath, she sank to one knee, closed her eyes and said a prayer that she didn’t kill him. When she opened her eyes, Jack was looking up at her. The world went silent, the only noise she heard was her blood rushing past her ears as her heart raced and her fear of what he would do to her now outweighed her fear of killing him.
