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“There are men down there,” he whispered, his voice remarkably calm. “I can only see three of them…” His nostrils flared. “But I count eight based on their scent.”
Flarity’s men? How could they have known about the second path?
A moment later, Shannon heard voices outside, coming from the same direction as the gunshot.
“God damn it, be careful! There’s firestone up there, you dolt! Do you want to blow it all to Kingdom Come?”
“Sorry, Mr. Flarity. But I seen someone coming out of the rocks up there and—”
“I don’t give a flying fart what youseen, shit-for-brains! No shooting until you’re absolutely sure what it is you’re shooting at.”
Definitely Flarity. Even before the second man had addressed him as such, Shannon recognized his imperious accent.
“Damn it!” she hissed. “What is Flarity doing onthistrail? He shouldn’t have known about it.”
“Well he does,” Tanner said, crowding in beside her. He looked toward Rufus. “How many men were coming up on the other side?”
Rufus shifted into his human form so he could speak.
“I only saw the first two, but I smelled seven of them.”
“Was the alpha with them?”
“I didn’t smell him.”
“Well, that’s good, I guess,” Tanner said. “Still, eight men on this side, seven on the other side. I’d say they’ve got us pretty well pinned in. Maybe we can take ’em, but fighting out there on that mountainside’s a dangerous proposition.”
“So’s fighting in here,” Logan said. “If a bullet sparks off one of those big pieces of firestone, it’ll make one hell of an explosion.”
“Exactly!” Shannon interjected. “And greedy old Ned Flarity doesn’t want that. It would be like burning money. I’d say we’re better off staying in here and trying to bargain.”
Logan nodded reluctantly. “Okay, let’s try it. We need to find someplace to hole up though, just in case.”
“Behind that thing, I reckon,” Tanner said, pointing toward the dome.
Shannon started to suggest hidinginsidethe structure instead, but she immediately discarded that idea. If they went inside it, they’d be trapped. If they hidbehindit, they would have more room to maneuver, and they could bolt if necessary. No doubt that’s what Tanner had been thinking when he’d made the suggestion.
They quickly led the horses back down the slope and moved toward the center of the crater. Rufus shifted back into his wolf form, ran behind a nearby firestone formation, and crouched.
“Ambush,” Tanner said. “Good idea.”
“Be careful,” Shannon whispered.
The wolf whined softly and wagged his tail.
Shannon and the two alphas went the rest of the way to the dome and moved around to the side that was facing away from the two entrances to the crater. There was more than enough room for the three of them and their horses to remain out of sight. Logan took out his long rifle and moved toward the right side of the dome to watch the first entrance to the crater. Tanner got his carbine and went to the left side to watch the other entrance.
Shannon drew her pistol and went to stand behind Tanner. The alpha cowboy turned and looked at her, glanced at her gun, scowled.
“No ma’am. I’m not letting you get mixed up in this fight. You get back there with the horses.”
Shannon scowled back at him.
“I’m already mixed up in it,” she said. “This ismyfight, and it’s been a long time coming. Hell, Flarity’s had it out for me ever since I turned down his marriage proposal a few years ago.”
Tanner’s brow knitted with anger.
“Heproposedto you? Okay, now I really do want to kill him.”
