The Outlaw and the Lady (4th in the Crane Gang Series)(womanxwoman)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Pete lay on his stomach and kept his sights on one of the lookouts this mentally impaired Casey Dougal had placed in the canyon. The man was at least two hundred yards away but Pete knew he could hit him—hell, he had to.

That was the plan. Already Wyatt would be sneaking into the camp to untie Eleanor and Preston. Wyatt could sneak anywhere.

Jeb, Gill, and Willa were going to be a distraction and when the real fighting started, Jane, Craig, Zachariah and Ezekial would be there as well, coming in as reinforcements.

Poor Casey Dougal and her band of misled idiots. They were going to die.

Pete hated the darkness around him. Why did it have to be dark? Of course the night was lit by the moon. The full moon. Damn. Pete hated the full moon almost as much as he hated the dark. Bad things happened during the full moon—maybe after tonight everyone would finally believe him.

"Lay your hand on that boy and I'll rip it off!" Jeb's voice called out.

That was Pete's signal. He saw the lookout beginning to scan the darkness. Pete took a deep breath, steadied himself and pulled the trigger. His shot was true and the dead man fell from the cliff and landed in the canyon below.

Turning his sights to the second man, Pete saw that he was looking around wildly with his binoculars. Just as they landed on Pete, he pulled the trigger and the second man was sent tumbling down just as the first had been. It was time for the fun to begin.

***

Eleanor heard the gunshots and saw the lookouts fall into the canyon. Casey moved away from her and went to stand nearer her three remaining gunslingers.

"Why don't you come and fight fair where we can see you?"

"And why would we do that?" Willa's voice came from the darkness. "Why would we fight you fair?"

"Willa? Is that you?" Casey licked her lips. "Who did you bring with you?

"My family."

Eleanor's attention was drawn away from the conversation when suddenly Wyatt was behind her and Preston. He put his finger to his lips to signal them to be silent as he used his knife to cut the ropes holding them.

Wyatt urged them to a large boulder and sat them down behind it. He motioned for them to stay as he went back around the wagon, rushed up behind Casey and grabbed the woman from behind, pressing his knife against her throat.

Eleanor poked her head around the rock to watch the scene unfold. Jeb, Gill, and Willa rushed into the glow of the firelight. Shots rang out. As with any other gunfight Eleanor had seen, it was over quickly.

The gunslingers were dead. Gill had been shot in the arm. Jeb's leg was bleeding, and Willa had taken a bullet to the side. Eleanor wanted to run to her but Casey still stood with Wyatt holding that knife to her throat. Eleanor saw Jake standing there with his hand over his gunbelt. The man was shaking like a leaf.

Where was Horace?

"You made a mistake, Casey," Willa said, walking closer.

"I had no choice," Casey whispered, holding still in Wyatt's grasp. "You murdered my brother."

"Your brother was a good for nothing bastard and he shot me first."

"I know he was useless but he was my brother. What choice did I have but to come after you?"

Willa shook her head. "Dying for Harvey Dougal? Seems like a waste to me."

"I didn't know you'd have friends."

At Casey's words, Zachariah, Ezekial, Craig and Jane materialized out of the darkness to stand with Jeb, Gill and Willa. Willa held her hand over her side. "I don't. I got family. A bit better class of family than that brother of yours."

"So, what are you going to do? Slit my throat while I'm unarmed and helpless?" Casey demanded.

"Of course not. Let her go Wyatt." Wyatt did and took his place beside Zachariah. Willa pointed her revolvers at Jake. "Give your gun to her."

"Dammit, Jake, do something. Shoot them. What do I pay you for?" Casey hissed.

Jake shook his head. "I don't get paid enough to die for you....." He held kept one hand raised and slowly pulled his gun, holding it out to Casey.

"Take it you cowardly bitch. If you want to avenge your brother than you and I can have us a nice little duel. I'll kill you just like I did him."

Eleanor saw the blood spreading across Willa's yellow shirt and dripping to the dirt. All she wanted was to get to her woman and help her.

Just as she was preparing to do that, Horace appeared behind the rock. His eyes were wild and desperate. He looked more than a little crazy. Horace put a gun to Preston's head. "Speak and I'll kill him," he hissed quietly.

Preston's breathing became more labored as he stared at the man. Horace's free hand pulled a knife. "I ain't got no interest in you but I wanted this damn boy. While they're busy I mean to take him. Or die trying."

Eleanor shook her head but did not speak with that gun still pressed to Preston's head. "This is for those gunslingers your people just killed. They were my friends."

Horace swung the knife and sank it into Eleanor's chest. Eleanor couldn't seem to speak as she fell back against the boulder. Pain overwhelmed her. Horace grabbed a screaming Preston and began to run.

Eleanor heard more shots rings out. She heard yelling. She heard a lot of things. And then her world went black and she heard nothing.

***

Willa holstered her guns and rushed for the rock. Casey was dead. Her men were dead. Preston was currently being held tight by Gill while Jeb continued to beat the man he'd already beaten to death.

All Willa wanted in the world was to hold Eleanor. Her side was hurting but the wound wasn't fatal. She needed to hold Eleanor and know that the woman was alive and well and not dead because of something she had done.

But when Willa rounded that rock, that's not what she found. Eleanor was still and lifeless with a knife sticking out of her chest.

"Ellie!" Willa screamed, falling to her knees beside her. She saw the slightest rise and fall of Eleanor's chest. "Ellie? Please... please, wake up..."

She felt herself pushed to the side. "Eleanor? Goddammit!" Zachariah exclaimed. He lifted Eleanor into his arms. "We gotta get back to town. My damn sister is gonna die if we don't!"