Double The Bounty

Chapter XXXIII

“What the hell is he doing?” Brent shouted up to Brian, who was in the bell tower. Brent could see the man from one of the ground-floor windows.

“He’s riding around in circles.”

The man rode out of Brent’s view, and he was trying to decide whether or not it was worth it to get up and walk to the other side of the church.

“Can you see him?” he called out.

“Yeah, I see him. Stay where you are.”

“What’s he doing now?”

“He’s just walking his horse all the way around the church.”

“What’s he doing that for?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s trying to rattle us.”

“Can you see anyone else?”

Brian took his eyes away from the man on the horse and looked around.

“Jesus,” he said suddenly.

“What? What is it?”

“There’s a whole crew of men riding toward us from the south.”

“How can you tell there are so many?”

“Because they’re kicking up enough dust for a dust storm, that’s why.”

“Why would a posse be coming from the south?”

“They wouldn’t be. I don’t think it’s a posse.”

“Then what?”

“They’re coming this way from New Mexico, Brent. Who travels in large groups like that?”

“Cavalry?”

“They’d be riding in a column. These horses are all spread out.”

“Indians?”

“Possible—or something even worse.”

“What’s worse than Indians?”

Brian looked down at his brother and said, “Comancheros.”

“Jesus,” Brent said.

Brian looked at the man again. He could tell that he had also seen the dust cloud. The man had a decision Tomake. He could ride off or ride to the church for cover, in which case he’d have to tangle with Brian and his brother.

Brian felt sure that the man would ride away.

He was wrong.

Dead wrong.

The crazy son of a bitch started riding hell-bent for leather for the church!

“He’s coming in!” Brian shouted. “Brent, he’s coming in!”

“Shoot the bastard!”

Brian leveled his carbine at the man and fired off a shot, but the bastard was moving too fast, and Brian never was much of a shot anyway.

“Fire again!”

Brian was about to shoot again when something occurred to him.

“If I fire, the comancheros or Indians—whatever they are—are liable to hear it and come looking.”

“Well then get down here. Between the two of us we’ll have to take him without any more shooting.”

Fat chance of that. In fact, the son of a bitch was coming so fast Brian didn’t think he could get down from the tower in time.

“Take cover, Brent! Take cover.”