Vengeance Creek: The Sons of Daniel Shaye

57

“Why are we stopping in Trinidad?” Jacks asked.

“We’re pickin’ someone up.”

“I thought all the men were gonna be waitin’ for us when we get there?”

“Not this one,” Cardwell said. “This one’s a special case.”

“What’s so special?”

Cardwell looked over at Jacks. “It’s Durant.”

Jacks immediately reined his horse in. Cardwell went on a few feet before he stopped his horse and turned it.

“Simon—”

“I won’t work with Bart Durant,” Jacks said.

“Jacks—”

“And you know he won’t work with me,” the other man went on. “How did you get him to agree—Oh, wait a minute. He doesn’t know about me, does he?”

“No.”

“He’s not gonna go for this, Ben,” Jacks said, “any more than I will. You know that.”

“I think you both will,” Cardwell said, “or you’re both off of this job.”

“Off the job?” Jacks repeated. “I don’t even know what the job is.”

“And neither does Durant,” Cardwell said. “But when I tell you, you’ll both agree to it.”

“Not if it means workin’ together, we won’t.”

“You wanna bet?”

Jacks hesitated, then asked, “How much?”

“Your end of the Vengeance Creek take against mine.”

Jacks hesitated before saying, “You’re that sure?”

“I’m that sure.”

Jacks leaned back in his saddle, the leather creaking beneath him. If Cardwell was so sure, he didn’t think he wanted to risk his end of the take to go against him.

“Okay…”

“It’s a bet?”

“No bet,” Jacks said, “but I’ll listen. But I’ll be shocked if you get Durant to listen.”

“I won’t be,” Cardwell said.

“Why not?”

Cardwell turned his horse and said, “Because you listened, and I thought you were gonna be the hard one.”

“Berto?”

“Sir?”

“You never seem to have any definite opinions about what we’re doin’. Why is that?”

“Señor Shaye asked me to go along and help you and your brother,” Colon explained. “That is what I am doing.”

“Did you think this was a good idea?” James asked. “Splitting up like this?”

“It was your idea, no?”

“Yes, it was.”

“And you are having the second thoughts about it?”

“Yes, I am.”

Colon thought a moment, then shrugged. “It is as good an idea as any.”

“That’s what Thomas said.”

“It will be like most ideas, I think.”

“And how’s that?”

“If it works, it will be a good idea,” the Mexican said. “If it does not, it will be a bad one.”