Once more, Kat turned and scanned the cliffs for any way out, but try as she might she couldn’t spot one. Shots rang out, some kicking up dirt twenty feet or so from them.
No one wanted to get any closer, so they kept neatly out rifle range.
Kid and Kat remained pinned down. Maybe they weren’t stuck, hiding behind some small boulders, the way they’d been the last time she’d been pinned down with Old Charlie and Jake, but they were still just as pinned next to the cliffs, while shots rang out all around them. They were stuck much the same way, backed against a rock side, with no way out.
They took their occasional shots at the men, who kept them pinned, heard an occasional shot returned, while both of them tried to get a bead on where George might be.
Kat couldn’t wait to get her hands on him, and lamented on the ways she was going to deal with him when she did.
Kid grinned. He’d heard that she and Mandy had given pretty grisly accounts of what they’d planned to do to McCandle’s men, the last time someone had been fool enough to pin them down this way.
Kat saw Kid take a hard look at his horse.
“Got an idea?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Do you think you could keep these guys busy?”
Kat started to nod, then realized what he planned. “Not for a suicide mission,” she hissed.
He stared at her. “Kat that train is going to come around that bend, in what could be less than an hour, unless it just happens to get delayed again.”
Kat turned to stare at the train tracks.
George had done a lot, to cause harm, for a young man who acted so innocent. And she still didn’t know if she could actually kill him. He seemed like more of a wayward kid—than a killer. Yet that wayward kid had strategized, and operated, this whole plan against her grandfather. He’d instigated and pulled off a massive takeover of all of his estates—and eliminate all of his enemies. She didn’t know what she would do with him—when this day was over—but she did know that he had payback coming.
Surprised, she realized that she didn’t look forward to this. That for the first time, she’d find this difficult. She got that she saw him as a child. But he’d been a child—who killed. She shouldn’t see him any different than any other killer.
She turned to stare at Kid.
This killer had been her family. And that made it different.
Looking out, Kat shook her head. Her young, little cousin had brought an entire army to kill her, her grandfather—and all of her friends.
She stared at the train tracks—where a young man plotted to kill a whole train full of people. She would show him no more mercy than he planned to show all the people on that train.
She might not be able to bring down an entire army of men. But she would get to her cousin. She’d find a way.
Ignoring Kid’s idea—which would surely get him shot, she scoured the cliffs behind them. If she went up, she’d be a sure target for any one of those men who happened to be a good shot.
Appalled, Kat’s gaze searched the crag of rocks surrounding them. She squatted, eyeing the path between, tensing, getting ready to sprint to try and make it through a split. She heard Kid’s hiss, behind her. He didn’t like what she was thinking either—anymore than she’d liked what he’d been thinking.
That’s when she heard the shots, coming from much farther away, and she hesitated, looking around.
Her head jerked in that direction, looking for who had caused them. She knew Kid had done the same. She eyed the outlying area. More shots rang out, and a bunch of George’s men scattered in all directions, shooting as they ran for their horses, mounting up and taking off.
Relief flooded her. Hawk’s men had found them at last. As she watched, several horses raced past them. The posse, she realized. She heard a bugle and she realized—Hawk hadn’t just brought a posse.
Kat grinned. The United States Army would keep on George’s men until they brought them in.
There were too many men in George’s large army for them to have any chance of getting away. Men scrambled in every direction. Horses reared and took off running. Men ran on foot, toward the cliffs, and Mandy and Kid awaited them.
When the chaos had calmed some and many of the men had been rounded up, Hawk raced up and pulled his horse up short before them, hitting the ground running before his horse had even come to a complete stop. He took Kid into a huge bear-hug, then turned to Kat. In the past, she would have hesitated—but things had changed. She felt as happy to see him—as he obviously was to see them, and she hugged him back without thinking too much about it.
Hawk’s gaze traveled over them both. “You’re both unharmed, then,” he said.
Kid nodded. “You found us just in time.” Kat’s head jerked toward the train tracks. “But maybe not in time to keep from derailing the train.
She knew that, with every minute, George was getting away—but right now, they had a much bigger problem. She turned back to look at Hawk. His gaze had followed hers to where there were several large piles of pine trees lay across the tracks, and she saw his eyes widen, realizing.
His gaze traveled the tracks, realizing they curved around a bend. “There’s not enough time for the train to see that,” he said, alarmed.
Kid nodded, heading for his own horse. With a running jump, Hawk remounted his horse and headed toward the tracks.
Once more, Hawk hit the ground, running. “We can’t pull them off,” he yelled. “We don’t have enough horses to pull at anything that size.
“We don’t have anything to chop them up with either,” Kid yelled back, still attempting to pull at one. “They’re too large….”
Kat stared at him “What about burning them,” she said.
“It would take too long,” Hawk said, shaking his head. “They’re too green.” He looked around, trying to find something—anything that would help them. “It would take forever just to get them to catch on fire,” he said. He went back and pulled a lasso off his saddle. “All we can do is hook the horses together and try to pull them far enough off the tracks….”
Kat glanced in the direction that the army had taken their prisoners. The rest had torn out after the ones who were getting away. They were too far away. There wasn’t enough time.
In the end, the army did ride close enough to see what was happening, when one soldier spotted them, then saw the trees. Within minutes, a bunch of men returned with saw blades and axes, but the work was still too slow.
Kid and Hawk had worked quickly on the first pile, but fifteen minutes later they’d only manage to get three horses to pull just one of the trees off the tracks.
The men behind them were faring better, but there just wasn’t enough time.
“This isn’t working,” Kat yelled. “We’ll never get them all cleared—and if that train hits—even one pile of trees….” She didn’t have to say the rest.
“Someone has to try and stop the train,” Kat said.
Kid nodded. “Go,” he said.
But as it turned out, there wasn’t even enough time for her to do any more than make the bend. Kat had no more than reached the curve, where she could see around, before she spotted the train fast coming down the way. Alarmed, she nudged her gelding onto the tracks, taking her lasso in hand and waving her arms in huge sweeping motions.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Unseen Enemy
The train rounded the bend as Kat waved her arms, lasso in hand—at the same time, yelling back at Hawk and Kid to move. The conductor spotted her—than glanced up the tracks and spotting the trees that still remained across the tracks, realizing the danger. She was close enough to see his eyes as she nudged her pony, hard. He bunched up and lunged out of the way.
Kat couldn’t imagine what flashed through the man’s head at that moment. He probably thought they were trying to rob the train, she thought—but he pulled the brakes just the same, the metal-on-metal, locking up and causing a vicious screaming, testifying to that. Hitting th
e trees, even the ones that were left, was bound to send the rest of the train slamming forward—and such an impact would likely still kill many of those on board.
The train slid, screeching loudly down the tracks, sliding toward the piles blocking the way. Kat yelled Mandy’s name, knowing she was on that train somewhere, knowing all the while she’d never hear her—she couldn’t even hear herself. She bent and covered her ears, arching her neck to watch in horror. Though she desperately wanted to, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
The train made its long slide forward. Time seemed suspended, caught in some kind of morbid torture of watching the inevitable. The train hit the first pile, and since Kid and Hawk had managed to pull several of the trees from the pile, it pushed that pile forward with the v-shaped, snow blade mounted to the front.
The train continued its long slide forward, hitting the second pile, pushing it forward several feet before grinding to a halt. Kat stared in horror as the cars in the back rammed into the locomotive and went sideways.
The cars fell, one in front of the other, until the ones toward the rear fell toward Kat, one landing on one side of Kat, one falling on the other side, coming to rest on their side, as the people caught inside screamed.
She heard Kid scream her name, unable to see past the cars that had blocked his view—unable to see that she’d been untouched. The sound of it gave her shivers.
Hawk made it to the first car, a bunch of men behind him, but Kid continued running around the cars, searching for Kat. She stepped far enough away from the cars to yell that she was alright. She saw the relief that flooded his face—then she screamed Mandy’s name and headed for the car she knew she’d likely be in—toward the rear, Kid right behind her.
He kicked the door in, and she slipped through the opening, crawling on top the berths that now lay on their side, thankful that her grandfather wouldn’t be inside. She crawled along until she reached the berth that Mandy should be inside—and opened the door, standing up and letting it fall back against the wall that now lay flat under her feet.
She looked down into the birth, and found Mandy’s face peering back at her from the dark below. Kat sagged in relief, then reached down and offered her friend her hand, pulling her free from the berth.
They hugged each other fiercely.
Seeing that Mandy looked unharmed, Kid opened the next berth. The man inside, lay at the bottom, and Kid jumped inside.
By that time, Kat heard Hawk yelling from somewhere outside.
“Here,” Kat yelled, then crawled back toward the door and yelled it again. Hawk heard her and came running toward their car. Seeing Mandy crawling out of the car, he pulled her into her arms and swung her around, holding her, causing tears to spring to Kat’s eyes.
“We have to get these people out of these cars,” Mandy said, frantic.
Hawk nodded. “The first three passenger cars didn’t tip over—but a lot of people were thrown against the front of the cars. The men from the army are emptying the cars,” he said. “But we still need to empty the cars with the berths.”
That was when Kat heard the horses. Her head craned toward the last two livestock cars, horrified.
That’s when she spotted George, sitting on his mount, overlooking the cliffs. Horrified, she realized he hadn’t left—not when he could enjoy the view.
Kat ran to her horse. She could feel how stunned the others had been at her actions, but there wasn’t time to even yell.
Kat raced ahead, her horse thundering down the trail, Kid, Hawk and Mandy right behind her. She’d kept her eye on George’s horse. She had to admit, he was a hell of a horseman. He may have to limp when he walked, but he could ride like the wind.
Her horse raced after him, but none of their mounts were any match for George’s. He pulled ahead of them with every breath.
Determined, she leaned in. She saw him race around the bend and saw her opportunity. Taking her pony, she went flying over the edge of a hill, leaning back, with her arm back for balance as he ran straight down the hill. One wrong move, and they’d both go flying. They safely reached the bottom of the hill and started up the other side, as she leaned forward now, the muscles in her pony’s hindquarters bunching as he leapt up the hill with her on his back.
They came over the top in front of George’s mount. He didn’t have time to react and his mount slammed into her gelding. Both horses screamed, sending their riders tumbling to the ground.
Kat fought to breathe, working to suck in her breath, pain lancing her skull and racing through her chest. She managed to roll to her knees, pulling her blade as Kid raced up.
Like Hawk, Kid hit the ground running. He reached her, pulling her up to her feet. That was when she realized George hadn’t gotten up. Hawk pulled up, dismounted and went to nudge George with the toe of his boot.
He looked up at Kat.
“That’s not a very satisfactory ending,” she said, still trying to catch her breath.
Kid grinned, hugging her close.
He’ll have his day in court, Hawk said, as he went over to get something out of his saddlebags. He came back over to George, bent over, taking a length of rope, and bound his hands behind his back. Picking him up, he walked over to his horse and draped George over the back, securing his hands to one side of his saddle before going around to secure his feet to the other.
Kat turned to look at the carnage, from the view they had, from where they stood on top the hill.
When they returned to the cars, Kat stared at the bloodbath around her.
People had were laid out on the ground. Those who could, were attending the wounded. Someone had shot the wounded animals. Kat got down off her horse and ran to a bush, throwing up. She heard the moans of the people, and she felt sick again.
She slumped forward as Kid came up and pulled her into his arms. She’d never reacted to death like this before in her life. But she hadn’t thought she might be pregnant before either—nor had she witnessed such a heinous crime. And this one had been at the hands of someone in her own family—and wouldn’t have happened at all—if he hadn’t been out to stop her from rescuing their grandfather from his murderous hands.
Kat stumbled to her feet, as Kid wrapped his arm around her waist. She lifted her head to stare at George. He’d come to—so Hawk had sat him up in the saddle and tied him to the horn.
“All those people,” she said, turning to look at George. “Why?” she said, her voice shaking with rage. “What did anyone ever do to you—to make you hurt all those people?”
“Why!” he said, staring at her. “Because you stole my life!”
She frowned at that. “How could I have possibly stolen your life?” she hissed, getting to her feet with Kid’s help.
George glared at her. “My father was the oldest,” he fumed. “Not your father—but grandfather wouldn’t quit—not even when your father was dead.” He curled his lip.
She couldn’t believe her ears. “They wouldn’t have left you the estates anyway,” she pointed out. “You’re not the oldest son—Ethan is.”
“Ethan,” he sneered again. “Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. People have treated me like I’m invisible all of my life—and all because of Ethan.”
Kat shook her head at him. “They treated you that way—because you acted that way.”
He jerked forward as if slapped—and Hawk tightened his hold on his arm.
“You had to hide that stupid Indian girl,” he said.
Kat gapped at him. “What? What girl?”
He curled his lip at this. “Don’t pretend stupid with me,” he said. “I happen to know that woman took both of you with her.”
Kat shook her head. She didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. Had he lost his senses?
“Rose.” he said harshly—as if that would explain everything.
Kat still frowned at him. “I don’t have any idea who Rose is,” she said. “I only just heard her name the other day.”
He laughed at this, then laughed
again—bent over and laughed as if he’d been struck by some hidden irony. He straightened, staring at her. “This is too much,” he said. Then, he seemed to realize something. “She was your sister,” he said.
She stared at him. “But that’s impossible,” she said. “I have no sister.”
He grinned at her—a nasty, hateful grin. “She was your mother’s first born, the true Cherokee Princess,” he said, “no blood of your father.” He glared at her with eyes filled with rage. “But he loved her like his own.”
Kat opened her mouth—but nothing came out. “How would you know?” Suddenly, she realized how true her words were and she glared at him. “How would you know any of this? You hadn’t even been born yet,” she said harshly.
He grinned. “But my father had.”
Kat stared at him as Hawk jerked on his arm. “You’ve said enough,” he said.
George yanked his arm away, glaring at him—the turned back to Kat. “My father works for the Dark Cloth,” he said. “Yeah…,” he nodded as her eyes grew wide, “we know who—or actually what—they are.” He sneered again. “They made sure the Cherokee would never survive to flourish in the East,” he spat, “the way they’d bred—and bought land and houses—and acted like they were White. Who did they think they were anyway?” He gave her a menacing look. “Jackson made sure they would never prosper from the things they’d stolen from good God fearing people.”
Kat lunged at him—and Kid caught her around the waist. “They were here first,” she screamed, “you ignorant, fool.”
He grinned at her. “And the Dark Cloth made sure they didn’t survive what we had in mind for the human race,” he spat.
Kat tore at Kid’s hands, but he wouldn’t release her.
Hawk grabbed George again. By that time, a soldier stepped forward with irons—and they locked them around his wrists.
Kat stared after them, as they hauled him away.
She turned to look at Hawk. “Why does that name keep coming up?” she asked him.
Dark Warrior: Kid (Dark Cloth Series Book 2) Page 21