Clint heard movement ahead and to the left, so he dug his feet into the ground and moved even faster. The next shot fired from Ordell’s rifle thundered through the air loudly enough to set Clint’s ears ringing. Since he didn’t hear the bullet shred himself or anything else near him, Clint knew that Ordell was still firing at Howlett.
As much as Clint wanted to return fire and buy Howlett a moment to draw a breath, he held off and kept running. He even kept running when he turned off the path and into a section of woods that might have been trapped.
Clint kept swinging his blade, putting absolute faith in his own senses to warn him if anything was about to harm him. His ears were filled with the pounding of his own footsteps and heartbeat. His eyes, on the other hand, caught a very welcome sight.
As Clint raised his Colt to point at Ordell, he saw the hunter straighten up and bring his rifle around. The long weapon may have been powerful and accurate, but it was still unwieldy as hell and slowed Ordell down enough for Clint to take his first shot.
The modified Colt barked once and clipped a piece from Ordell’s side.
Grunting and twisting to protect that side, Ordell started backing away from Clint. As he headed for the river, Ordell sighted along his rifle and took a shot.
Clint was still moving and heard the lead thunder through the spot he’d just left. He fired again, but Ordell managed to pull his trigger at the same time, forcing Clint to drop before getting blasted out of his boots. Ordell’s round tore through Clint’s back as he dropped, sending a fiery pain through his body.
A few cautious movements told Clint that he’d just gotten a flesh wound. Of course, that didn’t make it hurt any less. Lifting his arm to fire another shot was painful, but since Ordell was still moving and firing back at him, Clint pushed through the pain pretty quickly.
Following Ordell this far had brought him back around toward the river. Acting on pure reflex, Clint bolted for the water while emptying his pistol in Ordell’s direction. When he emerged from the trees, he saw Howlett on one knee fifty yards or so downstream.
Howlett gave Clint a wave and pointed toward the trees.
Clint didn’t need to be told Ordell was there. He just hoped to reload before the hunter drew a bead on him.
The next series of shots came from Howlett as he fired and worked his rifle lever at an impressive pace. Soon, he was able to flush Ordell from the trees.
Ordell could barely be seen as he stepped forward and took aim at Howlett. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” Ordell shouted. “Didn’t you know that Clint killed that Indian friend of yours? I would’ve thought you’d be glad when I dropped Clint first. In fact, why don’t we take Clint down right now and be done with it? We can have ourselves another hunt later if you like. Just between you and me.”
From where he stood, Clint could just see a slight rustle of movement in the trees behind Ordell. The only way he saw it at all was because Clint had been expecting it since this whole fight began.
A pair of strong, dark arms wrapped around Ordell. One arm cinched in around Ordell’s neck and the other held the sharpened stone blade of a tomahawk under his chin.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Crow hissed into Ordell’s ear.
Ordell’s face dropped and the color drained from his skin as he was forced to rethink his belief in ghosts.
Seeing that their own trap had been sprung, Clint and Howlett moved in closer. Clint reloaded his Colt and holstered it while Howlett grabbed the rifle from Ordell’s hands. The hunter wasn’t about to let it go so easily, but the tomahawk under his chin made Ordell loosen his grip.
“This ain’t right,” Ordell said. “That Injun was killed. I saw it!”
“You saw me shoot and you saw Crow fall down,” Clint explained.
Squirming in Crow’s grasp, Ordell asked, “Are you just gonna let them kill me, Clint? You’re not that sort! You won’t just stand by and watch a man get murdered.”
“You mean like I had to watch you murder your own nephew? If you’ve been counting on me showing you mercy after every time you tried to hunt me down and kill me, then you’re sadly mistaken. I’m not in this for the bounty on your head and I’m not in this to execute you. I wanted to make sure your hunting days were over.”
From behind Ordell, Crow snarled, “They are over.”
“Th . . . this ain’t a way to kill a man!” Ordell shouted with desperation shining through every word. “At least give me a weapon and fight me proper!”
“You are no man,” Crow said. “You are an animal.”
Clint turned his back and walked to the river as the killing blow was struck. After all the running and gunfire, it was a quiet moment followed by the thump of Ordell’s body hitting the ground.
FORTY-FIVE
“It is done,” Crow said as he stepped up next to Clint and knelt down to wash his tomahawk in the river.
Clint was stooping down to take a drink. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Ordell’s body.
“After all that, I half expected him to jump up and start tearing after us again,” Howlett said as he stood next to Crow.
“Not any more,” Clint said.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting to haul his carcass back to the law since he didn’t get his trial.”
Clint shrugged. “Actually, I figured he should just be buried out here. It’s where he belongs.”
“Nah,” Howlett grumbled. “You were right before. Them other folks that lost their kin to that bastard need to know it’s over. I know Ed Gray’s family checks in with the marshal every so often to see what they know about Ed’s killer. It’s about time they got some good news.”
“Good news for them and plenty of other folks,” Clint said. “I like the sound of that.”
“And I will bring this to my people,” Crow said as he held Ordell’s rifle reverently. “Seeing this weapon taken from its owner will be very good news to them.”
“The best news I’ve had for a while was knowing you were following through on our plan to trap Ordell,” Clint said. “For a moment, I thought you truly were going to attack me.”
“I was thinking about it,” Crow said.
Walking along the river toward them, Rain rushed over to Crow to give him a hug. “And that is all you’ll do. I asked Clint if you were all right and he wouldn’t tell me.”
Crow let his sister dote on him for a few seconds before pushing her away. “Ordell could have been watching and listening to every word. You knew that.”
“I know, but I still worried. I thought Ordell had seen me when I brought Clint’s plan to you. I thought he’d seen me when I warned Clint that he was near so you two could start your fight. No matter how careful I was,” she said as a chill worked its way down her spine, “he still crept up on me and could have—”
“But he didn’t,” Clint said. “You did a fine job.”
“I second that!” Howlett declared. “Hell, I wouldn’t mind if you brought your sister along on a regular basis. She’s one of the best scouts I’ve ever seen.”
“Right now, I just want to get out of these woods and go home,” Rain told him.
Clint couldn’t agree more.
Watch for
THE FRIENDS OF WILD BILL HICKOK
302nd novel in the exciting GUNSMITH series
from Jove
Coming in February!
The Killing Blow Page 15