“My daughter?”
“Yes” Burkett said, “I think the McCall boys would come out if she asked them.”
“I won’t ask them.”
Burkett frowned at her.
“I was hoping you’d cooperate, but that doesn’t matter.
You’re coming along anyway.”
Burkett waved his arm, and the two men with him and Conners grabbed her arms.
“Hey!” she said.
“Let her go—” Miller started, but Chuck Conners stepped in front of him and hit him once on the jaw.
Miller slumped to the floor, unconscious.
“Papa!” Serena cried. She looked at Burkett and asked, “Why are you doing this?”
“As I said,” Burkett replied, “I need your help with the McCalls.”
“To kill them?”
“That’s up to them. Take her outside,” Burkett said to the men holding her. “Let’s see how Sam McCall reacts to this.”
Chapter Twenty-three
There were no tools in the office. No hammers, no crowbars, nothing.
“How’s anyone supposed to escape?” Jubal demanded, annoyed.
“I think that was the idea, Jube,” Sam said. “At least, the original idea.”
“So what do we do now?”
“I have a suggestion,” Coffin called from the back.
“Watch the window,” Sam said to Jubal, and then went in the back to talk to Coffin.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Simple enough,” Coffin said. “Give me a gun and let me help.”
“That’s simple enough,” Sam said. “I give you a gun so you can kill me.”
“Now, Sam,” Coffin said, “we both know that Burkett’s not happy with me. After all, I didn’t do the job. If he kills you, he’ll kill me, too. If you give me a gun you and I are worth any ten of his men.”
“Which leaves twenty for Jubal to handle,” Sam said. “Somehow that doesn’t seem to even the odds up much, does it? Sorry, Coffin. You’re just gonna have to stay an observer.”
“If I’m going to die,” Coffin called out as Sam went back into the office, “I’d rather it be with a gun in my hand.”
“Anything happening?” Sam asked Jubal.
“They’re doing the same thing we’re doing…waiting for Burkett. Wait, there he is.”
Sam hurried to his window.
Burkett was standing across the street, partially obscured from view by a buckboard. Still, Sam probably could have gotten off one shot. He touched the gun in his holster.
“McCall!” Burkett called. “I’ve got someone out here you might be interested in.”
“What the hell is he talking about now?” Jubal asked.
Burkett waved his arm and suddenly Serena Miller was pushed out from behind the buckboard. She stood in the open, and Burkett stepped out next to her. Behind her and to her right was Chuck Conners.
“Serena,” Jubal said.
“What do you want, Burkett?”
“I see you’re interested in talking now,” Burkett said.
“Just get to it, Burkett.”
“You come out and I’ll let the girl go.”
“And if we don’t come out?”
“I’ll turn her over to my men.”
The threat was either one of violation, death…or both.
“I wonder…” Sam said, looking around at all of Burkett’s men.
“What?” Jubal asked. “What?”
“Well, most of Burkett’s men probably hired on as hands, and not as hired guns.”
“What’s your point?”
“I think if I’m standing out there all by myself, he’s gonna have to kill me himself. I don’t think his men will do it for him.”
“What about his threat to Serena?”
“Well, there might be a few of his men who wouldn’t mind taking her into an alley, but I don’t know how many men he’s got who would be willing to kill her.”
“So what you’re saying is that you’re going to go out there alone.”
“Right.”
“To get killed.”
“Wrong.”
“Then what?”
“Hopefully,” Sam said, “I’ll be able to reduce this whole thing to Burkett and me.” He took out his gun and checked the cylinder, to make sure it was fully loaded.
“And if not?”
“Just stay in here and watch, Jube,” Sam said. “With any luck you’ll still be able to deliver Coffin to the marshal for killing Evan.”
“And with no luck?”
“We’ll all be dead within the next fifteen minutes.”
Sam stood up, taking most of his weight on his uninjured leg. The other was far from completely healed, but he wasn’t about to let it stop him from doing what he had to do.
“I’m comin out, Burkett!”
“No, Sam,” Serena called, “don’t come out. He’ll kill you.”
“I’ll cover you from the window,” Jubal said. “If you go down, I’m going to kill Burkett.”
“Sounds fair to me.”
Sam walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out. Once outside Sam felt very vulnerable. There were at least thirty guns pointed at him. He was putting a lot of faith in Burkett’s men being ranch hands and not killers. Of course, there were those men who had chased him that day, but maybe they’d be less willing to fire at such a stationary target.
“All right, Burkett,” Sam said, “I’m here.”
“Where’s your brother?”
“Like you said before,” Sam said, “you have no quarrel with him.”
Burkett thought it over and decided not to argue the point. Sam McCall was out in the open. He could deal with the other one later.
“Let her go.”
“Not yet, McCall.”
“Then what now?” Sam asked.
“Now you drop your gun.”
“I don’t think so, Burkett,” Sam said. “If your men are gonna kill me I want a chance to take some of them with me—or are you gonna do it yourself? Yeah, there’s an idea.”
“Shut up, McCall.”
Sam raised his voice.
“With most of the town watching they can all testify that thirty men gunned me down. That’s murder.”
“Remember,” Burkett said, “you have your gun.”
“One against thirty?” McCall said. “Even though it’s my gun, it’s still murder. Are you all gonna go to jail—or
