Fatal

Again the brothers exchanged knowing looks.

'We kin tak care a ourselves,' Lyle said. 'B'lieve me we can.'

Matt gathered his things and then motioned the three brothers out of the room.

'Lewis, you want me to help you back to bed?' he asked.

'Ah kin manage fahn maself. But if'n it's okay with the doctor, Ah'll stay in this here chair a bit longer.'

'I'm glad you're doing so well. I still feel really bad about what happened. I don't know what Frank and the boys keep smiling and smirking about, but I'm really worried that those bastards from the mine are going to come after you.'

'Ma brothers wuzn't zakly smirkin', Doc. It's jes that — '

A loud, repetitive warning buzzer cut him off. Immediately, there were heavy-booted footsteps across the wood floors downstairs and up the staircase as well.

' 'Scuse me, Doc,' Lewis said, standing, unhooking his IV from its makeshift hanger, and dragging his chair out to the hall. 'We got us some compny.'

Matt hurried along behind him, shutting off the flow valve to prevent blood from backing up into the IV tubing. The footsteps he had heard were the three brothers, moving through their house as if they had drilled for this moment many times. Someone had already shut the alarm off. Kyle raced up the stairs and slid a six-foot by three- foot sheet of metal between where Lewis had positioned himself and the railing. Then he opened the upstairs hall closet and again began unloading their weapons onto the hallway floor. This time Matt noted half a dozen shotguns, a number of handguns, several sophisticated rifles with high-powered sights, and two semiautomatic weapons. Kyle left two shotguns, a heavy pistol, and a rifle with Lewis, then set a black metal box with a keypad and several switches onto Lewis's lap. Next he began lowering weapons through the balustrade to Lyle.

Stunned at the size and scope of their arsenal, Matt could only stand behind Lewis and watch.

'How many?' Lewis called down.

'Ah thank four' was the reply from Frank. 'Looks lak ol' Lonnie Tuggle's one of 'em. Ah never did lak him much.'

Cameras! Matt thought, incredulous. Somewhere in the trees out there, the legendary backwoods hick Slocumb brothers had set up a warning system and surveillance cameras.

'Frank,' he said loudly, 'my Harley's outside. Do you want me to move it?'

'Doc, d'ya thank we'd let anythin' happ'n ta thet bee-yew-tee-ful machine a yourn? It's off safe inna barn.'

'Lewis, did you know these men were coming?'

'We heard they mot be.'

'Jesus,' Matt muttered. 'Some hermits you guys are. Hey, listen, be careful,' he cried out. 'I don't want any of you getting hurt. Or me, for that matter.'

'Ain't us ya got ta worry 'bout, Doc,' Lewis said firmly. 'Now ya go on inta thet room behind us an' keep yer nose down jes in case they's stupider than we thank.'

Matt did as he was ordered and dropped to his knees just inside the partially open door, a few feet behind Lewis. The eldest Slocumb, all sixty-two or — three years of him, just sat there with his makeshift chest tube still draining blood through the condom, his IV bag lying on the floor next to him, his right hand cradling the pistol, and his left resting on the black box.

'Here they be,' Frank said. 'Two still inna car. Two sneakin' round back on foot.'

'Jes stay cool, boys,' Lewis ordered. 'No happy fangers. No one says nothin' but Frank.'

At that moment there were three sharp raps on the front door.

'It's open,' Frank called out. 'Lemme see both yer hands as ya come in.'

From his vantage point, looking around the metal plate and through the railing, Matt could just see the door as it swung back. The large BC amp;C security guard who had escorted him from the meeting with Armand Stevenson took one step inside. He was maybe six-three, 260, with a shaved head that sat on his shoulders like a basketball. Matt couldn't see Frank, but imagined him across the living room, his shotgun resting lazily in the crook of his arm.

'Lonnie,' Frank said.

'Frank. Listen, we don't want any trouble, but we been sent out here to do a job. You know how it is.'

'An' whut job'd thet be?'

'Two men trespassed onto mine property the other night. We think one of them was Dr. Rutledge from in town.'

'So?'

'An' we think the other was one of you brothers.'

'Now, whut meks ya thank that?'

'Look, Frank, we've known each other a long time. Don't bullshit me and I won't bullshit you. Mr. LeBlanc from the mine wants to meet with whichever one of you it was, and also with that doctor. He says they may have been exposed to a dangerous chemical, and that they'll be in some kind of danger if they don't do the right thing.'

'Lonnie, you go tell Mr. LeBlanc thet ya tried yer best, but no one here even knowed whut y'uz talkin' 'bout.'

'Frank, where're Lewis and the others?'

'Ain't ma word good nuff?'

Matt risked peeking through the railing again just as Lonnie Tuggle pulled a gun from his waistband.

'Frank, one of the two men who trespassed got hisself shot.

There was blood on the stones inside the mine. It wasn't the doctor. Now, where is Lewis?'

'Lewis is rot here,' Lewis said, moving forward and resting his gun hand on the railing. 'Now it's time fer ya ta go.'

'You look a bit under the weather, Lewis,' Tuggle said. 'You wouldn't by any chance have taken a bullet recently?'

Every muscle in Matt's body was tensed. There was going to be a firefight. He just knew it. He started inching through the doorway toward the shotguns on the floor beside Lewis. If things opened up, there was no way he wouldn't be fighting on the Slocumbs' side.

'Stay there!' Lewis whispered harshly over his shoulder.

Matt sank down to the floor.

'I was told to bring you back with me, Lewis. I can't leave without you.'

'Ya can an' ya will, less'n ya want ta leave here feet first.'

'I have men with me. One of them's got a gun on Frank right now.'

'Ah see 'im,' Lyle said from down below. 'He best be a darn fast shot ta get Frank an' Void takin' one a these here bullets in the haid.'

'Same goes fer you,' Kyle said, stepping onto the balcony from the room at the end of the hall, ten feet down from Lewis.

Lewis quickly punched in some numbers on the keypad of the black box.

'This is a warning, Lonnie,' he said, pressing the firing button.

The window-rattling explosion from the broad dirt courtyard outside was enough to cause Tuggle to whirl. In that instant, Frank was across the room, his shotgun against the back of the huge man's head.

'Drop the gun! Drop it now, Lonnie.'

Reluctantly, Tuggle did as he was ordered.

'Thet bang were 'bout ten feet behind yer car,' Lewis called down. 'The nex one'll be unner it.'

'An' the nex buckshot from this gun'll be in yer brain,' Frank added. 'Now, yev got ten seconds ta git yer boys an' git outta here. Tell 'im ta set his revolver down afore he moves.'

'Do it, Cork,' Tuggle ordered.

Tuggle motioned to the man behind Frank, and in a moment, he came into Matt's view, cowed and weaponless. The two of them backed out of the front door and called to the other pair.

'You're going to regret this, Frank,' Tuggle said. 'You ain't the only one who can blow things up.'

'You gotta git t'us ferce, Lonnie. An' you ain't done so good at thet. Do us all a favor an' don' tra it. We don' git much pleasure outta killin' helpless critters. Tell ol' LeClair t'weren' none a us out at the mine. The doctor