“That’s right,” Longarm said, angrily reining his horse into the street. “And if we live through tomorrow, I’ll tell you all about her.”
Randy looked confused, but Longarm was too pissed off at Marshal Gus Bell to care.
“You sonofabitch!” Killion swore, his fist driving up to connect against the side of Longarm’s jaw and send him crashing to the floor.
Stunned, Longarm almost went for his six-gun, but Randy jumped in before his father could kick Longarm in his wounded side. “It was my fault, dammit! I told you that! I’m the one who wanted to go to Virginia City! Not Custis. He just went along for the ride.”
“You knew we’d planned to rob a bank in Reno tomorrow, didn’t you!”
“Yes, Gil told me, but-“
The flat of Matthew Killion’s hand smashed into Randy’s face. The kid staggered, and Clyde caught and shoved him back at their father. “Kick his uppity educated ass!”
“Shut up!” Killion hissed, turning his rage on his eldest. “Clyde, you’re too gawddamn dumb and mean to even be tolerated!”
Clyde, one moment grinning like a fool at the expense of his kid brother, now shrank back, eyes bright and filled with pent-up hatred. “You don’t be talking to me like that, Pa! Not in front of everybody!”
Matthew Killion took a menacing step toward his brutish son. “You imbecile! You worthless, bloody …”
The words died in his throat as Clyde drew his gun and grinned wolfishly. “You ain’t gonna say those things no more about me, Pa! I swear you’ll take ‘em back right now or I’ll send you straight to hell!”
Killion froze. “Put the gun away,” he ordered, eyes darting to the other men to see if they would help. But no one moved.
“Apologize, Mister Killion,” Clyde yelled in a menacing voice, “or I’ll drill a hole in you!”
Longarm met Randy’s eyes, and they were scared. “Easy,” he whispered.
“Apologize, you miserable, weak old sonofabitch!” Clyde screamed at his father.
Killion snapped, “In hell I will!”
Clyde’s gun bucked in his fist twice, and Matthew Killion began to stumble back until he crashed over a table.
“Pa!” Randy cried, rushing over to his father.
“He’d lived too long anyway,” Clyde said, coming up swiftly behind Randy and pistol-whipping him across the back of the head. Randy grunted and collapsed across his father’s body.
Longarm started to go for his six-gun, but he changed his mind as Clyde spun on him and said, “You with us, or against us?”
“With you,” Longarm said, knowing he was a hairs-breadth from dying.
Clyde quivered with excitement, and then he looked around at the other outlaws, who were frozen in shock. “The Reno bank job is still on for tomorrow morning,” Clyde told them, taking command. “It’s all been planned and it’s going to happen, only I’m going to give you all bigger shares than my pa would have. Are you boys riding for Clyde Killion now?”
One man finally dipped his chin in assent, then another and another, until they were all nodding.
“Good,” Clyde said with satisfaction. “Then we leave Helldorado and ride out at midnight.”
Desiree had been watching. Satisfied that a new master had taken control, she sidled over to Clyde, slipped her arm around his thick waist, and pressed her hip against his. “What do you want me to do?” she purred.
Clyde practically drooled on her. “You’ll pleasure me until midnight, what else?”
She smiled and looked down at the unconscious Randy. “And what about the kid?”
Clyde holstered his gun. “He’s gonna earn his share this time. He’s gonna ride up in the front with the grown men.”
“But he’s out cold,” she said with what she probably thought was a sympathetic tone of voice.
“He’ll ride with us at midnight,” Clyde vowed. “Either sitting in his saddle or lashed across it. Either way, the fair-haired boy is going to finally get his little hands dirty.”
Desiree smiled seductively. Her hand brushed across Clyde’s crotch. “Aren’t you all done talking yet?” she breathed.
“Yeah,” he said, propelling her toward the stairs and his father’s office, “we ain’t going to talk anymore unless it’s you beggin’ me for more of my meat.”
Desiree laughed shrilly, and Longarm hurried to Randy’s side with gunsmoke and death hanging in the air all around them. Matthew Killion was dead, but what had taken his place was even more evil.
The next morning, the Killion gang drifted into Reno in small groups, no more than three together, and they tied their horses up around the Bank of Reno. Just before entering the town, Longarm had learned that he was to help hold the horses, while Randy was going inside the bank along with Clyde and four others. The remainder of the gang were to just hang around and be ready in case there was any trouble.
“Good luck,” Longarm said in a soft voice as Randy headed into the bank.
Randy glanced back at Longarm, and he was obviously scared and unwell. He’d taken a vicious pistol-whipping, and it was a wonder that he was even able to stand up and walk this morning, much less to have endured the long night ride over from Helldorado.
