In another few seconds one of them would grab hold of the barn doors and pull them open. And one, maybe both of those men would likely die.
Even if Longarm was the target, the ambusher would be too keyed up to hold back.
As soon as those doors opened, dammit, somebody was likely to die.
Longarm had no choice. Not if he wanted to keep two innocent men from being cut down.
Without pausing to think about the danger to himself, he bounded to his feet and, taking two long strides to build speed as he crossed the alleyway, launched himself over the gate at the dark, shadowy figure of the ambusher.
Chapter 10
Noise. There was no way to cover that much distance in a rush without making noise. No way to do it without warning the sonuvabitch what was happening.
And it takes but an instant to turn and yank a trigger. Longarm’s only chance was to startle the bastard so much that it would immobilize him. A moment was all that he needed.
But that moment of stunned hesitation he absolutely had to have.
As he threw himself over the gate he let out a roar. A deep, bone-chilling howl that started in his belly and ripped out of his throat.
He wanted—needed—the shock and the surprise of the attack to freeze the ambusher. Otherwise …
He saw the dim form turn and raise one arm as if to ward off Longarm’s charge. Or perhaps to raise a weapon.
Longarm could not see and did not have time to worry about it anyway.
He hit the ambusher chest high, all of Longarm’s weight bearing down, and both of them were propelled in a tangle of arms and legs, grunts and grimaces, onto a pile of sour straw.
No sooner had Longarm’s paralyzing shout died away than it was replaced by a high-pitched shriek of raw terror coming from somewhere close to Longarm’s right ear.
He didn’t have time to think about that. He had the gunman to deal with.
Quickly, before the ambusher could have time to recover, Longarm tried to throw a punch. The two were much too close together. There was neither space nor leverage for such a blow, and his punch landed ineffectually on the muscle pad of the ambusher’s shoulder.
Longarm tried again, this time with a viciously chopping elbow that caught the ambusher on the left temple. Longarm felt his opponent’s head snap back and the body beneath his suddenly go limp as the ambusher was knocked unconscious.
Before he had time to rise or even to turn, he was jumped from behind. Longarm twisted and kicked out at his attacker.
He heard a yelp of pain. And a familiar voice. He stopped fighting and let the hard hands of George and the stage driver pull him away from the limp body of the would-be ambusher.
“Longarm?” A match flared and he could see the two men he had leaped into action to save. The door to the barn stood open, cold air sweeping inside unheeded.
The stage driver gave Longarm a look of undisguised disgust. “I never woulda took you for a rapist, damn you.”
“Pardon me?” Longarm had no idea what the idiot could mean by a remark like that.
The driver pointed toward the form lying motionless at their feet. The gesture extinguished the match he had been holding in the same hand, and it took several moments before George could locate a lantern and light it.
“Oh, shit,” Longarm said.
It was no ambusher with a shotgun that was lying there but Madelyn Williams. “I thought …” he began. His subsequent explanation sounded lame even in his own ears, and he did not blame the driver for seeming skeptical after its telling. George was more charitable, but even he needed some convincing.
It was Maddy herself who confirmed Longarm’s story when she finally came around. She had a knot above her left ear, but the skin was not broken and she seemed little worse for the experience.
“It’s true I was standing here in the dark. Hiding, you might say. I didn’t want anyone to know I was coming around here at night to talk with a man in private. You can understand that, surely. People would talk. You know how they can be. I came inside here where I thought it would be warmer and waited in the dark so no one would know. I never thought about Custis mistaking me for someone who could want to do him harm. I was just standing there. And then the next thing I knew there was this awful roaring shout and someone or something leaping at me. That’s when I screamed.”
“We heard that an’ come runnin’, miss. Didn’t take no special thought to hear ‘twas a woman afraid that was doin’ the screamin’,” Jesse said. “We thought Longarm was … you know,” George added lamely.
“You were very brave, rushing in to save me like that. Thank you.”
Both men looked pleased, and Longarm thought George might be blushing a little at the pretty girl’s thanks. “Could I ask you something, Miz Bell?”
“Yes, certainly.”
Longarm was mildly puzzled. Miss Bell, the driver had called her. Maddy’s name was Williams. Or had been when Longarm knew her down in Telluride. There could be any number of reasons why she might choose to call herself something different here, of course.
“You called this man here by his first name a moment back. I’m thinking maybe you two already know each other?”
