turned toward the man who’d swatted his hand to one side, there was an angry fire raging in his eyes.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Kinman growled.
Nick leaned to one side and used the same hand that had swatted Kinman’s gun to point toward Hale and his men. “Watch where you’re shooting!” was all he had time to say before pulling hard on his reins and steering Kazys away.
In the space of a heartbeat, Kinman turned to where Nick had been pointing and saw why Nick had stepped in. Both of Hale’s gunmen stood in front of and within spitting distance of the wagon, which had enough dynamite to turn a healthy section of railroad tracks into twisted metal. Ducking low, Kinman swore under his breath and snapped his reins to move out of the gunmen’s line of fire.
Even though Hale and his men were nowhere near as quick on the draw as Kinman or Nick, they’d had plenty of time to pull their triggers by now. Gunshots cracked through the air and lead hissed past Nick and Kinman. Fortunately, the men doing the firing were just as rattled by Nick’s sudden actions as Kinman had been. Their shots went wild and sailed harmlessly into the night.
The biggest struggle for Nick was to keep from drawing his gun. He left the modified Schofield in its holster so he could have both hands free. He rode around the wagon and reached out, snagging the horse’s bridle to take control of Hale’s wagon.
“Get away from there, God dammit,” Hale said as he turned and aimed at Nick.
All those years of lugging coffins paid off, as Nick was able to pull his feet out of the stirrups, get clear of Kazys’s back and pull himself onto the other horse, just as Hale’s shot whizzed over his head.
Meanwhile, the other two gunmen kept firing as Kinman raced around them. They knew better than to empty their cylinders too quickly and still had a few rounds each by the time their target came to a stop.
Dropping from his saddle, Kinman turned toward the gunmen. His boots slammed against the dirt, but the sound of the impact was masked by a shot from his pistol. The bullet caught Cy in the shoulder, twisted him in his saddle and knocked him off of his horse. Kinman wasted no time in shifting his aim to the other gunman. Now that he’d steadied himself, he took proper aim and sent a round straight through that one’s face.
Cy heard the solid thump of the body hitting the dirt, and that told him all he needed to know. He gritted his teeth and fired his remaining shots at Kinman, who had gotten into a prone position.
Grinning like a kid in the middle of a game of tag, Kinman pushed himself to the left and rolled toward Hale’s wagon.
Cy’s hammer dropped onto the back of an empty brass casing.
Kinman kept his aim on Cy as he got himself back onto his feet. When Cy dropped his gun and held up his hands, Kinman shook his head. “Too late for all that,” he said. Before Cy could speak a word in his own defense, Kinman pulled the trigger and sent his final bullet into Cy’s chest.
Nick wasn’t able to hear what Kinman said, but the shot blasted through the air so close to the horses that it got the animals shaking their heads and stomping their hooves. Hale, too, had fired off his remaining rounds and was cursing loudly. Nick poked his head up to get a look at him and had to quickly duck as Hale threw his gun at him.
“I’ve come too far to stop now!” Hale said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I wasn’t the one to start this riot, but I sure as hell won’t let it pass without making some progress.”
Nick pulled himself up onto the wagon and immediately caught Hale’s fist in his jaw. The impact was barely hard enough to turn Nick’s head.
“It’s not a riot,” Nick said. “It’s a damned massacre!”
“Call it what you want. This town’s a powder keg thanks to those filthy Chinamen!”
As he cocked his arm back, Nick said, “Whatever this town is, you’re only making it worse.” He drove his fist into the middle of Hale’s face.
Blood spewed from Hale’s nose, which was now flattened awkwardly against his head. He turned onto his belly so he was draped over the back of the wagon’s seat and his legs were pointed toward the anxious horse. Digging into his pocket, he said, “You and Kinman have already done enough! All this shooting must have drawn a crowd.”
Nick glanced back in the direction from which they’d come and saw plenty of movement among the trees and neighboring buildings. He couldn’t be sure how many folks were watching from back there, but he could feel those eyes fixed upon him. They’d been given one hell of a show.
When he turned around again, Nick was treated to a sight that made his own eyes widen.
Hale had twisted around onto his side. His face was contorted into a twisted, grinning mask and his fingers were pinched around a single lit match. “Back the hell away from me or we both get blown sky-high,” he said in a disturbingly calm tone.
“Your men are already dead,” Nick said. “No need for you to join them.”
“We’ll all join them unless you do what I say. I’ve brought this too far to back up now.”
“Go on and do what he says,” Kinman said from a few yards away.
Nick only had to shift his eyes a bit to get a look at Kinman. Keeping Hale in the edge of his vision, Nick saw Kinman step forward while casually reloading his pistol.
“There’s enough dynamite to kill us all,” Nick warned.
Kinman shrugged. “Then standing here or there won’t make much difference. Might as well do what he says so we don’t have to die in the name of some greedy Chinese.”
Hale smirked and slithered away from Nick until his back was against the edge of the driver’s seat. “That’s right. This town’s in the grip of a cleansing fire and it needs to burn until all the wickedness is purged. I only represent the good, honest workers of Rock Springs, who are trying to provide for their families.”
“Those Chinese have families, too,” Nick said.
“And they’ve got their jobs at these mines as well as at plenty of others. The line was crossed when they were set up to replace good Christian workers and put them out of their jobs.”
“Take it up with the mining companies.”
“Save your breath,” Kinman said before Hale could reply. “Let Hale do what he’s gonna do. Better that than have some more good workers suffer.”
“That’s absolutely right,” Hale said. He continued to look at Nick as the match in his hand burned down to his fingers. Flailing like a trout that had been dropped onto dry land, Hale squirmed over the back of the seat and landed on one of the crates of dynamite. His hands buried themselves into his pockets and then came out with another few matches.
Nick let out an aggravated breath, just managing to release the horse’s tracings as he climbed down from the wagon before Hale started another little fire.
“What about the money?” Kinman asked. “You put on your show and we’re the ones who’ll take the blame no matter what, so we might as well get our payment.”
Hale grunted as he righted himself with his back against the side of the wagon. “Quite right,” he wheezed. He reached into another pocket to take out a bundle of money. Tossing the cash at Kinman, Hale said, “Take it and go. When you read about the history we’ve made here today, you’ll thank me for letting you be a part of it.”
Nick was already on Kazys’s back and riding away from the wagon. As soon as he’d collected the money and stuffed it into his own pocket, Kinman followed suit.
“Mark my words!” Hale shouted as he made his way back to the driver’s seat. “This is a historical day!” Smiling victoriously and sitting like a king upon his throne, Hale snapped his reins. As soon as the leather cracked against its flank, the horse bolted and pulled free of the wagon.
“What the hell?” Hale grunted.
Nick drew his pistol and fired at the back of the wagon. His first bullet drilled through the wooden panel without a result. His next shots, combined with gunfire from Kinman, were more than enough to ignite the dynamite.
It seemed to spool out like a series of pictures that slowly passed in front of Nick’s eyes. First, he saw the flash of orange light from the back of the wagon. Next, he saw bits of wood fly out in every direction. Everything after that was a blur.
Nick’s ears were ringing so badly that he wasn’t exactly certain if he’d heard the explosion or not. Heat from the fire washed over him until he found himself wondering if he’d fired too soon and would perish in the flames right along with Hale. Despite all the heat, Nick swore he could feel the cold touch of the Reaper’s skeletal hand closing
