“You sure you’re all right?” Nick asked.
Lester nodded and took a few breaths to steady himself. “Yeah. I was just hoping you’d let me ride with you for a piece.”
Glancing toward the village, Nick saw that the Sioux had already stopped and formed a line that was well within range for rifle and bow shots. “We’re still being watched,” Nick warned. “I don’t think those Sioux are anxious for a fight, but they’re plenty anxious for us to leave.”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here,” Lester said. “I just don’t want to ride all the way back to Rock Springs when my friend is probably waiting for me in the opposite direction.”
Despite the things that came to Nick’s mind, the main thing he could think about was the group of Sioux that were watching them like hawks. Even when he’d ridden with killers and vigilantes, Nick had learned to never turn his nose up at Indian hospitality. Favors like that didn’t come along too often and they were never to be taken lightly.
“Fine,” Nick said quickly. “Just keep your hands where they can be seen and don’t even think about straying from my side. There’s a burial ground not far from here and if we so much as look at it, we’re in for a war.”
“Lead on, my friend. Lead on.”
Despite the reservations he had, Nick led on. He kept Lester beside him and the Sioux’s horses in his sight for as long as he could. The Indians barely even moved as Nick and Lester rode away. They remained in their formation until both men’s horses had built up some speed. When Nick looked behind him again, the Sioux were gone.
Just to be on the safe side, Nick kept riding into the Badlands. It was rugged and beautiful country, which he’d passed through several times. Still, for every stretch of land that he knew like the back of his hand, there was another stretch that Nick didn’t even recognize.
In his younger years, Nick and Barrett had used the Badlands as their own personal refuge. It was a good spot for meeting up with other members of his gang to plan jobs or split up the fruits of their labor. It was also easy to charge through and shake off anyone following them in much the same way that Nick had shaken Lester.
Even now, Nick glanced around at the rocky terrain and picked out caves where he could sleep and peaks he could use as lookout posts. The land hadn’t changed much in the time that he’d been away. It was still a dangerous ride for anyone who didn’t know their way, and a haven for everyone else. Barrett had loved the Badlands. That was why Nick had buried him there.
Steering Kazys toward a gravel-covered ridge, Nick pulled back on his reins and brought the horse to a stop. Lester was more than happy to follow suit.
“This is where we part ways,” Nick said.
Lester blinked and looked around as if he was expecting another ambush. “What? Here? We’re in the middle of nowhere!”
“I gave you the chance to leave before, but you didn’t take it.”
“I know, but that was when them Injuns were about to kill us,” Lester whined.
“They’re not going to kill us as long as we don’t stray where we’re not supposed to be.”
“And where’s that?”
“Just go back the way you came,” Nick said. “Ride straight past that village without looking cross-eyed at it and you’ll be fine.”
“And what if they ride up on me again?”
Guiding Kazys away from the ridge and back toward the narrow trail, Nick replied, “Fall out of your saddle again. They seemed to think that was pretty funny.”
“Hilarious. You damn near got my leg snapped in two.”
“Better than your neck,” Nick said in a tone that was colder than the bottom of a frozen lake.
Rather than try to bargain or plead any more, Lester stayed put and let Nick go. Although his mouth was still, his brain was chugging like the piston of a steam engine. He squeezed the reins tightly and shifted his feet in the stirrups. His eyes snapped back and forth quicker and quicker as Nick moved farther away.
Finally, Lester managed to spit out a few desperate words.
“I know where you’re headed!”
Nick was just snapping his reins to get Kazys to jump a small pit where a piece of the trail had broken off. He landed on the other side, turned and said, “I know you do. I’ve mentioned it a few times.”
“Not just which direction. I know the spot you’re looking for. It’s the spot where Barrett Cobb is buried.”
Nick pulled back on his reins so quickly that Kazys shook his head to protest the bit pulling at the corners of his mouth. Nick sat in the saddle like a statue that had been chiseled out of ice. “What the hell do you know about Barrett?” he growled.
At first, Lester had felt relieved when Nick stopped. Now he wished the other man was safely moving away from him again. Doing his best to keep his chin up and the fear from his face, Lester said, “I heard he was buried not too far from here.”
“Who told you?”
“Some friends of mine.”
Nick was across the gap and within inches of Lester’s face in the space of a heartbeat. “That’s why you’re here? To defile a grave?”
“Considering what’s buried in there with him, Cobb himself shouldn’t have been too surprised that there’d be folks coming after him.”
“What do you know about it?”
“Just that him and his gang pulled off one hell of a job before he was killed, and none of the stolen jewels were ever found.”
Nick furrowed his brow slightly and leaned forward less than half an inch. His movements were slow and didn’t cover much space, but Lester pulled back as if he’d found himself in front of a rockslide.
“And how do you know so much about Barrett’s last job?” Nick asked. “Are you a lawman?”
“Hell no.” Lester gulped. “But I can read a newspaper. Anyone in this part of the country has either heard something about that job or something about the search for Cobb or his gang. When nobody found anything or anybody, word started to spread.”
“Rumors,” Nick grumbled, as if he’d just uttered a profanity.
“You should know all about that.”
Nick nodded to himself and looked Lester up and down. Letting out a breath, he eased back in his saddle and took on a more relaxed posture. Nick let his eyes wander just until he could see Lester following his lead and relaxing as well. That way, when he snapped his hand out to grab Lester by the front of his shirt, Nick was sure to put a fresh scare into him.
“Don’t lie to me again and don’t take me for a fool,” Nick snarled. “That is, unless you want me to shoot you full of holes and leave your carcass for the Indians.”
Lester shook his head vigorously until his hat toppled off. “I wouldn’t dream of it!”
“Either you were a friend of Barrett’s or you were chasing after him, because no newspaper stories are that detailed.”
“I wasn’t after him…or you! I swear.”
Nick asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Lester winced as he realized just how far ahead of his brain his mouth had been running. “Yeah, I know who you are. My cousins live not too far from here. There’s been plenty of talk about you and Cobb after all the shootings and such over the last few years.”
“So your cousins were after Barrett’s grave?”
“No, I swear!”
Nick gave him a shake and pulled Lester forward as if he was about to pitch him off his horse. Rather than struggle, Lester lost the will to fight and went limp.
“I’ve been on the run myself,” Lester whined. “Sometimes my cousins would get some work from Cobb since he was always lookin’ for steady gun hands. They would send me some money, since I couldn’t risk getting honest work from someone who would pay me real wages. They would always send word about the hell they had to raise to earn it. They also said Cobb was a good man.”
“He’s been dead for years,” Nick pointed out.
“He was still a good man. My cousins told me so. They told me all about how he would—”
