'I travel in good company,' Jamie said with a shrug.
'It doesn't matter. The sheriff is my man. Aren't you, Harvey?'
'Von Heusen, don't say that,' the sheriff began uneasily.
'Why? Who is going to stop us now?' yon Heusen said. 'I own the sheriff,
and I own the magistrate, and I can damned well bet you I'm going to own
the executioner. You're dead, Slater. As dead as a doornail.'
'No. You may own the sheriff, but I've got a few guns around the place,
too, yon Heusen.'
'Yeah, your brothea's and that half-breed friend of yours. It's not
enough.
I've got guns all over this town.'
As if to prove it, and obviously uncaring that he was about to commit
murder in broad daylight, yon Heusen raised his pistol and aimed
straight at Jamie's heart. But he didn't have a chance to fire. A gun
cracked, and yon Heusen grabbed his hand, screaming. And the streets
came alive.
There was a fearsome pounding of hooves, and war cries tore the air.
Jamie, astonished, bent low and whirled around. 'Jesus!' he breathed.
The cavalry. The cavalry was coming, Sergeant Monahan in the lead.
Nor were they alone. They were traveling, curiously enough, with a small
band of Indians. Apache.
'Jamie!'
Tess screamed his name and he swung around again even as the horses came
tearing down the street.
Von Heusen had Tess. His right hand might be crippled and bleeding, but
he held his pistol in his left hand, and the muzzle was pressed against
her temple. He was backing toward the saloon.
'One more step and I blow her to kingdom come!' yon Heusen warned Jamie.
Gunfire was spitting all around him. From behind a water barrel by the
Wiltshire Sun office Cole was picking off yon Heusen's men from the
rooftops areund them. Malachi and Jon were positioned behind the wagon,
which they had overturned.
And the cavalry and the Apache wee rushing in to the fantastic sound of
a bugle call. It was quickly obvious that von Heusen's men would not be
enough.
Except that yon Heusen had Tess.
He disappeared through the swinging doors of the saloon. Jamie caught
his breath, hearing ~-. ss's screams as the man dragged her upstairs.
'The roof, Jamie! The roof!' Cole called to him. He looked up. He made a
leap toward the railing and swung himself up to the roof. A shot nearly
made him trip and fall.
He heard someone groan and saw a man fall to the ground. He looked
across the street.
Cole smiled, blowing the smoke froaa his gun.
'Dammit, Jamie, go get the girl!'
Jamie grinned and gave his brother a thumbs-up sign. Then he felt his
blood run cold again. He was. going to have to kill von Heusen if he
wanted to live hxnself.
'You, Miss. Stuart, have been a bloody thorn in my side since the
