“I’m hoping to bind them and drag them back to the jailhouse. I don’t kill unless I have to.”
Trace was alerted to a noise in the bush. He pushed Gen to the side and pulled his firearm from the back of his pants. They stood silent, waiting for the noise to reveal itself. Nick inched out and when he caught sight of his sister and Trace, he threw his hands in the air.
“The Pinkerton man! Why am I not surprised?”
“Maybe you’re not, but I am,” said Trace. “Why did you leave Andrea alone in the camp?”
“They’ve already come to view the merchandise. Didn’t seen too worried about me. But they should be.”
“Are you saying they just let you walk out of camp?” asked Trace.
“Not exactly. I pretended to be asleep when they hauled Andrea off.”
“So, who are the new boys and what do they want?” asked Gen.
“Appears our trail master is up to no good. I didn’t stick around for the full story but good-old Terrance has arrived which sent Andrea’s silly head in a spin. Think she’ll soon discover that all is not as it seems on that home front.”
“Poor girl. But I suppose she’ll be more agreeable to us taking her home,” said Gen.
“Us?” He moved closer so that he and Trace stood eye to eye. “Tell me my sister is not a Pinkerton lady detective?”
“Her choice, Nick. I only met her after she joined.”
“So, this honeymoon thing is a farce?”
“Not completely. We are newlyweds.”
Gen came and pulled the men apart. “Stop this nonsense. I am a grown woman, Nick, and will do as I please. We both know I can look after myself with a gun or a knife. Now I get paid for it.”
“We’re all focused on saving Andrea, right? So, together we now number three against eight,” said Trace. “That’s better odds.”
“Agreed,” said Nick, backing down.
“You’re sure she’s safe, Nick?” asked Gen.
“For the time being. That’s when I split, figuring I could do bigger damage from a distance.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Trace glanced at Gen who was heading back into the trees. “Where are you going?”
“Since I have two men waiting on the sidelines, I can lure multiple fellas your way. Let’s get to work, boys.”
Nick grumbled. “Always was the bossy one in the family.”
Both men hurried to catch up. “You’ll have to run hard Gen, once you get their attention.”
“And try not to cause a loud ruckus and bring them all down on us at once, guns blazing,” said Nick, doubt and a touch of anger in his voice. It was obvious his protective instincts were kicking in. Two looking out for Gen brought a sense of relief to Trace.
A few hundred feet closer, she stopped to scan the area. “You fellas wait here. I’ll get some cowboy to chase me right into your trap.” All Trace could do was gape at her, this woman who shared his name and took their job as seriously as he did. He’d dreamed of such a partner. But did she have to be so dag-gone beautiful? All he wanted to do was lock her safely inside his home to mind a house full of babies, cook his supper, and live a long life. One’s expiry date in this line of work was unpredictable at the best of times.
Archie would not like the direction his mind was taking. The boss-man hoped to put together teams of men and women that lasted longer than one or two cases. He snapped out of it and turned to Nick. “Let’s try to down these boys quietly. How are you with your fists?”
“I can hold my own. You just better hope my sister doesn’t get caught in the middle of this.”
“You heard the woman. She is independent and daring. I’ll do my best to protect her, but once again, she chose this job and no one is going to talk her out of it.”
Nick mumbled and Trace moved to the other side of the clearing. No sense bunching up. Every moment he waited, his trigger finger itched more. What was taking her so long? Caution – breathe easy man. The woman wasn’t stupid and would hold off for a couple of dawdlers. He paced his tiny square and swore this would be the last time she’d go off alone. He’d need to somehow convince her that he was the agent and she his underling.
He heard the noise in the bush and glanced over at Nick, who stood ready for whatever came out of the bush. With skirts pulled up around her knees Gen raced into the clearing and continued across, her eyes peeled to the ground and her breathing haggard. One man almost landed in Nick’s lap and the tussle began. The second emerged further down – probably split up to see if they could head her off. His lustful eyes remained fastened on Gen as he sped forward. Momentarily he stopped and bent over in the middle to catch his breath, his attention drawn to the fight happening off to his left.
The surprised bloke never saw Trace jump him from the right. He pinned his man to the ground, and with both legs squeezing the man’s sides, Trace took advantage of his position by landing a few solid hits. The man’s face became a puddle of red, so even when he managed to throw his assailant off, he stumbled awkwardly to his feet. His vision handicapped from bleeding eyes and balance definitely not in his favor, the man swung wildly in the air. Trace ducked to avoid the flailing arm and dove into his middle, throwing his opponent back to the ground. This time, the man struck his head on a rock and passed out.
Trace scanned the area and saw Nick dragging his man
