Avery's Vengeance: Sequel to A Man Called Banker by Terrell Bowers

Author:Terrell Bowers [Bowers, Terrell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-11-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Mac awoke from broken dreams and felt the dull ache in his chest. He blinked against the light of day and resisted the urge to shut his eyes again. Glancing about, he knew the room – a worn dresser against one wall, a single curtained window, and the grayish blankets that covered his bed.

The warmth of the room gave an indication that it was not early morning. The curtain had shut out most of the daylight, but the sun was out. It was much too late for him to still be in bed.

After the excruciating chore of dressing, Mac stiffly made his way out to the front porch. He eased himself down in a chair as Rusty appeared from around the side of the house.

'I didn't figure you'd be up and around today.'

'Why not?' Mac asked.

Rusty shrugged. 'You had a rough ride yesterday. It's a wonder it didn't kill you.'

'I'm not ready to die yet.'

'You have a funny way of showing it. Banker. Dace had to keep you from tangling with both of the Ivory boys. A man in your condition -- if he wanted to go on living -- wouldn't test his luck against either of them.'

'I'll admit it's a difficult for a peace-loving man in Dry Wells, Rusty. I can't walk down the street without being challenged to some kind of fight.'

'If you were fit, you'd be welcoming all comers, same as your last stay.'

Mac had to smile. 'Those were the days , weren't they? Me and Rockpile Jones taking control of the streets. Leon in reserve in case we needed him.'

'And me constantly trying to settle who was in the right or wrong,' Rusty contributed. 'It was a wild time all right.'

'We were younger then,' Mac said.

'Yep, things have changed, and not for the better. Harlan Doyle is gonna have the whole valley or be buried in the local cemetery. We're headed for one big showdown.'

'I hate to think of it,' Mac told him. 'So many lives in the balance, so much as stake. It's a fight we can't avoid and a fight we have to win.'

'I'm too old for this, Banker. And you ain't no kid either. We get along in years, we become fond of living to remember the old days. We had to fight for everything back them. If it wasn't the Indians or rustlers and bandits, it was the weather. I didn't think nothing of going to fight for what we figured was right – whether we was killed in the process or not. Now I pout around, gripe, and complain, and hope someone else will handle the problems.'

'What came about at the meeting?' Mac asked, moving the conversation forward.

'Not one heck of a lot. We're supposed to notify our neighbors if someone looks suspicious and come a-runnin' if we hear gunfire. It ain’t much to combat the kind of raids we've been having.'

What we need is hard evidence against Doyle and his partner. If we could get something on them, it would bring an end to the gang.

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