Paradise by Michael R. Watson

Author:Michael R. Watson [Watson, Michael R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

I couldn’t believe my ears. After everything Taylor had done? There was an old woman mourning her dead husband at the other end of town at this very second. And he had betrayed every person in this valley by leading the Guard here.

“He can’t do that,” I said to Ryder. “Is he trying to trick him into coming out?”

“Not my dad. He’s a man of his word and means exactly what he says. No tricks.”

“I don’t think I can let Taylor just ride away,” I told Ryder.

* * *

“What guarantee do I have?” Taylor asked.

“My word,” Samuel replied, still standing in front of the door.

“Why don’t I just wait until the Guard gets here?”

“For one thing, as John pointed out, you don’t even know whether or not they saw the fire. So, how long are you willing to wait and see? I’m giving you a free ticket to get out of here. Now, are you going to take it or not?”

There was another moment of silence. “Bring me my horse!” shouted Taylor.

Samuel looked to Ryder and nodded. Ryder understood, running off for the horse.

“It’s coming,” said Samuel, clasping his hands together behind his back. “Now, send out the girl.”

I heard a laugh within the cabin. “Nice try, old man. Not until the horse is here.”

“I gave you my word,” reminded Samuel.

“I know. It’s John and Ryder I’m worried about.”

“They won’t do anything. Come on out.”

The door slowly swung open awkwardly on the remaining hinge. A few moments later the hostage began to slowly appear, followed closely by Taylor with his arm around her waist. A pistol was held to her head. It looked like the one I had given Christopher. He had stolen it at some point on our journey together. In the bright moonlight I could see clearly. It was Jill. I hadn’t considered until that moment the hostage might be someone I knew. It shouldn’t have mattered who it was since an innocent person’s life was in danger. But it did. His hostage was someone I personally knew, and a friend. Whether Taylor had specifically chosen Jill or if it had been just pure blind luck, I had no idea.

Ryder rode up on a horse and dismounted, holding out the reins to his dad. Ryder stepped back.

“Here’s your horse, now let her go,” said Samuel firmly, perhaps with a slight edge in his voice, appearing to grow tired of Taylor’s games.

Taylor kept a firm grip on Jill as he retrieved the reins from Samuel and moved toward the horse.

“Jill, are you all right?” I asked. She gave me a slight nod. Her face showed the terror she was feeling, her eyes wide with tears running down her cheeks.

Taylor smiled. “A friend of yours, John? Well, isn’t this an unexpected coincidence.”

“Let her go, Taylor. That was the deal,” I said. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I became more angry.

“Not here. At the edge of town,” he said. He then forced Jill up into the saddle and he swung up behind her.

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