Shot to Hell by Jackson Lowry & Ralph Compton

Author:Jackson Lowry & Ralph Compton [Lowry, Jackson & Compton, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Wait—do not run away!” Marta Esquivel strained to catch up with Leif. He skidded to a halt in the dust and stared after the two riders. They vanished from sight just as the woman came to him and grabbed his arm. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

He considered telling her his suspicion, then realized the futility. He had no proof the woman he had just seen was Sally Randall, much less his long-lost sister. There was no reason to make Marta doubt his good sense.

“Nothing. Let’s get our supplies and hit the trail.” Even as the words left his mouth, he knew what he had to do. This was his responsibility. Marta would only be in danger if she rode farther with him. Kinney wasn’t the friendliest town, but it was a whole lot friendlier than the reception he’d get if he was right about the man in the duster being the outlaw he’d winged during the robbery and the woman being Randy Sally Randall.

In the store, he piled up what he needed for a solitary ride. Adding cartridges enough for a full-fledged war made him feel better. Not that he wanted to kill anyone—except Luther Simkins—but running out of ammo wasn’t in the cards. He could concentrate on other things, such as never missing with a single round.

“Why are you tapping your fingers on your six-shooters?” Marta dropped the last of the goods she had selected onto the counter. “You are anxious?”

“Nervous. Tired. I need rest. Let’s stash the supplies in the livery and see what the hotel has to offer in the way of rooms.”

She simply looked at him. Her expression defied any attempt to figure out what thoughts ran through her head behind those dark eyes. Marta finally nodded, then counted out the money when the clerk tallied their purchases. Leif mechanically added his share.

“This is good. We have many dollars left over. Have you ever shown off your skills like you did?”

“It’s something I heard about being done in another Wild West Show. Not all their performers are as good as I am.”

“Could you have actually shot a bullet into the same hole?” Marta scooped up their supplies. Leif hefted what she didn’t carry in a bulging gunnysack.

“I’ve never tried, but I don’t see why not. Maybe not from twenty feet away, though that’s not too big a distance.”

Silence fell between them as they returned to the livery and stashed their supplies. The silence became uneasy as they went to the hotel. The clerk looked up and started to speak. Leif cut him off.

“Two rooms. For the night.”

“Two?” The clerk looked pleasantly surprised. “That’s four dollars.”

Leif counted out the four dollars from change in his pocket. It removed a lump and made movement easier, leaving him mostly with paper money. He suspected reaching for his six-shooters would soon require all the speed and access possible.

“The rooms are at opposite ends of the hallway upstairs. Is that a problem?”

“No,” Leif said. Marta sighed deeply. He wondered anew at what ran through her mind.

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