Silver City by Jeff Guinn

Author:Jeff Guinn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-12-19T15:35:12+00:00

17

Brautigan knew that it was dangerous to take even a short nap in the barn. There were enough Clantons to swarm him, if that’s what they chose. His opinion of Newman Clanton, though, was that the old man was practical. Yes, if all his boys and sons-in-law came at Brautigan together they’d win out, but the cost would be fearsome, leaving at least several Clantons dead and others badly hurt. Newman needed every one of them to keep Clantonville blooming. Far better for him to let Brautigan go on and make his swap tomorrow, trusting that somehow Gabrielle and whoever came with McLendon would keep quiet afterward as Brautigan promised.

Still, Brautigan wouldn’t have risked sleep except for being so worn out. Aches and rashes from riding were the least of it. In his usual role back in St. Louis, there was no pressure to speak of. The boss pointed him at targets. He intimidated or killed them. Little thinking was required, and the job was over in a few days, if not hours. But this McLendon pursuit had dragged on for better than two years, and this last part of it was the worst. Brautigan was so close to cleaning up after his only failure ever, getting hands on McLendon and delivering him back to the boss. The run-up, though, was wearying. He’d never dealt with a hostage before, and a woman at that. Brautigan could tell from the moment he snatched her that Gabrielle Tirrito was a spitfire, someone who’d cause him no end of difficulty if he didn’t cow her quick. So he did some things to break her down, not allowing her to talk and putting her through the humiliation of relieving herself in front of him. He’d deliberately let her think she had a chance to get at the Winchester so he could demonstrate punishment for any escape attempt. Brautigan’s beatings of Gabrielle were judicious—first to the ribs so that every movement would hurt some, and later to the shin so running would be impossible. The girl probably thought her ribs and shinbone were broken, but there’d been no chance of that. Brautigan was a master of assault; each blow he delivered inflicted exactly the desired amount of damage.

Now, for the rest of the night, the girl needed to be isolated in the shed, left alone with her thoughts. She’d be afraid for herself and McLendon and her daddy, letting those fears occupy her imagination to the exclusion of further attempts to escape. Brautigan sensed that, scared as she was, the girl still had spunk. So far his intimidation held. After all, she’d never been in any prior fix like this. That kept her off balance—this kind of terror was new to her. But any more threats, even another beating, and she’d start feeling like maybe the worst that could happen already had, and then she’d be troublesome. Not that Brautigan couldn’t handle it, but now he needed to turn as much attention as possible to McLendon himself.

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