Hang Him Twice by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone [Johnstone, William W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-12-11T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Now she sounded more like Butch Sweeney, or the old Dooley Monahan when he was trying to keep him and Butch and Julia alive.

“Do you know who you’re up against? This isn’t some twenty-dollar gunman like Jackson Taylor or whatever his name was, or his brothers, or anyone else you’ve gunned down on the streets in defense of your person and just happened to collect a nice bounty for staying alive.”

Blue whined.

Dooley felt like joining him.

“These are silver barons. This is George Miller, who isn’t just some corrupt clerk who does the biddings of rich, filthy, evil men. Harley Boone is an ant compared to the men out to crush you, Dooley.”

“But I’ve got the U.S. marshal—”

“Damn it, Dooley, listen to me. I’m not the stupid kid you always thought I was. Thought Butch was. A United States marshal can be bought. Do you understand what I’m saying? Any reporter in Denver can be bribed. So can your pettifogging lawyer. You’ve got to get the hell out of Leadville, Dooley, or they’re going to bury you here. And that would kill me. And it would get Butch Sweeney killed, too.”

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Julia said after she finally dammed the tears.

“It’s all right.” At least, he thought he said something, and that was what he had meant to say. It’s all right. He shook his head. What a stupid thing to say. He stared at the bruise on Julia’s cute little face and felt the blood rushing to his head one more time. He wanted to march out of his office, saddle up General Grant, and gallop down the road they were trying to finish grading all the way into Leadville and trash George Miller, just kick him up and down the street and finally out of town.

“You’ll do what you always do, Dooley,” Julia said, and she pushed herself out of the chair. She meant that Dooley would dismiss her notions and do what he had planned on doing.

Dooley told her: “What I do, is stay alive.”

She stared at him, and Dooley grinned. “I’ve gotten to be pretty good at it.”

He waited. He knew it was coming. It had to come. If it didn’t, his heart would break right then and there, and he’d be worthless. Harley Boone would have no trouble gunning him down.

There it came. Dooley’s heart leaped and he felt ten years younger.

Julia smiled at him. She shook her head, but could not shake off that look.

“You are incorrigible, Dooley Monahan,” she told him. The smile left, and she whispered, “You will take care of yourself, won’t you?”

“I will,” he affirmed. “Now that you’ve warned me, I’ll know what to look out for. Do you need an escort back to Leadville?”

Her head shook.

“You sure? That’s barely even a road right now.”

“No. I still know how to ride. I still know how to look after myself. And . . .”—her head shook sadly as she frowned and sighed—“. . . well . . . it just wouldn’t be proper for me to be seen with you, Dooley.

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