Ryan Rides Back by Bill Crider

Author:Bill Crider [Bill, Crider,]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Action & Adventure
Publisher: Crossroad Press

"That bastard Ryan could be anywhere around here," Barson said. He, Long, and McGee were riding ahead of Kane's wagon, circling the long way around to the jail. Though McGee was listening, Barson's remark was clearly addressed to Long.

"Don't worry," Long said. "We'll get him."

To McGee, they seemed overly concerned. Ryan had been in town for more than a day, and he had made no move to hurt them. He hadn't even tried to see them. It seemed to McGee that a man bent on revenge would do something right off, not wait around about it.

"Maybe he's not interested in us," McGee said. "Maybe he just came back because this is where he lives."

"Not anymore, he don't," Barson said. He rode his horse close to McGee, who could smell both the horse and the man. The horse smelled better. "He don't belong around here at all," Barson went on. "He's just trouble."

"If he don't bother us, he's not," McGee said. The less he had to do with Ryan, the better. He'd lost all the fingers he wanted to lose.

"Just his bein' around bothers us," Long said. "If Billy just shot him the first time like he ought to, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Billy'd still be in jail," McGee said. "And we'd still be breakin' him out."

"Maybe so," Barson said. "But we wouldn't be worryin' about that bastard Ryan and what he might do."

McGee didn't say anything, and the conversation stopped. They rode to within a mile of the jail and halted. The wagon caught up with them.

The thunder and lightning had moved closer. It was Kane's plan to wait until the small hours of the morning, when he thought Bass and the deputies would be asleep, or at least not very alert. He didn't like the idea of the storm. It might keep them awake. It would certainly make them nervous.

"We may as well go on in," Kane said. "The rain might work against us when it comes."

"What about Billy?" Long said. "He got any idea about what we're gonna do?"

"Not unless you told him," Kane said. "I haven't been allowed into the cells very often."

Neither had Long, or anyone else.

"You mean, we're just gonna blow up the jail and hope he gets away?" Barson said.

"That's about it," Kane said.

"What if we kill him?" Long wondered.

"We won't. And if we do, it's no more than will happen to him in the morning, anyway. Let's just hope that he has the presence of mind to take advantage of the situation we present him with. If he does, then things will be fine. If not, well . . ." Kane let his voice trail off. He didn't have too much faith in his younger brother's ability to do anything, much less to think fast in a crisis. But it was the best plan he had been able to devise. There was no way he was going to ride into town with his men, guns blazing. He maintained at least the facade of a respectable landowner, and he was going to do nothing to damage that facade.

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