This Violent Land by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2016-08-17T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

“Looks like me and you’s the only ones left now,” Clark said, looking over at Evans.

The man was dead, having bled to death from the wound inflicted by the buffalo gun.

“I guess it’s just me,” Clark corrected with a pained chuckle of grim humor. “Hey, Jensen! What if I was to come outta here with my hands up in the air? Could maybe me and you just call this fight off, and go our own ways? I ain’t after you no more. It ain’t worth it.”

Smoke didn’t answer.

“Jensen, what do you say? How ’bout I give myself up? We could just shake hands, and have us a truce between us.”

When there was still no answer, Clark realized he wasn’t going to get far with that tactic. Angry, and knowing that he had lost the battle, he changed tactics, and began venting his hate and anger. “Hey, Jensen. Your wife don’t look so good now. Not after one of our boys got through workin’ her over with his knife!”

Clark’s taunts had replaced the gunfire. Smoke had seen the others ride off but he remained still, his eyes burning with rage as he stared at the still form of his son.

“Yes, sir,” Clark goaded him. “Me and the others had our way with that woman of yours. She was real good at it, too. Where at did you find her, anyhow? Did she used to work in one of them special kinda houses somewhere? ’Cause let me tell you, she sure knowed how to please a man.”

Without replying, Smoke backed slowly away, keeping the woodpile in front of him. Carefully working his way around to the front, he looked in through the open door and grinned.

Clark was crouched in the back doorway, looking out. He held a pistol in his hand. The outlaw was still talking to the woodpile, to the muzzle of the Sharps that Smoke had left sticking out between the logs.

Smoke could have killed him easily, but that wasn’t his intention. He took aim and shot the pistol out of Clark’s hand.

The outlaw howled in pain and grabbed his numbed and bloodied hand as he fell to his knees. Smoke stepped over Grissom’s body, then glanced at Evans.

Still on his knees, Clark looked up at the tall young man staring down at him with burning eyes. “You’ve near ’bout kilt us all. We was give a thousand dollars apiece to kill you, and it warn’t worth it.”

“Who paid you to kill me?”

“What makes you think I’m goin’ to tell you that?”

“Actually, you don’t have to tell me. I know who it was. It was Potter, Stratton, and Richards.”

“Then what for did you ask? And if you know that, then you also got to know that if we didn’t get the job done, they’ll just hire more people. You’re a dead man, Jensen.” Clark cackled a demonic laugh. “You’re a dead man.”

“So are you.” Smoke kicked Clark in the side of the head, dropping him unconscious to the floor.

When

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