Chapter 22
The seasons were changing. Summer was fading into fall, and with it came heavy winds, clouding the windows and porches of Hartsville’s stores. The sun was still warm during the day, but nights were growing colder, and Dakota and Blade were wearing their coats more often.
Dakota adjusted her wide-brimmed hat and squinted down the main road.
Once again, they were struggling to find their target.
Charles Wood was nowhere to be found, and she didn’t know how to feel.
On one hand, it was nice to simply spend time with Blade, but on the other hand, they both wanted revenge.
Blade cracked his knuckles, something he did when he was upset. Dakota wasn’t sure how to make him feel better. “We’ll find him and Mason,” she said, trying to stay positive.
“How?” Blade asked. “Nobody knows where he went.” They had asked not only the barkeeper but also the general store owner and the owner of the ranch where he had supposedly worked before he disappeared.
“You think they know we’re coming for them?” Dakota asked. It was the only thing that made sense. She hadn’t thought much about Mason not being in North Platte, but with Charles missing too, it was too much of a coincidence.
“I believe so. Yes.” Blade let out a deep breath and then scanned the area again.
A dog barked somewhere in the distance, and a baby cried as its mother pushed a cart down the road. Everybody was going about their business, and Dakota wished that they could finish theirs.
Dakota could see the frustration on Blade’s face and knew better than to think he would simply quit. “You want to keep going or rethink the plan?”
“We keep going,” he replied. “Jesse Howard is next on the list, so we’ll go to Huntsville, Utah. If he isn’t there, we know for sure that they are hiding or running.”
“Okay,” Dakota agreed. “Lead the way.”
Blade nodded and gave her a small smile before turning Africa around and heading down the road. Dakota followed him, hoping that they would get to Utah quickly and that Jesse was there.
***
The sun hung low in the sky, casting shadows across the wilderness.
The wind had only gotten worse with the change of season, and Dakota pulled her coat tighter around her body.
It wasn’t cold yet, but there was a sting in the breeze.
The landscape ahead of them was filled with rocky hills and brittle bushes.
The leaves on the scrub trees they passed were changing color, green fading to yellow, orange, and brown.
Dakota had lost track of how long they had been gone from home.
All she knew was that they had been riding almost nonstop for what felt like months.
She shifted in her seat, her muscles aching and in desperate need of a stretch.
Blade didn’t seem to have the same issue.
He looked comfortable as he rode beside her, and when he saw her looking, his lips turned up into a happy smile.
He had been in a horrible mood the first couple of days after leaving Wyoming, but his mood had shifted, and he was back to being his normal self again.
All Dakota could do was hope that they would find Jesse Howard.
Huntsville wasn’t far anymore. She was terrible with directions, even when she had a map, but Blade had assured her that they should get there before sunset.
They had a big breakfast, so they decided to skip lunch, but from the position of the sun in the sky, Dakota could tell that it was around noon.
If Blade was right, which he usually was, they should reach their destination in no more than four hours.
Blade slowed from a gallop to a steady trot, so Dakota did the same. “Why are we slowing down?”
“Look over there.” He pointed to their right, bringing Africa to a stop. “Horse prints.”
Blade slipped off Africa’s back and crouched down, inspecting the prints. “It’s difficult to say since they aren’t fresh, but I think there were at least two horses, maybe more.”
Dakota wasn’t sure why it mattered. They weren’t chasing a gang; they were looking for Jesse Howard, who was supposed to be in Huntsville.
“We should follow them,” Blade stated as he got back onto Africa.
“Why?” Dakota asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I don’t know. I just have a feeling that it might lead us to Jesse, maybe even Mason and Charles too.”
“Okay,” Dakota agreed. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” Blade replied, still smiling.
Dakota let Blade take the lead again. He had a lot of experience tracking bandits; she had none.
They swerved off the road they had been traveling on and started following the horse prints.
They couldn’t go too fast since they didn’t want to stir up too much dust, or they risked disturbing the tracks.
It didn’t take long before a faint whiff of wood smoke appeared on the breeze.
“A campfire,” Blade said. “They must be close.”
“We should be careful,” Dakota whispered. “We don’t know if it is them or how many there are.”
Blade brought Africa to a stop and looked into the distance, scanning their surroundings. Dakota followed his lead, and just as he said, Dakota saw puffs of smoke coming from behind a patch of brush.
“We’ll have to leave Africa and Riot somewhere they won’t hear us approaching,” Blade instructed as he started moving again. “Over there.” He pointed at a sickly-looking tree. “It’s close enough to their campsite but far enough away so that they can’t hear us.”
Dakota’s stomach twisted as she followed Blade to the tree, tied the horses, and stuffed as many slugs as she could into her pants pockets.
Blade did the same, and then they were making their way to where they believed the campsite was.
They moved along the ridge of brush, keeping low and being careful not to make any noise.
Slowly, the ground started to dip, forming a small clearing surrounded by thorny shrubs.
In the center of it was a campsite. Tents were set up, and at least eight men were sitting around a fire.
Blade moved a little closer and peered through an opening between the shrubs. Dakota crouched down beside him, waiting for him to say something. She could see the men, but she had no idea what Mason, Charles, or Jesse looked like. She had never been good at remembering faces.
Leaning in close, Blade whispered in her ear, “It’s them.”
Dakota wasn’t sure whether she felt relieved or terrified. All she knew was that Blade wasn’t going to walk away, and that meant another shootout.
***
Blade couldn’t deny the excitement radiating through his veins.
All three of them were right there, in front of him.
Sure, they had men with them, but it was like a gift being handed to him.
Glancing at Dakota, his excitement dwindled a little.
He hated the idea of putting her in danger, but he couldn’t let the opportunity pass him by.
“I have to take them down,” Blade whispered as he leaned closer to her, careful not to let the bandits hear.
Dakota nodded knowingly. “What’s the plan?”
“We’ve got a good vantage point. I say we go in hot and take out as many as we can before they can retaliate.”
“All right,” Dakota agreed. “Just be careful.”
Blade simply smiled and then turned his attention back to the gang of bandits.
It was time for them to die. Slipping his Winchester from his back, Blade lay down on his stomach and found an opening in the shrubs.
Next to him, he saw Dakota doing the same.
He really wanted to show his face to the three men who had helped murder his family, but he wasn’t sure whether that would be possible.
He aimed his rifle at Mason and then reconsidered, moving it slightly right so that it was pointed at one of the men he didn’t know.
Just because he didn’t know them didn’t mean they were innocent. They were camping with three of the most evil men he knew, and from years of training and working with Wolfe, Blade could tell that they were just as bad.
He glanced at Dakota and raised a brow. She nodded, signaling that she was ready.
It was time. Blade lined up his shot again and pulled the trigger.
The shot cracked through the arid landscape like thunder, echoing off the hills in the distance.
Before any of them knew what was happening, the .
44 slug pierced the bandit’s head, sending him toppling forward.
Next to him, Dakota fired. Her aim was true, and the bandit sitting next to Jesse fell to the side, grabbing his shoulder. He wasn’t dead, but it was a good shot nonetheless.
Blade didn’t waste any time; he aimed his rifle at the man and sent a slug into his chest, taking him out of his misery.
The remaining six men were all scrambling to their feet and drawing their weapons as they tried to figure out who was attacking them.
Blade used their confusion to take out one more before pushing his Winchester back into its sleeve and drawing his Colt Rainmaker. It was fully loaded and ready to go.
The bandits had figured out where the shots were coming from and started to fight back.
Shots rang out as bullets came flying their way.
Blade rolled to his right since Dakota was on his left and jumped to his feet in one swift movement.
A slug whirled past him, hitting a shrub and sending little pieces of trunk and dry leaves up in the air.
Blade wanted to get closer, so he abandoned his spot and charged toward the camp.
It wasn’t far, and within seconds, he was in the thick of things.
He hoped Dakota stayed where she was. It was safer.
Blade planned to take out the men he didn’t know first and then kill the three who deserved it most. Charles had taken cover behind one of the tents.
It provided no protection at all and was a stupid move.
Ignoring him, although he would have been easy to take out, Blade focused his attention on another one of the bandits he didn’t know.
The man was firing shots in Dakota’s direction and needed to be stopped.
He was partially hidden behind a tree trunk, but his leg was visible, and he kept peeking out from behind it when he was shooting.
Blade moved forward, pulling the trigger as he ran.
The bullet found the man’s thigh, causing him to lose focus.
Blade closed in on him, and instead of shooting him, he hit the man with the butt of his revolver.
The man’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fell backward, hitting his head against a rock.
Bright red blood spilled from beneath his hair.
Blade didn’t need to check to know he was dead.
Spinning around, Blade saw another of the bandits crash to the ground, and he smiled, knowing that Dakota was still okay.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Jesse running at him.
He was a big man and readying himself to land a blow.
As Jesse pulled back his arm, Blade ducked down and kicked out one of his legs.
His boot landed right on Jesse’s knee, crushing the bone and buckling his leg in the wrong direction.
The big man screamed, the pain so bad his voice went up an octave.
Across from him, the last bandit they didn’t know fell to the ground, blood pouring from a hole in his head. Blade couldn’t afford to get distracted, but he desperately wanted to check on Dakota. Having her there with him was both a blessing and a curse.
Ducking behind the tree trunk where the bandit had been hiding, Blade scanned his surroundings.
Jesse was still lying on the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.
Charles wasn’t behind the tent anymore; he had stepped out and was dashing toward where Jesse lay.
Mason was nowhere in sight, and Blade couldn’t see Dakota where he had left her.
Panic rose from his stomach and spread through his body. “Focus,” he told himself.
Blade pointed his Colt at Charles, aiming for his abdomen, and pulled the trigger. He didn’t want to kill him just yet. Charles grunted loudly as he fell to his knees, his white shirt turning red under his hands.
“Looks like we’ve got all of them,” Dakota’s voice said, coming from behind him.
Blade spun around, relief filling his body. Dakota was walking behind Mason, her pistol pointed at his head.
“Looks like it,” Blade agreed.
“Get down on your knees,” Dakota instructed. “Next to your friends.”
Mason had a big gash on the side of his face and a growing bruise around his swollen eye. Blade would have to ask Dakota about that later, but first, they had unfinished business to settle.
“Shut him up,” Blade demanded, nodding toward Jesse. “I want all of you to hear what I say.”
Mason leaned forward and pressed his hand over Jesse’s mouth. He was the only one capable and was probably thinking that it might save their lives if they cooperated. It wouldn’t.
“Do you remember the Hawthornes?” Blade asked.
Nobody answered.
“What about the Cassidys?” Dakota added.
At Blade’s last name, Charles looked up from his abdomen, which he was still clutching.
“Oh, you do,” Blade said, allowing excitement to seep into his voice. “Well, I know that you were under the impression that you killed everybody that day, but you didn’t.”
“Who are you?” Mason asked. The other two weren’t in any condition to talk.
“Slade Cassidy. You and your friends murdered my family and hers, and now we are here to return the favor.”
Mason opened his mouth to say something, but Blade had done enough talking.
He pulled the trigger of his Rainmaker, the slug entering Mason’s head right between the eyes and exiting through the back of his skull.
His body stood there for a second, suspended in time, before collapsing forward and landing on top of Jesse.
“Can I do one?” Dakota asked from beside Blade.
Blade glanced at her and nodded. “If you want.”
Dakota took a step forward, pushing the barrel of her pistol to Charles’s head. “I hope you rot in hell,” she said, and then pulled the trigger.
He went down like a sack of potatoes, leaving only Jesse.
“Just do it already,” Jesse spat as he pushed Mason’s body off him. “Get it over with.”
Blade considered leaving him to suffer a little longer, but they were losing daylight. “Of course,” Blade replied. “I’m not as cruel as you, after all.”