Page 74 of Inventions of the Heart

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO GET THESHERIFF—his deputy was out of town. The three men walked down the long boardwalk, their spurs clanking. Zane glanced behind to see Michelle standing out front of the general store, her arms crossed, her expression grim.

She was supposed to be inside ordering mysterious things that Zane didn’t even know existed. But Zane didn’t have time to go back and scold her. And scolding didn’t work worth a hoot anyway.

The saloon was at the north end of two blocks’ worth of stores, and the general store was on the south end, so she was probably out of range if any gunfight cropped up.

Irving was trying to explain what was going on to the sheriff.

“I figured you’d have to drag him out of some hidey-hole up in the mountains.” Sheriff Stockwood walked closest to the storefronts, while Zane walked closest to the street.

“The fool rode into town and went into the Red Boot.” Irving pointed to three horses—two brown, one black—tiedup in front of the saloon. “I’m sure he’s in there having a drink. He has a couple of the hands from Horace’s ranch with him. I’ve been spying on the place, every man out there wears two guns. I’m glad to have some help, it oughta keep things from turning into a turkey shoot.”

The marshal, one pace ahead, pushed open the batwing doors to the Red Boot Saloon.

Three men leaned against the bar, Jarvis in the middle of the row. Red, the bartender, stood back, leaning against a counter lined with whiskey bottles and little else.

Zane knew Red just a little and saw the man’s eyes go to the sheriff. He sidled down the bar a few paces. He knew trouble when he saw it.

“Jarvis Benteen, you’re under arrest.” The marshal’s voice boomed like thunder. A man prepared for trouble—he came in with both guns already drawn. He strode into the room straight for where Jarvis and the two others shared a bottle of whiskey.

Both of the men with Jarvis must’ve figured themselves to be salty, because even with aimed guns coming at them, they slapped leather.

Red dropped to the floor.

Jarvis knocked the whiskey bottle aside as he vaulted over the bar and threw himself flat so he was out of sight, leaving his men to fight while he hid.

Irving’s gun was blasting. The sheriff a second behind him. The two men with Jarvis sent bullets tearing across the saloon.

Zane was a man cool under pressure. He had a fast draw but not lightning quick. He’d fired his gun plenty of times but never at a man. Now the world seemed to slow down.He heard each separate shot from the blasting of the lawmen’s guns. He saw the two men with Jarvis flailing and crying out with pain under the impact of bullets as they fired wild. The sulfuric smell of gunpowder burned Zane’s nose.

Zane was on Irving’s left. He couldn’t go after Jarvis without running straight into the gunfire, so he backed up and came around behind Irving and Stockwood.

Bullets whizzed toward him, but they all went high or low or wide.

In all the mayhem, Zane’s only thought was for the man who’d put his hands on Michelle.

The other two men collapsed in a blaze of blue gun smoke.

Irving rushed toward them. Zane rushed for where Jarvis hid. The bar was anLshape with the short side blocking Zane’s path.

Just as Zane went to vault it, Jarvis lunged to his feet with his arm around Red’s neck.

“Back up, or I swear I’ll kill him.” Jarvis’s roar was laced with panic. His gun trembled as he shoved it against Red’s temple.

“I’ll shoot him dead, then use him to block your shots while I kill every one of you.” Jarvis sounded vicious and desperate enough to do just what he said. He backed to the swinging door at the end of the bar and dragged Red through it.

“Stay back.” Jarvis’s voice sounded near hysteria. Zane knew a cornered man, especially one as afraid as Jarvis, could do most anything.

“I’ll kill him.” His voice echoed from behind the door. “I’m warning you.”

Zane was quiet about it, but he slid over the bar and approached the still-swinging door.

The sheriff and Marshal Irving came right behind him. Zane heard something, soft so he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a gunshot at least. Slowly, staying to the side of the door, he reached out and pushed it, expecting to hear gunfire. When none came, he peeked around the edge of the door to see Red unconscious on the floor and the back door wide open.

Zane rushed past Red, hoping he was just down from a blow of some kind. He looked out into the alley that ran along behind the row of storefronts. He saw nothing. Jarvis had vanished.

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