Reaper's Fee Part 16

Lester felt his feet leave the ground. When he looked down, he could see the broken planks stretching up toward him as if they meant to grab his boots and pull him into the gaping, stinking hole.

"Jesus Christ!" Lester hollered.

"Unless that's the name of the man who did this, I don't wanna hear it," Nick growled.

"I don't know if my cousins did this or not! I been on the run for the better part of a year!"

"You stopped running long enough to check in with your cousins."

"They sent me letters, but I barely got a chance to answer them." The more he talked, the shakier Lester's voice became. Soon, it was difficult to tell if the streaks down his face had been put there by sweat or tears. "When I haven't been runnin', I've been getting my a.s.s dragged here and there by someone or other trying to cash me in for the reward money."

"My heart's f.u.c.king aching."

Feeling himself slip out of Nick's grasp, Lester sucked in a desperate breath and spat out, "I know where they're at!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I'll take you to them!"

"You want me to believe you'll double-cross your own blood?" Nick said. "My guess is that you're saying whatever you can just to keep from being buried alive in this hole."

Lester looked down again as he thought about those words. Somehow, Nick had struck a chord that hit harder than when Lester had been worried about dying. Seeing the body curled up on its side amid all that dirt and broken wood made something crack within Lester's brain.

"I don't got a choice!" Lester said. "I'd rather take my chances with you than with Kinman!"

Lester felt the grip holding him over the grave tighten for a moment. Then the bottom of his boots sc.r.a.ped against the ground and he was set down. Nick let him go just long enough for Lester to realize he was standing on his own again. When he started to make a move, Lester nearly slipped straight into the very pit he was trying to avoid. Nick's hand snapped out again to grab Lester by the collar. That was the only thing keeping Lester perched on the edge of the grave.

"So you're with Alan Kinman?" Nick asked.

Lester nodded slowly. "Yeah," he whispered. "He said he already crossed paths with you. He said he met up with you ina""

"In Rock Springs."

"Yeah," Nick replied in a tone that mocked Lester's frightened whisper. "I know. A man like that's not too hard to miss." After studying Lester's face, Nick asked, "Why do you look so surprised?"

"Iauhadidn't know you knew who he is."

"I know. Kinman's a well-known bounty hunter," Nick said. "He's tracked down a bunch of my friends and he's been after me for a while. I've managed to stay ahead of him because I make it my business to know which bounty hunters need to be watched."

"Well, Kinman's got his sights set on both of us."

"What interest does he have in you?"

Blinking at the turn in the conversation, Lester replied, "I stole a horse."

Nick shrugged. "It must have been a real good horse or it must have belonged to a real wealthy man for Kinman to step in."

"The horse is dead," Lester squeaked.

"And so are we, if Kinman has a say in the matter." With that, Nick pulled Lester forward just enough for him to be able to maintain his own footing at the edge of the grave. He didn't, however, allow Lester enough s.p.a.ce to feel comfortable.

"I knowa" As Lester started to talk, his heel slipped backward and down a bit into the grave. After wobbling and waving his arms, he managed to catch his balance just long enough for Nick to pull him forward again. "I know what Kinman is capable of. The man's crazy. He's a cold-blooded killer."

Although he didn't say anything to that, Nick pictured the faces on those dead Chinese piled outside of Hale's door. He also pictured the grim smile on Kinman's face when he'd had an opportunity to put down a few more Chinese just to put a few more dollars into his pocket.

"The only reason I'm still alive," Lester continued, "is because I told him about this place." Seeing the scowl that came onto Nick's face, Lester winced. "I didn't have no other choice."

"What do you think Kinman will do when he sees this hole instead of the treasure he was expecting?" Nick asked.

"Probably shoot me."

"Which is a d.a.m.n fine alternative to what I have in mind."

"All I want is to get the h.e.l.l away from here. All I did was steal a horse and that was over a year ago. I'd serve jail time like I was supposed to, rather than hand myself over to a monster like Kinman. h.e.l.l, that rancher down in Texas has probably got himself worked into such a lather that he'll gut me when he gets ahold of me."

"You stole that horse in Texas?"

Lester nodded.

Shaking his head, Nick said, "They would've strung you up no matter when they caught you. Even I knew better than to steal a horse from a Texan."

"Well, if they string me up in Texas or if I get buried in that hole, I'm dead either way."

"Now you're using your head. You forgot one thing, though."

Lester thought about that for a moment before asking, "What?"

"I'm the only one who has any use for you while you're alive." Seeing Lester's eyes dart back in the direction from which they'd come, Nick added, "Now that we're at this spot and there ain't nothing but an empty hole, I doubt Kinman will be too pleased. Even if you track down those jewels for him, what do you think your chances are of getting away alive?"

"Notatooagood?"

Nick squinted and then grinned. "I see. He offered you a piece of the reward if you two managed to bring me in, didn't he?"

Lester thought of plenty of ways to answer that question. Unfortunately, every one of them required him to appear much more collected than he could manage under current circ.u.mstances.

"It's all right," Nick, said. "I figured as much. Just ask yourself one thing, though. If Kinman is such a big, bad bounty hunter, why didn't he just come after me himself? After all, he did have plenty of time riding with me back in Rock Springs."

The dazed expression on Lester's face made it clear that he wasn't able to come up with very much. "I guess he wanted to be sure," he replied in a wavering tone that wasn't even enough to convince himself it was the truth.

"I'll bet he's plenty sure when he's shoving you around," Nick said. "He must still be sure that you'll do what you're told if he let you come all this way on your own."

"He's gotta be watching us."

"Probably, buta" Nick motioned toward the uprooted grave and said, "athere's not much left for him to see here. If we get moving now, though, we could get a head start. I know a few shortcuts through these parts that'll put him so far behind us he'll never catch up."

Lester's eyes widened as some of the color drained from his face. "You mean run away?"

"Why not? You'd rather take your chances with a bounty hunter? Those a.s.sholes aren't much better than the law. The only difference between them and the jacka.s.ses who wear badges are whether they take their bribes above or below the table."

"You really think we could make it?"

"I know a little something about staying ahead of bounty hunters and I've slipped out of Kinman's sights more than once."

"He doesn't even think you realize he's a bounty hunter."

Nick grinned proudly and said, "My point exactly."

Lester started to think some more. He also started to slide backward into the open grave, which seemed to influence him a lot more. "Fine, fine. I'll join up with you, but I want your word that I'll go free after it's over."

"I'm not a bounty hunter," Nick said, "so rewards don't mean much to me."

"And all I can do is take you to where my cousins might be. I don't know for certain whether they've got them jewels or not."

"I'll take my chances."

Reluctantly, Lester lowered his head. "It's a deal."

Nick felt something brush against his gun belt and he reflexively backed up a step. It was Lester, offering his hand across the few inches that separated them. Nick shook Lester's hand, thinking about how he could most effectively put the other man to work in the little time before Kinman caught up with them. As he started to weave a plot in his head, Nick couldn't help but think that Barrett would have been proud.

Suddenly, Lester's grip tightened around Nick's hand like a set of iron tongs and before Nick could pull his arm away, Lester was pulling him forward. Since Nick had shifted into a sideways stance to put his gun farther away from Lester, his shoulders were in line with one another. That made it even easier for Lester to sidestep while pulling Nick forward.

Nick felt as if he was falling through mola.s.ses. He could see Lester moving aside, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Nick's other arm flapped behind him like a donkey's tail. His front boot skidded against the ground for an inch or two, which was just enough to carry Nick to the edge of the grave.

After another shove from Lester, Nick pitched around at an awkward angle and toppled into the hole. He landed solidly upon the lower half of Barrett's coffin. When he looked down at the body of his friend, he swore he could hear Barrett laughing at him.

Once he'd gotten his feet beneath him, Nick climbed out of the grave. His gun was already in his hand and his finger was touching the trigger on the off chance that Lester was waiting for him up top.

He wasn't.

Even though there wasn't anyone in sight, Nick had a pretty good idea where to look. He turned toward the spot where they'd left the horses just in time to see Lester snap his horse's reins and charge straight toward him. Nick took aim with his pistol, but his shoulder hit the ground, knocking his aim off center.

Lester twisted in his saddle to look back over his shoulder. Seeing the gun in Nick's hand, he ducked down low over his horse's neck and let out a sharp yell as he dug his heels into his horse's sides. The animal bolted forward and dragged Kazys by the reins along with him until Kazys finally managed to pull free.

Nick got to his feet, straightened his arm and sighted along the top of his pistol. He wouldn't have had any trouble whatsoever in dropping Lester's horse, but the rifle shot that tore a piece out of his right ear was enough of a distraction to affect his aim.

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Nick shouted under the blast of his own pistol.

Wheeling around to face the direction the rifle shot had come from, he dropped to one knee. He saw Kinman riding over the ridge that led back down along the path to the gravesite. The bounty hunter still held his rifle to his shoulder and was taking aim again as Nick fired.

Nick's round was less than an inch off its mark. It would have caught Kinman in the face, if the bounty hunter hadn't been sighting along the top of his rifle. Because of that, Nick's bullet ricocheted off the rifle and knocked the stock against Kinman's shoulder and head. The impact, harder than a punch, caused Kinman to wobble in his saddle. A few more shots went off, but none of them hit him. In fact, Kinman didn't even hear any lead flying past him. He saw Nick walking in the opposite direction and firing at something in the distance. Kinman took that opportunity to get his rifle back up to his shoulder and take a shot of his own.

Nick had figured that he had a few seconds to try and drop Lester while Kinman was shaking off the knock to the face. Once those seconds were up, Nick turned and found himself looking down the wrong end of Kinman's rifle.

Gritting his teeth, Kinman squeezed his trigger. All he got for his effort was the gut-wrenching clack of metal slapping down on metal.

Nick had taken his shot as well, but had done so on the a.s.sumption that he was about to be killed. Aiming quickly, he fired and sent his bullet to the larger target of Kinman's torso.

The bullet slammed into Kinman's body like a kick from a mule. It sent him rolling backward from his saddle as the rifle flew from his hand. Sliding down his horse's flank, Kinman threw his arms out and braced himself for the landing. When he opened his eyes again, Nick was standing over him.

Glaring down as the blood rushed through his veins, Nick pointed the modified Schofield directly between Kinman's eyes.

Kinman let out a hacking, grunting laugh that shook his whole body. That, combined with the fresh bullet wound and the fall from the horse, was enough to send him straight into unconsciousness.

TWENTY-ONE.

Kinman didn't expect to wake up. Part of him had thought he might have a chance if Lester had a loyal bone in his body, but that hope lasted about as long as the proverbial candle in the wind. When he did wake up, Kinman was able to move, but that only brought him a torrent of pain that hit him hard enough to drop him flat onto his back.

"I was just about to check on you," said a voice nearby.

Sucking in a breath, Kinman pressed a hand to his wounded side and sat up. He was still in the same spot where he'd landed and his pistol was lying nearby. Another quick check told him that his backup pistol and knife had been taken from him.

"I figured you'd be long gone." Kinman grunted. "Actually, I figured you would have killed me while I was out."

Nick's coat was off and his shirtsleeves were rolled up. He took off his hat, swiped some of the long, graying hairs from his face and cleared away the sweat from his brow. "Seems like you've got an angel on your shoulder today. With that kind of luck on your side, my gun might have blown up in my hand if I tried to kill you."

Kinman squinted and choked back another wave of pain. "A killer talking about angels, huh? I guess I have heard it all."

Nick was quiet for a few seconds before he shrugged and rolled his sleeves back down.

"Where's Lester?" Kinman asked.

"He got away."

"Oh yeah. I recall that much. He also got your horse. Seems like one of us is stranded here." Just as he said that, Kinman spotted Kazys doing his best to graze on some dry brush not too far away. "I thought I saw him take your horse."

"He did," Nick said with a chuckle. "At least, he tried. He got about twenty yards before I let out a whistle and the old boy came running right back to me. I guess Lester's priorities have changed if he actually let this horse go rather than steal it."

Kinman's eyes darted toward the grave. Rather than the gaping hole and splintered planks that had been there before, there was now a neat pile of dirt. One of the planks was leaning against Nick's leg. "You stayed here to fill in that hole?"

Nodding, Nick said, "I just got finished. It was a little rough without a proper shovel, but I made do. I am a professional, you know."

Kinman struggled to his feet and winced as more pain shot through him. Grabbing his side, he found some blood, but not nearly as much as he'd expected. A quick look down there was enough to show him that torn sc.r.a.ps from his own shirt had been used to wrap up the wound.

"It was messy, but nothing serious," Nick said. "The bullet pa.s.sed through and might have cracked a rib or two. Nothing too bad."

"Speak for yourself. You're not the one who feels like his d.a.m.n ribs are on fire."

"No," Nick said as he turned his head and pointed to the b.l.o.o.d.y pulp hanging from his ear. "I'm the one who's missing a piece of my head that won't grow back."

Squinting to observe the damage he'd caused, Kinman grunted. "Yeah. I guess we're even. So that's where your friend's buried?"

"Yep."