Blood Ties: A Texas Ranger Will Kirkpatrick Novel Read online

  “I reckon I don’t have to,” Jonas answered. “I ain’t gonna give you any more trouble, Ranger. Kyle, he’s right. I never should have listened to you and Wylie. I should have stuck to cowboyin’.”

  “You just made a real big mistake, kid,” Wylie snarled. “Now I’m gonna have to kill you along with the Ranger. All it’ll take is one bullet apiece in the back.”

  “Don’t let him scare you, Jonas,” Will said. “You made the right decision. You won’t be sorry, and I appreciate it. When your trial comes up, I’ll put in a good word with the judge for you. And you just made my job that much easier. As long as you keep your word, that means I’ll only have to watch my back with one of you.”

  “I ain’t afraid of Kyle. Not anymore,” Jonas said. “I just want to get this whole thing over with. You certain we can’t start for Pecos tonight, Ranger?”

  “Nope. We’d be takin’ too much of a chance, tryin’ to find our way in the dark. There’s no moon tonight, so the trail’ll be dark as pitch. We’ll start out first thing after sunup.”

  “You ain’t gonna live to see another sunrise, Ranger,” Kyle said. “Neither are you, Jonas. I swear it.”

  “If you try anythin’, you’ll be a dead man,” Will said. “I’m a real light sleeper, and I’ll have my gun in my hand. I’d advise you to just get some shut-eye, Kyle. It’s an all-day ride back to Pecos.”

  Kyle’s answer was a string of curses.

  Will finished caring for his horse. The outlaws had confined theirs in a small side arroyo that had a spring for water and decent grass, always hard to find in this arid part of Texas, so he turned Pete in with them. The paint wandered over to a fair sized cottonwood to scratch his neck on its trunk, then fell to cropping at the grass. After settling Pete, Will wrapped the dead Wylie in a blanket and moved the body behind the boulder were he had fallen.

  With that unpleasant chore out of the way, Will rekindled the outlaws’ campfire, and cooked his own supper of bacon and beans. He uncuffed Kyle and Jonas, one at a time, to allow them to eat, then go behind some rocks to relieve themselves. Once they were again secured, Will cleaned the dishes and frying pan, and rolled out his blankets. He stretched out on his belly, with his Winchester on one side and his Colt in his right hand. Within ten minutes, he was asleep.

  2

  Sunrise found Will already awake. Pete nickered to him as he threw back his blankets.

  “Good mornin’ to you too, pal,” Will called to his horse. “Yeah, we’re headin’ for town, at last. You’ll be able to sleep in a real stall and get your belly full of oats and hay tonight. Soon’s I take care of business and make breakfast, we’ll be on our way. I want to reach Pecos before sundown.”

  Both of his prisoners were still sound asleep. Will ducked behind some bushes, where he had a bit of privacy but could still keep an eye on the captives, to relieve himself. Once he was finished, he returned to where Kyle and Jonas were still snoring, and kicked each man on the sole of his left boot.

  “Time to rise and shine, boys,” he said. “We’re gonna make Pecos before dark, so we’ve got to get movin’.”

  “You might think you’re takin’ us to Pecos, but the only place you’re headed is straight to Hell,” Kyle answered.

  “You’re probably right,” Will cheerfully agreed, “but I hope not too soon. I ain’t in any particular hurry to get there. I’m gonna fix us a quick breakfast, then, Kyle, once I have your brother’s body loaded on his horse, I’ll get you two mounted up, and we’ll be on our way.”

  ****

  Wanting to be certain of reaching Pecos with his prisoners before dark fell, Will didn’t make much of a breakfast, but merely boiled some coffee, to go with jerky and some warmed up leftover biscuits. Jonas ate in silence, but Kyle complained bitterly about the meager meal.

  “I wouldn’t worry about what you’re eatin’ this mornin’ too much,” Will finally told him. “Compared to the chow you’ll be eatin’ behind bars for the next ten or fifteen years, this jerky and hardtack will taste like the best steak from Delmonico’s you can buy. So either eat or go hungry. We’re pullin’ out of here in the next thirty minutes.”

  As soon as the meal was finished, Will took the blanket wrapped remains of Wylie from where the dead outlaw had been left, and struggled to bend the rigor mortis stiffened body and drape it belly down over the dead man’s horse. The animal was none too happy about carrying a corpse, but Will managed to calm it enough to get the body lashed in place. Once that was done, he tied the strawberry gelding to a mesquite, then got the gear on Pete and the other two horses.

  “Let’s go, Kyle,” he said. “I’ll get you on your horse first.” He untied Kyle’s ankles so he could stand up, then climb into the saddle. “And no stallin’.”

  “All right, all right, Ranger,” Kyle muttered. “I reckon you’re holdin’ all the high cards…for now. But I still might have an ace or two up my sleeve.” He shuffled slowly toward his sorrel gelding, with Will close behind, his gun aimed at the middle of Kyle’s back.

  “Get up on your horse,” Will ordered, once they reached the animal. Kyle grabbed his horse’s reins and pulled on them sharply, causing the sorrel to stumble into him, knocking him backward. Instinctively, Will reached out to break Kyle’s fall. When he did, Kyle spun and kneed him in the groin. Will grunted from the impact, dropped his six-gun, grabbed his crotch, fell to his knees, then crumpled onto his side. He curled up into a ball, paralyzed with pain. Kyle picked up Will’s gun from where it had fallen and pointed it directly at the center of the helpless Ranger’s chest.

  “I told you I still had some cards up my sleeve, Ranger,” he said, with a sneer. “Now, it’s my turn to put a slug in you.” He thumbed back the hammer of Will’s Colt.

  “No, Kyle!” Jonas shouted. “Don’t do it.” Despite still being bound hand and foot, he managed to lunge from where he was sitting, throwing himself at Kyle, rolling, and catching him in the back of the knees. Will’s gun fired as Kyle went down, but the shot went wide, the bullet he’d intended for Will instead hitting a boulder, then ricocheting wildly away. Despite the fall, Kyle managed to maintain his grip on the gun. He scrambled to his feet, then grabbed Jonas’s shirtfront and pulled him upright.

  “I reckon I’ve gotta take care of you first, kid,” he snarled. “Then I’ll finish the Ranger.” He jerked Jonas against him, both men struggling. The gun in Kyle’s hand fired again. The cousins stood there motionless for a moment, then Kyle slumped to the ground, blood staining his shirt where the bullet had entered his belly, and darkening the right leg of his pants where it had lodged in his thigh after its journey through his intestines and pelvis, puncturing the femoral artery. His eyes were wide in shock and disbelief.

  “You…you done…killed me, kid,” he choked out. He struggled to rise, but fell back, too weak to do anything but moan. His eyes glazed over as he lost consciousness, his body twitching while he bled to death.

  Wordlessly, Jonas took Will’s gun from Kyle’s hand, and turned toward the still helpless Ranger.

  “Go ahead and finish me off, boy,” Will said, his voice still tight with pain. “No one’ll ever figure out what happened to me and your cousins. By the time what’s left of our carcasses, after the scavengers are finished with ’em, are discovered, if they ever are, you can be safe in Mexico, or up in the Indian Territories. So go ahead. Plug me and get it over with.”

  “I ain’t gonna kill you, Ranger,” Jonas answered. He put Will’s gun down on a flat rock. “I meant what I said yesterday. I’m through bein’ an outlaw. Lemme help you get up.”

  “All right,” Will said.

  As best he could, since he was still handcuffed, Jonas slid his arms under Will’s shoulders, helping him to a seated position.

  “Lemme rest just a minute,” Will asked, when renewed pain shot through his groin and into his belly.

  “Sure, Ranger,” Jonas agreed. “You gonna be okay?”

  “Yeah,” Will said, with a grunt. “It ain�
�t gonne be too comfortable sittin’ a saddle for the next few days, though.”

  “Ouch.” Jonas grimaced.

  “That’s a damn understatement, if ever I’ve heard one,” Will said. He managed a rueful grin. “Gimme a hand gettin’ all the way to my feet. I think I’m ready.”

  “Sure.”

  Jonas again lifted Will by the shoulders. Once he gained his feet, Will stood, swaying. As soon as he felt steadier, he picked up his gun from where Jonas had placed it.

  “Muchas gracias, Jonas,” he said. “I owe you one. Your cousin had me dead to rights, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I’ll be sure the judge knows you saved my life. I can’t believe I was that dumb, lettin’ Kyle get the drop on me that easy.”

  Pete snorted and bobbed his head up and down, as if agreeing with his rider.

  “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it, horse,” Will said. “Reckon I am lucky at that. Makin’ such a damn stupid mistake could have cost me my badge…or gotten me a bullet in the belly, if it hadn’t been for Jonas, here. I reckon we’re both obliged to him, since I doubt you’d’ve been happy seein’ me gunned down. After all, nobody else is gonna put up with your shenanigans, and your constant beggin’ for doughnuts.”

  “Since I kept you from bein’ shot, can’t you just let me go, Ranger?” Jonas asked.

  “I wish I could, but I’m afraid not, son,” Will answered. “First of all, I’m a lawman. That means I’m sworn to uphold the law, no matter what. Second, even if I wanted to, there were witnesses on that stage; the driver, shotgun, and passengers, who all saw three holdup men. It’d look a mite suspicious if I only brought in two dead men, and tried to claim the third had gotten away, especially since I didn’t take a slug. Plus, those folks gave me pretty good descriptions of the three of you, eye and hair color and so forth, even though you were masked. They described your horses and outfits pretty good, too.

  “Even if I did let you go, it’s likely someone else would recognize you, and bring you in. Even worse, Wells Fargo would put out a bounty on you. That’d put the bounty hunters on your trail. I don’t need to tell you most of those hombres’d just as soon bring you in dead as alive. A lot of ’em, probably more so dead. It’s a lot easier to haul in a dead man, rather’n have to keep an eye on a prisoner until you get to the nearest town with a jail.

  “You might not believe me, but you’re better off takin’ your chances with me, rather’n bein’ turned loose, or tryin’ to make a break for it. At least I’ll be able to try’n talk the judge into goin’ easy on you. If you do try to run for it, and somehow manage to get away from me, you’ll be lookin’ behind your shoulder for the rest of your life, wonderin’ whether a lawman or bounty hunter is on your trail. Let me bring you in, and I’ll do everythin’ I can for you. Does that make sense?”

  “Yeah, I guess it does at that, Ranger. Damn,” Jonas answered, clearly not convinced. “Besides, I reckon I missed my chance, anyway. You’ve got your gun back, and I’m still handcuffed. If I was dumb enough to try’n escape, you’d just plug me in the back and be done with it.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. There’s no way I’d ever shoot a prisoner of mine in the back. As far as lettin’ me take you in, you’ll find out I’m right, in time,” Will said. “We’re wastin’ daylight. I’ll get Kyle’s body loaded on his horse, then, soon as you’re mounted, we’ll be on our way.”

  Will began to drag Kyle’s body toward his horse. As he did, the tension which had built up in Jonas as he and Kyle struggled left him, to be replaced by s sick feeling, deep in his gut. He began to tremble, and all the strength seemed to drain from him. His knees buckled, and he doubled over, using his hands and locking his elbows to brace himself from dropping face-down to the dirt. He vomited up what little he had eaten for breakfast, continuing to dry heave even after the contents of his stomach were emptied.

  “You gonna be all right, Jonas?” Will asked, once the youngster’s stomach had finally settled enough so he could speak.

  “Yeah… yeah, I guess so,” Jonas answered. “It’s just that… Hell, I’ve never had to kill a man before, let alone gun down my own cousin. I dunno…how I’ll get over that.”

  “You’ll never get used to killin’ a man—at least, I haven’t, and most of the other lawmen I know never have, either,” Will answered. “I still get a sick feelin’ in my gut every time I have to take a man’s life. But, some men don’t give you a choice, then there are others that just need killin’. And don’t forget, if you hadn’t shot Kyle, you’d be lyin’ here dead right now, rather’n him. So would I, which means Kyle would probably have killed more people before someone finally stopped him.

  “Lemme get you some water. I’ll finish loadin’ up Kyle while you get your nerves unjangled. Soon as you’re ready, I’ll get you on your horse. I’m still aimin’ to make Pecos before dusk. I’m not gonna bother to cover Kyle. That’ll save a bit of time.”

  “All right,” Jonas answered.

  Will retrieved his canteen, and let Jonas have a good, long swallow. He left the canteen with the young outlaw while he tied Kyle’s body on his blaze-faced sorrel. After that, he helped Jonas onto his blaze-faced bay gelding.

  “Sorry I have to keep you cuffed and tied to your saddle after you saved my life, Jonas. But I really don’t have any choice. And even now, I still can’t be one hundred per cent certain you won’t try’n make a break.”

  “I understand, Ranger,” Jonas answered. “All I want right now is to get outta here and get this over with.”

  “Then, we’ll head out,” Will said. He had tied Wylie’s horse to Kyle’s, and fastened a lead rope to Kyle’s. He picked up the end of the rope, and swung into his saddle. “Let’s go.”

  3

  While they rode along, Will questioned Jonas about the stagecoach robbery.

  “Why’d you and your cousins decide to start robbin’ Wells Fargo stages, Jonas?”

  “It wasn’t my idea. It was Wylie’s and Kyle’s, mostly Kyle’s,” Jonas explained. “You see, I’m the only kid my folks ever had. My ma and pa had a small spread outside of San Angelo. Wylie’s and Kyle’s folks, my Aunt Gertrude and Uncle George, had another one, about five miles from ours. When I was only eleven, the fever took my ma and pa, and then the bank took the ranch. I had no choice but to move in with my aunt and uncle.

  “My uncle has always been pretty much no-account. My aunt tried her best, but Wylie and Kyle took after their pa, and she never could teach ’em much. She finally up and left a couple of years ago. Went back East somewhere to live with her sister. Once she was gone, the place really went to Hell. My uncle quit doin’ the little work he had been, and just spent most of his time drinkin’. One day, he was all of a sudden gone. I reckon he just up and drifted.

  “Wylie and Kyle worked the place for a while, but finally decided hard work wasn’t for them, neither. They managed to bring in enough money from gamblin’ to keep us in beans and bacon, but eventually, even that ran out. That’s when they decided to rob a bank or stagecoach. They settled on the coach, thinkin’ it would be easier, with a lot less folks around, rather than hittin’ a bank in the middle of town. I guess they didn’t count on a Ranger bein’ close by.” Jonas paused, and shook his head. He turned to look back at the bodies. “I never should’ve let them talk me into throwin’ in with ’em. I mean, I knew what we was doin’ was wrong, but I finally gave in. Should’ve just saddled my horse and ridden away. Reckon it’s too late, now.”

  “You’re right about one thing,” Will said. “You can’t undo that robbery, but you can turn your life around, if you want. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re just a kid, and you made a dumb mistake. And you’re still alive, which is more than I can say for your cousins. Let’s see what happens after I talk with the judge.”

  Jonas merely shrugged, then rode in silence with his head bowed the rest of the journey to Pecos.

  ****

  Most times when Will rode into a town, the majority of peopl
e on the streets didn’t give him so much as a second glance. There was nothing about his appearance that would mark him as a Texas Ranger. Instead, he resembled just another drifting cowboy, probably one riding the chuckline, going from ranch to ranch looking for work, but never sticking at one spread for very long.

  While Texas Rangers didn’t wear uniforms, and few wore badges, Will was one of the growing number who did carry a badge, the silver star in silver circle design favored by the famed lawmen. He’d commissioned a Mexican silversmith in Del Rio to carve his from a Mexican five peso coin. However, he usually left it hidden in his shirt pocket until needed. A Ranger made plenty of enemies, and that silver badge made a nice, shiny target. There was no sense inviting an outlaw’s bushwhack bullet right through your shirt’s left chest pocket by advertising you were a Ranger.

  Will was a couple of inches taller than average, and lean. He had light brown hair, and slightly darker eyes of the same hue. He was only twenty-eight, but years of exposure to the harsh Texas sun and wind had added some age to his appearance. An old bullet scar along his right cheekbone stood out starkly white against his sun-bronzed skin.

  Right now, his jaw was stubbled with two weeks’ worth of whiskers, and his hair hung over his collar. He wore his gray Stetson, sweat and dirt stained, a blue-and-white-striped shirt, with a roughout leather vest over that, and denim pants. Around his neck was looped a red checked bandana. His boots were black, scuffed and well worn. On his left hip hung a .45 Colt Peacemaker—on his right, a sheathed Bowie knife. An 1873 Winchester was in the saddle boot under his left leg.