Chapter 48: The Meeting Point

~I will seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly never wholly overcome me.~ —Ludwig van Beethoven

Jake kept his eyes and ears open as he walked with Bessie through the town. He remembered the time, during the war, when his officer had sent him on a scouting mission behind enemy lines. Somehow, that hadn’t been nearly as nerve-racking as walking beside Bessie, knowing that at any moment some hooligan could jump out at him with a shotgun.

Bessie seemed to sense his nervousness and tried to put him at ease by prattling on about nonsense.

Jake didn’t hear a word she said. He was too busy trying to come up with some sort of plan in case the sheriff didn’t make it in time.

Jake knew he was treading hot coals, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and sometimes you just had to put your life on the line, and hope fate would prove to be kind.

There! Jake caught a glimpse of a shadow. Someone was following them.

They had gotten out of the town by now. The houses and buildings were some distance away, the only landmark being two large boulders. One was a few feet behind them, and the other a few feet ahead. They rose from the ground, signaling the end of Hopewing and the beginning of the Arizona wilderness.

There was no one in sight—no “brother,” not a single soul—and Jake wondered if perhaps the little lady was going to try and kill him on her own.

Well, before she tried to pull any sort of trick, there was one question he would like answered. Jake halted and faced Bessie, his back to one boulder, his face to the other.

“Tell me somethin’,” he said. “How come Calhoon always has someone else come and do his dirty work?”

The copper-headed beauty blinked at him in shock. “What are you talkin’ about, Jake?” she said, faking ignorance.

“You know darn well what I am talkin’ about,” Jake retorted. “I know who you work for. I know you’re Calhoon’s little siren. Yer one job is to seduce and destroy any man he needs gone.

“I fell for your trap once, Bessie. Did you really think I was going to fall for it a second time? If ya came here to drag me to the edge of town and quietly finish me off, then sorry—I ain’t going down without a fight, a loud fight.”

Jake reached for his gun, but before he could pull it out, he heard a click behind him.

“Don’t even think about it,” a heavy voice said in a thick Texan accent. Jake felt something cold pressing against his head. He berated himself for letting his guard down.

Of course, the only place to hide out here was behind either of the two boulders, and he had turned his back to his enemy, giving him the opportunity he was waiting for.

Getting angry at his stupid mistake was pointless, so Jake let a smile come to his face.

“Brother or lover?” he asked Bessie.

“Neither, actually,” Bessie retorted. “How did you know I was workin’ for Calhoon?”

“Figured it out. I’m not as stupid as you all think me to be.”

“Anyone who dares cross paths with Calhoon is stupid,” the man behind him stated.

“When I want your opinion, mister, I’ll ask for it,” Jake snapped. “You might not have noticed, but I was speakin’ with Bessie here. The two of us got a history together, while I have no idea who the hell you are.”

“Think a couple months ago, cattle drive, rustler attack,” Bessie offered.

“Ah, you’re that fellow who couldn’t even finish his job all the way. Or maybe you just don’t know what a dead man is supposed to look like. I was breathin’ when my partners found me. Don’t you know a dead man ain’t supposed to breathe?

“I have to say, Calhoon seems to be a lot more forgivin’ than I suspected. Both of you failed miserably, and yet he let you live. Even gave you a second chance. What a nice man he is. No wonder the two of you follow him so faithfully.”

“Shut up!” The gun pressed harder against Jake’s head.

“Just finish him off, Jem,” Bessie said. “No point in standin’ out here gabblin’ ’bout nothin’.”

“I would pull the trigger, Bessie, ’cept Calhoon gave orders to bring Jake to him alive if we found him.”

“Ah.” The grin on Jake’s face widened. “Yer boss finally decided to face me man to man. Wonder why it took him over five years to get around to it? You don’t suppose it was ’cause he was scared of me?”

“You keep quiet.” Bessie turned toward Jake. “You’re startin’ to get on my nerves.”

Jake’s smile became patronizing. “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t realize how frail your nerves were.” Jake was hoping that if he stalled enough, the sheriff would finally get here. “So where is Calhoon supposed to meet me? Maybe I’ll just travel there and confront him, save us all some time and energy.”

“Calhoon’s location is none of your business, cowboy,” Bessie replied fiercely as she pulled a blindfold from her pocket.

“Uh, Bessie.” Jem’s voice had suddenly gotten tense. “You’ll never believe this, but there is an Indian with a gun standing behind you.”