After the Ashes(30)

“None that I can see.” He longed to punch something, and the sarcastic smile pulling up the doughy contours of Langston’s face provided a perfect target.

Langston’s grin deepened. “I’ll be glad to haul you handcuffed and buck naked through Santa Fe, if that’s what you want.”

Braddock stalked toward Langston. Even if he pulled the trigger, Braddock knew the bullet would somehow pass smoothly through him without leaving a scratch. But Langston wouldn’t pull the trigger. “How are you going to get me handcuffed?”

Langston cocked his guns. “These here are going to do it for me.”

“I don’t think so. You can’t shoot me. How would you explain that to your boss? So I guess you’re going to have to fight me.”

“I’m not fighting you, Braddock. I’m arresting you. Stop right there.”

Braddock took another step. “Christopher, please stop.”

He heard the terror in Lorelei’s voice right before the gun fired.

Lorelei’s scream tore through him with more force than the bullet. Suddenly Braddock felt vulnerable. He saw the foolishness in stalking an armed man without even a stitch of clothing for protection.

He glanced down. Blood welled from a long gash on his upper thigh. That hadn’t happened before. The bullet had skimmed him, but a few inches to the right and there would have been real trouble.

The anger pumping blood to Braddock’s temples drew his attention away from the gash on his leg. “You son of a bitch.” He forgot his fear, ready to lunge at Langston.

“Stop! I mean it.”

Lorelei’s scream froze him in mid-crouch.

Both he and Langston turned. Lorelei held a rifle aimed at Langston.

“I swear on my mother’s grave, I’ll shoot you. Lower your guns.” She held the old Springfield rifle steady, leaving no doubt she’d follow through with her threat. Braddock had seen the rifle propped against the wall, but hadn’t thought much of it. He didn’t even know if the rifle fired, but the look on Langston’s face as he lowered his pistols to his sides showed the deputy marshal believed it did.

Which meant Lorelei was in a hell of a lot of trouble. There was no longer a question of whether or not she had broken the law. Pointing a rifle at a deputy U.S. marshal was not taken lightly.

Braddock took Langston’s guns from him. Langston always went by the book. He’d never give Lorelei the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn’t stop until he took her to jail, and there’d be nothing Braddock could do about it.

Corey hid behind his sister and watched the proceedings like a bystander. This whole mess was the boy’s fault, but that didn’t stop Braddock from feeling like he himself was to blame. Why’d Lorelei try to protect him?

“Put down the rifle, Lorelei, and come here.”

Corey reached around his sister and nudged the muzzle in Braddock’s direction. “I don’t think so. We’re leaving.” Lorelei trained the gun on him for the briefest of seconds. Long enough for their gazes to meet and Braddock to feel the air forced from his lungs. Betrayal struck swift and hard.

As quickly as it came, the sensation ended when Lorelei lowered the weapon and walked toward him. But the weight of her trust staggered him. She asked something of him he was not sure he had the will to give.

He focused on aiming the pistols he held at Langston so he wouldn’t have to meet Lorelei’s gaze any longer. “Get the handcuffs from his belt and cuff him.”

Lorelei set the gun on the far wall—away from Corey, he noted—and did as he asked.

After Langston’s wrists were clamped together behind his back, Braddock found his discarded pants and pulled them on.

The deputy said, “You know, I really didn’t believe it until now. You’re an outlaw, aren’t you, Braddock? What are you going to do—kill me in cold blood?”

Braddock snatched his shirt from the back of a chair. “I’m not going to kill you, Langston.”

“It’s too late to try to get on my good side. You’re in a lot of trouble.”

Braddock searched the room for his gun belt while he pulled on his shirt. When his gaze stopped on Lorelei, she pointed to a rack mounted on the door. She must have put his weapons there and he hadn’t even noticed. He stomped over and lifted the heavy leather from the wooden peg. Once he had his pistols securely strapped to his hips, he added Langston’s Colts to the belt.

“Lorelei and Corey, gather up some supplies.”

Lorelei pulled a crate from underneath the sink. Her brother stayed planted on the other side of the room and glared.

Braddock grabbed Langston’s arm and guided him to the bed. Langston didn’t give any resistance. “You’re not going to get away with this.”