DISCLAIMER: No profit is made in any way shape or form from this fan fic. All of the Magnificent Seven characters are the property of Mirisch, Trilogy, MGM, CBS, and now TNN. However I would like to state that I do not wish my characters borrowed without my knowledge or consent. If you are not certain a character is canon or mine, I will be happy to let you know. Just ask or look at my list of original characters.
No one stirred in the room until late afternoon. Vin was the first to wake, then Chris, Josiah, the judge, Ezra, and finally Maude. One look at the woman convinced the men that her bath was the first thing she wanted, so they ordered the water sent up and left. Her demand for privacy didn't stop each of the men from taking up various positions guarding the room. The four men took turns making their way unseen into the rooms at the back of the hotel where guests could now take a bath without walking all the way down the street to the bathhouse.
Mary Travis had seen her father-in-law and had been dispatched with her son to join her mother-in-law in Fort Laramie where John Terrell and the US Army already had provided protection for the judge's family. Mary's job was to reassure her mother-in-law that the judge was alive and well even though the general public thought him dead. She had refused to go at first wanting to be the first reporter to break this story. However, Chris had pointed out quite ruthlessly that he couldn't protect the judge and Maude, catch Ainsley and his conspirators, and recapture Horace Winston if he and the others had to worry over Mary and Billy, too. Mary had finally given in when she could find no counter argument when Chris said he couldn't think straight if she and Billy were in danger. She boarded the stage with a small Cheshire cat grin on her face. Buck had made certain the stage coach driver promised to deliver Mary and Billy personally to the commanding officer at Fort Laramie.
By the time Vin finished his bath and joined the others, they were eating. Maude was sipping a bubbly mixture out of delicately fluted crystal. It was crystal left from the Terrell's last visit. Alexandra had once said she had more money to spend than most people had good sense so why not share it.
"Why, Mr. Tanner. You must thank your relations for their excellent choice in champagne. Why I believe I might close my eyes and imagine myself in the Champagne region of France. You must have a glass."
"Rather have a beer. That stuff bubbles an' tickles my nose." Ezra raised his glass saluting Vin before he sipped. Josiah seemed quite happy to drink some of the champagne. He had a contented look on his face as if sitting in Maude's presence was the same as having a religious experience. Judge Travis and Chris were both having beers. Maude, however, must have decided now was her opportunity to broaden Mr. Tanner's horizons. She held out a third glass to him. Surely his aunt would appreciate any attempt by Maude to refine Mr. Tanner.
"You really must have a glass. I insist." Vin knew Maude Standish was not one to accept no for an answer when she wanted something, and she wanted something from him. They might all be stuck under one another's feet for some time to come, so it wouldn't do to make an enemy of the woman nor make Ezra angry by insulting his mother. So whether he wanted to or not, Vin accepted the glass of champagne.
He'd only had a sip of it once before, when Alexandra had insisted on toasting the memory of his mother. He said he didn't like it, but the truth was he didn't feel comfortable drinking it. Holding a beer mug or a shot glass was easy. Both were made of solid glass. But the crystal that held the champagne was delicate, easily broken. They were fragile things that Vin just knew he could break if he applied the wrong amount of pressure to them. He rarely felt uncomfortable, but that delicate crystal made him feel clumsy.
Maude adjusted his hand round the fluted glass making sure he held it solidly but without danger of dropping it or crushing it in his grasp. She held eye contact with him for a few seconds. She knew how uncomfortable he felt around the delicate crystal, and she was showing him without fanfare how to hold it lightly but firmly. This time instead of worrying about the delicate crystal, he actually tasted the champagne. It was different from the last time. It was cold on his tongue, but he could taste it as the bubbles popped down his throat. He actually grinned at Maude. Ezra frowned at Chris and Judge Travis's big grins. Maude was successfully pulling Vin into her web. It didn't last long, though.
Vin tossed the rest of the champagne down like it was a shot of whiskey and handed the fluted crystal back to Maude. "That was real nice ma'am, but could I have a beer with my steak now?"
Maude rolled her eyes. You could take a horse to water and make him drink but she didn't think she could ever take this tracker into high society and make him act in sync. Ezra's smug look only made Maude realize that Tanner like Larabee was not going to be bought by a glass of champagne and a smile. Now if she were a brand new high-powered rifle she would have his undivided attention. As it was, her wild card's loyalty was still to his friends. She had time though, and Maude did so love a challenge.
Their meal was finished in companionable conversation mostly between Ezra and his Mother. There was a subtle yet affectionate banter between the two, but the men witnessing it also discovered that Maude had never truly trusted anyone but herself. Therefore, they were not surprised that Ezra rarely allowed anyone to peer beyond the cool detachment he showed to everyone. Knowing that Maude had raised him to rely on no one only proved to the others what tremendous strides Ezra had made personally since he had joined their group. It made Chris better able to understand the mercurial gambler who's confessed love of money often overrode his good sense. Josiah had watched this all unfold. Maude was one if not the most beautiful women he had ever seen, but the conventional nurturing mother she was not. She was a product of harsh times and had survived. She had in turn taught the same survival skills to her son. Josiah thought she was one of the most remarkable women he had ever met. She certainly knew how to tempt a man.
It was Ezra who pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling them. The five men looked at one another when Maude cut the deck. The charming flirt had turned all business. Even a friendly game with Maude was an education in survival. She played to win, always as if losing was not an alternative she would even contemplate. The enigma who was her son was explained further to the group as they watched similar yet different gamblers at work. They were professionals, and every movement or lack of it marked them as two of the very best. The others watched too fascinated to join in the game. No quarter was given; no sentiment endangered their professionalism. Ezra raised the ante until there was five hundred dollars in the pot. Even Buck stopped keeping watch at the window to move closer to observe the game. So enthralled in the scene playing out before them, they almost fell victim to Clay Ainsley's attack. The shot below them and a yell that sounded like it came from JD had everyone on their feet. Then all hell broke loose.
Most of the gunfire was directed in the air as a distraction while Ainsley and five of his men entered the hotel through the front doors. His face covered and hat pulled down, he looked like any other would be thief or killer. JD was at the top of the stairs when he spotted the three men creeping up the back stairs. His shouted warning earned him a bullet, but it didn't stop the kid from killing two of Ainsley's hired killers. Nathan killed the other one as he pulled the kid to safety, shouting at Buck and the others that he had JD, but the boy was down. The bullet had carved a four-inch gouge out the fleshy part of JD's hip exposing the hipbone. Nathan knew the kid had to be in a lot of pain, but he just told Nathan to wrap it up.
"They need us, Nathan, an' I can still shoot." The healer nodded grimly helping JD to his feet as they went up the last flight of stairs to the third floor where the shooting had become fierce. Vin had been firing from the window as had Ezra while Judge Travis pulled Maude behind the overturned sofa. With orders to them to keep down, Josiah took the rifle Buck tossed him and joined Vin and Ezra at the window.
Most of the town folk had taken cover any where they could find it, but a few brave souls joined in when someone spotted Vin Tanner in the window. Then, when they saw Ezra pop up and nail one of the men firing aimlessly and at any thing that moved, they understood that none of the seven had been killed in Brecken. Knowing they still had their protectors gave them courage and more joined in the fray. As the tide turned the men in the street began to give way falling under the crossfire. Several more made it into the hotel joining Ainsley and his five best men. Chris and Buck were under heavy fire when one of the killers kicked a door in and dragged a screaming woman into the hallway. Knowing their next move, Chris looked over his shoulder at Vin, Ezra, and Josiah who had come to join them on the stairs. One look from Larabee, an answering nod, and they turned and grabbed Maude and the judge and ran down the now empty back stairs.
Maude, ever aware of her situation, had the forethought to grab the bundle of important documents. Without them, it would be her word against Ainsley's. She tossed them to Judge Travis as Ezra helped her mount one of the abandoned horses. Vin and Ezra climbed on the other two as Josiah and the old man looked around and spotted the back door of the church. Josiah indicated he would take the judge and the documents there. If they were lucky Aisnley wouldn't think to look for the judge or the documents there. As they turned to go in the opposite direction from Ainsley's men, Vin shouted over the gunfire to Josiah.
"Chris's shack!" Then he turned and followed Maude and Ezra. The dust and the noise from the fighting covered their escape from all eyes except one. Horace Winston watched the object of his obsession ride off into the waning light. He licked his lips in anticipation and disappeared as he ducked behind the debris out back of the hotel. His escape was cut short as the door banged open. Seven men ran out the door with guns drawn. Three disappeared around the corner and came back with horses. Two men slowly backed out of the door holding a struggling woman with a gun to her head. Chris Larabee and Buck Wilmington followed them.
"We'll kill her! Back off, Larabee! Put down your guns!"
Buck and Chris didn't make a move. If they dropped their guns they were all dead. Nathan and a wounded JD were behind them. The kid was bleeding badly, but with Nathan's help he was still on his feet.
"You let her go, and we let you go!" Chris offered them a way out. He knew the man standing off to the side was Ainsley. If he could get the other man's attention off the woman for a second, he could take him. Buck would get Ainsley; Chris didn't doubt that for a second.
"We want that woman! We'll exchange this one for her."
"She's long gone, Ainsley!" Larabee was tired of waiting and pretending these men were anything but hired killers. "Judge has the papers an' the army's on their way! Killin' them won't save your neck from stetchin'! Might as well give up 'fore you add murder to the rest of the charges!"
Chris's shouted words drew a scream of rage from Ainsley. That woman had ruined all of his plans. If he was going to hang, he was going to take as many people with him as possible. He grabbed the woman from his foreman, Zeke and put his gun to her head. As he started to pull the trigger, Buck and Chris started moving towards them. Zeke's bullet caught Chris right in his right shoulder. He was going down, the pain from the hot piece of lead piercing is body only slowed him momentarily. He was still able to nail the man with a gut shot. Ainsley threw the screaming woman into Buck and jumped on the horse one of his men held still for him. They were shooting back and forth with Buck trying to shield both Chris and the woman with his body. Two men fell dead from their saddles as Buck and Nathan fired a shot each. JD was able to get one more of the men.
Ainsley had given up any hope of getting out of this alive when one of his men yelled at him, "The army, they're here!" Another man, a man he thought must be new because he didn't remember him, shouted to him from near the tree line behind the hotel.
"That woman, she went that way with two men!" Thus, Horace Winston joined up with Clay Ainsley. He would get Maude one way or the other. He took off in the direction that Vin and Ezra had taken Maude. Ainsley and five of the men who had entered the hotel with him rode off after Winston. Ainsley knew if he could eliminate Maude, he might be able to bluff his way out of this. They continued to fire back at Chris and the others as they made their escape. Nathan and JD provided the cover fire as Buck was grazed by a bullet on the inside of his lower left leg pulling Chris and the woman into the hotel. Nathan paused to look at the injury on his way to Chris.
"Go on, I'm okay. Course two inches higher and I'd be talkin' girl talk."
That remark got a snort of laughter from Chris as he tried getting off one more shot at the retreating men on horseback. Nathan caught him as he slid down the open doorway onto the floor, blood dripping from his shoulder. He half drug half carried the man in black into the hotel lobby and placed him on the couch there. The grateful woman, quickly recovering her wits, helped Buck get JD into the lobby as well. Josiah got there with Judge Travis and the army colonel who had arrived just in time to mop up the last of Ainsley's men who were either wounded or had surrendered. There were several townspeople wounded, but none seriously in the gun battle. The army doctor came to help just as Nathan started checking the wounded who were being brought into the hotel lobby one by one.
"I'm gonna have to cut that bullet outa your shoulder, Chris. JD's got to have stitches in that hip. Buck?"
Buck looked up from the lovely woman who was valiantly trying to stop the flesh wound from bleeding by pressing several compresses to the calf of his leg where the bullet had entered and exited missing the bone entirely.
"Got me an angel of mercy, Nathan. You take care of Chris an' the kid." Nathan nodded his thanks while grinning at the woman. JD was holding his own compress to his hip as the army surgeon came over to give his assessment of the wounded to Nathan.
"Why's Buck always get the pretty women to fix him up? I got shot worse than him."
"That's Buck for ya, JD. He could find a willin' woman in the middle of a Comanche raid during a forest fire." Chris grimaced in pain as the army surgeon held the compress to his shoulder while Nathan sent a young corporal for his supplies. One nod from the colonel had the young man scurrying for the door. Josiah and Judge Travis both walked up and stood with the colonel. Josiah held up the documents for Chris to see. The colonel spoke before Josiah could.
"Are those the documents Sheriff Johnson wired us about?" He looked at Chris and JD. "Colonel Rickman, Ft. Laramie, gentlemen. I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner."
"Someone must have tipped Ainsley off." Judge Travis wasn't happy. He still had the documents, but his witness had disappeared with Ezra and Vin. He needed her testimony to place the documents in Ainsley's possession if they were going to make the charges stick.
Chris looked over Josiah's shoulder for Vin and Ezra. Seeing his searching gaze and the judge's scowl, Josiah delivered the news Chris did not want to hear while he was having a man probe his shoulder for a bullet.
"We split up. I took the judge and the documents to the church. Vin and Ezra took Maude to your shack. No one was following them that we saw."
Buck looked up and then straight at the others. Josiah looked puzzled by their frowning faces. "That's the direction Ainsley took off in, Josiah. They're right behind them."
Josiah looked at the wounded and then at the army colonel. Then he looked from Chris to JD to Buck and then finally at Nathan. "Can you ride, Buck?"
"Hell yes, I can ride!"
Judge Travis started to speak but Colonel Rickman beat him to it. "I suggest we get moving gentlemen. I'll leave half my men here to guard the judge and the documents. The rest of us will ride with you."
Before they left the hotel, Chris called Buck's name. "Don't worry, pard. We'll bring them all home safe." With that Buck limped out behind Josiah.
It was a difficult ride especially for Maude who was not wearing any kind of clothing conducive to riding. Her delicate little shoes and her many petticoats and bustle made sitting on the horse difficult when her feet did not even reach the stirrups. They might have made better time if the horse she was riding had been a docile, obedient creature. Unfortunately, the horse was a strong-willed as Maude. It didn't take long before the horse started acting up, it's dislike for the unfamiliar rider pressing it to gallop on as it struggled for breath finally made the contrary animal revolt.
Vin, who had seen the animal fighting Maude all the way had come alongside. Just as he was ready to call a halt and switch horses with her, the animal balked. It caused Vin's horse to bump into it, and both horses and riders fell in a heap. Ezra looked at the tangled limbs in horror. Ground tying his horse, he rushed over to find Maude pulling out from under her horse. The animal was apparently all right as it struggled to stand. Ezra took firm hold of the reins and quieted the animal. He secured it as he turned to find Maude on her hands and knees trying to pull Vin Tanner out from under his horse. The animal's leg was busted. Its struggles only crushed the slight tracker even more.
"You're gonna have to shoot it to keep it from strugglin'." Vin's face contorted in pain as the horse tried to rise again. Taking his gun in hand, Ezra fired one bullet. The horse's struggles ceased and an involuntary groan came from Vin. His breathing was shallow and his right arm was draped across his midsection. Ezra put words to his silent thoughts.
"Your ribs?" Vin nodded.
"Feels like two or three are broken."
"Dear Lord, can anything else go wrong?" Maude asked the question of no one in particular, and to dispel the thought she might feel inconvenienced by Vin's plight, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean you, son." Vin managed to acknowledge her short burst of compassion.
"None taken, ma'am." He gasped in pain as Ezra pulled him the rest of the way from under the horse. He was panting because of the exertion, but he couldn't manage more than shallow breaths. Ezra supported him until he relaxed slightly against him. Then, Vin looked at Ezra. "You're gonna have to leave me."
"That is not an option, Mr. Tanner."
"Certainly not." Maude and Ezra spoke at the same time. They looked and sounded so much alike, that Vin started laughing. It hurt, so he quickly stopped.
"We got two horses, an' I got three busted ribs at least."
"If we leave you and they find you, they won't care if the bounty is off your head or not. They will kill you, Vin, and if you think I am going to tell Mr. Larabee that I heeded your pleas and left you to die you are sadly mistaken." Ezra's jaw was set, and Vin knew that look. It was Ezra's ŒI will play this hand to the end even if I lose everything' look. Vin knew it well, and he knew there was no arguing with Ezra. They didn't know if they were being followed or not. Nor did they know if the others had survived the gun battle. For all they knew their friends were dead, and the documents already in Ainsley's hands.
When Ezra put his hand under Vin's shoulder prior to lifting him from the ground, Vin gave in. With everyone's help he climbed to his feet. He leaned heavily on Maude as Ezra brought the filthy beast who had caused all this misery over to Vin. "We can ride together on this one, or you can ride that one with Mother." He waited while Vin got his thoughts in order. Ezra had seen the tear in his sleeve where the skin had scraped against the ground riddled with pebbles. He knew that if they lived through this, Vin was going to be a nice shade of purple for the next few weeks.
"I'll ride the other one with Maude, if she don't mind?" Vin looked over at Maude to see if she had any objections. Instead of a scowl, he saw her flash a grin in the waning light.
"If it gets me away from that disagreeable animal, I might even kiss you, Mr. Tanner."
"Mother!"
"Oh hush, the boy knows I'm teasing him, don't you darlin'?" Maude flashed her most winning smile at Vin. He couldn't help himself. He'd never trust her with his money, but he knew where Ezra got all his charm from. Maude Standish was one hell of a woman, and Vin Tanner was just a man.
"I consider it an honor, ma'am."
"Good Lord, will you two stop this? It's making me nauseous." Vin punched Ezra haphazardly in the arm for making him laugh, but they were ready to go. Somehow Maude made riding a horse hell bent for leather with three broken ribs sound like an adventure Vin did not want to miss. Besides, he couldn't help himself. Ezra couldn't stand the thought that another of his friends had succumbed to Maude. Vin wasn't about to let the gambler in on the knowledge that his loyalty lay with his friend and not a woman old enough to be his mother no matter how beautiful and charming she was. There were just some lines friends didn't cross, and this was one of them. Now if he were Josiah, it would be different. Maude was attracted to Josiah. She liked him. Vin had a pretty good idea what Maude thought of the illiterate tracker who had lived with the Indians. He knew he was no match for Maude who could and would chew him up and spit him out if he ever found himself in her clutches. No, this was the extent of the torture he would inflict on Ezra. If you couldn't enjoy torturing your friends, why have them?
Vin gasped as Ezra helped him mount the horse. He held his breath until Maude was sitting behind him. Every breath he took and every step the horse took was another jolt of stabbing pain from his ribs. They started out for Chris's shack as fast as they could on spent horses with one of them wounded. Just as the shack came into sight, Vin held up his hand for them to stop. He looked behind them as if he heard something. They stayed where they were until Ezra broke the silence.
"What is it?" Ezra asked, but Vin shook his head and took them up to the shack in silence. Then Ezra heard it in the distance.
"I think we're gonna have company." Vin looked right at Ezra. "If it's Ainsley, leave me at the shack. I'll hold them off till you can get Maude back to town. Circle around." Vin saw Ezra start to get that stubborn look. He carefully pulled his foot over the neck of the horse and slid to the ground. "If it's Chris an' the others, I'll fire three shots into the air. If it ain't, I'll stop as many as I can for you to get Maude outa here."
Ezra was torn. He didn't want to leave his friend to face the enemy alone, but this time he had someone else's safety to think about, his mother. Vin put his hand out and grabbed hold of Ezra's extended arm at the elbow like he often did Chris. Ezra knew it was Vin's way of saying for Ezra to watch his back and take care.
"You had better be alive when I come back for you." Ezra was making sure Vin knew better than to commit suicide for the likes of the Ezra and Maude Standish.
"I ain't goin' nowhere or doin' anything stupid. They don't want me. I'm just gonna slow Œem down a bit." Vin knew it was a gamble, but he knew he could get a few of Ainsley's men before they discovered he was alone. If nothing else he could give Maude and Ezra a head start. Then he could hunker down and wait for Chris and the others. He had no doubt in his mind if the men he heard coming were Ainsley and company, then Chris and the others wouldn't be far behind them. He put his mare's leg on the windowsill and waited the remaining seconds until the noise he had heard became shapes on the hill. It was Ainsley, and he had six men with him. He held his breath and waited as they approached. His heart sunk as he realized they weren't going to stop. He didn't know if they had seen Maude and Ezra or if they just didn't know that Chris had a shack here. He aimed his mare's leg carefully and pulled the trigger. There were only five men with Ainsley now.
"They're in the shack!"
"No they ain't. One of Œem musta got hurt when that horse broke its leg!"
"It doesn't matter! Kill whoever it is and then join us! We've got to get that woman before the Army gets here to protect her!" Vin couldn't see how many had stayed behind. He figured no more than one or two for Ainsley was in a hurry. The Army had arrived, and Vin had no doubt now that at least the judge and Josiah had survived the gun battle. He only had to stay alive long enough to let them know that he'd sent Ezra to circle back to town with Maude. Let the Army mop up Ainsley and his men. He heard someone on the roof of the shack. He waited listening; then he aimed the mare's leg at the roof and fired. He heard a yell, and then a man crashed through the roof practically on top of him. Vin tried to move out of his way, but the dead man knocked him to the floor. Vin struck his head on the wall as he went down. ŒNot that again!' was the last thought he had as the door crashed open.
Vin opened his eyes to see four heads peering anxiously over him. He blinked and the four heads became two. They had bodies attached and everything. He must have said that out loud because Buck snorted with laughter.
"I told ya he was okay, Josiah. He just hit that hard head of his. C'mon, Vin, let's get you up." Vin winced as they drug the two bodies pinning him to the floor off of him.
"What the hell happened?" Vin looked at the door and the second man.
"Buck heard you shoot and saw one guy fall through the roof. Saw the other one bashin' the door in an' he shot him." Josiah looked around at what was left of Chris's shack. "I'd hate to be here when Chris takes a look at this." Vin and Buck both started laughing at that last comment. Chris was not going to be happy. Vin thought a trip to visit the twins might be a good idea. The laughter caused Vin to clutch his ribs and alerted Josiah he had more injuries than just a knot on his head.
"You fall off that horse back there or did it fall on you?" Josiah looked at all the scrapes and forming bruises that he could see. They had come across the dead horse.
"Fell on me. Think, hell, I know I broke 'bout three ribs. Maude's horse balked in front of mine. . . ." Vin looked up at his two friends. "Maude an' Ezra are still out there! Ainsley's right behind 'em!" He struggled to stand but Buck held him down.
"You ain't ridin' with three broken ribs. Now settle down, son." Buck held him in place while Josiah stood up.
"Army's already chasing after them. We'll get you set to go back to town an' let Nathan take care of you and clean that hole in Buck's leg. I'll go after Ezra and Maude. Ainsley's a dead man if he so much as parts Maude's hair." Josiah's eyes were hard. If Buck and Vin didn't agree with him, they would have felt sorry for Ainsley.
"You'll need Buck. I'll stay here." Vin didn't get any further.
"I'm leaving now. Buck's gonna hitch up that wagon you brought Chris some lumber in and take you back."
Vin's protests fell on deaf ears as Josiah pushed the remains of the door out of his way and stalked over to his horse. Mounting it he nodded to the two men. "I aim to bring 'em both back alive." With that he gave his horse its head and followed in the wake of the Army troops led by Colonel Rickman.
Josiah wasn't so far behind that catching up was impossible. They were unfamiliar with this terrain even though they had a tracker almost as good as Vin. It took a good fifteen minutes before he overtook them. The colonel and his men were staring at something. A chill ran up Josiah's spine. He'd recently seen this same reaction from a posse just a short month ago. He prayed it wasn't anyone he knew. He prayed it wasn't what he thought it was, but he already knew when he got close enough to look.
It was a man, what was left of him, tied spread eagle between two trees. His body was covered in dried blood, mutilated body parts strewn about the ground. He'd been dead less than six hours from the looks of what was left of his body. Three blood covered one-hundred dollar bills were pinned to his forehead with a knife that was buried deep in his skull. Horace Winston was nearby. Josiah didn't know who to be more afraid for, his two injured friends he left behind or Ezra and Maude who seemed to be on a collision course with a brutal killer.
"Colonel, Colonel Rickman!" Josiah got the man's attention. "It's the work of Horace Winston. Your men can hunt him after we take care of Ainsley."
The colonel had lived through the horrors of Gettysburg, but this horror was unlike any he had ever seen. Men killed in battle by shot and shell was one thing, but that one man had done this to another. It was obscene.
"We heard gunfire and rode straight here." He stopped the look of horror in his eyes fading rapidly as he fought for control. "Private Jones says there are two sets of tracks that converge right here. They must have come across this and were caught. He says six more riders joined up here with the others. All the tracks lead south now. Jones found this." The colonel held out a woman's shoe. It was dark blue, matching the dress that Maude was wearing after her bath. Ainsley had them. Josiah had to move fast if he was going to save them. He knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Horace Winston was with them. He looked at the colonel who was having a hard time taking his eyes from the gruesome sight. Then, he heard the weak moan, and a shout from one of the troopers.
"There's a man over here! He's been shot!"
Josiah's heart was in his mouth as he ran. He knew who the wounded man was before he even got there. It was Ezra. He'd been shot twice once in the shoulder and once in the left leg. There was a bruise forming on his forehead. He was alive, but where was Maude?
Ezra and Maude galloped off, neither one speaking, but neither one wanting to leave Vin behind. Ezra had not wanted to leave him because he was afraid the others would think he had run out on the tracker, but because Vin was his friend. Over the last year, Ezra had come to realize that these men were his friends. That meant more to him than he wanted to admit. He had finally found a group of friends who accepted him for the man he was not the man he had been. They knew that he loved money, that he was enamored of it. They also knew that he could no more stand by and see a helpless person fall victim to evil than they could. Sometimes Ezra surprised himself with the lengths he was willing to go to help someone just because they heeded his help. If his mother only knew how often Ezra risked his life for people she felt beneath her notice, Maude might just disown him. He actually smiled.
Maybe that was why he stayed in this backwater town with these men who were his friends. Maybe that was why he had chosen to let these men behind the wall that he had erected around himself from an early age. Oh, he knew his mother loved him, but he also knew that Maude took care of Maude, first and always. That was why he had spent such a lonely childhood often waiting for his mother to come for him only to be disappointed learning she had more pressing matters than seeing her son. He was never neglected, but there were times when he had felt such an outsider that he erected a wall around himself that he allowed no one to penetrate until this last year. He knew what loneliness was like, and that was why he and Vin had such an eclectic relationship. They both knew what loneliness was. Now there were more people than he could count on both hands that he would willingly risk his life to save any one of them. It was all because of his six friends. They made him a better person because more often than not he truly cared what they thought about him. Plus, Ezra knew that Maude was amazed even stunned by her son's Robin Hood tendencies. Ezra knew he was.
That was probably why Ezra relished his place among the seven. It was that little bit of uncertainty that his mother did not control, did not know about him. It was his wild card in dealing with his mother. His relationship with the seven gave Ezra six brothers who watched his back something his mother taught him that only he would do. He trusted them to be there, and that fact was something Maude just didn't understand. It was unimaginable to her that her son could be friends with men such as they were, and that was Ezra's way of rebelling against all his mother had taught him. Yes, Ezra was still scheming, still keeping his conning skills sharp, but now he put them to a use that wouldn't get him tarred and feathered or run out of town. He rather liked the idea of using his talents to stay within the law while skirting its edges. He and his compatriots had circumvented the law on several occasions in order to impart justice, and Ezra liked fleecing men like Stuart James and Guy Royal. Even Judge Travis was willing to overlook a few lapses in order to see justice done. Course the seven took care not to tell the judge when they did bend the law. What he didn't know wouldn't compromise him, and he was wise enough not to ask.
That sentiment didn't help him now. Vin was good, but so were Ainsley's men. They were hired killers, and there were at least six of them. With three broken ribs, Vin couldn't run. So, Ezra was trusting Vin's marksmanship to keep the tracker safe until Ezra got his mother back to town. Then he would get a fresh horse and help and go back for his friend. Ezra wasn't about to lose anyone to Ainsley today. He looked at his mother and smiled. Her perfectly coifed hair was hanging down both sides of her face. The wind was playing havoc with it, and she looked vitally alive and beautiful. Despite their differences Ezra knew that if anything happened to her he would miss her dreadfully. Damn Ainsley for trying to kill her, and damn his money that made it possible for him to hire all those gunmen.
Maude looked over at her son and smiled grimly. She really was cold and exhausted, and she was feeling guilty for having left Vin Tanner behind. She liked Ezra's friends, especially that ruffian wild card. He admired her while at the same time he was wary of her. It was almost as if he knew what she was capable of but just didn't care. She was Ezra's mother, and he was Ezra's friend. To Tanner it was simple. He would only slow them down injured as he was, but damn if Maude didn't hate leaving him behind. She was tired of running. Maude was of half a mind to turn back and make a stand with the tracker. If she died, she could at least take Ainsley with her. Then she thought she might lose her son in the gun battle, and she wasn't ready for that. Not her son.
If Ezra only knew that Maude was secretly proud of her handsome son. She would never tell him and let him know that he held that much power over her, over her heart. No, she would rely on their present relationship. It suited her plans to ensure that her son would be more prepared for the hardships life dealt to you time and again. He had to know how to deal with it, so Maude would know that he would avoid the same heartache that had led her down this road. She had married his father and watched that brilliant but unlucky man die on her. She had never met his like again and his son was just like his father. Maude was a survivor and she taught her handsome son the same skill. It had surprised her; therefore, when she found out her son had fallen in with these six men in this little backwater town
What surprised her most was the feeling of brotherhood that blended and made their petty quarrels disappear when one of them was in need. Never having been that close to her own family, Maude had learned at an early age that no one would be there for her. She had learned to do it herself. She had reared Ezra that way as well. Then, she realized her son did not stay in Four Corners because of a deal he made with Judge Travis. He stayed because he found six friends who shared a need for a family. Men who didn't care about the other's past but only the man each was now. They accepted one another, they argued among themselves, they played jokes on one another, they told each other exactly what they thought of one another, but when push came to shove, it was frightening how quickly they would band together. If you went after one, you went after them all. That kind of loyalty amazed Maude. It even perplexed her a bit until she discovered that her son thrived on it, and despite his protests to the contrary he loved it. Even though their work led them into constant danger, they were a force worth reckoning. They were incredible in their ability to face overwhelming odds and beat them. Everyone had a unique skill that contributed to the whole, and that was what amazed Maude so much. In the blink of an eye, seven men could become a fighting force that was phenomenally successful. Now, that group had been threatened because Maude had stumbled onto something while trying to extricate herself from the clutches of a man she had no respect for at all. He did not have enough money for Maude to submit to his brutality. Ainsley was a pig, and Maude was tired of running from him. Just as she was ready to turn around and go back and finish this they came across a scene that was so gruesome that she thought fainting might be an option she would rather live with.
Right in front of her were the remains of what used to be a man. She was horrified by the sight before her. Bile rose in her throat, and she turned to her son for support, for him to tell her this was just a bad dream. She knew with one glance it wasn't. Ezra had his gun drawn and he was looking around as if the monster who had done this was still around. What had he said about the trial and the murderer they had captured as he killed another victim? Dear God, this must be the work of that man. She placed her hand on her son's shoulder and he looked at her. Giving her his best smile he tried to reassure her.
"It's all right. Winston is long gone from here. Let's get you to town where you will be safe." She nodded, but before she could answer she heard the gunshots and her son was thrown from the horse. Maude heard his head hit the ground with a thud. Three men came up their guns drawn and smoking. One jumped down from his horse to the ground and ran towards Ezra. He had the gun pointed at Ezra to finish him off when Ainsley rode up.
"We don't have time for that." He gloated as he looked at Maude. She would pay for her defiance and tell him where those documents were. Why waste a bullet on one of those peacekeepers? "The Army's is right behind us. Throw his body over there. Let's ride!" He grabbed the reins of Maude's horse and they rode off. She didn't see what happened to her son. For the first time in a very long time, Maude Standish was alone, truly alone. The men riding behind her prevented her from looking back. Maude decided then and there that if Ezra was dead she would kill Ainsley with her bare hands. She would survive if for no other reason than to avenge her son.
Continued in Part Three
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