“God will bless these innocent souls, and He will give those who fight for the good strength and endurance!” he exclaimed, feeling more and more empowered as Caleb put his hand on Luke’s shoulder.
“Amen!” one called out.
“Yes!” said another.
“God will protect us as we fight the good fight! But not for revenge, for it is not our place to punish those who did wrong by us. The Lord will decide their fate, He will guide us and show us the way when He reveals His plan for every single one of us!” Luke spoke loud enough for the whole crowd to hear.
The cheers and outcries in the crowd grew louder, echoing from the high walls inside the church.
“We need to gather our strength and trust in God, that He will instill His wisdom in all of us, so we can go out there and fight for what is right and to bring these criminals to justice!”
Luke looked up at the cross hanging above the altar and swallowed around the big lump in his throat. God was right here, listening to his words, strengthening his belief in himself, in others, and in his faith. He could feel it. Looking down at Madelaine, tears were running freely over her face, but she was smiling the brightest smile.
Luke turned back to the men, who cheered him on, fists in the air, some even praying.
“Gather as many men and weapons as you can. We will meet on Main Street at noon, and then we ride to put an end to this mayhem, once and for all!”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Same day — Late afternoon
Luke looked over to Madelaine as she rode right next to him toward the gang’s compound up north. She had a fierce look on her face, and he admired her greatly for her immense courage. At first, he’d been reluctant to let her come on this mission, but he knew that she needed this closure as much as any of the men following them, to see Phineas and Ezra arrested for their crimes.
Today, Madelaine was dressed in men’s attire. One of the boys had lent it to her for the dangerous task they were about to face together. It had been Luke’s single demand to allow her to join them—to at least wear a disguise for her own safety—because none of them knew how this would pan out. The only thing that could possibly identify her as a female was her long, thick black braid, casually hanging over her back, but even that could pass for the hair of a foreigner, since there were several who wore their hair like that.
By the time they left town, it was already late afternoon, and the light was fading fast, which was yet another advantage—providing the gang hadn’t already packed up and left their hiding spot in the woods. When Caleb checked the horse barn at the fairgrounds this morning, all their horses and men were all gone, so now Luke feared that they might be too late already. Whatever the outcome was—they had to try.
Looking back over his shoulder, Luke once again needed to reassure himself that the number of men riding with them would at least give them a fighting chance at taking these thieves. He was pleased to see that there were more than the original crowd who had signed up during the second meeting. Even more people in town had come together—they were ready to fight back. It was reassuring. Luke knew that he couldn’t do it without them.
They rode in silence as they got nearer to the gang’s compound. Everybody had been briefed that they would have to leave their horses behind to sneak up on them on foot. Luke had assigned several deputies to spread out with their individual groups so they would be able to surround the criminals. They each had fifteen minutes to get into position before he would give the signal—two rapidly fired shots—when all of them would storm the compound, hopefully surprising the thieves with their attack. Luke had also made it very clear to all of them that nobody was to be harmed.
Madelaine had to promise to stay behind near the horses, to wait and see what would happen. She’d be close enough to witness the attack, but far enough away not to be in imminent danger. Luke looked at her again and hoped her determined expression meant that she would stick to the plan.
“I love you,” he whispered over to her, which seemed to startle her a little. “Please don’t do anything reckless tonight,” he said when she looked at him. She smiled and shook her head.
“I won’t. I trust that you will handle it well, my love.”
Her whispered words filled him with extra confidence. “You are the most capable sheriff in this territory, and with God on our side, we will win this. I am certain of it.” There was not an ounce of doubt in her voice.
“You are a very special woman, you know that?” he whispered with a smile, and it turned into a chuckle when she nodded proudly.
“Only because I am married to a most special man,” she said earnestly.
At this point, Caleb broke off with his group to ride up and around the ridge running along the camp so he could sneak up from behind, while Timothy kept toward the river’s edge to the west, so he could come in from Luke’s left side. Everybody seemed eager to go.
As soon as Luke and his men reached the spot where they planned to hide their horses, Madelaine helped secure the animals. Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest.
“You are my world, Madelaine. Whatever happens, never forget that,” he whispered close to her ear.
“And you are mine, husband,” she replied. She surprised him when she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. He almost didn’t want to leave her there.
The men proceeded as planned, each taking previously agreed positions. Luke was all too pleased when he heard the usual racket coming from the abandoned house and saw the soft glow of the fire burning in front of it. They were still there.
As they sneaked up on them, Luke saw Phineas holding up a bottle of liquor, loudly singing some unrecognizable song while Ezra stood in front of the fire with an angry scowl on his face. Luke tried to see if Alvarez was anywhere near them but he couldn’t see him, which worried him greatly.
When it was finally time, Luke gave the signal. He fired two shots in rapid succession, and all Hell broke loose. Men rushed toward the house from all sides, running down the ridge to Luke’s right and left. The thieves were most certainly surprised—they scattered around like headless chickens.
Luke kept his eyes mostly on Ezra, who immediately turned to run toward the back, where the horses were kept. As he rushed after him, he saw out of the corner of his eye how one of his men ripped the bottle from Phineas’ hands and whacked him over the head with it. The despicable man fell flat onto the ground, unconscious. Now, Luke was able to focus on Ezra, who was surprisingly fast on his feet.
