“Even if they are dead...” The words tasted bitter on Rider’s tongue. “I have to know for sure.”
“I get it,” Sheriff Stewart stated. “Really, I do, but there’s just so much you can do. The only way to know what happened to your mother and sister is to find Quincy or one of his men. They’re the only ones who can tell you what you want to know.”
Rider already knew this, but he was hoping for a miracle; hearing it confirmed shattered the last bit of hope he had.
“How do I find them?” he asked, his heart speeding up in his chest.
Sheriff Stewart shook his head. “You don’t. Quincy is one of the most wanted men in the West. Bounty hunters have been searching for him for years without any luck.”
“So nobody’s been able to find him?”
“Well, I’m sure there were some who found him, but they didn’t live to tell the tale. Like outlaws, bounty hunters sometimes disappear too, and with the kind of life they live, people hardly realize.”
“There has to be a way. Quincy is human after all. Somebody has to be able to find him and make him pay.”
“Not many bounty hunters are willing to go after him. They have to make a living, and tracking and capturing somebody like him is almost impossible. Even if they could, it would take forever.”
“Isn’t there a reward for finding him?”
Sheriff Stewart nodded as he stood up, removed a wanted poster from the wall, and handed it to Rider.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” Sheriff Stewart replied as he sat down again. “Dead or alive.”
Rider’s stomach twisted, and bile rose up his throat as he looked at the sketch. He had never before hated someone, butthe feeling was growing stronger and stronger, slowly overtaking the pain, heartache, and fear.
“How do I get a bounty hunter to go after him?” Rider asked, wishing that he could do it himself but knowing that he wouldn’t survive out in the wild all by himself, and he definitely wasn’t competition for Quincy and his men.
“You don’t. Bounty hunters decide who they want to go after. Sometimes they’ll take requests from the law. Finding a gunslinger who’d be willing to go after Quincy will be nearly impossible, and if you do, they’ll want a huge payment beforehand.”
Rider didn’t have any money, but there had to be a way. He would do whatever it took to find out what happened to his mother and sister. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he did.
“Who’s the best bounty hunter you know?” Rider asked, standing up. “Somebody who might be able to find Quincy?”
“You remember Deadshot? The man who helped you by killing almost a dozen of Quincy’s men?”
“Of course,” Rider replied. “Is he?”
“A retired bounty hunter. One of the best there ever was.”
Chapter 14
Quincy loved a good fight, and for that reason, a huge smile formed on his face as he shot off the first round. They were still quite a distance from the gang, but Quincy never missed. The .44 slug from his Colt Army went straight through the closest man’s arm and penetrated the abdomen of the man behind him.
The man who had been shot in the arm dropped his pistol as he reached for his wound. Quincy took the opportunity and put a bullet between his eyes. The man fell backward, taking the other injured man with him.
All around him, Quincy’s men started to attack. They were all capable of holding their own in a fight and knew what to do without needing instruction. If Quincy attacked, it was their job to have his back, take out whoever got in the way, and protect each other. It was a simple but effective strategy.
The other gang retaliated immediately, returning fire. Quincy had twelve of his men with him. They were one of the largest gangs in the West, and for that reason, most other gangs stayed out of their way. Unfortunately, he had lost some of hismen, but luckily, he had another seven waiting for him back home. He always left some reinforcements at the cave, just in case somebody stumbled upon it by accident.
Bullets flew in all directions as Quincy charged ahead, steering his horse in a crisscross pattern to avoid getting hit. The animal was fast enough, but nowhere near as quick and agile as Starlight. He was furious about the contents of his saddlebag having been stolen, but he missed his horse as well.
Quincy aimed at the closest man and pulled the trigger. He didn’t have a specific target, so he simply went for the easiest one. At times, when he had time to plan the attack, he would instruct his men to leave certain individuals for him to take care of. At the moment, he couldn’t care less who killed the men, as long as they all died. He wanted his women back. That was all.
The slug hit the man in the chest, sending him tumbling off his horse. Next was one of the men who had dismounted his horse and had a hold of Isabelle, the older woman, and likely the one who had planned their escape. Quincy hadn’t paid much attention to the two women, but some things were clear as day. The mother was much more talkative and came across as a little rebellious. She was a beautiful woman, but nothing compared to the girl. Quincy wondered how old she was as he sent a bullet into another bandit’s head. The girl was beyond stunning, and there was something intriguing about her even though she appeared to be shy and small.
There was a pained scream to Quincy’s right, and as he glanced in that direction, one of his men fell from his horse.Quincy couldn’t see where he had taken the bullet, but there was a lot of blood. His men weren’t supposed to be so easy to take out, and it was starting to work on his nerves. First, the group he sent after the boy never returned, then the group he left at the ranch didn’t return, and now his men were taking bullets. If the opposing gang didn’t kill them, he was going to.
Quincy turned his attention back to the fight; most of the men were down and out. There were only three left. Quincy shot off two more rounds in quick succession, sending two of the three to their graves. Two more shots rang out from behind him, and the last standing man collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from his abdomen and thigh.
