Highland Song Read Free Page A

roll of horse’s hooves filled the ringing silence that had followed the clang of swords.
     
    Jericho smiled grimly at the man who was watching him with sword in one hand and another dirk in the other hand.
     
    "Looks like she’s hell bent to get out of here. Neither one of us is going to be spending the night in her arms, whoever she is," Jericho said calmly, sitting back and seeming to enjoy the moment.
     
    "Looks that way," Aaron agreed.
     
    "You know her?"
     
    "Not until tonight. Never seen her before." That much, at least, was the truth.
     
    Jericho grunted. "Just as well, a man would have to be crazy to turn his back on that girl. She's as cunning as a fox."
     
    Aaron said nothing.
     
    Jericho fell silent. It was Aaron’s deadly wielding of his sword which convinced Jericho to keep his mouth shut.
     
    Without looking away from Jericho, Aaron sized up the men remaining in the tavern. Rory and Bear were dead. Red stood next to a table in the back of the room, shifting from foot to foot.
     
    "You know those two very well?" Aaron asked.
     
    "Met Rory two nights ago when he brought me the news of the MacPherson lass. Told me about the bounty. Never seen that other one before tonight."
     
    "But you were working together."
     
    "No," Jericho corrected, "They were working for me."
     
    Aaron’s smile was cutting.
     
    "Well, you’ll have to find some new men to work for you. These two wouldn’t have been useful. They’re too stupid."
     
    Aaron quickly searched the room. He counted and studied the remaining men. Two were drifters. The other three were part of Jericho’s gang. Once they had been English soldiers. Now they had turned ruffians and mercenaries. All of them were being careful not to give Aaron a reason to fight.
     
    "Might your name be Aaron Slade?" Jericho asked.
     
    "It is."
     
    A hushed sound traveled through the men in the saloon. As a unit, they eased backward, giving Aaron all the space he might want then more as if they just wanted to make sure they were safe.
     
    The only movement Jericho made was to shrug his shoulders as though a private guess had been confirmed.
     
    "Thought as much," he said. "Only a few men can move that fast and throw with such deadly accuracy. Might you be looking for a job? Wouldn't mind having you ride by my side."
     
    Jericho paused then asked with real interest, "Is that Englishman you fought a while back still hunting for you? The one with a patch over one eye? The man they call Black Rogue?"
     
    "No."
     
    "Too bad. Hear he’s a cutthroat that’s damn hard to beat."
     
    Aaron grinned. "You heard right."
     
    "Did your dirk find his heart?" Jericho asked. "Is that why he isn’t still looking for you?"
     
    "We had a simple disagreement. We solved it." Aaron shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still focused on Jericho and the remaining men in the room.
     
    "Is he still alive?" Jericho asked too eagerly.
     
    "He's alive if he can breathe at the bottom of the ocean. Pity you weren’t on your brother’s ship when it went down off the Carolina coast."
     
    Jericho went very still. "You were on that damn pirate ship, the third one. The one that sunk Jethro’s ship."
     
    Though it wasn’t a question, Aaron nodded. "I was there. It was a damn good fight. Whole lot of folks are sleeping more easy now that old Jethro, excuse me, the Black Rogue, is at the bottom of the Atlantic."
     
    Jericho’s face went still and hard.
     
    "Lie down on the floor, boys," Aaron spoke with deadly calm. "I’m feeling a bit nervous right now, so don’t do anything to startle me. You might not like the consequences."
     
    There was a muted sound as the men in the tavern went face down on the floor. Aaron quickly walked among them, gathering weapons. As he worked, he kept an eye on Jericho, whose right hand was inching toward the middle of his belt buckle.
     
    "After I gather everything up," Aaron said casually. "I’m going to wait outside the door for a while before I