The Fury of Iron Eyes (An Iron Eyes Western #4) Read Free Page B

scalp to shreds, stranger,’ the
doctor said while watching the tall man moving around his
room.
    ‘ Will it return to normal?’
Iron Eyes asked as he glanced across at the two men, who were
watching him the way men watch animals in circus cages.
    ‘ It might be temporary and
then again it could be permanent.’
    The bounty hunter still
felt giddy as he placed his hands on the back of the wooden chair
and rested.
    ‘ How come I feel like
there’s a fog inside my skull?’
    ‘ That might be due to the
fact you’ve lost an awful lot of blood, son,’ the doctor
answered.
    ‘ Will this be
temporary?’
    The doctor
shrugged.
    ‘ Hopefully. I suggest you
eat as much steak as possible over the next week to try and replace
the blood you’ve lost.’
    ‘ Steak.’ Iron Eyes repeated
the word as he handed over a fistful of silver dollars to the
medical man.
    The sheriff stepped closer
to the strange bounty hunter.
    ‘ I wired the authorities
for your reward money just after I brung you to the doc’s, mister.
Who exactly are you, anyways?’
    ‘ They call me Iron Eyes,
Sheriff.’
    Suddenly the two men seemed
alarmed. It was obvious to the bounty hunter that they had heard of
him and his reputation frightened them.
    ‘ It will probably take
until around noon before I get permission to pay you the bounty,
Iron Eyes,’ the sheriff said dryly as he felt the spittle in his
mouth evaporating. ‘Might even take longer.’
    ‘ That’ll be
fine, Sheriff.’ Iron Eyes glanced at the law officer who was
still wearing his nightshirt.
    The sheriff cleared his
throat.
    ‘ How much do you know about
the late Dan Creedy, Iron Eyes?’
    ‘ Only his value.’
    The doctor moved towards
both men and touched the arm of the lawman.
    ‘ What are you getting at,
Sheriff?’
    ‘ Dan Creedy has three
brothers and by what I’ve heard, they rode together,’ the sheriff
mumbled. ‘I figure they’ll be a tad upset when they hear the news.
They’ll hunt you down and get their vengeance, Iron
Eyes.’
    ‘ They can try.’ Iron Eyes
almost smiled.
    ‘ You mean that they might
be close at hand?’ the doctor asked his troubled friend. ‘They
might swoop down into Bonny and shoot up the town trying to find
out who killed their brother?’
    ‘ Yeah, they might have
arranged to meet up in Bonny. They ain’t gonna like finding Dan
dead.’ The lawman knew more about the Creedys than he was either
able or willing to admit.
    Iron Eyes stood upright and
then began walking to the door of the dimly lit office. Resting a
hand on the door handle, he paused and looked back at the pair of
elderly men. They had shown him kindness and he found it
confusing.
    ‘ Quit fretting, boys. As
soon as I get my reward money, I’ll ride out of this damn town. If
n them Creedys want to trail me, let them. I’ll be waiting to
collect their rewards too.’
    ‘ Ain’t you even a little bit
scared of Dan’s brothers, boy?’ the sheriff asked as Iron Eyes
turned the handle and opened the door. ‘I heard tell that they’re
mighty mean.’
    ‘ Meaner than me?’ Iron Eyes
raised an eyebrow.
    ‘ Maybe,’ the sheriff
gulped.
    ‘ There ain’t no such
critter, Sheriff.’
    Watching Iron Eyes striding out
into the dark street, both men seemed unable to take their eyes
from him as he headed back in the direction of the saloon. Both men
were aware that this was no ordinary stranger they had within the
boundaries of Bonny. This was Iron Eyes and he had killed Dan
Creedy for the price on his head.
    How long would it take for the Creedy
brothers to arrive?

Chapter Four
    Iron Eyes had somehow
stayed awake for what remained of the blood-soaked night. Primed
with an inch-thick steak and two bottles of whiskey, the bounty
hunter seemed either unwilling or uninterested in finding a place
to sleep until dawn. He had done what he had set out to do and
killed Dan Creedy, but it had been a close call. Creedy had not
wanted to die and looked as if he truly believed he could