The Loner Read Free Page B

nodded toward the gun. "Do you know how to use that?"
    "I'm quite proficient."
    "Have you ever shot a man before?"
    "Only in my dreams, Logan Grey. Only in my dreams." The smile she wore when she said it made the hair on the back of Logan's neck stand up. She continued, "I am prepared, however, to shoot one of those criminals if necessary."
    He didn't doubt it one bit. "Good. It's my hope it won't come to that. With any luck at all, your other weapon will do the trick."
    "My other weapon?" she asked, following him back down the hallway toward the lobby. "What weapon?"
    "Your scream. When I give the word, I want you to scream as loud as you can and keep screaming until I tell you to stop. We're going to try to lure one of them in here."
    At the wall separating the bank offices from the lobby, Logan peered cautiously around the door. Fidgety stood at the teller's counter. The third man watched the hostages from beside the front entrance. "Are you ready...what's your name?"
    "I'm ready," she replied, ignoring his question.
    "Go."
    She drew a deep breath, then let out a loud, long, shrill scream.
    Though it was difficult to do, Logan tried to block out the sound of her voice and listen for the outlaw's approach. He raised the cane like a baseball bat ready to swing and hoped Fidgety would be the one to investigate. He sensed the third man would be less inclined to use his gun.
    From the bank lobby, he heard the little kid join in the hollering. No, kid. Hush up. Beside him, the woman continued wailing on.
    Time seemed to pass in slow motion. Logan saw a boot and he started his swing. The cane's metal handle caught the bandit at his temple, the blow sending him staggering. As Logan followed up by kicking the gunman's—the third gunman, not Fidgety's—legs out from under him, he heard a gunshot and new screams from the lobby.
    "Hurry!" urged Violet Eyes when she darted past him as the gunman crashed to the floor. His gun went skidding from his grip and Logan grabbed for it. He heard the woman let out a yell that made her previous screams sound like whispers.
    It was a battle cry, nothing less, and the sound of it caused his heart to lodge in his throat. The gunman attempted to rise and Logan hesitated long enough to place one hard kick to the sonofabitch's head and knock him into unconsciousness before dashing after the woman.
    He reached the lobby just in time to see her launch herself at Fidgety at the same time his gun exploded. The bullet missed her, thank God, and ricocheted off a center post, then slammed into the plaster wall.
    Fidgety's yell was abruptly cut off midscreech.
    She'd knocked him down, grabbed him by the ears and beat his head against the floor until he passed out.
    Hell, she hadn't needed backup.
    Logan halted and observed the woman with blatant admiration as she rolled off the downed outlaw and climbed to her feet, then calmly brushed the dust from her skirt. What a fascinating female.
    He stepped forward to help her—not that she needed help—as the head teller unlocked the doors and Luke Prescott and a half dozen lawmen rushed inside. Spying him, Luke called, "Lucky! You all right?"
    "I'm fine."
    "What happened here?"
    Logan gave his friend a brief rundown of events, then showed him where to find Gap Tooth and the third gunman. "She was amazing, I'm telling you," he told Luke as he helped Gap Tooth to his feet. "Downright amazing."
    "Who is she?"
    "I don't know. I didn't get her name in the middle of things, but I aim to find out now."
    But when he returned to the bank lobby and scanned the area, she was nowhere to be found. Logan strode outside and looked both up the street and down. Nothing. No violet-eyed Valkyrie in a simple skirt and blouse. She'd disappeared on him.
    And she'd taken his medallion with her.
    Well now, wasn't that just his luck?

CHAPTER TWO
    Caroline tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear as she thanked the waitress who led her to an out-of-the-way booth in the Bluebonnet