Wild Read Free Page A

from the road. All of them wore large guns on their belts. Black Tom looked up at Kearney.
    “What can I do for you, deputy?” Tom spit on the floor beside his feet and grinned wide. There was one empty chair at the table, and Kearney sat down. Matt dragged another over from a nearby table and sat between Kearney and one of the outlaws.
    “Colonel Waters turned up missing sometime between twilight and dawn,” Kearney started. Black Tom cut him off with a raised hand and sipped his whiskey.
    “Wait just a minute, now,” Tom said, setting his cup aside. “If you’re accusing us of something, I sure do hope you got a warrant. Not that it’ll make a lick of difference.” He laughed and looked around at his boys, who joined in.
    “I’m confident that you fellas would have rode off before sunrise if you’d done anything,” Matt interjected. “But you do have quite a reputation, and as a gesture of goodwill we were hoping you’d share what you might know about the whole thing.”
    “And who exactly,” the man beside him said, rising to his feet, “are you?”
    “I recommend you take your seat, sir,” Matt said, placing his hand on one of his guns. “This can remain civilized, I promise you.”
    “You ain’t making me feel civilized right now.” The man drew his revolver and pointed it at Matt’s chest. “I suggest you mosey on out of here.”
    Matt flicked his gun out of its holster and shot the weapon from the outlaw’s hand before any of them could even blink. A split second later Kearney was on his feet, both guns drawn and pointed at Black Tom and his other associate.
    “Now this is going to get a lot worse, boys,” the deputy said. “Place your guns on the table and back your chairs off a bit, and let’s have us a little chat.”
    “We don’t know anything about it,” Black Tom’s other man said. Tom glared at him.
    “Just put your gun on the table, James,” he said. “You too, Will. The other one, I mean.” The three outlaws laid down their weapons. Will sat back down, rubbing his hand.
    “You could have taken my hand off!”
    “If I wanted to,” Matt agreed. “But we really do just want to talk a bit.”
    “Okay, then,” Tom said. “You want to know of anyone who’d want Waters out of the way.”
    “That’s right,” Kearney said.
    “Everyone,” Tom laughed, “To include us. But we didn’t do it, of course.”
    “Of course, but you need to be more helpful than that,” Kearney said, “Or we might just feel the need to lock you up until we find out how helpful we can be to our pals in the surrounding jurisdictions.”
    “Well, if you put it that way,” Tom said, “There were a couple of other guys that were supposed to meet us here. And they didn’t.”
    “Don’t you reckon that’s a bit rude?” Matt asked.
    “Especially considering one of them owes me a bit of money, yeah.” Tom drained his glass and waved the barmaid over.
    “This round’s on me,” Kearney said when she arrived. “Double whiskey all around. See?” He smiled at Tom. “I can be reasonable. Now tell us about your boys.”
    “Alright,” Tom said. “But I’m coming with you.”
    “Let’s hear a name before I agree to that.”
    “Lee Oliver.”
    Kearney whistled. “Can’t say I wouldn’t appreciate the help,” he said. “That boy’s a slick one. But how do I know whose side you’ll be on when we catch him?”
    “That’s easy.” Tom smirked. “I’ll be on my own.”
    The five men finished their whiskey without another word. Tom slammed his glass down on the table, wiped his mouth, and gestured towards the weapons.
    “May we?”
    Kearney nodded and the outlaws plucked their guns from the table and holstered them.
    “I’ll meet you at the northwest end of town in twenty minutes,” Tom said. “I just need to talk to my boys for a minute and send them on their way.”
    “You’re coming alone?”
    “Well, I’m not afraid to be outnumbered by the two of you,” the outlaw