Read Online Kill Angel! (A Frank Angel Western #6) by Frederick H. Christian - Free Book Online

scattered to their task,
and Pete Gilman swung down from the saddle and walked across to
where Burke Blantine was standing, pounding one fist into the open palm of his
other hand.
    ‘ He’s
gone?’ Gilman made it a question, but Burke made no answer, for he
knew Gilman’s thoughts and his own were running
parallel.
    ‘ I
reckon,’ he said.
    ‘ Aw,
well,’ Gilman said.
    ‘ It’s
... it doesn’t smell right,’ Burke said tentatively.
    ‘ Huh?’
    ‘ It all
smells wrong,’ Burke said. There was a certainty forming in his
mind and he knew what it was and he was afraid to utter it in case
his hunch was right. Angel. Arriving in town, practically daring
the Blantines to come in after him. Why? Then when his challenge
had been taken up — and he must have known it would be — he was
gone. Again, why? To prove what? Or was it ... could it have been?
No. He wouldn’t let himself believe it. Not yet.
    ‘ No
sign of him,’ Gene Johnson said, panting from the unaccustomed
exertion afoot. ‘Someone said he bought a lot o’ stuff at the
store.’
    ‘ What?’
Burke rounded on the man. ‘What did you say?’
    ‘ He —
someone said he bought stuff at the store.’
    ‘ Supplies, you mean?’
    ‘ I
don’t know, Burke. One o’ the boys — ‘
    ‘ Find
out, damn you!’ screeched Burke. ‘Get at it!’
    His men were back around him in
a few minutes with the full story, as Burke paced up and down on
the ramada of the cantina, up and down and up and down, pounding
his gloved fist into the palm of the other hand. Food, yes.
He ’d bought a
pack mule. What fool had — never mind. What else? Ammunition. Yes,
of course. Blasting powder? What the hell ... ? Water canteens. How
many? Six, someone said. Burke was nodding, nodding.
    ‘ What’s
it all about, Burke?’ his brother Harry asked finally.
    ‘ I’m
... I. . . it’s just possible,’ Burke said. His voice was not much
louder than a whisper. Then he snapped upright, his head coming
high and the commands lashing out.
    ‘ Gilman, Johnson! Take three horses each and kill them if
you have to, but get to the ranch and check on the Old Man. If
there’s anything wrong get back here as fast as you can. And I mean
fast!’
    They looked at him with startled
comprehension dawning on their faces, and without a word swung into
the saddle, rocketing off out of the plaza and away up towards the
north-west, low in the saddle, straining to get every ounce of
speed the horses could give them.
    ‘ Harry!’ The tone of his brother’s voice made Harry Blantine
forget his wounded arm. He jumped forward. ‘Get going — I want you
at Olan Crumm’s place tonight!’
    ‘ Hell,
Burke, that’s nigh on fifty miles,’ Harry complained.
    ‘ Don’t
you argue with me now!’ growled Burke Blantine and there was such
violence in there behind the blazing eyes that Harry cringed away
from his brother and nodded.
    ‘ All
right,’ he whined. ‘All right.’
    ‘ Tell
Olan to stand by with every man he’s got. All the guns an’
ammunition he can lay his hands on. He’s to be ready to ride before
sunup.’
    ‘ Sunup,’ repeated Harry. ‘How will we know?’
    ‘ You’ll
know,’ Burke said grimly. ‘Get goin’!’
    They watched Harry swing awkwardly into the
saddle, and even as he was doing so, Burke had turned to his other
brother and now his voice altered. He spoke slowly, soothingly.
    ‘ Gregg,’ he said. ‘I want you to do something for
me.’
    ‘ Sure,
Burke,’ the giant said cheerfully.
    ‘ It’s
very difficult, Gregg,’ Burke told him, and Gregg frowned. He
didn’t like difficult jobs.
    ‘ Do I
got to remember anything?’ he asked.
    ‘ Somethin’ real small,’ Burked said gently. ‘You can do it
easy, Gregg.’ Gregg swelled with pride at this.
    ‘ I want
you to ride up to Santa Elizabeta, Gregg,’ Blantine said. ‘As fast
as you can.’
    ‘ Sure,
Burke,’ Gregg said. ‘I c’n do that easy.’
    ‘ I know
you can, Gregg, that’s why I’m