Read Online The Wrath of Iron Eyes (An Iron Eyes Western #5) by Rory Black - Free Book Online
Authors: Rory Black
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through the smoke that
drifted from his teeth. ‘You’d have done the same for me, I reckon.
What’s your name, mister?’
‘ Iron Eyes,’ came the
reply.
Tucker’s expression altered. He had heard of
this man and knew that he was reputed to kill without pity. This
was the bounty hunter who was feared throughout the West. A man
whom no outlaw wanted to be within a hundred miles of.
‘ How come you’re down here
in Mexico?’
Iron Eyes exhaled heavily. ‘I was hunting
something or someone, mister.’
‘ Who?’ Tucker sucked on the
tip of the cigar and watched the face of the seated bounty
hunter.
The fog that filled his mind suddenly
cleared and Iron Eyes looked up at the outlaw above him.
‘You!’ he replied quietly. ‘It
was you! ’
‘ If I had my guns, you’d be
dead by now, Black Ben.’ Iron Eyes growled at the train-robber who
stood over him.
Tucker lowered his chin until
it rested on his shirt. ‘Do you always kill men who save your life, Iron
Eyes?’
‘ I kill men who are wanted
dead or alive.’
‘ You ain’t answered my
question.’ Tucker paced slowly around the room with Iron Eyes’ gaze
tracking his every step. ‘Is it your custom to kill men who’ve
saved your life?’
The bounty hunter’s gaze flashed around the
room as if he were trying to find an answer to the direct question:
a question that he did not have an answer for. At least not one
that satisfied himself.
‘ You’re a mighty odd
character, Iron Eyes.’ Tucker paused at the small dresser and
opened the top drawer.
‘ Because I hunt
vermin?’
‘Nope. Because you can’t seem
to recognize a friend when you meet one.’ Black Ben Tucker fumbled
in the drawer and pulled out the pair of matched Navy Colts. He
turned and faced the hunter and then tossed the guns on to the bed
next to him. It was the biggest gamble Tucker had ever taken, and one he
prayed he would not regret.
Iron Eyes stared at his weapons. He picked
up one and checked it. It was loaded.
‘ You loco or something,
Black Ben?’
The train-robber exhaled a long line of
smoke. ‘I must be, Iron Eyes. To give a pair of loaded .36s to a
man who says that he’s here to kill me, sounds darn crazy.’
Iron Eyes cocked the hammer of the pistol
and aimed it at the smiling man. The train-robber swallowed hard
and walked slowly to the open doorway.
‘ I’m gonna get some
vittles. You want some, Iron Eyes?’
Iron Eyes lowered the lethal weapon and
released its hammer before placing it back on the bed. For a reason
that he could not fully comprehend, he had no desire to kill this
man, however much bounty there was on his head.
‘ I could eat a bowl of that
chili that’s stinking up the place, right about now, Black
Ben.’
‘ Two bowls of chili coming
up.’ Tucker walked out into the cantina and headed for the cooking
range. He removed the cigar from his mouth and stared at his hand.
It was shaking.
Chapter
Sixteen
Tom Hardin drove his horse through the night
at a speed he had never managed to achieve before. He had checked
outside Jed Smith’s home before setting out for the border and the
country that lay beyond. The sheriff had noticed the deep tracks of
the wagon that had been used by the bandits. He had noted that the
wagon tracks went south along the trail which led to Mexico. Only
the coming of night had obscured the tracks as he had thundered
across the wide shallow river.
Hardin had not come this way for more than
five years but knew exactly the fastest route to the isolated town
of Sanora. The lawman spurred his mount on and used the moon above
him as his guide.
For a man who had become
almost as
broad in the beam as his horse over the years of sitting behind a
desk shuffling papers, Hardin rode with a skill not found in many
younger men.
Forcing the faithful sorrel onward with all
his strength, he cleared a sandy rise and then hauled the reins to
his chest. The whitewashed buildings stood out in the moonlight
below him like the
drifted from his teeth. ‘You’d have done the same for me, I reckon.
What’s your name, mister?’
‘ Iron Eyes,’ came the
reply.
Tucker’s expression altered. He had heard of
this man and knew that he was reputed to kill without pity. This
was the bounty hunter who was feared throughout the West. A man
whom no outlaw wanted to be within a hundred miles of.
‘ How come you’re down here
in Mexico?’
Iron Eyes exhaled heavily. ‘I was hunting
something or someone, mister.’
‘ Who?’ Tucker sucked on the
tip of the cigar and watched the face of the seated bounty
hunter.
The fog that filled his mind suddenly
cleared and Iron Eyes looked up at the outlaw above him.
‘You!’ he replied quietly. ‘It
was you! ’
‘ If I had my guns, you’d be
dead by now, Black Ben.’ Iron Eyes growled at the train-robber who
stood over him.
Tucker lowered his chin until
it rested on his shirt. ‘Do you always kill men who save your life, Iron
Eyes?’
‘ I kill men who are wanted
dead or alive.’
‘ You ain’t answered my
question.’ Tucker paced slowly around the room with Iron Eyes’ gaze
tracking his every step. ‘Is it your custom to kill men who’ve
saved your life?’
The bounty hunter’s gaze flashed around the
room as if he were trying to find an answer to the direct question:
a question that he did not have an answer for. At least not one
that satisfied himself.
‘ You’re a mighty odd
character, Iron Eyes.’ Tucker paused at the small dresser and
opened the top drawer.
‘ Because I hunt
vermin?’
‘Nope. Because you can’t seem
to recognize a friend when you meet one.’ Black Ben Tucker fumbled
in the drawer and pulled out the pair of matched Navy Colts. He
turned and faced the hunter and then tossed the guns on to the bed
next to him. It was the biggest gamble Tucker had ever taken, and one he
prayed he would not regret.
Iron Eyes stared at his weapons. He picked
up one and checked it. It was loaded.
‘ You loco or something,
Black Ben?’
The train-robber exhaled a long line of
smoke. ‘I must be, Iron Eyes. To give a pair of loaded .36s to a
man who says that he’s here to kill me, sounds darn crazy.’
Iron Eyes cocked the hammer of the pistol
and aimed it at the smiling man. The train-robber swallowed hard
and walked slowly to the open doorway.
‘ I’m gonna get some
vittles. You want some, Iron Eyes?’
Iron Eyes lowered the lethal weapon and
released its hammer before placing it back on the bed. For a reason
that he could not fully comprehend, he had no desire to kill this
man, however much bounty there was on his head.
‘ I could eat a bowl of that
chili that’s stinking up the place, right about now, Black
Ben.’
‘ Two bowls of chili coming
up.’ Tucker walked out into the cantina and headed for the cooking
range. He removed the cigar from his mouth and stared at his hand.
It was shaking.
Chapter
Sixteen
Tom Hardin drove his horse through the night
at a speed he had never managed to achieve before. He had checked
outside Jed Smith’s home before setting out for the border and the
country that lay beyond. The sheriff had noticed the deep tracks of
the wagon that had been used by the bandits. He had noted that the
wagon tracks went south along the trail which led to Mexico. Only
the coming of night had obscured the tracks as he had thundered
across the wide shallow river.
Hardin had not come this way for more than
five years but knew exactly the fastest route to the isolated town
of Sanora. The lawman spurred his mount on and used the moon above
him as his guide.
For a man who had become
almost as
broad in the beam as his horse over the years of sitting behind a
desk shuffling papers, Hardin rode with a skill not found in many
younger men.
Forcing the faithful sorrel onward with all
his strength, he cleared a sandy rise and then hauled the reins to
his chest. The whitewashed buildings stood out in the moonlight
below him like the
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