Somewhere around mid-afternoon a wagon rumbled up to the Maxwell ranch house. The driver was old and grizzled looking, and blankets covered the crates that were inside. As soon as they heard it, Maxwell, Porter and Brothers went out to inspect the contents, followed quickly by Tommy Slade and Bret. Bart and Julie watched from the window, and Travers kept an eye on them.
Porter was the first to break into the boxes, and he finally wore a satisfied expression on his face when he pulled one of the rifles out and gave it a thorough going-over. "Nice," was his pronouncement as he aimed the gun and sighted a target.
Lee Maxwell looked pleased as well, and he turned his attention back to Bret. "Ammunition?" he asked.
"On its way separately," Maverick responded, and Maxwell actually smiled.
"Good first step, Maverick," Brothers interjected.
Porter turned to face the gambler. "I'm satisfied."
Bret let out a breath and looked up to the hills toward the south. Where were Templeton and the Rangers? The plan had been for them to sweep in and make the arrests shortly after the guns were delivered, but there was no sign of them. He didn't know how much longer he could stall what even he had come to believe was inevitable – his and his brother's execution by one or the other of those present.
He kept an eye on Slade, having decided that the long-time foreman was the most likely candidate for the job. The only remaining question was how soon the attempt would be made. Bret looked at the house to see if Bart was still inside and when he turned back to face the secessionists and the first load of rifles he caught movement on the southern road. And then, before there was even time to react, some fifteen or twenty men came riding out of the trees and Bret reached instinctively for his gun.
There was no chance they wouldn't be seen; and in just moments Maxwell, Porter and Brothers had their weapons out and had begun shooting. The Rangers returned fire as everyone ran for the house. Brothers fell on the steps to the porch after catching a bullet; Maxwell was hit in the leg scrambling in the door. Bart and Julie disappeared from the window as he grabbed the girl and pulled her away from the glass.
"Your friends?" Porter shouted at Bret as they fled inside.
"What if they are?" Bret shouted back. He ducked behind the door just as Porter aimed at him and fired; he shot back and hit Tam in the shoulder. He quickly shifted to the other side of the room, directly in front of Bart.
"You no good . . . . . . traitor!" Maxwell yelled as his next shot went wide of both Mavericks. Quentin Travers and Tommy Slade ran for the back door, Travers fell as one of the Rangers circled around, but Slade sprinted for his life and disappeared.
Bret glanced sideways at Maxwell. "Don't make me shoot you, Lee. You can't win, it's all over."
"Not yet it's not!" As Lee Maxwell aimed and fired again, this time directly at Bret, Maverick was forced to shoot back. Maxwell went down and lay still. Julie screamed and ran for her brother, and before there was time for Bret to get out of the way she'd snatched Lee's gun and fired at the older Maverick.
Bart tried to stop her from running to Maxwell's side, but in her state of panic she evaded him. In a split second he knew where her bullets would go and he lunged in front of Bret. The shot caught him somewhere in the chest and the impact took his breath away, and at that moment he remembered his dream.
The older gambler fired out of instinct and Julie went down. Bret dropped his gun instantly and grabbed Bart, who'd fallen directly in front of him, and gently rolled his brother over. The large, dark stain spread on the front of Bart's shirt, and Bret choked back a sob. "Bart . . . ." was all he could manage, barely above a whisper, and his brother smiled up at him, then cringed in pain.
"Hurts," he murmured before unconsciousness took him.
To be continued in 'The Streets of Laredo'