Village Near the Covas Home

Late Evening

Buck listened for any sign that the six men were leaving the village. He'd found a place to hide so that he could keep an eye on the north and south entrances at the same time. Ezra and Josiah were waiting nearby with the horses and at his signal they would set in motion the ambush that would bring down De Rivera's bandits. They'd picked out a spot to the north and the south for the ambush and would meet there before the killers left the village.

Wilmington had thought long and hard about the bandits and wondered if these men were part of the marauders who'd caused so much death and destruction north of the Rio Grande. If they were they would pay dearly for those transgressions. Innocent women and children had been murdered and that was something he would not let go unpunished. Buck wondered how many people De Rivera's men had killed and whether they would ever know the full extent of their evil.

Movement at the Cantina doors caught his attention and he watched as six men stumbled through the door and made their way toward the saddled horses tied to the nearest hitching post. They sang some bawdy song in a guttural display of drunkenness that made his stomach churn. Buck waited until they mounted up before signaling to his friends that they were headed toward the trail leading north out of the village. He quickly mounted his horse and galloped toward the rendezvous point and was relieved when he spotted Ezra and Josiah hidden near the entrance to the pass. The idea was that they'd corral the six men and disarm them before they realized what was happening.

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Hernando Lopez knew they'd incur Don Garcia's wrath if he found out about their transgressions so close to home. The village was small and he made sure the people would not betray them by terrorizing them to the point where they were frozen with fear whenever he rode into their domain.

Lopez was angry with De Rivera for sending him away from the hacienda and his entertainment with the gunslinger. Abusing the blond gringo had brought him pleasure and now he had to ride north when there was going to be a fight to the death in the Arena De Muerte. He'd found out about it just before leaving the hacienda and that was the reason he'd decided he deserved to take a break and have a few drinks before heading north.

"Perhaps that pretty puta will be waiting for your arrival, Hernando," Gonzales said with a leering grin.

"Si, and this time there will be no one to stop me from taking what I want!" Lopez said as they rode toward the edge of town. He knew exactly what he would do with Maria when he found her. She'd pay for ever thinking he was not worthy of her and yet she'd bedded down with Chris Larabee. He rode slightly ahead of the others, his eyes not quite able to focus because of the effect of too much whiskey in too short a time.

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East of the Covas Home

Late Evening

Raphael hated leaving JD Dunne's side, but he knew he'd left the young man in excellent hands. Carmella Covas had promised him she would care for the Bostonian as if he was her own son. They needed supplies and he knew how dangerous it was traveling alone with De Rivera's bandits still out there. If he was caught he would be brought back to face Don Paulo and that was something he could not allow until he was sure Dunne was taken care of.

They would ride through the night until they reached the Rio Grande and camp until morning before heading north toward Four Corners. It hadn't been an easy decision on his part, but if they could get Nathan Jackson to ride with them then perhaps the Easterner would live to see his next birthday.

He'd left Javier D'Rosa behind in case there was trouble, but something told him the Covas' could take care of themselves. They'd been riding for nearly an hour when they spotted the village ahead. He'd always been a cautious man and although he knew most of the villagers he knew there was also a danger from the Haciendadas in the area. He rode slightly to the left of Augusta Medina and knew the others were also watching for signs of trouble.

"Is that Lopez?" Augusta asked as he spotted several men riding away from them.

"Si, that is the bastard and if he and his men are riding north we should follow them and see that they do not harm any more innocents," Cordova explained.

"Perhaps we should just kill them and have done with their poison?" Ramirez suggested. They all knew of the raids against the homesteads and against the people who lived in remote areas and wanted to put an end to the senseless killings, but so far they'd been two steps behind the marauders.

"That would make us like them," Ricardo Alverez observed as they entered the small village and continued along the street until they reached the trail heading north.

"Ricardo is right, but that does not mean we can not stop them if they attack another homestead. Until then we stay behind them and follow until we reach the Rio Grande. Once we cross I will ride to Four Corners for help and meet all of you back at the Covas home," Raphael explained.

"It is dangerous for you to ride alone, Amigo," Augusta said.

"I will be careful…besides Don Paulo thinks I rode as far north as the trails allow," Cordova said just as a shot was fired ahead. "Sounds like Lopez ran into some trouble!"

"Perhaps we should stay back until whoever it is takes care of the problem for us?" Augusta Medina suggested.

"Are you a coward, Augusta?" Eduardo teased.

"No, just being smart. The cost of bullets is heavy on my pockets," Medina told them. "Do we ride, Raphael?"

"We ride," Cordova said and led the others toward the gunfire.

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De Rivera Hacienda

Late Evening

Chris Larabee lay on his left side and watched as Vin Tanner tossed in the throes of a fever that sapped his strength and gave his skin a pallor that reminded the blond of death's shadow. He'd seen it too many times in his life and silently prayed to whatever God was listening that death would not come calling for the scruffy Texan. Nathan had been allowed to treat them twice during the day and they'd been given food and juice and water, but Tanner had barely eaten anything as he fought to keep the pain to himself.

Chris sat up and reached for the jug of water, pouring a small amount into a cup and drinking it before returning his attention to his friend, surprised to see the sky blue eyes at half-mast.

"Ain't dead yet, Cowboy."

"Could have fooled me…I've seen week old corpses with better color," Larabee said filling the Texan's cup with the sweet juice and waiting for him to sit up. It took several long minutes and Tanner's entire repertoire of colorful words in several languages before Tanner was sitting up with his back against the wall.

"Yer not lookin' so good yerself, Larabee," the Texan said, sipping the juice and relishing the sweet taste as it trickled down his throat.

"Feel like eating something?"

"What'cha got?"

"Some kind of fruit, nuts, some sweet bread," Larabee explained and watched as his friend looked on disinterestedly.

"Sweet bread sounds just…"

"Like what gave you that tooth ache in the first place," the blond said, handing a piece of the soft, sweet bread Juanita had brought earlier. "Nathan said to tell you to eat and drink."

"Nate was here?"

"Twice…last time you were out of it," Larabee answered.

"Feel like shit…"

"...you look it too…want some more juice?"

"'kay," Tanner told him, sighing tiredly as he tried to get comfortable.

Chris handed the glass over and lay back on his bed. He hated how weak he felt as his eyes closed and realized neither he nor Vin were in any shape for a fight to the death, and yet death would come calling in less than two days. The problem with that was he wasn't ready to die and he damn sure wasn't going to let Vin Tanner die. He'd let one young man die in this hellhole, and that was enough to tear his heart out.

Vin watched the gunslinger as his eyes closed and he drifted toward sleep, but there was no easing of the tension that marred Larabee's face. He knew his friend was having nightmares of JD's death and wished there was some way he could put his mind at ease, but that would not happen until Don Garcia De Rivera was brought to justice, Larabee style. He finished the juice and lay back, closing his eyes and thinking about the loss of a friend, a brother in arms and wondered if God had finally abandoned them all. His mother's voice came back to him and followed him toward sleep as a smile formed on his face.

'God will never abandon you, Vin, not if you have faith in Him and in yourself.'

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Village Near the Covas Home

Late Evening

The element of surprise had been on their side, but Lopez and his men had not been as drunk as the three men thought. Wilmington ducked behind a rock as a bullet chipped off sharp pieces and sent them toward his face. He could hear Josiah and Ezra returning fire, but the six bandits had taken cover and hidden from view.

Ezra lay on his side behind a copse of brush and returned fire as the six men dismounted and dove for cover. He heard a sharp expletive from his left and hoped Josiah was okay, smiling slightly when the big man fired several shots toward their nemesis. A cry of pain told him the ex-preacher had hit someone and he thought about the odds against them now. 'A little better,' he thought as he tried to find a mark, but the bandits seemed to have found cover.

Josiah looked at the wound and realized the bullet had taken a fair chunk of flesh when it ploughed through his upper right arm. He ignored the pain and fired off several quick shots before reloading his gun. He frowned when he heard the sound of approaching riders and wondered if Ezra had miscounted. He lifted his head and gazed around the boulder, firing when he spotted a dark shape leaning against a nearby tree. He fired and watched as the man dropped to his knees before tumbling the rest of the way to the ground. He fired two more shots in quick succession and thought he heard them echoed from further away.

"We got company!" Wilmington snapped off a shot at a point where he'd seen a dark shape blended to the background, but knew he'd missed when the other man returned fire. He heard someone cry out and frowned when a vaguely familiar voice reached his ears.

"You die now, Gringo!" Pedro Gonzales warned from the right.

Buck knew he was caught, but he would not give up this easily. There was always a way out of any box and his chances were better if he could just turn the tables on the bandit who'd managed to get the drop on him.

"Drop the gun…"

"Not a chance," Wilmington said and suddenly realized the newcomer wasn't talking to him when a man stumbled through the brush beside him. He turned to see another man step through, his weapon raised but pointed at the injured bandit. "Raphael."

"Wilmington!" Cordova said, but his attention was on the bandit and his shot killed the man as he lifted his weapon.

"I owe you," the rogue said as more gunfire sounded around them. Raphael moved in beside him and the two men quickly joined in the fight until silence echoed through the surrounding hills and mountains. They remained where they were for several minutes, listening for any sign of movement and looked at each other when the silence stretched for several minutes.

"How many were there?" Cordova asked.

"Six," Wilmington said.

"Raphael, we got them!" Cortez called from a short distance away.

"Are you sure, Mario?"

"Si, there are five dead and we have a couple of prisoners…one appears to need a Medico," Cortez explained.

Raphael and Buck stood up as Hector Ramirez and another man led their prisoners into the clearing. Buck chuckled when he saw the prisoners and heard Raphael beside him.

"Is that…"

"Ezra and Josiah," Wilmington supplied.

"Hector, you can let them go…they are amigos," Raphael explained.

"Amigos…are you sure…the fancy red coat here tried to shoot my leg off!"

"I assure you it was not your leg I was aiming for," Standish said.

"Well, Senor, there is nothing you could damage below Hector's waist," Mario Cortez offered and put away his weapon as his friends chuckled softly.

"You are too funny, Mario," Ramirez said and looked toward Raphael. "So who are these gringos?"

"These are three of the gringos I told you about," Cordova explained.

"The ones from Four Corners?" Ramirez asked incredulously.

"Si," Raphael said and turned his gaze on Buck Wilmington. "Is Nathan Jackson with you?"

"No, but we think we know where he is," the rogue snapped. "Him and Vin were taken by De Rivera's men about ten days ago."

"De Rivera…damn, I had heard his wife was ill and he was looking for a medico," Cordova offered. "Where's Larabee?"

"They came down here huntin' for Vin and Nate…"

"They?" Cortez asked.

"Chris and JD…we split up," Wilmington answered and saw the change in Raphael. "Raphael, tell me you know where they are?"

"JD was hurt, Buck…"

"How bad?" Wilmington interrupted worriedly.

"Took a shot to the head…"

Buck's face blanched as he heard the words that rocked him to his soul. His legs trembled and he wasn't sure he could stay on his feet, but a strong, supporting hand was placed on his shoulder as Raphael continued.

"We found him buried in a shallow grave and took him to Javier's cousin. She is caring for him now, but he needs your friend," Cordova told them.

"Where?" Standish asked, the word laced with concern as Sanchez continued to support Wilmington.

"I will take you," Raphael vowed and turned to his friend. "Mario, you and Hector ride to the next village and get whatever supplies you can. We will be at the Covas home…" He studied Buck Wilmington's ashen face. "Are you okay, Amigo?"

"No..." Buck answered, but then the shock began to wear off and his eyes turned deadly. "But that son-of-a-bitch De Rivera is gonna wish that he was never born!"

"Do not go against De Rivera until we get back, Amigo," Cortez warned and went to gather the horses.

"How far?" Sanchez asked, wrapping a piece of cloth around the wound to his right arm, relieved when Ezra took over and tied the material tightly. "Thanks, Ez."

Standish nodded and moved to get their horses. Before long they were mounted up and riding back toward the Covas home, fearful of what they might find on arrival.

TBC