****Part 3

Ezra kept his horse at a steady and easy gait. It wouldn't do to wear the animal out or risk injury. They were on their second day of travel and hopefully would reach the village by nightfall. The quiet of the desert surrounded him and his thoughts began to drift. He knew Larabee had been reluctant to allow him to do this. His gut twisted as he recalled the look in Buck's eyes. He hadn't been aware that the fun-loving cowboy harbored some dark thoughts about him. Ezra made a living reading people, but sometimes that ability left him cold. When had he started to care what these men thought? He felt a need to prove himself, to show the six other lawmen that he was worthy of their trust and friendship. He patted the extra canteen that Chris had given him and a slight smile crooked his lips. Ezra nudged his horse into a quicker gait, feeling a sudden urgency.

The bullet ricocheting off a nearby rock had Ezra pulling his revolver and spinning his horse around, searching for his assailants. He zeroed in on three horses charging down on him from the west. Ezra spurred his horse to the right spotting sanctuary in a collection of rocks. He squeaked between two boulders his legs rubbing against the protecting rockface.

"Damnit, Pete, you shoulda waited 'til we got closer," Jake yelled as he pulled up his horse. "You can't hit the side of a saloon even if you're inside," Jake growled. Damn, the gambler had managed to get to cover, making their job harder.

"Sorry, Jake, I thought I had 'im," Pete countered. He wanted to be the one to get the fancy dressed gambler. He knew Jake and Swan thought him incompetent and he worried that eventually they'd leave him in the dust. He just had to prove himself to them.

"C'mon let's flush him out and git this over with," Swan growled as he dismounted, pulling his rifle out of its scabbard. The three bandits split up and went for cover.

Ezra pulled up his horse and leapt to the ground quickly taking cover and searching the whereabouts of his attackers. He wasn't sure how long he could hold these men off and began to think that maybe he should just make a break for it and hope for the best. He didn't like the odds. Ezra looked over at his saddlebags that held the precious medicine, the stakes were just too high. He needed a better plan.

"Hey, mister, come on out. We want to talk to ya," Jake yelled.

Ezra rolled his eyes and shifted his back against the boulder. "Gentlemen," Ezra called back. "I'm on a mission of mercy." He hoped the men might have some semblance of conscious and were only after money. Lord, his mother would drop dead from shock if she knew what he was saying.

"Yeah, we know all about your mission, Reb. We want the medicine," Jake hollered. He had figured out Ezra's position and gave hand signals to Swan to circle around the outcropping.

"Sir, there are sick children who desperately need this medicine," Ezra explained, feeling that it wouldn't make any difference.

"Yeah, yeah, so what? They're only injuns. Ain't no one going to miss 'em," Jake replied. "We can put that medicine to better use."

Ezra's hand shook with rage and he clenched his teeth. How could someone be so callous? Think Ezra, how can you get out of this. He'd realized that only one of the bandits had been talking, and he began to scour the area. He spotted one of the men trying to creep closer. Ezra raised his gun, waited, and then fired.

Pete's eyes went wide as the bullet sunk into his chest. He blinked and looked over at Jake before he fell face first into the dust.

"Damnit," Jake Monroe swore when he saw Pete fall. He knew the young man would end up dead sooner or later, but he had taken a certain likin' to the idiot. "You sonofabitch!" Jake screamed out at Ezra.

Ezra smiled, the odds were improving.

Jake wiped a hand down his dirty face. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. He had to keep the lawman busy and give Swan a chance to sneak up on him. He looked over at Petey. Oh well, with only two men left there'd be more money for him, that put a smile on Jake's face.

"Mister, it's too blasted hot to be playin' these games. Why don't you just leave the medicine and we'll let you ride on out of here," Jake yelled out.

"Give me a moment to think on your offer," Ezra replied. "If I don't deliver this medicine, it might not matter that you let me live."

Ezra didn't believe the two remaining robbers would let him live, but they could wait him out. He looked over his shoulder at the two canteens and saddlebags. He pushed off from the rocks and made his way over to his horse. He pulled the two bottles of medicine out of his saddlebags and picked up one of the canteens. Lord, he was thirsty. When had he gotten so dry? He took a long drink. He then poured the rest into his hat and allowed Chaucer a chance to drink.

Ezra filled the now empty canteen with the medicine. He then took up the second canteen and poured the water into the empty medicine bottles, wiping the bottles dry he returned them to his saddlebags. Ezra stopped and listened. It was too quiet; he was running out of time. He hung the empty canteen on the saddle horn and returned to his previous position by the rocks. He searched the rock face looking for a suitable hiding place and managed to wedge the medicine-filled canteen into a crack in the rocks, covering it with sand and brush. He quickly moved away from the secreted canteen and looked over the outcropping, hoping to get another shot at his attackers.

Ezra turned his head at the sound of rocks scattering under foot. He only had time to catch a glimpse of a rifle butt coming toward his head, then blackness.

tbc