Chapter Seven

Banging on the ranch's front door summoned Mary from the kitchen where she was peeling apples for supper's pie. They had never had unexpected company before and she was curious as to who it could be. She pulled open the heavy door and gasped as the muzzle of a six-gun was thrust into her face.

"Step back inside, girl," the gun wielder ordered gruffly, shoving the door wide open at the same time.

Mary's heart hammered in her throat as she stepped backward followed by the gunman and seven equally vicious looking men. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"What? No invitation to sit down? Make yourself at home? How about a cup of tea?" Nate Potter mocked.

"You come uninvited into this house, a gun in my face, don't expect graciousness," Mary retorted, her spirit rising as the initial shock wore off.

"We're looking for a man who works on this ranch. You tell us where he is and we'll leave," Potter told her.

"Who?" a thread of fear tingled along her nerves as she immediately thought of Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes.

"The Silver Kid."

"Who?" she repeated.

"A gunman; dresses all in black; wears lots of silver; black horse also with lots of silver."

"I don't know anybody like that," Mary stated firmly. "He certainly doesn't work here."

With the speed of a striking snake, Potter backhanded the girl viciously, sending her to the floor with a cry of both pain and shock, her hand automatically going to the red blotch on her cheek that promised a deep bruise later.

"Don't lie to me, girl!" he snarled. "The bartender in town said he works up here."

"I don't care what he told you! There is no man here that fits that description!"

The outlaw hauled her to her feet and shook her roughly. "I've trailed him all the way from New Mexico and the trail ends right here! I'm not leavin' until my business with him is finished?"

"What business is that?" Mary quavered, hoping to distract the outlaw long enough that help would arrive.

"He killed my brother an' I aim t'do the same to him! Now I hate to damage a pretty face such as yours, but you will tell me what I want to know!" he said, stroking her face almost gently.

She jerked away from his hand as best she could and said, "I can't tell you what I don't know!"

Another slap sent her crashing to the floor again and a trickle of blood crept down her chin from a split lip.

The path that had been so easy and fast moving less than an hour before now seemed arduous and never-ending to Heyes and Curry as they raced to beat the gang of outlaws that would soon be threatening their loved ones. Potter's gang had an hour's head start and anxiety drove them to spur their horses on mercilessly across the white expanse that appeared to go on forever.

"Zeb, take Johnny and Bill an' search the bunkhouse an' barn. You find anybody bring 'em here. If they resist - - kill 'em!" Potter ordered. "When you're done keep watch outside an' stay outta sight."

"You got it, Nate."

After the three scruffy outlaws had gone on their mission, Nate hauled Mary to her feet again. "We been on the road a long time, girl, an' we're mighty hungry so we're all gonna go t'the kitchen an' you're gonna fix us some food."

Without its load of hay, the sleigh could travel much more quickly over the snow and the chill wind this speed created kissed roses into the passengers' cheeks and caused their eyes to sparkle.

They had found the mustang herd intact and busily pawing through the snow to reach what little forage remained. They had spread the hay in an irregular, roughly circular pattern so that the horses could feed as naturally as possible. Then they had moved a goodly distance away and focused the binoculars back and were gratified to see the boldest of the animals moving towards the feed.

They now approached the back entrance of the barn on silent runners.

"How about some target practice before dinner, Mick?" Brigitte suggested.

"I'm up for that," the lady gunslinger agreed.

"Maybe you'd like to join us, too, Sam? We can make it a three-way contest - - show you women are just as good as men."

"Hey, you don't have to convince me of that, Brigitte, but I'd be happy to join you anyway. I'll put the horses up first and meet you two over at the range."

"All right. How about getting the targets set up, Mick, while I go over to the house and let Mary know - - if she suddenly starts hearing shots she'll get worried."

"Okay."

Sam pulled the horses to a stop and the three went their separate ways.

Brigitte could have been a shadow crossing the white ground cover dressed as she was in black boots, trousers, and calf-length overcoat. Her brilliant hair was covered by her black hat, which now sported the only bright object visible on her person - - a hatband of silver dollars threaded on a leather thong, made and given to her by Heyes.

She walked distractedly, her feet automatically carrying her in the right direction as she focused her attention on the thorough check she was giving her pistol.

Mary, busily occupied with preparing sandwiches for the outlaws, caught sight of her sister crossing the open space and her blood froze at the same time as her mind scrambled for some way to warn her.

One of the guards was posted just outside the kitchen door, his head turned away at the moment, but he would surely see Brigitte as soon as his attention turned back that direction. She poured a cup of coffee and moved towards the door. Her land lifted the latch and the slight noise caught Potter's attention.

"What're you doin', girl?" he demanded.

"I was just going to give the guard a cup of coffee to keep him warm," she replied.

"He's on duty, he don't need coffee."

She continued opening the top half of the door as he spoke, drawing the guard's attention to her, but just briefly she saw his eyes dart sideways towards Brigitte. Drawing a breath she screamed, "Brigitte!"

Brigitte heard her sister's scream at the same time she saw a sinister stranger step into view, drawing his gun. She felt the adrenalin rush through her veins as she reacted automatically, the hours and hours of practice paying off, snapping off a shot with the gun she already held in her hand. The satisfaction at seeing the man stagger and fall was short-lived as she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She felt a sting on her arm before she heard the report as she swung around and fired again, gratified to see this one fall, too.

"Who the hell are these guys?" she had time to wonder before hearing Mary scream her name again. She spun back towards the kitchen door and saw her sister struggling in the arms of a third man, who held a gun against Mary's side. Brigitte tried to take aim, but she hesitated, fearing to hit her sister instead.

Potter saw the hesitation and took immediate advantage. He shoved his struggling captive roughly against the wall, dropped to one knee and fired one shot, dead center.

The four gunshot reports reverberated across the valley to the ears of the two former outlaws riding for all they were worth - - their destination in sight - - sending a frisson of fear through their veins. A fifth shot jolted them after several moments of silence.

"Hold up, Kid!" Heyes shouted, slowing his foaming horse gradually to a walk.

Curry followed suit, protesting, "But, Heyes, Mary's alone in the house - - defenseless!"

"I think you're underestimating her, Kid, but we won't be any help to her or anyone if we ride in there without knowing where Potter and his gang are. You know that."

"Yeah, I know," the gunslinger agreed reluctantly. "So what's your plan?"

"Afraid I've got nothin' brilliant for this occasion, Kid. You still got binoculars in your saddlebags?"

"Yeah."

"Let's ride up to that big, lone pine - - you know, the one by the road just before the ranch yard begins - - and I think we'll be able to get a decent view and a better sense of the situation."

The pine tree was massive, its lowest branches high enough that men and horses could shelter beneath them and its shade would keep them unseen by any who might happen to be watching.

Curry took the binoculars out of his saddlebag and trained them on the ranch house and its outbuildings. "Nothin' moving, but it looks like there's a couple of bodies in the yard." He paused and scanned the yard further. "No, wait, there's another body near the kitchen door."

"Let me see." Heyes took the glasses from his partner. He became unnaturally still and silent as he stared intently, then the binoculars fell from suddenly bloodless hands.

"Heyes?" Curry turned to his friend in concern - - his friend whose shoulders had slumped and one of his gloved hands had come up to cover his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Brigitte," came the hoarse whisper. "One of those bodies is Brigitte!"

Curry paled. "How can you tell? I couldn't tell - - they're still too far away. You must be wrong!"

Without changing his demeanor, Heyes replied, "I'm not wrong. Look again, you'll see the body in the middle of the yard has red hair. You can't see much, bit it's definitely Brigitte's hair."

Curry recovered the binoculars and looked again, focusing carefully, and saw that Heyes was right - - as usual. While he watched, a figure darted out of the barn towards the body only to be driven back by a barrage of gunfire. "Sam's in the barn. That must mean Potter and his gang are in the house! With Mary," he added needlessly. When his friend still didn't move, he put his hand on the other's shoulder and leaned close to say, "Heyes, just cuz she's laying there don't mean she's dead, but if she ain't she will be if we don't do somethin'!"

Heyes dropped his hand and slowly lifted his head to look his partner straight in the eyes. "Oh, we're gonna do somethin' all right," he said in a deceptively soft voice. His face was chalk white and his brown eyes burned like coals. "We warned Potter's gang they didn't want trouble with us an' now they're gonna find they've got more trouble than they bargained for! Let's get around the back of the barn an' meet up with Sam an' hopefully Mick, too, cuz we're gonna need all the fire power we can get."

Two cocked pistols greeted Heyes and Curry when they led their horses in through the narrow back door of the barn. Two grim faces relaxed minutely as they recognized the newcomers.

"Thank goodness!" Sam exclaimed. "Some outlaws are holed up in the house! They're holding Mary hostage and they've shot Brigitte!"

"Yeah, we know," Heyes replied bleakly. "I'm goin' out t'bring her in."

"I tried, Heyes, but . . ." Sam began, ashamed of his failure.

Heyes put a gloved hand on the wrangler's shoulder. "I know, Sam, we saw. I appreciate the attempt and you did the right thing gettin' back under cover. This is for me to do."

"But they'll kill you!"

"Not if you three do your jobs."

"What job is that?"

"Cover me. Spray the house with bullets as fast as you can - - use the rifles, too, so you won't have to reload as often - - don't give them a chance to shoot back. Shoot from different places - - one of you from the loft here, one from the bunkhouse, maybe one outside from the corner of the barn - - this might give them the idea there's more of us than there really is. We've gotta move fast, though, if Brigitte isn't already . . ." he stumbled to a stop, unable to say the word.

"Let's get to it then," Curry urged.

Heyes' heart felt like a chunk of lead in his chest as he stared out at the still form of the woman he loved while he waited for the signal that everyone was in place. Even from the distance he could see the snow stained crimson with her blood, but he couldn't tell where she'd been hit, or if she still breathed. He cursed himself for thinking he could live a normal life - - that people around him, that he cared about, wouldn't be endangered because of his past. Some genius! he snorted to himself.

Three short, sharp whistles pierced the air and he gathered himself to run.

In spite of the heavy barrage of cover fire that Curry, Mick, and Sam were able to lay down, the outlaws in the house still manage to get off shots of their own. Out of the corner of his eye, Curry saw the dark figure of his friend dart out of the barn towards Brigitte's still body. He watched Heyes zigzag to make himself a harder target to hit, but still saw the sprays of snow kicked up by bullets striking too close. Heyes was almost to his destination when he stumbled and fell and Curry nearly forgot to keep firing until the former outlaw was once again on his feet. He notice that Heyes took no time to check Brigitte's condition once he reached her, but simply scooped her up into his arms and dashed back to the safety of the barn. In relief, Curry let out the breath that he hadn't even known he was holding.

The silence after the gunshots faded was deafening. Curry reloaded and replaced the rifle that he had been using, also reloaded his six-gun, and then climbed down the ladder from the hayloft to help with the doctoring, or to be there to comfort a grieving friend.

Once within the safety of the barn, Heyes laid Brigitte gently in a stall on the straw bedding. He pulled open her overcoat with trembling hands and felt his heart sink at the sight of the blood that had soaked the entire front of her shirt. His normally nimble fingers stumbled awkwardly with the buttons that were wet and slippery and his clumsiness was answered by a pained moan from the injured girl. His sunken heart became more buoyant with the knowledge that she was still alive. He pulled aside the sodden mess that had been her shirt and wondered how long that would remain true.

"Is she . . .?" Curry asked, faltering over the same word Heyes had been unable to use.

"No, she's alive, but I sure don't know how - - she was shot in the chest - - dead center!"

"She won't be for long, though, if we don't get that bleedin' stopped," the gunslinger replied grimly. "There's a bag of clean rags in the tack room - - I'll bring some."

Heyes took the cloths Curry handed him and pressed them firmly over the bullet hole, eliciting another groan from Brigitte. "Shh, it's all right, Brigitte, you're gonna be fine," he soothed not know if she even heard him.

"You're - - a terrible - - liar, Joshua," Brigitte gasped weakly and Heyes looked up from his task into her emerald eyes that were dulled now by pain.

"I would never lie to you, Brigitte," the former outlaw assured her.

She snorted and then squeezed her eyes tight shut as a spasm of pain resulted.

"Shhh, Brigitte, save your strength. We'll get Dr. Barty up here as soon as we can!"

She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes again to look up at Curry. "I - - hesitated, Thaddeus. I wanted to - - help Mary, but - - some man was holding her - - hiding - - behind her and I - - I was afraid - - to shoot - - afraid I'd miss!"

Curry took one of her hands in his. "You did the right thing, Brigitte," he assured her. "I wouldn't have take a shot like that either. Don't you think killin' two of 'em is enough?"

She shook her head again. "They still have Mary."

"Don't worry, we'll get her back."

"Who . . .?" she managed but couldn't finish.

"It's Luke Potter's gang, only now their leader is Nate Potter, Luke's younger brother. He's lookin' for revenge." Heyes explained wihle he gently brushed a tendril of red hair off her forehead.

"Then I'll call him out and get this settled once and for all, that way no one else has to get hurt," Mick put in from the stall doorway.

"No, you won't," Curry told her bluntly.

"Why? Don't you think I can beat him?" she asked pugnaciously.

"I know you could if it was a fair fight," the blond gunslinger retorted. "But Nate Potter is a back-shootin' snake who won't stand up for a fair fight! Oh, he'll say he will, but as soon as you step outside, he'll gun you down! I'm willin' t'bet he was the one who shot Brigitte while hidin' behind Mary."

"Kid's right, Mick," Heyes said in support of his partner. "We're gonna need a plan. We can't just bust in there, cuz Mary'll most likely get hurt."

"Not t'mention Brigitte built this place like a fortress," Curry put in.

Heyes felt a slight squeeze on his hand and turned his attention back to the wounded girl. Her face was beaded with sweat even in the chill air and her breaths were shallow gasps. "Joshua," she whispered. "The escape routes - - sneak in the escape routes."

Heyes' eyes brightened. "You're brilliant, Brigitte - - I'd forgotten those!"

"You - - would've - - remembered," she assured him with the shadow of a smile.

"I'm gonna hafta leave you for a while t'take care of this. Hang on, okay? Wait for me," he told her with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I'll try," she promised. "And, Joshua - - no, Heyes - - kill them all - - for me!"

Heyes couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips and the twinkle returned to his eyes. "That's my blood-thirsty girl!" he approved and bent to give her cold, pale lips a soft, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, her eyes had closed and he felt a moment of panic until he saw her chest still rising and falling unevenly. "Mick, Sam, will you two stay with Brigitte?"

"Sure, Joshua," Sam replied immediately.

"Now wait a minute," Mick protested. "I want a hand in taking these guys!"

"Don't worry, Mick, we won't leave you out - - I just need t'figure out the best way so Mary doesn't get hurt in the process," Heyes assured her.

Mollified, Mick nodded, "All right."

Heyes climbed slowly to his feet, a sharp intake of breath sounding loudly in the stall as he placed his weight on his left leg. He leaned against the stall wall to remove most of his weight from the offended limb.

"What's wrong, Heyes?" Curry demanded and moved towards his friend, his eyes searching for the source of Heyes' pain. "You've been shot!" he exclaimed seeing the expansive crimson stain from the middle of his partner's thigh and disappearing down into his boot.

"It's nothing - - just a graze," Heyes replied dismissively.

"Graze, or not, you've lost a lot of blood while you sat there jawing! Sit down and let me look at it," the gunslinger ordered.

"Kid, we don't have time for this," the injured man protested.

"You'll have plenty of time after you bleed to death! Now sit down and let me look at it, or I'll hafta put you down!"

"No need t'get proddy, Kid," Heyes soothed while sliding down the wall to sit as instructed.

Curry pulled out his knife and cut the hole in the trousers wider so he could get a good look at the wound. "Well, you're right, it's just a graze," he said as he examined the deep gouge that still bled. "But if it don't get bandaged you'll be passin' out when you're supposed t'be comin' up with a plan!"

"Fine, fine, bandage it then," the darker man growled in surrender. "Just make it quick so we can get our house back an' get a doctor for Brigitte."

"Now who's gettin' proddy?" Curry tsked while he folded more of the clean rags into an absorbent pad, which he placed over the wound. He took took others and tied their ends together so they would be long enough to go around Heyes' leg and hold the pad firmly in place.

Heyes winced as Curry tightened the bandage and tied it off. "Do you have to be so rough?"

Curry rolled his eyes and replied, "It has to be tight so the pressure will help stop the bleedin'."

"Yeah, yeah, are you finished?"

"For now." Curry bit back the words he wanted to say, that Heyes should sit and rest his leg, because he knew they would just be ignored and he knew he would do the same in Heyes' position.

"Give me a hand up, Kid." Heyes stretched up his hand and Curry tugged him to his feet, supporting him on his left side until he was sure his partner could stand on his. Together they hobbled out of the stall to confer privately.

"So what've y'got in mind, Heyes?" Curry asked when they were out of earshot of the others.

"First I'm gonna talk t'Potter - - give 'im a chance t'clear out," the former outlaw leader replied.

"Clear out?" the gunslinger exclaimed, appalled. "After what they done, you'd give 'em a chance t'clear out?"

"Calm down, Kid, we ain't gonna let 'em get away," Heyes soothed. "You know Potter ain't gonna take the offer anyway - - he's too dead-set on revenge. While I'm talkin', do you think you can sneak over there an' size up the situation?"

"Sure."

"Don't try anything by yourself, okay? Just check it out and come straight back. There'll be less chance of any of us gettin' hurt if we all go in at once."

"Don't worry, Heyes, this won't be the first time I've scouted out a situation," Curry snorted in offense.

"Yeah, I know, but this time your heart's involved."

"Just get your silver tongue waggin', Heyes, an' let me do my part!"

Curry slipped silently away as Heyes cracked open the barn door and shouted, "Potter! Nate Potter! I'm givin' you thirty minutes t'get your horses an' get off my property!"

"I ain't leavin' 'til I get what I come for!" a voice from the house shouted back. "the Silver Kid killed my brother an' I ain't leavin' 'til he's dead!"

"I was there when your brother was killed, Potter, an' it was a fair fight. You got no right to revenge. I told your men then that they didn't wanna have a problem with me an' my partner an' they wouldn't if they just let the matter drop whatever the result. Now you've gone and started a problem with us, Potter."

"An' just who the hell are you that I should care?" the voice from the house sneered.

"Ask your men, they'll tell you."

There was a long silence from the house before Potter yelled, "You tryin' t'tell me you an' your partner are Hannibal Heyes an' Kid Curry?"

"That's what I'm tellin' you an' you're trespassin' on our property! Furthermore, you shot someone who is completely innocent of any involvement in this, and you're holdin' another innocent hostage."

"This ain't Devil's Hole!"

"Very good, Potter," Heyes said sarcastically. "Me an' the boys came down t'Colorado t'let the Hole cool off for a spell. Now, you've got this one chance t'get outta here before the rest of the gang gets here, or forget leavin' t'anywhere but the undertakers!"

"We could hold off an army in here, Heyes."

"So you think, but are you willin' t'bet yours an' your men's lives on it?"

"I doubt y'all are gonna do anythin' t'risk harm comin' t'this little lady in here," Potter threatened.

"Use whatever brains you got, Potter - - though word had it Luke had all the brains in your outfit - - if you hurt the girl we won't have any reason not t'burn the house down with you in it!"

"You wouldn't burn your own house down!" Potter scoffed.

"If it gets rid of you, why not? Houses can be rebuilt," Heyes replied nonchalantly, even though the mere thought of the house burning left him sadly forlorn. "Y'know, Potter," he mused out loud. "You oughta be grateful to the Silver Kid."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"How else would ever get t'be leader of the gang? Don't tell me it don't feel good t'not have Luke tellin' you what t'do."

"Shut up, Heyes! Luke was my brother!"

"Sure he was. Let me ask you this, though - - how much of the take from their jobs while you were in prison did Luke put aside for you?"

Silence.

"Well, I can tell you Kid would've put my share aside if I had been in prison an' he ain't even blood kin! The Silver Kid killed Luke an' the others t'get revenge on them killin' his entire family an' leavin' him for dead. Now the way I see it, Luke got what he deserved, justice has been done, that's where it should end."

"Fine, you're the leader now, but I can promise you this - - the only place you're leadin' 'em is straight to Boot Hill! Now you've got that half hour I mentioned t'get on your horses an' get out of here before we come in after you."

"Go t'blazes, Heyes!"

"Have it your way - - the clock's tickin'."

Curry slipped back into the barn and hunkered down next to his partner at the opposite door. "Shouldn't be too hard t'take em down, Heyes," he reported.

"Where are they?" Heyes questioned.

"Mary's in the kitchen with two of the gang."

"Is she tied up or anything?"

"No, an' they ain't payin' her any attention either. She's sittin' on the floor, cryin', probably thinkin' Brigitte's dead."

"Could you take those two while keepin' Mary out of harms way?"

Curry snorted. "Nothin' easier. Ain't a one of Potter's gang any good with a gun."

"Anybody can get lucky, Kid," Heyes chided.

"They'll need more than luck t'get past me especially with Mary involved," the gunslinger replied grimly, his eyes becoming blue ice.

"Where's Potter and the rest then?"

"In the front. Potter's at the door yellin' at you an' the other two are on look out at the dining room window."

"Good thinkg Brigitte lowered the odds for us by shootin' two of 'em - - would've been harder dealin' with all seven of 'em, but I think we can get this done without too much trouble. Let's go back to the other and I'll explain my plan." He climbed to his feet, wincing, his hand against the wall to help support his wounded leg, a single look warning Curry away from helping him. The limb nearly collapsed under him as he took his first step, but he persisted and managed to limp back to the stall.

Brigitte lay as they'd left her Mick and Sam sitting one on each side of her, neither one speaking. Mick was cleaning her gun with a grim attention to detail that was rivaled only by Curry's, while Sam alternated between watching her and checking on Brigitte, his worried expression the same for both.

"How is she, Sam?" Heyes asked, though he could see for himself.

"No change - - she's still hanging on, but she hasn't regained consciousness since you left."

Heyes sighed then got down to business. "I gave Potter a half hour t'get him an' his men outta here, which gives us just that much time t'get 'em dealt with. The sheriff and a posse are on their way and I want it all t'be over by the time they get here that way we don't have the sheriff demandin' we take 'em alive t'stand trial. None of them leaves here alive. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

"Only problem I'd've had was if you'd said to take 'em alive, Heyes," Mick responded fiercely, putting the last cartridge in her gun and shutting the cylinder.

"No, no problem," Sam agreed, though with less enthusiasm than the girl across from him.

"Sam, your part in my plan won't involve killin' anyone, but it's a vital part in spite of that. I need you to stay here an' keep Potter an' his men's attention in this direction. You'll do that by takin' random potshots at the house - - not constant, you'll want to space them out irregularly to keep them on their guard. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Heyes, no problem."

"Mick, while Sam's keepin' 'em distracted, you, me, an' the Kid are gonna sneak into the house. Kid, you'll take care of the two in the kitchen like we talked about an' get Mary down into the cellar right away. Mick, you an' me will come out the secret door on the landing an' take Potter an' the other two by surprise. We'll wait 'til we hear your shots, Kid - - just give us enough time t'get into place."

Curry nodded silently, his mind already gearing up for the task ahead.

"You sure you're up to this, Heyes?" Sam asked. "You really shouldn't be on that leg."

"Oh, I'm up to it all right," the former outlaw replied in a soft deadly voice. "Okay, one more thing before we move out - - Kid, can you put a bullet through the bottom left corner of the dining room window?"

"Are you kiddin', Heyes?" Curry exclaimed.

"No, but if you can't, I guess anywhere will do."

"When have I missed what I was aimin' at?" the gunslinger demanded, offended.

"Well, you ain't been gettin' much practice lately - - only an hour or so a day - - so I wondered if your aim might be off."

"My aim ain't never been off, Heyes, an' you know it," Curry huffed. "Come on!"

"Just a minute." Heyes took off his coat and laid it over Brigitte, tucking it securely around her. Curry removed his sheepskin jacket, too, and handed it wordlessly to his partner to give her another layer of warmth. "All right, let's go."

The four trooped to the barn door, which Curry cracked open slightly and took careful aim. The gunshot report was followed quickly by the sound of breaking glass and a curse. "Might've hit somebody, Heyes," Curry commented.

"All the better," his partner growled.

"What th'hell was that for, Heyes?" Potter yelled from the house. "It ain't been half an hour!"

"Just remindin' you that Kid Curry ain't only the fastest gun in theWest, he's also extremely accurate - - just in case you might be thinkin' your odds wouldn't be so bad if you decided not to take me up on my offer," Heyes shouted back and then said to Sam in a softer voice, "Okay, Sam, now you wait a few minutes before you shoot again - - remember, space 'em out, keep 'em guessing."

"You got it, Heyes," Sam replied. "Good luck to you all."