"Back in the Saddle" PART FIVE
"The first one that moves gets it!" The older Tarpin brother growled at the group angrily, his eyes searching for those of each one before him while the assault rifle in his hands followed his determined gaze. He chuckled ruefully, releasing a small amount of tension in his demeanor. Yet he kept the gun held steadily at Alex and Katheryn who happened to be in front. The piercing eyes of the obsessed gunman glared at each of them individually, prodding them into a world unknown filled with apprehension and fear.
And it was Tandy whose little cries of fear beneath her breath reached her older brother's ears. Tommy could only see the child from the corner of his eye as he was to her right and just ahead of her, waiting cautiously behind Miss Cahill. Everything within him wanted to use the skills Trent had taught him. He was a black belt now. Surely he could do something! Yet as he looked onward at the muscular figure before them, wisdom told him he should wait and only be ready to defend if need be. Be that as it may, Tandy's quiet sob stirred the anger within him. How dare this man threaten them! Whatever could this man want?
"What have you done with Trent and Carlos?" Alex was the first to dare speak up. After all, she had not moved and therefore had not disobeyed an order.
Tarpin glared her in the eyes, pointing the gun every which way his eyes went. He chuckled wryly. "Bet that punk don't even know what hit him." He laughed aloud. "That aside…" He stifled the laughter that he enjoyed far too much. "…I don't rightly care what I do with any of you. It's that Ranger I'm after. Sent me to Huntsville seven years ago when I was accused of murdering a man. Imagine that." Tarpin chuckled again but then grew serious…determinedly serious. "I spent some good years of my life in that hell hole. And I swore I'd get him back when I got out." He grinned. "What he don't know is that he stepped right into my sweet little trap. While he's out there listening to the woodpeckers and tracing a path I set to go in the opposite direction, I got all his good friend's right here. Who knows…May even have a few surprises set up for him in those woods." He ended with a possessed-sounding chuckle that sent chills through each one who heard it.
Molly frowned turning her head downward. Her eyes sought the horn of her saddle but her vision never saw it. For images of what had and could happen flowed through her delicate mind incessantly.
"It'll be okay." Mrs. Malloy whispered sharply, searching for the young woman's eyes despite the threats put before them.
"I wish I could be sure." Molly whispered back with a growing lump in her throat, not moving her gaze as a tear splashed against the saddle horn in front of her. All she could do was grip it with the hope that what Mrs. Malloy said was true.
Another rifle cock was heard from the side as the other Tarpin made his presence known with a flashy grin and cocky chuckle. He aimed the gun at Alex and snorted through his laugh. "Well ain't she a pretty thang." He laughed again.
"Shut up!" The elder Tarpin brother shouted.
The other quickly erased his amusement and smacked as he shut his mouth, creasing his forehead in an angry glare at his older brother.
"Now…I want every one of you to get down off of your horses…nice…and easy like. No funny business. Hank, tie 'em up!"
Katheryn and Molly searched for Miss Cahill's silent communication. Alex turned her head only slightly, nodding towards the girls. Mrs. Malloy also nodded to her children although every ounce of her being feared for what these men were capable of doing.
Katheryn was the first to dismount as Miss Cahill and Molly did so followed by Mrs. Malloy and her children. C.D. on the other hand stayed put.
"Hey! You! Old man!" Deats Tarpin shouted, redirecting the aim of his gun towards C.D. atop the wagon.
C.D. only gave him a head-long stare and a gaze that rebelled against the outlaw's every word.
Tarpin became agitated as he raised the gun to shooting level, cocking the rifle with a bitter force. "Get down!"
"No. I will not." C.D. took his stand.
Yet as the two increased in the altercation, it was Katheryn who began to see an opportunity. Was C.D. playing a winning hand by refusing those orders? Meanwhile, C.D. never budged, causing Deats Tarpin to become very angry. He growled a curse into the air and stamped forward, throwing the AK-47 over his shoulder in bitter respite. His hastened steps neared Katheryn as she stood still beside her horse. In those few fleeting seconds…she knew…there was a chance…a slim chance…but a chance. And with one swift unadulterated movement, Katheryn sprang forward with a roundhouse kick to Tarpin's chest as he came forward. He was by no means expecting it and could not by any means defend himself as he doubled forward with the wind clearly knocked out of him.
Tommy silently cheered her on, wishing this other nincompoop didn't have a rifle pointed his way so that he could jump in and help. Even Tandy issued a small smile as Katheryn got the drop on the bad guy. Then just as the younger Tarpin brother realized his brother's demise, he through his gun over his shoulder also and hurried past Miss Cahill in an attempt to weave through the horses to the other side to aid his brother. But Tommy's swift punch put a damper on that idea. The man doubled back, blinking incessantly as he brought up a hand to cradle his injured jaw. Anger rose into his face as he drew back, releasing a punch which Tommy dodged, weaving behind the man as he stumbled forward just in time to produce a roundhouse to the man in the back.
Katheryn continued onward with the eldest Tarpin. Her eyes narrowed and her feet and hands went to and from, fighting the coward with as much strength as her body had within it. Yet the battle was not without a few misses as Tarpin's fist found her cheek and stomach at least once. It was beginning to become apparent that the two young fighters were no match for the Tarpin brothers.
"Freeze!" A deep, authoritative voice echoed around them all. A pistol shot rang out above them all. The steady hands of the person held his pistol to the backs of all present as he remained high on his own steed, steadied near the front of C.D.'s wagon.
All eyes shifted to the voice. The fighting stopped. And the voice was identified. The man sat proud on the bay. His eyes were narrowed and shifty. He looked like your average cowboy what with his Stetson, plaid shirt, and shiny belt buckle that was secured to his stonewashed blue-colored jeans. Yet he held no badge and no eyes there could make out the identity of the stranger.
"Took you long enough!" The elder Tarpin steadied himself to his feet and wiped at the bloody lip that Katheryn had issued him.
The tall cowboy grinned. "It took me a bit to set up the trap you wanted me to set up. Trust me. Ranger Walker will be dead before sundown." With that, that cowboy-clad menace dismounted his horse while keeping the gun pointed at them all. He ambled over to Katheryn with a toothy grin as she regained her stance, catching her breath and blowing at a wayward lock of her blonde hair that had since come out of place. He stopped short at her with a polite smile and reached up a hand towards her face. "Here. Let me."
Katheryn quickly reached upward and took ahold of his wrist with the tightest grip she could manage. "Don't you dare lay a hand on me!"
"Well, ain't you a spitfire." The cowboy relaxed his hand away, easing it from Katheryn's grip with a hearty chuckle. He seemed to be slightly amused. "I got news for you, young lady." He pointed his gloved hand and finger in her face. His smile faded and in its place was an anger-filled presence. "You better follow orders…or they all get it. You hear?"
Katheryn didn't nod. She didn't speak. She only kept hold of her emotionless stance and hardened glare into the piercing eyes of the bitter man before her. She knew within all her being that this man could be capable of anything. She sensed it. And she feared what they had set up for the Rangers. Moreover, Katheryn knew that Trent would not have given up without a fight. Where was he? Was he…? No! She refused to let her mind go there.
"In the house!" The cowboy shouted, startling her and causing her heart rate to rise. Yet whether it rose from the cowboy's rude behavior or the ordeal in general she didn't know for sure.
Katheryn slowly turned around only to be faced with the death-hungry eyes of the older Tarpin brother. She eased passed him, not caring if she bumped into him or not as she tried to get a glance of the others as she walked.
"Hands behind your head! All of you!" The cowboy barked aloud once more.
All present did as bid. Even C.D. knew his limitations, climbing down from his prized possession and entering into the line that that others had been forced to form. He offered a sour face to the younger Tarpin brother as he followed young Tommy Malloy.
"It'll be okay, sweetheart." Mrs. Malloy tried to whisper to her daughter who walked ahead of her in front of Molly Mason whose face was moistened with another tear.
"Quiet!" The younger Tarpin shouted at Katie as he eased up behind C.D., shoving his rifle in his back to get them moving…as if they had any other choice.
"Round the front!" The cowboy called as he seemed to take over and lead the little operation from behind them all as the elder Tarpin shoved his own gun into Katheryn's back with force. She stumbled slightly but gained her footing successfully each time he shoved all the way as they walked to the front of Walker's house. Somehow, she sensed he wanted her to fall. It would be such a cowardly way to get revenge, she had concluded to herself taking one last stumble as the porch came into view. And with the view came the face of Carlos who sat helplessly in a wooden chair with his hands secured behind his back. He also had a cut on his forehead and a black eye to show for his efforts in putting up a fight. Yet something had went wrong.
Katheryn briefly made eye contact with Carlos as they rounded the corner. He seemed to sense all the questions she asked with a searching eyes and simply nodded as if it would somehow help to relieve her worries. It did. Somewhat. But the unknown never made Katheryn feel at ease in the past. It was helped to know what she was up against. Yet even with the criminals having shown their true colors, nothing made her confident of what was to come.
"Inside!" The cowboy directed the troupe up the stairs and past Carlos into the house. They all filed in as bidden to do so with sullen expressions and lethargic walk. Fear could often make the strong to be weak...in no time whatsoever.
"Trent?" Miss Cahill dared speak up as her eyes adjusted to Walker's darkened living room. There before her was Trent with his hands tied behind the back of the kitchen chair he had been forced to occupy.
Trent slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. "Alex?"
Miss Cahill rushed to his side, searching for his eyes. "What happened to you, Trent?"
He rolled his eyes and leaned his head back as he tried to find relief from the headache. "Why don't you ask the butt of the gun that gave me a knot on the head?"
"I can do that." Molly managed through clenched teeth as she kept her hands behind her head, looking onward towards Alex and Trent.
Deats Tarpin then rushed in, grabbing Miss Cahill by the arm and jerking her away from Trent.
Molly released her hands and dove forward, grabbing Tarpin on the arm with equal force. "You let her go!"
Tarpin shook her grip away as if nothing, throwing her to the floor in one swift movement. Katheryn rushed to Molly's aid, looking up at Tarpin's beady eyes. No threatening word or look could keep her from aiding a friend….ever.
The younger Tarpin brother eased in and secured a grip on Molly, bringing her to her feet. "You and me gonna have a fine time."
Molly cringed, fighting his grasp. "Let me go!"
"Not a chance." His hand tightened around her wrist even more as she writhed from his grip.
"Let her go!" Trent raised his voice with fervor despite the throb that seized his head.
Deats Tarpin did let her go…reluctantly, casting a lustful anger before her eyes as threw Molly's arm against her forcefully.
Meanwhile, Katheryn's eyes scanned the hazed room before her. A stream of sunlight fell at Trent's feet while the cowboy-clad leader paced the entrance to the home a few feet away. The man seemed so familiar…yet so different. Like a stranger who you knew you had seen somewhere before or a face that wouldn't leave your memory. The man's angry stare flashed before her eyes as she shut her eyes tightly, cringing from the memory from moments ago as he halted the fight outside. Then another face seemed to flash before her memory…before the two intermingled into one. Her eyes slowly opened. She gazed headlong at the pacing menace. His steps were firm as he guarded the door, anticipating his next move…the death of Ranger Walker. A sly smile crept from the corner of her mouth and faded away from view as she remembered the face. It was quite clear to her now. Only a few nights ago had she seen this man. Except he hadn't assumed the façade of a cowboy…but of a police officer at a fake checkpoint. It all made sense now. But it all somehow still seemed so confusing. What did one have to do with the other?
"They're coming!" A voice from outside shouted as he grabbed Carlos by the arm with force and shoved him inside, causing Carlos to stumble only slightly as he moved away from the door and neared Katheryn with his hands still helplessly secured behind his back.
"What?!" Hank Tarpin barked aloud as he stomped his way to the back of the house, jerking away the master bedroom curtain to get a better view.
Sure enough. Two Stetson-clad figures approached the home speedily and swiftly yet still from afar.
"Let's get 'em!" The two Tarpin brothers shouted as they darted for the front door and bounded down the front steps, running towards the back of the house with guns drawn.
The younger Tarpin was the first to fire his AK-47 as a stream of bullets cascaded from the complicated automatic weapon.
The two Rangers dove headlong onto the ground, tumbling behind a nearby bale of hay for cover.
Trivette secured his handgun between both hands and hoisted it above him, resting it briefly atop the hay bale and releasing three consecutive shots before diving back down next to Walker.
"I'm going to try to flank 'em." Walker raised his voice above the gunfire as he crouched near Trivette. "Cover me!" And with that he rose and ran back towards the barn and behind it, tracing a path that would help him double back towards his back pasture and behind the house.
Trivette never stopped shooting, taking down the younger Tarpin brother with only one try in mere moments. He wasn't dead…only wounded as he crawled to meager safety at the foot of Walker's ranch house.
Back inside the house, Trent was not as groggy as he currently was letting on. He silently worked at the ropes that held his hands captive while the cowardly leader still aimed his gun at the innocent ones around him instead of capturing Ranger Walker as he so bravely admitted was his tainted desire.
Carlos caught a glimpse of Trent's Oscar-worthy acting and took on a plan of his own to play upon the man's apprehension and cowardice. "Say…Aren't you going to go help them?"
The man jerked the weapon, aiming it at Carlos. He said nothing that his angry eyes had not already said for him.
Carlos grinned. "I'm sure they could use your help out there. Sounds like one of them may be wounded. I thought you wanted Ranger Walker so bad." He scoffed. "Looks like you won't get him after all."
"Shut up!" The man yelled, shaking the gun in Carlos' face with great agitation while Trent worked at freeing himself from behind the criminal.
Trent sighed beneath his breath as he felt the ropes fall to the floor behind him. He nodded barely towards Carlos as the gunfire continued to ring out from outside the house.
Carlos glanced at his close friend with only his eyes before shifting them back at the barrel of the gun in his face. "Fine." He ended his little acting exhibition with an annoyed smile.
Trent then nodded toward Tommy…then Katheryn last of all. He counted down silently. Only his lips moved. Five…four…three…two…one…Go!
At once, Trent dove towards the man, sending his pistol cascading through the air and onto the carpeted floor. Three punches and two swift roundhouse kicks was all it took to do him in while Katheryn struggled with the rope that held Carlos bound. Tommy reached in for the gun, aiming it at the bad guy while his big brother reached for the ropes that had tied him up just moments before and forcefully tied the man's hands behind his back as he straddled him on the ground.
"Throw the gun on the ground!" It was Walker's booming voice that could be heard in the distance.
Hank Tarpin ceased his gun fighting and slowly turned to see Ranger Walker with the gun pointed straight at him. Trivette eased away from the hay bale and hurried forward with his gun aimed at Hank Tarpin's back.
Hank laughed ruefully under his breath. "We meet again, Walker. We meet again."
"That we do." Walker was unmoved as he stared the uncouth man down over the top of his gun.
Tarpin threw his weapon down angrily. "I'm not quite done with you, Ranger. I got me a score to settle with you."
With that said, Walker drew back his arm and holstered his gun. "He's mine, Trivette. You see to the others."
Trivette holstered his own weapon apprehensively and turned, hurrying up the steps and inside the ranch house. Only Walker remained…staring down his opponent of this imminent fight that loomed over them like an eagle in search of his prey.