Chapter Seventeen

Brody took the stairs two at a time after leaving Jacob and Ellie down in the saloon. He had scanned the saloon before leaving them and hadn't seen any men looking too eager to jump up and fight so he figured they'd be safe down there just so long as he hurried.

He saw the guard standing with his back to him, smoking a cigarette. Brody wondered why the man looked so calm after a hearing a gun shot being fired downstairs, but judging by the men filling the saloon, gunshots were probably an every night occurrence.

Brody didn't really want to kill anybody else. He might say killing didn't bother him but every life he was forced to take ate away a little at his soul. He pulled his knife from his boot and snuck as silently as a ghost through the shadows. The man had no idea Brody was coming up behind him and Brody wrapped on arm around the man's forehead and pressed the knife blade tight against his neck.

"The way I see you got two choices." Brody hissed in the mans ear as the man stiffened and remained as still as stone.

"What would those choices be?" the man whispered and the knife blade pricked his trembling throat, causing droplets of blood to run down his neck.

"First choice, you get up, walk out that back door, down those steps and disappear. Second choice I slit your throat and you bleed to death on this dirty carpet."

"I reckon I like choice number one," the man grunted.

"I figured you would," Brody agreed. He took his arm away from the mans forehead and pulled his revolver, pressing it against the mans back as he pulled his knife away.

"The boss'll kill you," the man warned as he stood and turned to face Brody, while backing away toward the door.

Brody shrugged, "Not if I kill him first."

The man nodded, opened the back door and disappeared quickly down the rickety steps. Brody tested the door the man had been guarding and found that it was locked. He raised his leg and kicked it hard, breaking the frame and causing the door to fly open.

A young girl was lying tied and gagged on the bed. Her dirty blond hair was a mass of tangles around her pale face. Brody went to her and raised his knife. Her brown eyes widened with fear as she tried to move away from him on the bed.

"Liza?" he asked, trying his best to sound gentle. She nodded. "My name is sheriff Brody Atkinson. I'm here with your sister Ellie and we're getting you out of here."

Some of the fear and suspicion left her eyes and he quickly cut the ropes on her wrists and ankles and removed her gag, "Let's get you out of here," he whispered gently.

Brody had no time to react to the sound of a gun cocking behind him before a bullet slammed into his arm. The fiery pain filled him and he turned quickly to see Nick, the boy from Otis's house, standing there holding a gun in his trembling hand, "I'll kill you for making a fool out of me." the boy vowed as he licked his shaking lips.

"Come on, kid, don't do this," Brody begged. He didn't want to kill a kid. The boy cocked the gun and fired again. His hands were shaking too badly for his shot to hit where he intended but it still found it's way through Brody's leg. It was a through and through shot and didn't break bones, but it brought Brody to his knees and caused him to yell out in pain.

The boy was leaving him no choice. As the boy cocked the gun to fire another shot, Brody pulled his gun and placed a bullet through his heart. As Nick fell dead to the ground, Brody dropped his gun to the floor and buried his face in his hands.

A kid. A damn kid.

He heard Liza crying behind him and it broke through his guilt and had him assessing the damage that had been done to him. Brody pulled his bandana from his pocket and tied it around his leg to help stop the blood that was pouring from it before turning his attention to his arm. Thankfully it was merely a flesh wound. The bullet had simply gouged out a chunk of flesh before lodging in the wall behind him.

"Brody! Are you okay?" Jacob exclaimed, as he came barreling into the room.

Brody nodded as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. The damn kid just had to shoot the same damn leg he'd had broken not even two full years ago, "Never been better," he grunted.

"Where's Ellie?" Liza's quiet voice inquired as she stood from the bed on shaking legs.

"I left her outside the saloon," Jacob replied. He looked at Brody, whose face was pale and full of pain, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, dammit!" Brody snapped. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Jacob nodded and was about to wrap his arm around Brody to help him from the room when Ellie's screams came to them, "Jacob! Help me!"

"Get down there. Have your gun pulled and cocked!" Brody ordered. "I'm on my way." Jacob looked at Liza. "I'll worry about the girl," Brody assured him.

Jacob nodded and ran from the room, pulling his gun and cocking it as he went. The saloon had cleared out and Jacob walked outside onto the boardwalk to find that the backstreet the saloon was on had cleared out as well.

It seemed that no one wanted to get caught in the middle of a gunfight and everyone had sensed that one was coming. Jacob looked out on the street and felt panic and desperation fill him when he caught sight of Ellie. Otis had her held tightly in his arms and the tip of his knife blade was tight against her throat. Otis's thinning gray hair was a mess, he had a bloody welt on his head and his clothes were covered in dirt.

"Let her go!" Jacob ordered, holding his revolver out in front of him. He hoped his voice would not give away his fear. He had no idea if he could actually fire a shot without hitting Ellie. Ellie's face was pale, her eyes were full of fear and Jacob felt helpless as he watched her.

"Who the hell are you?" Otis growled.

"Jacob Atkinson," Jacob did his best Brody impression, "Let Ellie go and I'll let you live."

Otis didn't seem impressed as he laughed, "I don't think so," He pushed the blade tighter against Ellie's throat, "I gave this little bitch life ten years ago and I have every intention of taking that life away."

"I love you, Jacob." Ellie vowed with conviction.

Clearly she thought she was about to die. Jacob couldn't let that happen. Almost thirty years he had been searching for her. He couldn't lose her so soon after finally finding her, "The way I see it you got two choices." Jacob said, looking straight into Otis's beady black eyes.

Otis sneered, "What would those be?" he asked as he pressed the blade tighter against Ellie's soft skin and blood trickled down her neck.. Jacob hoped that his voice sounded tougher than what he felt inside. Imitating Brody seemed to be giving him a bit more confidence and the gun in his hand was no longer shaking as he aimed it at Otis's head, which was mere inches from Ellie's, "You can either let her go, leave and never let us see you again or I can give you a new hole to breath out of."

"Try it," Otis sneered.

Jacob saw the older man's hand moving and knew he was out of time. Otis was about to slit Ellie's throat and Jacob had to act fast. He aimed the gun, prayed he wouldn't hit Ellie by mistake and pulled the trigger.

Ellie screamed as Otis went slack against her and his blood sprayed across her cheek. He slid to the ground, nearly dragging her down as well. Only Jacob grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him kept her standing. He crushed her against his chest and then he pulled her away and lowered his mouth to hers. Her salty tears tainted her lips and Jacob deepened the kiss as he pulled her closer.

Brody limped out onto the boardwalk with Liza under his arm. He told himself he was comforting her with his arm around her shoulders, but he knew that in truth she was helping him walk since his leg was screaming in protest with every movement he made.

He smiled when he saw his brother and Ellie, kissing in the street. Otis was lying dead behind Ellie with a hole through his head. Brody couldn't help but feel proud of his brother. He might be a complaining, pain in the ass with no real knowledge of a kill or be killed life but he had come through when it had mattered most.

Brody leaned against the banister to give his leg a bit of a break and that's when he noticed the seven men coming down the road. They were clearly gunslingers. Their gun belts were slung low, their duster coats whipped around their legs and the looks in their eyes promised death.

Brody remembered Ellie telling them that Otis had trained killers working for him and he would bet these men were them. He saw one of the men go for his gun and he threw Liza, who had been about to run down to her sister, onto the floor of the boardwalk behind the banister, "Take Cover!" Brody yelled.

Jacob looked up and saw the men coming. A gun fired and the bullet passed so close to his head that he felt the air from it on his cheek. He grabbed Ellie and threw her down behind a water trough, before throwing his body over hers.

Bullets filled the air as the seven men closed in them. Brody stayed low as he ran across the boardwalk, hoping to draw the men away from his brother, Ellie and Liza. He fired a shot and one of the men went down and then he jumped behind a banister as bullet's filled the wood.

Brody knew he couldn't take out all of these men alone. Jacob was trying to help but Jacob had no experience with gun fighting and he had already used all his bullets. Elizabeth's face filled Brody's mind and he prayed that she would forgive him for what he was about to do.

The only way he could take out these men and save his brother, Ellie and Liza would be to run out onto the street, and running out in the street would also sign his own death certificate. He had no room for fear in his mind. He focused his mind the way he had learned to in the war and he reloaded his revolver even as bullets continued to rain down.

He glanced over at Liza and she shook her head seeming to sense what he was about to do. Brody offered her a smile, "When you get back to the ranch with Jacob and Ellie, tell my wife that I love her and give my kids a kiss for me."

Brody took a deep breath, pushed aside the pain in his leg and arm and then jumped down from the boardwalk. He fired shots for all he was worth as he ran across the street. The men firing back were shocked momentarily by his suicidal actions but they recovered quickly. Bullets whizzed around him, somehow missing their marks even as his bullets found theirs. Soon though he was out of shots and still three men stood.

"Brody!" Jacob yelled. He couldn't let his younger brother die saving him. He was the oldest. He was supposed to be protecting Brody.

"Stay down, you idiot!" Brody yelled. He pulled his knife and threw it through their air, taking down one more man.

Still two closed in on him, "You're a brave one, lawman," one of the men growled and Brody recognized him. It was the guard from upstairs. The one that Brody had let live.

"That's the last time I show mercy," Brody grumbled with a disbelieving laugh.

The man smiled, "That's going to be the last time you show anything," he sneered.

Brody stood straight and prepared himself for death. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been gunned down and at least this time he knew that Elizabeth was safe at home. He squared his shoulders and faced the men proudly.

Jacob yelled as the sound of a gunshot filled the air and Brody dropped to his knee and spun around when he realized the shot had come from behind him.

Chief Buckner came charging down the street with his gun drawn. Brody watched his revolver fire several times and then the streets became eerily silent. Dead silent. Brody rose to his feet, though it took some effort, with the pain in his leg.

"Brody, what in the hell were you thinking?!" Jacob demanded as he came storming across the street toward him.

"I was thinking that I was saving your ass," Brody replied dryly

"Liza?!" Ellie exclaimed and Jacob and Brody looked over to see the sisters run to each other and hug each other tight. Liza was nearly as tall as Ellie and Ellie stroked her blond hair and kissed her head.

"Are you okay Liza?" Ellie asked and Liza nodded as the sound of her tears filled the night.

Jacob and Brody turned their attention to Chief Buckner, "Nice of you to finally show up," Brody grumbled.

"It's a good thing I did. You were about to get yourself killed," Chief Buckner replied.

"No," Brody shook his head, "You can't kill me."

Jacob frowned, "We need to get you to a doc, Brody. You don't look so good."

"I've never looked good," Brody replied as he reloaded his revolver and holstered it, "I don't need a damn doctor."

"What do you need?" Chief Buckner asked.

"My wife." Brody replied simply and then he grew wobbly and nearly fell. Jacob grabbed him and held him up, "Maybe that doc would be a good idea," Brody admitted as his head swam.

Jacob looked down at the ground and saw the blood dripping out of Brody's pants and forming a puddle in the dust at his feet, "You're a fool, Brody. You've got one hell of a death wish running out into the street like that," Jacob scolded as Chief Buckner led them down the street toward the doc.

Ellie and Liza walked behind them, whispering between themselves and holding each other tightly.

"Yeah and you'd be dead if I hadn't," Brody reminded him. "A thank you wouldn't hurt anything."

"I sure as hell am not gonna thank you," Jacob scoffed, "Liz is gonna kill me when we get home and she learns that you had to do that to save my helpless ass."

"You'll be on your own against her," Brody warned, his voice growing weaker as his skin grew paler and sweat covered his brow. "Unlike all the men with guns, that cowgirl scares me."