Iron Eyes Must Die by Rory Black Page A

Hanney.’
    ‘ But
ya killed them all, boy.’ Hanney looked into the troubled face.
‘The rest of the townsfolk these outlaws hired won’t try nothin’
now.’
    ‘ It
ain’t them I’m troubled about,’ said Iron Eyes.
    ‘ It
ain’t?’
    ‘ Nope.’ Iron Eyes tucked one of his guns into his belt and
held on to the other as he stared off into the distance. ‘Like ya
said, we’ve done for them.’
    The sky flashed above Rio Concho as lightning
forked down into the desert a few miles from them. Both men glanced
up at the clouds that swirled in the troubled sky. Then a deafening
thunderclap shook them and the ground beneath their feet. It was
like the sound of stampeding herd.
    ‘ What
ya lookin’ at, boy?’ Hanney asked curiously.
    ‘ I’m
lookin’ at them six riders headed this way.’ Iron Eyes spat out his
cigar and pointed his still smoking gun towards the desert.
‘Whoever they are, they’re loaded for bear!’

Chapter Sixteen
    Iron Eyes led Duke Hanney back across the
windswept town until he reached the telegraph office. Rain had
started to fall as the rods of golden lightning drew closer to the
border town. Iron Eyes stepped up on to the boardwalk and stared at
the store frontage. The door had been kicked off its hinges by
Brook Payne and his cohorts as soon as the outlaws had arrived in
Rio Concho. The bounty hunter entered the office and stared at the
damaged equipment. He picked up an oil-lamp and lit its wick. As
the room suddenly brightened, he turned to the bearded man.
    ‘ Did
they kill the telegraph worker, old-timer?’ he asked in a low
growl.
    Hanney rested his shotgun down on a
chair.
    ‘ Nope.
They sure scared the critter though. Toby Gunn went running when
them outlaws showed up.’
    Iron Eyes leant over and pulled the desk
upright, then ran his bony fingers through his wet matted hair.
    ‘ Is he
still in Rio Concho?’
    ‘ Yep.
He’s still in town. Toby’s bin holed up in the back of the cafe for
weeks. I never seen a man so plumb rattled before.’ Hanney sighed
heavily.
    ‘ Get
him,’ Iron Eyes snapped.
    Hanney nodded and picked up his heavy shotgun
again.
    ‘ Why?
This stuffs wrecked, boy.’
    ‘ It
can be fixed by someone who knows how it works, Hanney,’ Iron Eyes
said. ‘Get him here and tell him that he’ll not be harmed by
anybody. I need these wires fixed so I can get my bounty money
authorized. This town also needs the law to come and sort a few
things out.’
    Hanney made as though to leave,
then paused and tapped the bounty hunter ’s arm. Iron Eyes glanced at the
livery man.
    ‘ Something eatin’ at ya, old-timer?’
    ‘ Yep.
I’m thinkin’ about them six riders we spotted out there on the
desert a few minutes back, Iron Eyes. They’ll be here in less than
a hour. A lot faster if they spur them horses.’
    Iron Eyes exhaled heavily and rested his hip
on the edge of the desk. He looked down at the floor
thoughtfully.
    ‘ I’m
troubled by them riders too,’ he admitted. ‘I saw their rifles and
bullet belts in the lightning flashes. They ain’t nothin’ but
trouble. No peaceful hombres carry that amount of weaponry.’
    ‘ More
outlaws?’
    Iron Eyes nodded.
    ‘ Reckon so.’
    ‘ Ya
look worried,’ Hanney said.
    ‘ I am
a mite troubled, old-timer.’ Iron Eyes stood and led the livery man
to the gaping hole in the wall where the door had once been. ‘I’m
running low on bullets for my Navy Colts. Ya know anywhere in this
town where they might have a couple of boxes of .36s?’
    ‘ The
hardware store could have some,’ Hanney said.
    ‘ Check
after ya get the telegraph operator.’ Iron Eyes watched the livery
man as he made his way down the boardwalk into the shadows. He then
strode to the edge of the porch and looked out at the
desert.
    Iron Eyes could still see the six riders as
the sky erupted in bright electrical flashes. They were still
approaching Rio Concho.
    The bounty hunter pushed his hands into his
deep trail coat-pockets and felt