Give My Heart to Kaitlyn (2nd in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Pete squeezed his eyes closed tight and waited for the pain. But it never came. Instead he heard a grunt, the sickening sound of a bullet striking flesh and a body crashing to the boardwalk.

He opened his eyes to see Marston lying at his feet with a hole in the right side of his chest. Frank was preparing to fire another shot at Pete but Pete went for his revolver and fired a shot just as Marston pulled his derringer and fired one as well.

Frank slumped to the boardwalk with two holes. One his chest, the other in his head. Pete dropped to his knees beside Marston as the man collapsed onto his back.

"Dammit, Marston, what the hell were you thinking?" Pete demanded.

The lines on Marston's face grew deeper with his grimace. "I was thinking that you were about to be killed."

"What? And you just thought it would be better if you got killed instead?" Pete roared, trying to pull Marston's coat away to examine his wound by finding his hand swatted away.

Marston growled. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"I thought there was no playing hero," Pete reminded him. "No taking bullets for each other? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Kaitlyn is rather fond of you," Marston grumbled. "Now help me up."

"Yeah, well there's a few people that are fond of you too." Pete put Marston's big arm around his shoulders and helped the big man to his feet. "Jeremiah's right," he grunted. "You are one big bastard."

Marston grabbed the livery wall to steady himself once he was standing and he laid his hand over his blood covered chest. "I think my goddamned rib is broke."

"Well, be glad your rib caught the bullet or else you wouldn't be alive to complain about it."

Marston chuckled but then drew in a sharp breath between his clenched teeth and grimaced. "Duke? Duke was hit.. is he okay?"

Pete stood in shock when Marston took off across the street at a pace pretty damn close to a run. How the man managed to run when he had a bullet lodged in his rib was a mystery to Pete.

Pete made his way across the street as well as townsfolk began to come out of their hiding places and survey the damage. Broken windows, holes in walls and leaking water troughs were among some of the damage done.

"I'm fine!" Duke's voice snapped from inside the mercantile. "That damn bastard just shot me in the damn shooting shoulder is all."

Pete stepped into the mercantile to find Jeremiah helping Duke tie his arm in place with a tablecloth that had been for sale. "You paying for that?" Pete asked.

Duke shook his head. "Nope. I'm not paying for this either," he added as he held up the tiny angel figurine in his hand.

Pete frowned. "Carol's present?"

"Why the hell would she want that?" Jeremiah asked.

Duke shrugged. "She'll like it."

The four men started toward the door and Marston turned at the last minute and grabbed a handful of cinnamon candy. He stuck it deep in his pocket as if daring Pete to say anything. Given the fact that Marston had just saved his life, Pete knew there was no way he could say anything to the man for stealing some candy for Lucy.

"What was all that about?" Saloon owner, Edmund Rayne demanded as he approached Pete on the street.

"It's just some old business that wasn't settled," Marston replied. "It's settled now." Duke, Jeremiah and Marston started toward their horses. "You coming?" Marston asked Pete.