Heart of an Outlaw *First in the Crane Gang series*

Chapter One

Chapter One

Oklahoma Territory

1875

“He’s holed up in that shack,” Pete Bardlow announced as if somehow Gill wasn’t aware of that fact. “What are we gonna do?”

With a nod, Gill belly crawled a little closer to the edge of the dusty ledge they were laying on and peered through his binoculars at the rickety building Kenneth ‘Raindancer’ Griggs was hiding in. “I reckon we’re gonna have to go in after him,” Gill told the other man. 

They shared a look that said neither was happy with this turn of events and slowly slid away from the ledge and out of sight. Texas Rangers and best friends, Gilliam Tomlinson and Pete Bardlow had been chasing Griggs for months. They’d trailed after him through more shanty towns, dusty trails and bug infested backward country than Gill chose to think about. 

But now they were the closest they’d been to the murdering horse thief. He had no idea they’d trailed him to his broken down hideaway among the brambles, red dirt and mesas. Now was the only chance they were going to get to get the man and both of them knew it. 

“We can’t very well ask him politely to come with us, Gill, and we can’t go barging in neither.”

“I know that, Pete,” Gill admitted. It was true that Pete was a fellow ranger, his best friend and the one damn person in the world, other than Gill’s mama, who had never judged him for being the son of notorious outlaw Rafe Tomlinson, but the man also aggravated and irritated him worse than anyone else he’d ever met. 

“So what’s the plan?” 

“You’re the only ranger alive that asks me what the plan is,” Gill muttered. 

Pete grinned, “That’s because if we fail it’ll be your fault instead of mine.” When Gill rolled his eyes, Pete added, “And because I trust you with my life, Gill. Always have.” 

Gill sighed, “How about I climb up on the roof of that place,” Gill pointed to the sod roof, “And I’ll put a big bunch of sage brush over the chimney. He’s got some kind of fire in there and it’ll keep the smoke from escaping.” 

Pete grinned, “Smoke him out?” 

“And snipe him off,” Gill agreed, nodding toward Pete’s Sharps.

“But the boss wants him alive,” Pete countered. 

It was Gill’s turn to grin, “Yeah, but the boss ain’t here.”

With Pete ready and waiting at the edge of the ledge with his Sharps rifle, Gill made his way down the edge, using the brush for cover. As he approached a thick patch of brush, he pulled his eight inch bowie and cut off a decent amount of branches and leaves. Carrying them under his arm, Gill went to the back of the shack and scurried up the stacked crates to come to stand on the sod roof. 

It sagged beneath his weight, creaking and moaning and Gill cursed under his breath. He could only hope that the halfbreed injun outlaw would be too far gone in his whiskey to notice. 

Gill went to the chimney and laid his armload of brush over the top of the rocks, stopping the thick smoke from making its way out of the shack. Happy that his plan seemed to be working, Gill made his way back toward the edge of the roof and as he neared his destination he felt the sod give way beneath his feet. 

With a yell of shock, he plummeted into the cabin, landing with a thud amongst sod and wood and heard the cracking of what he guessed to be the table. 

Pain radiated through him and he let out a groan only to have that groan get trapped in his throat when a revolver was suddenly pointed at his face. “Ranger Tomlinson, how nice of ya to drop in for dinner,” Griggs laughed. “I wondered when my old friend’s son might pay me a visit.” 

“I aim to take you back to the station in Amleston, Texas, Griggs. Or kill you--whichever you prefer.” Gill replied calmly, as he wondered how the hell he was supposed to get himself out of this one. 

“You don’t seem to be in any position to be handin’ out ultimatums,” Griggs noted. 

“I’m proud, you injun bastard,” Gill muttered. “I didn’t realize you knew such big words.”

“Bye, bye, ranger boy.” 

Gill squeezed his eyes tight and jerked when the sound of a gunshot echoed in the air. It took about ten full seconds before he realized he wasn’t dead. And another five to realize it had been rifle fire and not pistol fire. 

Cracking one eyelid open and then the other, Gill found himself staring at the lifeless eyes of Kenneth ‘Raindancer’ Griggs lying beside him. “Shit!” he exclaimed, hoping he wouldn’t need to change his trousers since the hole-filled, dirt crusted ones he was wearing were the only pair he owned just now. 

With a groan, Gill sat up straight and tried to stretch out the aches and knots in his abused muscles. At twenty-seven years old he was too damn old to be crashing through roofs. 

Footsteps pounded in the dirt outside the shack but Gill didn’t grow alarmed. He knew Pete’s footsteps when he heard them. Pete came in and his laughter filled the air. 

“Well, hell, Gill! That worked great. I didn’t realize your plan was to give me a sunroof to shoot the bastard through!” 

A/N: I know this is truthfully too short to be considered a chapter and yet it doesn't seem like a prologue! Think of it as the beginning of a movie before they start the beginning credits (you know that snippet that introduces you to the main character) ;) I hope y'all enjoyed it!