Ball and Chain Read Online Free PDF

a shot anyway.
    The bullet tore through the clearing that Clint had used for his camp. The angry hiss of the round was quickly followed by the screech of lead bouncing against stone and a short shower of sparks. Clint hopped around the tombstone-sized boulder and dropped down so he could put as much of himself as possible behind the rock.
    â€œKill that son of a bitch!” Dave hollered.
    â€œYou go around that way, Mose,” Acklund said.
    Even though Clint couldn’t see where Acklund was pointing, he knew that the men weren’t about to leave him an easy way out. The men intended on flanking him and there was no way Clint was going to sit still long enough for them to do it. He leaned around the rock and was able to pick out Dave right away. The other two were closing in, but Dave’s horse was blocking them from him just as well as it had blocked him from them.
    â€œI see it!” Dave yelled. “I see the bastard’s horse!”
    Acklund poked his head up and glared as if he meant to shoot Dave himself. “Just get back here before it gets any worse!”
    â€œIt’s gotta be with that horse. Even if it ain’t, it’s a fine horse. Hell, I bet it’s worth more than whatever that barber’s tryin’ to hide.”
    Clint wasn’t about to give anyone a clear shot at him, so he remained with his back pressed against the rock. He didn’t have to wait long before Dave came stomping straight toward him. As soon as he saw someone step around the rock, Clint swung his arm out to pound the top side of his Colt against the man’s shin.
    Dave let out another pained yelp, but didn’t stop moving. In fact, he staggered another few steps forward until his momentum carried him even closer to where Eclipse was tethered.
    Now that he was in arm’s reach of the younger man, Clint could see the blood soaking through Dave’s shirt where he’d been shot. Something else moved directly behind Clint, so he got his feet under him and abandoned the cover of his rock. Before Clint could turn around, he felt a thick hand drop onto his shoulder.
    Mose had a strong grip, but wasn’t able to sink it in before Clint twisted out of it and followed through with an elbow to the gut. Letting out a surprised grunt, Mose doubled over and sucked in a breath. He quickly straightened up and showed Clint the angry fire in his eyes. Clint swung his Colt around once more to slam it into Mose’s face.
    In the meeting between iron and bone, there was no question which would come out ahead. Mose’s head snapped back and the fire in his eyes dimmed before his back hit the ground.
    â€œI got it!” Dave hollered as he jumped off his mount to go after Eclipse. “Drop this asshole and I’ll meet you back home with the horse and the barber’s money!”
    Clint swore under his breath when he caught a glimpse of where those words had come from. Somehow, Dave had gotten to Eclipse and was yanking the reins free from where they’d been tied. The young man might not have been in the best condition, but his wounds weren’t bad enough to keep him from placing a foot in Eclipse’s stirrup and hauling himself up to the saddle.
    A horse came around the other side of the rock and Acklund fired a quick shot at Clint. The shot hissed within a few feet of Clint and gave him some extra incentive to keep moving forward. The moment Clint saw Eclipse start to rear up and fight off Dave’s efforts to mount him, he shifted his attention toward Acklund.
    Rather than take the time to aim, Clint raised the Colt as though he was pointing his finger. He squeezed his trigger twice and knew at least one of those shots was a hit. Acklund cursed and wobbled in his saddle as his horse let out a frightened whinny and bolted away from the gunfire.
    With Acklund struggling with his horse and Mose just starting to come to his senses, Clint looked back at Dave. Eclipse had managed