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behind…tied up with a snake in your blanket. That’s your problem.”
     
    Zach fought the urge to jump up and move as quickly as possible from the blanket, but the rope ties restrained him. He’d witnessed a snake attack a man before, the bite dangerous, the venom lethal.
    A rattle echoed again in the darkness, Zach was almost sure he saw the snake slither in his blanket. He hated snakes! He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe; he didn’t even twitch.
    “See you, Zach. Best of luck to you.”
    She scooped up Simon’s saddle for his horse and carried it away with her.
    “Meg, don’t leave me.”
    “Too-da-loo,” she called and walked away from the camp.
    Zach barely breathed, fearful that deadly strike would come any second. His ears strained to hear the rattle again, and his eyes were fixed on the blanket waiting for it to move.
    God, when he caught up with her, there would be hell to pay. If he weren't so frightened, he’d be untying these ropes and following her. But a rattlesnake bite could be deadly. So, he focused on the blanket, waiting for it to move.
    Thirty minutes passed with him not moving, just listening for the deadly rattle of that rattlesnake. Finally, he’d had enough. Swallowing his fear, he slowly raised his left arm. No sound, nothing. He quickly untied his right arm.
    Glancing at his blanket, he listened. Nothing.
    Slowly, he reached close to his blanket and untied his left foot. There was no sound. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he inched back away from his blankets. When he was certain he was far enough away, he jumped up from the ground. He found a piece of firewood and beat the blanket with the stick.
    No sound. Nothing. Fearing what he would find, he lifted the blanket off the ground with his stick.
    There was no snake. She’d fooled him once again.
    A blast of red-hot heat zipped up his spine, causing him to clench his fists. He all but stomped over to his mustang, and there was his gun. She’d at least left him his weapon.
    “Damn it, Meg. You’ll pay for this!” Once again she’d gotten to him, and now she had Simon.
    *
    “What’s going on between you and the sheriff?” Simon asked when she finally slowed their horses after leaving Zach.
    “None of your business,” Meg replied, trying to stay awake and knowing if she calculated her timing just right, she’d beat Zach back to town. Oh, she knew he would follow her. Part of her even wanted him to try to catch up and best them again, but she wouldn’t let him.
    “Why’s the sheriff so interested in you?” Meg asked.
    Simon laughed. “None of your business.”
    “I guess we’re at a stalemate with neither one of us talking,” she responded, not really wanting to speak with Simon. The less she knew about her prisoners, the better. She didn’t want to hear their sob stories and why she should let them loose. She’d learned not to listen to their tales of woe and sorrow.
    Everyone had a story. Everyone had an excuse. But Meg had little sympathy.
    Beneath the stars, they steadily rode back the way they’d come. Hours passed, and exhaustion tormented Meg. Her butt was numb, her eyes felt gritty, and all she wanted to do was find a nice soft bed, kick off her boots, and sleep.
    Now as a faint hint of light rose in the eastern sky, they were closing in on the town. Back where they’d started from. Meg hoped to reach the town at daybreak, and then she could turn in Simon and collect their pay. By the time Zach caught up with them, she hoped they would be lying on a soft mattress in a local hotel.
    The sun was just beginning to peak over the edge of the horizon, and she could almost feel the taste of victory. Just a little longer until they could claim their bounty.
    “Meg, what’s that up in the road ahead?” Ruby asked.
    Meg strained her tired eyes at the long rope stretched across the road. “I don’t know. Be on the lookout.”
    She slowed her horse and gazed at the bushes ahead of them. There was no sign of