The Loner: The Blood of Renegades Read Online Free PDF Page B

the edge of the trail. He yelled and flung his hands out toward the wall in a frantic scrabble for a grip that would save him, but there was nothing there. His arms windmilled futilely as he pitched to the side, away from the mesa. Then he was gone, falling through the darkness as a scream ripped from his throat.
    That scream lasted only a second before an ugly thud abruptly silenced it. Conrad stood with his back against the wall, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His head was still spinning from being rammed against the rock.
    After a few moments, he felt steady enough to straighten and look over the trail’s edge. He saw a dark, unmoving shape sprawled on the ground.
    With Kiley’s unfired gun in his hand, he went back down the trail, moving as quickly as he dared. When he reached the bottom, he kept the revolver leveled at Kiley’s motionless form. As he approached he saw a spreading pool of black under the gunman’s head. Kiley must have landed on a rock that split his skull wide open, Conrad thought.
    He risked checking for a pulse and found none. Kiley was dead. He would do no more avenging for Elder Agonistes Hissop.
    Conrad straightened from that grim task and tucked Kiley’s gun behind his belt. Sooner or later the two men on their way to Navajo Wash would wonder why Kiley hadn’t caught up with them.
    That meant he had a chance to surprise them, Conrad realized. He had to find Kiley’s horse. The animal couldn’t be too far away. He stripped the duster off the dead man, picked up Kiley’s hat, and then headed off into the darkness.

Chapter 7
     
    Conrad headed in the direction of Navajo Wash and found the gunman’s horse tied to a mesquite about half a mile from the mesa. He unfastened the reins and led the animal toward the big rocks.
    He had left on foot and was coming back with a horse, so he wasn’t surprised when Arturo called out, “Whoever you are, stop right there! I have a rifle pointed at you, and I’m not afraid to use it!”
    “It’s me, Arturo,” Conrad called back. “I’m coming in.”
    He trotted the rest of the way to the camp in the rocks, where Arturo and Selena greeted him with questions. “Where did you get the horse?” Arturo asked. Selena followed by saying, “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine,” Conrad assured her, then turned to Arturo. “The horse belonged to that fellow Kiley who was with Leatherwood earlier.”
    “Belonged?” Arturo repeated. “As in, the individual is now dead?”
    “That pretty much sums it up.”
    Selena said, “We didn’t hear any shots.”
    “There weren’t any.” Quickly, Conrad explained how Leatherwood and the other avenging angels had sneaked up on the mesa only to find their quarry gone, then discussed their plans while Conrad was eavesdropping on them. “I thought they were all gone, but when I got down to the bottom of the trail, Kiley was waiting for me. He had doubled back on foot.”
    “And you killed him without firing a shot?” Selena sounded amazed. “How on earth did you manage that?”
    Conrad told them about the fight on the ledge. “It was pretty close to a disaster,” he concluded, “but I was finally able to get the upper hand.”
    “Along with the man’s horse and gun,” Arturo said.
    “That’s not all.” Conrad had draped Kiley’s duster over the saddle and hung the gunman’s hat on the saddlehorn. He took them down and went on, “If I was wearing these and riding this horse, from a distance I could pass for Kiley.”
    “And there are only two men at this place called Navajo Wash,” Arturo said, proving he had caught on to what Conrad was talking about.
    “Exactly. If they think it’s Kiley riding up on them, they won’t be looking for trouble.”
    “Wait a minute,” Selena said. “What is it you’re planning on doing, Mr. Browning? Riding in and shooting it out with those men?”
    “Not necessarily. If I can get close enough without them realizing who I am, I can