know you're there!" Beacon didn't move hoping the guy was bluffing.
"Come on, Gail, we both know you want to do it so quit playing hard to get." The pistol hadn't wavered from Beacon's tree. "Look, one way or another we're gunn'a do it!"
The pine tree's branches weren't cover, they wouldn't stop a bullet, but they were concealment combining with the darkness to conceal Beacon from the man's view. At this range even a barrage of shots from the twenty-two couldn't guarantee to keep the guy from pulling the trigger and Beacon's pistol was on his hip under his coat. Drawing it would have created too much movement and sound to go unnoticed by the man.
Beacon began to sink slowly and silently to one knee hoping he could get low enough so a shot would go over his head.
"You can come out now and we'll do it nice and easy or I'll put a bullet in your leg and then we'll still do it only one of us will be doing it with a bullet in her leg."
"So much for ducking," Beacon thought.
If the guy shot it was likely he'd at least nick Beacon. The guy pushed the gun out in front of him. It was pointed right at Beacon.
There was a tremendous explosion.
The guy screamed dropping his gun and the rope as he turned and fled down the trail holding his side. At the sound of the shot the dog took off straight ahead. Beacon made a diving grab for the rope as the dog ran past.
"Here Bobo!" an anxious female voice called from under the big pine ahead. The dog whined and tried to go to the voice. "Let go of my dog or I'll shoot you!" It was a bluff the other short pine tree was between them. She couldn't see Beacon and at that longer range Beacon was willing to bet on a miss if he stayed low. Still, caution and common sense said it'd be better if she didn't shoot at all.
Beacon believed she'd shoot but wanted to show his good intentions. "Sure and here's a little peace offering for the two of you." Beacon pulled a small sack of pemmican from an inner coat pocket and tied it to the rope before releasing the dog.
The dog went straight to her. "What's this?" the voice sounded suspicious.
"Pemmican, it's Indian food or Mountain Man food depending on how you look at it."
The girl may have been suspicious but Bobo wasn't. He heard her exclaim "Bobo no!" then saw the dog run out onto the trail with a piece of pemmican in its mouth. As the dog gulped it down she said, "If that's poisoned I'll kill you!"
"Not poisoned and there's more where that came from, how's your foot?"
"None of your business!" but the words were spoken around a mouthful of pemmican.
Taking that as a sign of acceptance Beacon said, "I'm going to check Romeo's back trail, hold your fire."
He waited a second and when she didn't object he stepped out onto the trail and policed up the man's pistol as he followed the blood trail a few dozen yards into the trees.
Aside from his curiosity about the pair Beacon wanted to know if they were alone or part of a group. If a group, how large and how well were they armed?
Returning he announced, "Good hit, the way he's bleeding he won't get far before he bleeds out."
The dark space under the pine tree was silent.
"How'd he know your name?"
"Before The Blowup he was a neighbor, and an unwanted suitor. I don't know how long he's been a peeping Tom. After The Blowup he started getting persistent. Then a few days ago, after my dad was killed, he kidnapped Bobo and threatened to kill her if I didn't submit to him."
"Sounds like Lothario was a real class act," Beacon said sarcastically.
"I told him he'd never find me without Bobo and took off running. He had a gun and I didn't, so I ran and hoped he'd use Bobo to track me instead of shooting her," there was a sob in her voice, "I couldn't think of anything else to do."
"Sounds like you've a head
"Come on, Gail, we both know you want to do it so quit playing hard to get." The pistol hadn't wavered from Beacon's tree. "Look, one way or another we're gunn'a do it!"
The pine tree's branches weren't cover, they wouldn't stop a bullet, but they were concealment combining with the darkness to conceal Beacon from the man's view. At this range even a barrage of shots from the twenty-two couldn't guarantee to keep the guy from pulling the trigger and Beacon's pistol was on his hip under his coat. Drawing it would have created too much movement and sound to go unnoticed by the man.
Beacon began to sink slowly and silently to one knee hoping he could get low enough so a shot would go over his head.
"You can come out now and we'll do it nice and easy or I'll put a bullet in your leg and then we'll still do it only one of us will be doing it with a bullet in her leg."
"So much for ducking," Beacon thought.
If the guy shot it was likely he'd at least nick Beacon. The guy pushed the gun out in front of him. It was pointed right at Beacon.
There was a tremendous explosion.
The guy screamed dropping his gun and the rope as he turned and fled down the trail holding his side. At the sound of the shot the dog took off straight ahead. Beacon made a diving grab for the rope as the dog ran past.
"Here Bobo!" an anxious female voice called from under the big pine ahead. The dog whined and tried to go to the voice. "Let go of my dog or I'll shoot you!" It was a bluff the other short pine tree was between them. She couldn't see Beacon and at that longer range Beacon was willing to bet on a miss if he stayed low. Still, caution and common sense said it'd be better if she didn't shoot at all.
Beacon believed she'd shoot but wanted to show his good intentions. "Sure and here's a little peace offering for the two of you." Beacon pulled a small sack of pemmican from an inner coat pocket and tied it to the rope before releasing the dog.
The dog went straight to her. "What's this?" the voice sounded suspicious.
"Pemmican, it's Indian food or Mountain Man food depending on how you look at it."
The girl may have been suspicious but Bobo wasn't. He heard her exclaim "Bobo no!" then saw the dog run out onto the trail with a piece of pemmican in its mouth. As the dog gulped it down she said, "If that's poisoned I'll kill you!"
"Not poisoned and there's more where that came from, how's your foot?"
"None of your business!" but the words were spoken around a mouthful of pemmican.
Taking that as a sign of acceptance Beacon said, "I'm going to check Romeo's back trail, hold your fire."
He waited a second and when she didn't object he stepped out onto the trail and policed up the man's pistol as he followed the blood trail a few dozen yards into the trees.
Aside from his curiosity about the pair Beacon wanted to know if they were alone or part of a group. If a group, how large and how well were they armed?
Returning he announced, "Good hit, the way he's bleeding he won't get far before he bleeds out."
The dark space under the pine tree was silent.
"How'd he know your name?"
"Before The Blowup he was a neighbor, and an unwanted suitor. I don't know how long he's been a peeping Tom. After The Blowup he started getting persistent. Then a few days ago, after my dad was killed, he kidnapped Bobo and threatened to kill her if I didn't submit to him."
"Sounds like Lothario was a real class act," Beacon said sarcastically.
"I told him he'd never find me without Bobo and took off running. He had a gun and I didn't, so I ran and hoped he'd use Bobo to track me instead of shooting her," there was a sob in her voice, "I couldn't think of anything else to do."
"Sounds like you've a head
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