VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, [6] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 13:10:06 11/18/02 Mon
Author: CCCook
Subject: Re: Never Look Back - Part IV
In reply to: CCCook 's message, "Never Look Back - Part IV" on 12:17:51 11/18/02 Mon

From Soldier Blue:

The documents landed on Hank’s table with a soft thump. Hank raised his eyes to McKay in the gloom of the empty private parlour at the back of the saloon, staring at him through a haze of cigar smoke. “Well?” he drawled at last.

“Charley Wilde was afraid of Ryan McKay,” the sergeant explained. “He gathered the proof of Ryan’s shady dealings an’ locked them inside that safety box. A way of takin’ his revenge after death.”

Hank didn’t look at the documents. “Now you have what you need to bring him to justice,” he said ironically. “How should this concern me?”

“If we bring him to justice,” McKay replied impatiently, “he won’t be of any help to the Thatchers. If, on the other hand, we use this documents to reason with him, we might convince him to help us prove those kids were framed by Charley Wilde. If Matthew Cooper withdraws his charges, they’ll get off easy.”

“Reason with him? You’re talkin’ ‘bout blackmail, man. A good example for the young ‘uns.”

“I know!” McKay said, frustrated at not being able to see any other way out. “I don’t like it either. That’s why I’ll take care of this matter outside my official appointment.”

“An’ you forget Ryan’s got it in for me. So how do I figure in all this?”

“Ya gotta come with me, Hank. I can’t do it alone, an’ you too need to get this business straightened out.”

Hank’s face was suddenly flushed with rage. He threw the end of the cigar into a corner and stood up, staring at McKay’s face. He’d felt like punching him, were it not that they had come to blows before and he feared this time would not be as satisfactory. “The only way it could get straightened out is if Ryan blasts me to hell! Other ‘n that, all I gotta do is to stay away from him!”

“Maybe if you talked to him...”

“He ain’t the talkin’ kind, McKay, you saw that!”

McKay let out a breath. “Alright. I s’pose I’ll have to face this on my own.” He turned on his heels and walked out of the room. He didn’t even have a plan, and whatever he could think about it didn’t look very good for him if he went to face Ryan alone with a pack of incriminating documents.

“We’ll see the extent of his attachment to the family,” he thought bitterly, rubbing the scar of his palm, as he walked towards Loren’s store to get what he needed for his fateful mission.

***

Hank sank back on his chair, swearing, cursing the name of all the McKays that ever walked the face of the earth. Remaining there holed up in his saloon felt nice. But holed up for how long? Ryan had already shown he could get to him... and to the people he loved. Otherwise, he could do what that damn McKay said, go to Manitou and... and what? The best solution he could envision was killing Ryan before he killed him. But then Ryan would not be able to help the Thatchers, and they’d be back to square one.

Could they reason with Ryan? Could they hope to make an exchange, his testimony against the documents? McKay could accomplish that on his own. If Hank went with him, that would topple the balance. His life would have to enter the bargain. They would both need to convince him to help the Thatchers and to give up his desire of revenge towards Hank. Much more complicated.

On the other hand, if McKay needed a hand to gang up on Ryan...

But it was absurd, Hank said to himself, brushing that little voice away. Two people didn’t make such a difference, compared to one. Ryan had hosts of henchmen at his service. No, it was useless. McKay on his own would have more chances of making it.

Unless...

He jumped up and ran out of the room, suddenly sick of inactivity. Never be it said that Hank Lawson was a coward. He reached his own room and took out his gun, belt and holster. The next train for Manitou was in little more than half an hour. Certainly McKay would want to catch it. The circuit judge could be in Colorado Springs any day now. He hoped McKay had the sense to leave the documents into safe custody...

“What are you doing?”

Hank turned sharply and on the threshold stood Myra, staring at him with a horrified expression.

“Gotta take care of business,” he replied curtly. “Be back soon.”

“You’re gonna take on Ryan, aren’t you?”

Hank finished checking his ammunition and looked at her. “Can’t run away forever, Myra.”

Myra looked at him with sad eyes. She knew him too well to even try to stop him. “Just be careful,” she said in a low voice.

“Hey,” Hank said, with his mocking grin, “it’s me.”

Myra sighed and produced a half-smile. Instinctively, she stepped into the room and threw her arms around him, laying her head on his strong chest, wishing for reassurance and knowing instead he was going towards trouble.

Hank wanted to ask her to look after Jensen and Zach just in case, but he couldn’t. He had to trust her good judgement. And he knew that should something happen to him, she’d take things in hand. Grateful and regretful, trying to hold off sentimentalism, he stroked her hair, then bent his head and gave her a goodbye kiss, a quick, fond reminder of past times.

Someone else was at large in that moment. Jensen stopped dead in her tracks in front of Hank’s room, then blinked, tore her gaze away and silently disappeared before either of them noticed her.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.