Buck Wilmington pushed his way through the swinging doors of the saloon and stepped into the bright late afternoon sun. Lightly putting on his hat, he walked over to an old chair on the porch and sat down. Leaning back, he gazed up the street and looked in the other direction.
It had been 4 days since Chris and Ezra had left to get a prisoner and they were due back today. Buck didn't know why, but he was worried. He had a gut feeling that trouble would be follow them back. Squinting against the sun, Buck saw Vin and Nathan walk out of the General Store and towards the saloon where Buck sat.
"They back yet?" Vin asked Buck.
Just as Buck was about to answer 'no', the familiar sounds of horses hooves on the dirt was heard, and the three men turned to see Ezra, Chris, and their prisoner riding up the street. They stopped in front of the jail and dismounted their horses. The three men by the saloon watched in amusement as Chris roughly yanked the man in chains off his horse, and shove him into the jail, followed by Ezra. A few minutes later, Chris and Ezra walked out and over to the saloon. As they approached, Vin saw that Chris had a cut on his forehead that looked pretty painful.
"How'd you manage that, Chris?" Vin asked, referring to wound.
"That son-of-a-bitch refused to come easily. Tried to escape twice." Chris replied dryly, bringing his hand up to his head, then pulling it away to see blood. Nathan could tell that it was nothing serious, so he left Chris alone. "I was tempted to let him go just so I could shoot him."
Vin smiled, knowing full well that Chris would have if he hadn't been obliged to bring the prisoner in. "So, you boys care to join me for a drink?" Without waiting for an answer, Vin turned and walked into the saloon, the rest following him.
"Ezra," Buck asked, "How is it that you haven't a scratch on you, but yet Chris here does?"
"I was otherwise engaged at the time of the incident." Ezra drawled.
"He was cheating $75 dollars off a man in a card game." Chris muttered, pushing his way through the doors of the saloon. Ezra looked at Buck, and they both laughed.
+ + + + + + +
JD rushed over to the table in the far corner of the saloon and sat down. The other six at the table, including Josiah who had just joined them, stopped their conversations and looked at the Sheriff.
"We got trouble, Chris. That prisoner, Griffin, that you two brought in," JD said to Chris and Ezra, "Claims that you robbed the bank in Jericho and that he's got proof." JD spoke quickly.
Chris looked up from his whiskey and squinted at JD. The others just sat with confused looks on their faces.
"And just when was it that I robbed this bank?" Chris' voice was filled with amusement.
"He says about 2 weeks ago." JD looked worried.
"That lyin son-of-a-bitch. JD, you know that two weeks ago I was here helpin Josiah with the church, remember. He's probably just mad cause I didn't let him escape." Chris replied calmly, filling up his shot glass again.
Buck cleared his throat. "Uh, Chris, I really hate to say this, but two weeks ago, you did leave town for two days. Remember you had to pick up those bonds for the bank?"
Chris shot Buck an ugly look. "What the hell are you tryin to say Buck? You think I robbed that bank?" Chris glared at his friend.
"Hell no, I ain't sayin that. I am sayin that if this guy Griffin talks to a judge, there could be trouble, cause you left town by yourself just when this guy says you committed the robbery. That's all I'm sayin." Buck looked around the table. The other five men looked at Buck with looks of understanding. They knew he was right…and so did Chris.
Downing the glass quickly Chris set it back on the table. He stared at Buck for a few minutes, then looked at JD. "What else did he say?"
"That he's got friends that are gonna be comin after him. That they want you cause he said that you…that you killed a helpless bank teller in the holdup."
"What?" Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. The other men at the table were shocked as well. Ezra shook his head. He didn't know Chris that well, but he did know that he would never kill a bank teller, or rob a bank for that matter.
"He said they'd be comin into town tonight, and he wanted me to give you a message." JD was silent.
Chris, Buck, Vin, Josiah, Nathan, and Ezra stared at the Sheriff. "Well?" Vin and Chris asked in unison.
"He wanted me to tell you that he's gonna make you suffer for killing his wife." JD dropped his eyes from Chris'.
"Ah shit." Chris swore. He knew that this would make things a lot more difficult. Gritting his teeth, Chris put on his hat that had been sitting on the table beside him, and stood.
"Where are you going?" Ezra asked at seeing the look in the gunfighters eyes.
"To take a walk." Chris turned and walked out of the saloon. The remaining men stayed quiet for a few minutes.
"Well, gents, I believe I am going to go keep an eye on him, make sure he don't go doin anything that will get him in even more trouble." Buck put on his own hat and left the saloon.
"Who's up for a game of poker?" Ezra asked with a mischievous grin on his face, pulling a deck of cards out of his sleeve.
+ + + + + + +
As Chris Larabee strode slowly down the street in the dark, he began thinking that maybe it was time to move on. Things around here had been getting better, and there was less trouble now that word had gotten out about the seven men that protected the town. He didn't like the feeling of belonging somewhere. The feeling that he was tied down made him feel vulnerable. He needed to get somewhere no one knew him. He had nothing expected of him. He could just blend in with the crowd and not be noticed until he wanted to be.
There had been a time when he was happy staying in one place. But then, he had something to stay for: a family and a home. He had been happy then. When that all came crashing down, he'd changed. That side of Chris Larabee had died.
Buck Wilmington watched his friend from the steps of the saloon. Chris walked slowly down the street, his head low. Buck could tell he was thinking about things. Things that Buck hoped one day he'd be able to leave behind. Shaking his head, Buck turned and walked towards the boarding house, leaving his friend to himself. He would be causing no trouble tonight.
+ + + + + + +
The streets were empty that night as three strangers rode into town. There were four of them on the trip, but one was making camp just outside of town. The other three went into town to check things out. As they passed buildings, they made a quick note of where the saloon and the jail were. These were the two places they would need. The saloon because they knew that's where Larabee spent most of his time, and the jail so they could break out Griffin. As they passed the boarding house, a man wearing a nice red jacket exited the building in front of them. The man passed in front of them, and with only a second quick glance, he crossed the street and entered the saloon. Quickly turning, they headed back out of town to get ready for the next day.
+ + + + + + +
As Buck and Nathan sat on the porch of the saloon the next morning, they were talking about various things when they heard yelling coming from the jailhouse. They got up quickly and rushed over to the other building. As the sound of a gunshot filled the air, they pulled out their guns and ran faster. As they made their way through the door, they were greeted with guns pointed at their chests. The prisoner that Chris and Ezra had brought to Four Corners lay dead in his cell from a gunshot wound to the chest. JD stood over in the corner with a gun pointed at his head by a tall man. Three guns were pointed at Buck and Nathan.
"Put your guns down, or the young fella gets his head blown off." One of the men facing Buck and Nathan spat. Not wanting to take any chances yet, Buck and Nathan did as they were told.
"Now," the man turned to JD, "you killed my brother, and I should kill you anyway, but the way I figure, you're more valuable to me alive. You three are all friends of Larabee's, aren't you?"
"What the hell do you want?!" Buck's voice was full of rage.
"I want to rip Larabee's heart out. It's as simple as that. And you all are going to help me."
"Go to hell." Nathan looked angrier than JD had ever seen him.
"I'm going to ignore that. Now, shall we go find Larabee? Lead the way." The man pointed his gun at Buck, telling him to turn and walk. Doing as he was told, Buck walked out of the door, followed by the leader of the group, then Nathan, JD, and the other gunmen. As they filed out onto the street, Buck was unsure what to do. Normally, he would have overpowered them, but this looked like a tough group. Regretting his actions before he even did them, he started walking towards the saloon where Chris sat inside. I hate myself for this.
+ + + + + + +
Chris looked up from his hand of poker cards as a group of men entered the saloon. Chris saw that Buck, Nathan, and JD were among them, all with guns pointed at their backs. Immediately, Chris' hand went to his gun, and he wrapped his hand around the cool metal, but stayed seated. Buck looked over in his direction, and Chris saw a look of sadness. The tallest man of the group spoke up.
"Which one of you is Larabee?!" His voice was loud, causing all activity in the saloon to cease. Vin, Ezra, and Josiah, who were playing cards with Chris, all looked at each other, but said nothing. Chris threw his hand on the table and stood up. Vin had to admit that he admired Chis' courage.
"Who the hell are you?" Chris snapped. His eyes held an anger that the other six had seen enough times to know that someone was gonna pay.
"Name's Frank. You Larabee?"
"What the hell do you want?" Chris didn't bother to answer the question. He looked over at Buck, and nodded slightly, trying to let him know he understood.
"You killed a good friend of mine, and she was also my brother's wife. Your sheriff saw fit to kill my brother, so it's up to me now to take care of things."
"From what I saw, your brother deserved to get shot." Chris' voice was ice.
Frank was overcome with anger and he suddenly lunged at Chris and they fell to the floor together. Vin, Ezra, and Josiah were on their feet in a second, guns pointed at the men that held JD and Nathan. Not wanting to get shot, the men lowered their own guns. Chris and Frank still fought on the floor. All everyone else could do was watch. Chris gained the upper hand and was about to throw one last punch to knock out Frank when the sound of a gunshot filled the air. Chris slumped to the floor beside Frank, a bullet wound on his chest.
The other six men were on Frank in a second. They took away his gun and pulled him up. JD, Vin and Josiah then led the four now unarmed men back to the jail. Nathan ran over and knelt beside Chris. He was pale and unconscious. Buck stood nearby, wishing that he had never led Frank here. Chris had gotten shot because of him.
+ + + + + + +
Buck sat beside Chris' bed. It had been two days since Frank and his brothers had been taken to another town to jail, where they would stand trial. Chris still had not woken up. He had been shot in the chest, and Nathan was surprised he hadn't been killed instantly. Buck now wondered if his best friend would ever wake up.
Getting out of his chair and crossing the room, Buck gazed out the window at the street below. The other five men of the group were all on the jail porch talking. As he looked down at the five men, a low moan escaped from Chris. Turning, Buck was surprise to see Chris open his eyes slowly.
"Hey there buddy! 'Bout time you woke up." Buck knew he had a big grin on his face, but he didn't care. "We've been worried about you."
"What happened?" Chris' voice was scratchy.
"You got in a little bit of a brawl in the saloon with that Frank fella. Remember? He shot you."
"Where's he?"
"Gone. Don't worry about it."
"Not worried. I wanted to rip his throat out." Chris closed his eyes sleepily as Nathan entered the room.
"Hey there! You awake! That's great! How you feelin?" Nathan walked further into the room as Vin, JD, Josiah and Ezra came in. The room was full.
"Tired."
"Why the hell are you tired! You just slept two days straight!" Buck tried a smile.
Chirs just grinned and closed his eyes again. "Hard to sleep with you pacing all the time." Chris grinned bigger. Buck's smile faded.
"I was worried!" he exclaimed in defense. The others just laughed.
+ + + + + + +
Chris walked into the saloon and over to the bar. Sitting down gingerly, he asked for whiskey. The bartender smiled and handed Chris a full bottle and a glass. As downed the first shot, he smiled. It'd been too long since he'd had a drink. It had been almost two weeks since he'd been shot.
"Hey there pard! Since when do you drink alone?" Buck came in and sat on the stool to the right of Chris. The bartender set another shot glass in front of Buck, who filled it immediately.
"Sorry I led those guys to you." Buck said quietly, then downed the shot.
"Don't worry 'bout it." Chris poured himself another shot. "I'm leaving town for a while."
Buck turned and faced Chris. He stayed silent for a few seconds. Chris lifted his eyes to Bucks. Buck saw that he was dead serious. "What? Chris, we've got a lot goin here for us! We are here employed by Judge Travis. You can't just pack up and leave! I know you Chris. You won't come back will you?" Chris just stared at his glass as Buck spoke rapidly.
"I already talked to the Judge last time he was here. He was unsure at first, but I convinced him that you six would still be here. He agreed." Chris dropped his eyes back to his drink. Buck couldn't believe what he was hearing. If Chris said he'd talked to the Judge on his last visit, that meant Chris knew he was leaving for three weeks. "Chris, come on!"
"What's going on?" Chris and Buck turned and saw Ezra standing behind them.
"Nothin." Chris said and turned back to face his drink.
"Really?" Ezra didn't believe them. He stood silently behind them. Buck sighed. "Chris is leaving for a while." Chris shot Buck a angry look, then let it fade.
"What?" Ezra's eyes grew wide. He had always figured that he would be the first one to leave, but now he actually wanted to stay. He thought they made a great team. "You're leaving, Mr. Larabee? How long will you be gone?"
"Chris' leaving?!" JD rushed into the saloon, and up to the bar, followed by Josiah, Nathan, and Vin. Chris sighed and turned angrily, catching the others by surprise. He faced them and their looks of surprise.
"Yeah. I'm leavin." He downed another shot of whiskey, set money on the counter, and turned to walk out. Buck grabbed his sleeve. Chris shook off his hand quickly and looked at him. He flinched as his chest began to hurt again. They said nothing to each other. Chris nodded to the others and walked out of the saloon.
"Buck, why the hell is he leavin?!" JD was shocked.
Buck looked at the five men. They all looked as if they expected him to give them an explanation. He didn't know what to say. "He's never liked stayin in one place long. I guess he's tired of this place. Plus, the Judge said he could go." Buck said the last part slowly.
No one said anything. Ezra walked up to the bar and got a drink, while the rest went and sat at a nearby table. "Where do you think he's goin?" Vin asked quietly. From the bar, Ezra smiled. These men were all known for their rough reputations, for being tough men, but yet when one of them was leaving, they all got concerned. Ezra went and sat down at the table with the others.
"Don't know. Probably just start riding. He did that for three years after…" Buck's voice trailed off as Mrs. Travis entered the saloon. Seeing the six men seated at the table in the corner, she made her way over to them.
"Excuse me Gentlemen, have you seen Mr. Larabee?"
Buck cleared his throat. "Uh ma'am, I believe he went to his room."
"Thank you Mr. Wilmington." With that, Mary Travis turned and left the saloon in search of Chris.
+ + + + + + +
An hour later, Chris was inside the livery getting ready to leave. Tightening the saddle on his horse, he took the reins and walked outside, leading his horse. Mounting his horse gingerly as a stab of pain raced through him, he turned in time to see his six friends exit the saloon. They stood on the porch, just watching him. Chris mounted his horse across the street from them. They all stared at each other for a few seconds. When Chris looked at Buck, he nodded. They had been best friends for a long time, and Buck knew that Chris just needed space. He just hoped the gunfighter would be careful. He had a lot of enemies out there.
Looking at the rest of the group, they nodded at Chris, no words were spoken. Chris tipped his hat. Quickly he spurred his horse and tore out of Four Corners in a cloud of dust.
+ + + + + + +
After a few minutes of silence, Vin and Ezra turned and walked back into the saloon. Nathan and Josiah walked off towards the church. Buck and JD remained on the porch. JD turned to Buck.
"You think he'll ever come back?"
"I don't know kid. Maybe. Hope so." Buck tuned and walked off, leaving JD alone with his thoughts. JD had come to admire the gunfighter ever since he saw Vin and Chris save Nathan from hanging. The tall blond man had more courage than any of them had ever seen. It was just sad that he had gotten that courage from the fact that he simply did not care if he died, and that worried them all.
Four days later…
Mary Travis rushed into the hotel. She was desperately looking for the six men that guarded the town. After searching and finding that they weren't in the hotel, she rushed over to the jail. Mary as rewarded with the sight of the men she'd been looking for inside talking. As she made her entrance, she could tell that her face held a worried expression, because all conversation stopped.
"Why, what ever is the matter, Mrs. Travis?" Ezra asked.
"I just came from the saloon. Ed there told me that this afternoon there were some outlaws in there talking about killing Mr. Larabee." Mary's voice echoed the concern in her eyes.
Buck looked to the others. It had been a long time since they'd heard a word about their friend, and this was not what they were hoping for. "Are they still in the saloon ma'am?" Vin stood, preparing to leave after the outlaws.
"No. Ed said that they left about an hour ago." The six men all stood and walked past Mrs. Travis and outside. They made their way over to the saloon to have a talk with Ed, the bartender. Vin walked in first, followed by Nathan, then the others. Ed saw them walk in and quickly stepped out from behind the bar. Meeting them in the center of the saloon, Ed spoke first.
"I take it Mrs. Travis told you already."
"Yeah, she did." Buck answered. "What happened?"
"There were four men in here 'bout an hour ago. They were making a lot of noise, and askin about Mr. Larabee. Said they were lookin to kill 'im. I told them they better git 'fore you all showed, and they finally did. Told the people here that if they see him, they better tell him to get ready to die. Then they took off."
"They say what for?" Josiah asked the bartender.
"Just said Chris was gonna be sorry he messed with their friend. Said his name was Griffin." Buck nodded his thanks and Ed went back to the bar. "Another bunch looking for revenge. Buck thought quietly.
"Excuse me." The six men turned and faced Charlie, the telegram operator. "This just came in. It's addressed to you, Mr. Tanner." Handing over the brown piece of paper, Charlie left. Vin saw that there was no way to tell who had sent the telegram, the first hint of bad news. Vin scanned over the paper quickly then passed it to Ezra, who was standing right beside him. Ezra read it aloud to the group.
"Tanner, you and them boys you ride with are not to go in search of your other partner, Larabee. Stay in town, or we'll kill all of you and him.
"Well, that's sure short, sweet, and to the point. What do you all propose that we do?" The group of men made their way over to a table and sat down.
"So that means they're going after him." JD hesitated. "I think we should go after them."
"Dunno. They did say they'd kill him." Buck didn't want to take any chances.
"I say we stay. Chris can take care of himself, and we don't even know if they'll find him." Vin knew that the others agreed.
"Then it's settled." Nathan said as he poured himself a drink. "We stay."
+ + + + + + +
Early the next morning, Nathan, Josiah, Vin and Ezra were in the saloon playing a game of poker, when JD came running through the doors. Without bothering to even come all the way inside, he yelled, "Come on fellas! Looks like Chris' back!" then he made his way back out to the street.
The men at the table put their cards down and walked outside. Sure enough, walking slowly down the street, the tall figure of Chris Larabee was seen leading a group of 4 horses, one of them his own. He was walking in front of them, leading them by the reins. On each of the horses sat one man, all with hands tied in front of them. Ed, who came out of the saloon with everyone else, spoke to Vin. "Mr. Tanner, those are the men from the other night I was telling you 'bout." Vin nodded then continued to watch Chris. The man looked tired. He walked straight to the jail, not looking at anyone on the street. As he tied the horses to the rail in front of the Sheriff's office, JD stood on the porch watching. Coming out of his trance, he walked down the steps and helped Chris get the men off the horses. Without a word, Chris led them inside. People on the streets talked in hushed voices. A few went back to what they had been doing, but most stayed still, watching the jailhouse.
After a few minutes, Chris Larabee walked out of the door and over to his horse, which he had put a prisoner on. Taking off his saddle bag, he threw it over his left shoulder, and crossed the street to the boarding house, disappearing inside.
JD came out of the jailhouse and made his way to the front of the saloon, where Josiah, Nathan, Ezra, Buck, and Vin were standing.
"Well, JD, those were the guys lookin for Chris huh?" Nathan asked the Sheriff.
"Yeah. From the looks of it, they wish they hadn't. Ones got a broken arm looks like, and another's pretty beat up."
Sighing, Nathan said slowly, "I guess I better go have a look." He was not looking forward to having to help these men in any way. As he made his way to the jail, JD looked at the others. "Where'd he go?"
"Boarding house." Vin indicated, tilting his head across the street.
Just as he spoke, Chris exited the building. Lighting up a cheroot before stepping off onto the street, he walked over to the men. Before anyone could speak, Chris took a long drag off the thin cigar. He spoke in a harsh voice. "If anymore people come around here looking for revenge, I swear I'll shoot them dead where the stand." He was about to make his way into the saloon for the whiskey he'd been craving when Buck stopped him.
"You knew they were coming after you?"
"Yeah. Figured if I lured them out of town, no one'd get hurt." Chris smiled weakly, then went into the saloon. The others following. As he sat down at the bar, Josiah asked him, "So you weren't leavin' after all, were you?" Josiah smiled.
"Nope. Just had to make it look like I was. I was thinking that way I could kill them with no witnesses, but I guess I'm starting to get a conscious. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure it's got somethin' to do with you, Josiah." Chris smiled as he downed a shot of whiskey.
The seven men, now that Nathan had returned, made their way over to a table and began a game of poker. Chris and JD just watched as the others played. Soon they were all talking and joking like they had before things had gotten so complicated.
Chris smiled. He was glad to be home. It had been a long five days, and he'd missed the six men he rode with. Over the last few months, he'd come to think of them all as great friends. But of course, they'd never hear that from him.
The End
