Page 7 of Cowboy's Last Stand
Jason stayed very still while the trio climbed into a souped-up Pontiac Firebird.They drove away in a squeal of tires.
Jason lifted his backpack from the ground and settled it on his shoulders.The threat to Natalie’s safety was over.The men who’d heckled her were gone.Jason had no reason to stay.He needed to walk away and clear his head.
He’d already scoped out a place to spend the night.There was a designated campground about ten miles north of town, but he didn’t head that direction.He left the historic district and entered a quiet neighborhood of modest, single-family homes.
A light mist began to fall, and moisture dripped from the leaves overhead, masking the sound of his footsteps.It also reduced visibility, but he located his destination easily.A pair of stone gargoyles guarded the entrance of a small park at the end of a dark stretch of sidewalk.Gnarled live oak trees lined both sides, branches outstretched like ghostly limbs.
Jason glanced over the stone wall and checked the park in a quick scan.The gargoyles didn’t bother him.Dense trees offered plenty of cover.There was a flat, open area with picnic tables and a deserted playground.The public restrooms were convenient.He could sleep here, underneath an oak tree, and no one would be the wiser.Most public parks weren’t suited for overnight visits, and he preferred a quiet spot in the woods to anything within city limits, but he was dead tired.It was late, and he’d already walked his fill today.Tomorrow, he’d search for a more appropriate place to camp and reconsider his life choices.
Jason continued toward the front entrance of the park.He wasn’t concerned with stealth because the neighborhood was deserted.A single car cruised down the quiet street.Jason’s muscles tensed as he recognized it as the Pontiac from the Night Owl.The car drove past him, executed a swift U-turn, and jerked to a stop.
He’d been spotted.
Instead of ducking into the park, Jason stood his ground.He wouldn’t flee the scene in fear.He hoped Billy was inside that car, ready to mix it up.Jason didn’t mind getting his hands dirty.He was looking forward to a physical confrontation.He wanted bruised knuckles and bloody fists.
When three men emerged from the vehicle, Jason realized it wouldn’t be a fair fight, and he didn’t give a damn.
He shrugged out of his backpack and tossed it aside.He needed a full range of motion for self-defense.The odds were stacked against him, and he knew he shouldn’t risk another head injury.He was still recovering from the last one, growing stronger every day.But Natalie’s face floated in his mind, drowning out all thoughts of his own safety.She’d been mistreated, and he couldn’t let it stand.
Within seconds, they’d surrounded him, and there was no mistaking Billy’s intent.He pounded a fist into his palm while his two dullard friends stood by.Up close, Jason noticed the family resemblance and guessed they were brothers.
“You lost?”Billy asked.
“No,” Jason replied.
“Bus don’t run till morning,” one of the friends said.
Jason hadn’t even noticed the bus stop, which was nearby.He didn’t travel by bus, ever.“Thanks for the tip.”
“You don’t belong here, drifter,” Billy said.“Get out of my town.”
Jason didn’t see any weapons on them.He was outnumbered, but they were unarmed, drunk, and stupid.“I’ll leave when I’m ready.”
Billy’s nostrils flared in outrage.Then his gaze shifted to the road, and Jason heard the faint sound of a dying vehicle.He searched the dark street, his tension rising.The car in question was a vintage bug.Although he couldn’t make out her features, he knew the woman behind the wheel was Natalie.
Shit.
Of all the rotten luck.
He was trying to finish this nasty business outdoors, away from her workplace, and here she was, about to stumble into the fray again.Jason turned to face his opponent.He hoped she’d stay in her car and not interfere.
“Look who’s coming to join the fun,” Billy said.“We’ll show her a real good time after we’re done with you.”
Jason widened his stance in anticipation.The threat to her safety, on top of the rude words Billy had spoken earlier, filled him with fury.She didn’t deserve this.No woman did, but she was special.She was the reason he’d come here.Fate had called him to this moment, and rage sent him hurtling to meet it.His vision darkened, his mind disconnected from his body, and his only thought was to tear them all apart.
His closest target was one of the brothers.He lifted his fists to strike.
“Kick his ass, Stan,” Billy ordered.
Stan drew back his meaty arm and took a swing.Jason gave him points for initiative if not execution.Jason ducked easily, shuffled his feet, and returned the favor.He scored a direct hit to the chin.The man dropped his fists and staggered backward, eyelashes fluttering.He went down like a ton of bricks.
The second brother stepped up with a roar of anger.He was more mobile than Stan, with a shorter range and lighter fists.Jason parried with him for a couple of turns.One of the brother’s punches landed, smashing Jason’s ear.It rattled him, so Jason made him pay with a couple of quick, hard strikes.The man joined his brother on the ground.
Billy seemed shocked by the ferocity of Jason’s attack.Jason relaxed his stance.The brothers were too stunned to move, and Billy didn’t stand a chance against him.Surely, he understood that after the demonstration Jason had just given.
“Go home,” Jason said.“You’re drunk.”
“Fuck you,” Billy said softly.His eyes were an eerie, bloodshot blue in the moonlight.“I’m not going anywhere.”
