Page 128 of The Formation of Us
“No.” Duke shook his head. “Leave Cora here, and we’ll take care of this matter now. No tricks. No trouble. You have my word.”
“Your word means nothing to me, Grayson. We do this my way, not yours.”
“You’ll get what you want, damn it. Right now. Just take that damn gun away from her head.”
A slick smile lifted the judge’s chapped lips. “I won’t hurt this precious little girl unless you do something stupid.”
That precious little girl washislittle girl, and that deranged bastard was playing with her life. Molten fury rose up in Duke, bubbling and surging, seeking a way out. He longed to slam his fists into Stone’s face and pummel the man to death, but he checked his rage for Cora’s sake.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Radford sprint into the yard with a rifle. What the hell? Had Adam run for his brothers instead of the sheriff? His chest cramped and pain ravaged his shoulder. He didn’t want his brothers in danger, too. Damn it all, Radford had a gun but couldn’t shoot; not only was his position bad, but he hadn’t used a gun since the war. Did he think he could simply use the weapon to negotiate the situation? It wouldn’t work. The gun would increase Stone’s desperation. Duke wanted to wave Radford away before the situation got worse, but his brother stopped on his own, crouched beside the greenhouse, observing and waiting, ready to step in if needed.
Faith was seething, her expression outraged as she edged closer to Stone despite Cuvier’s grip on her shoulder. “You’re a judge, for God’s sake! You’re supposed to uphold the law and help people, not rob and threaten them.”
Stone ignored her, tightened his hold on Cora’s scarf and nudged her forward.
Duke’s desperation almost choked him, and he sidestepped to block Stone’s way. “Is it money you want?”
“Stand aside.”
“I’ll give you money. I’ll sign the deed. Anything you want.” He widened his stance, trying to keep his legs from quaking and to counter the woozy feeling that was creeping over him. He was losing too much blood. He had to force Stone to shift that gun away from Cora’s head.
Stone smirked. “It always amazes me what a desperate man will do when his back is to the wall.”
“Me too,” Cuvier said, his lip curled in disgust. “And I’m thinking your brother’s new position as senator is making you a little desperate.”
“Shut up, Cuvier! You’re nothing but a weak, stupid man.”
Cora started crying again.
A neighbor across the street stuck his head out the door and looked in their direction. He’d likely heard the shot, but all he would see was a cluster of people outside. From his distance, he’d likely assume they were visiting, helping a little girl build a snowman.
“Oh, God . . .” Faith’s head was bleeding and she was starting to break down. The situation was escalating out of control, and if Duke didn’t move soon, he wouldn’t have the strength to wrestle the revolver away from Stone.
“I’m c-cold, Daddy,” Cora said.
“I’m going with you, Stone.” Duke would push a confrontation. He would force the son of a bitch to turn the gun on him, and give Faith or Cuvier an opening to grab Cora. “I’ll get the deed and see you safely back to Syracuse.”
“Forget it.” Stone started forward again, but the sound of thundering horse hooves made him pause. The horse raced up the street, then into the yard, and stopped abruptly twenty feet away.
Boyd leapt off Evelyn’s mare, and Duke groaned. Adamhadgone for Radford instead of the sheriff, and likely Evelyn had raced to the mill on her horse to get Boyd and Kyle.
“Hey, fellas, why didn’t you tell me you were having a party?” Boyd asked, swaggering toward them as if they were all old friends.
Stone’s shoulders tensed. “Stay back or I’ll pull this trigger,” he snarled, making Cora sob harder. Her little mouth was wide open, her desperate eyes fixed on Duke, tearing him apart that he couldn’t save and comfort her.
And Boyd was walking into the situation blind. Duke’s heart thundered in his chest.
Boyd froze when he spotted the gun against Cora’s temple, and the look in his eyes turned deadly. “I guess this is invitation only.” He raised his palms as if fending off Stone’s glare, but Duke knew his brother. Boyd understood the situation now and was telling Kyle, who was climbing the creek bank, and Radford, who was still crouched by the greenhouse, that they were all defenseless against Stone’s position. “No need to get cranky over a small breach of etiquette,” he said, taking another casual step toward the judge.
A nauseated, drained feeling washed through Duke, and he knew a bone-deep fear he’d never experienced. If Stone realized he was surrounded and had a gun trained on his back, he’d know things were as bad as they could get. Without Cora to get him out of Fredonia, he was a dead man. And Cora might lose either way.
“What’s a man got to do to get an invitation to the party?” Boyd continued.
“Just take one more step,” Stone growled.
Boyd took the step, and Duke realized what his brother was after. The damn fool was trying to provoke Stone into shooting at him, because the man would have to shift the revolver away from Cora to do it. He was willing to risk a bullet to turn the situation to their advantage. And Duke had to let him do it.
Duke watched Stone’s gun hand, searching for a twitch or tick or shift in his protruding veins that would reveal his intentions. If Stone pulled that trigger and harmed Cora or Boyd, he was a dead man. Duke would use his last breath to rip the man’s heart out.
