The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

109: To the Death

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork of Fiona made of found images by me. All graphics by me.

Book 1: The Green, Book 2: Lynch's Boys, Book 3: The Road Home, and the Riders & Kickers Anthology are available on Amazon under the name Regina Shelley. So if you hate waiting for chapter posts and/or want a more polished read, the finished product is available now.

Fiona tasted blood. She was wrapped around Hezekiah Stone's neck and shoulders like a night hag in a fairy tale, her teeth clamped onto his ear so hard she was fairly certain she'd bitten through the cartilage. He jerked forward, wheezing and gasping, nearly throwing her off.

She was glad her hands were bound. She would never have had the strength to keep her wrists around his throat otherwise. She locked her ankles together around his chest and hauled harder on her arms.

Jesse was scrambling back into the fight. She could hear him shouting and cursing, but everything in the world narrowed down to one, single pinpoint of purpose: don't let Stone throw me off. Because if I do, he'll kill Jesse. And then he'll kill me.

Stone swung an arm backwards, connecting brutally with her head and shaking loose her grip on his ear. She gasped, lights flickering in her vision. And I don't want to die in this Godforsaken hell-hole and never see Storm again. Stone was clawing at her arms, trying vainly to pull them from neck throat, screaming as she sank her teeth into his whiskered cheek.

Still Water Woman was dragging Eagle Bone away. The brave was bloodied and unconscious, and the sight further inflamed Fiona's rage. Jesse was shouting at her, his voice frantic. "Fiona! Shitfire, girl, let go before he kills you!"

Stone was weakening. He desperately reached back and grabbed a handful of her hair, tearing her away from his face. Hot blood ran over her chin as Jesse slammed into Stone, throwing him off balance and bringing him to a knee. The big man grunted, twisting violently as he fell hard onto his side. Pain rocketed up her arm and shoulder as he threw her over his head and slammed her into the dirt and loose rock. The impact froze her breath in her chest, paralyzing her with pain. She curled into an agony-wracked ball in the dirt, gasping and unable to get up or even breathe. Through watering eyes, she saw Jesse, grappling a wheezing, coughing Stone. Blood smeared Jesse's neck and shoulder and stained his loose-fitting hide shirt. He's hurt...and he's half Stone's size...I have to...oh, bloody hell. She tried rolling to her side, but the fresh explosion of pain flaring in her shoulder stunned her, left her writhing like a speared fish. I think I may have broken my arm...

The men were grappling like lions beside her, desperately fighting over control of Stone's knife. Jesse was holding onto the man's wrist with both hands, shoving with all his might, his arms shaking with effort. The moment he tires, it's all over. Her shocked lungs were convulsing as she fought to get them working again.

"Jesse..." she groaned, knowing she was going to see him killed at any moment. Stone rolled over, throwing Jesse to the ground under him and swinging his knife around. He bellowed with rage and frustration, throwing a massive shoulder into the killing stroke. She sobbed in despair, squeezing her eyes shut as Jesse cried out. "No," she whispered, begging the night as it rolled over them. Please, no...

"Fiona." Jesse's voice was a hoarse rasp.

She opened her eyes to see him struggling to free himself from beneath Stone's dead weight. He was covered in blood, and holding a badly lacerated forearm in front of him. But he's alive. And Stone's not getting up. How...?

Crawling his way to her, he tried to stop his hands from shaking enough to free her from her bonds. "Are you bad hurt?" His voice was trembling and thin. "We gotta find Storm and Mr. Lynch."

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