Renegades and Stubborn Pride (sequal to Renegades and Pretty Women)

Chapter Seven

                “Jonah, now I know ya were always plenty capable before but…”  Reb began.

                “I’m still plenty capable.” Jonah interrupted him and Reb shifted his feet.

                “Ya ain’t ‘zactly spent the last five years honing yer skills or nothin’.” Reb countered. “Are ya sure ya don’t want to wait ‘til I can help ya out?”

                “My skills are just fine,” Jonah replied. “These bastards threatened what’s mine and I’ll take care of them. You get Joe back to her son.”

                Jonah could see the doubt and worry in Reb’s eye and he sighed. “I’ll be just fine, Reb. They’re all asleep so I’ve got the advantage. Have a little faith in me.”

                Reb nodded and Jonah watched him carry Joe off into the forest with Bart hobbling along behind him.  Jonah watched them until they faded from sight. Taking a deep breath to clear his thoughts and focus on what he knew he had to do, Jonah went back to the camp. The four men were still curled up and sound asleep on their bedrolls.

                Moving silently, and careful not to step on any sticks this time, Jonah walked around the camp and gathered up every gun belt, rifle, bowie knife and pair of boots he could find, taking them to the edge of the woods and laying them in a pile.

                He walked back into camp, found a cast iron skillet beside a set of saddlebags, and picked it and a rock up before coming to a stop beside the glowing campfire. Taking one more breath to steady his nerves, Jonah began to beat the rock against the skillet loudly.             

                “Wake up, ya sleepin’ beauties!” he hollered.

                Instantly the four slumbering men came to alertness and began reaching for the weapons they no longer had beside them and scanning the camp for the intruder.  

                “Who the hell are you!” One of them yelled through swollen lips as he jumped to his feet. “And where’s our guns?”

                “My name is Jonah Winchester, boys, and your guns are in a safe place.”

                “Safe for who?” the man demanded with a snort and Jonah grinned as he tossed the rock to the ground.

                “For me of course. I couldn’t give two shits in hell about what happens to the four of you.”

                “Four of us…..” the man turned and looked at all of his men and then he let out a string of curses as he turned back to Jonah.

                “Where’s Cliff?! Where’s the prisoners?!”

                Jonah shrugged and tested the weight of the cast iron skillet in his hand. “If Cliff was that big guy you had over there acting as guard, then I’m afraid to tell you that he’s dead.” He said with a sigh. “And those prisoners were friends of mine so…..” Jonah shrugged.

                “That was my damn brother!” One of the other men yelled and he ran toward Jonah.

                “Gus, stop!” the first man exclaimed but Gus seemed to be on a mission. Jonah swung the skillet in his hand and caught the man hard in the side of the head. His neck snapped as his head twisted to the side and then he fell to the ground, rolling limply before coming to a stop and staring, unseeing, into the fire. Jonah winced. He hadn’t meant to kill the man….. Guess he was stronger, and more angry, than he’d given himself credit for.