Wildstar

"Th-thank you . . ." he gasped, "for . . . helping me."

His gratitude surprised her, but she set her jaw. "I'm only doing it for one reason. Unlike you, I don't want a man's death on my conscience."

"Jessica . . . I'm sorry. . . ."

"It's a bit late for that now, don't you think? My father almost died because of you."

Burke startled her by reaching up to touch her cheek. "You look so much like your mother. . . . I never noticed before. . . . How could I have been so blind?"

Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. She had the distinct feeling they were talking about two entirely different things. She'd thought he'd been apologizing for hurting Riley, maybe even for supporting Purcell, but now she wasn't so sure.

Before she could make any sense of it, the sound of gunfire lessened.

"Hold your fire!" she heard Devlin shout.

She was too far away to see what was happening down below in the rocky canyon, but someone else answered her question. "They got a white flag! They want to surrender!"

Devlin's men quit shooting. The resulting silence after all the explosive gunfire seemed deafening. Jess wished she could see.

Pressing Burke's good hand against the bloody ban­danna to keep up the pressure, she murmured, "Here, hold this. I'll be back in a minute. You'll be all right till then."

She belly-crawled back to the canyon ridge just as Dev­lin called out, "Throw up your hands and walk out slowly."

There was another long silence.

Through the sun-dappled tangle of alders and wild rasp­berry, Jess could see the mouth of the mine tunnel and a glimpse of white. Several figures were making their way down the treacherous trail, hands raised high, the leader waving a flag. Jess had a good idea why they were giving up. The outlaws were trapped and they knew it.

When they reached the bank of the stream and flattened themselves on the ground with hands behind their heads, at Devlin's command, Jess counted six men. "Purcell isn't with them," she whispered to Devlin. "He must still be in the mine."

"Purcell, you, too!" Devlin added after a few moments. "Give yourself up."

"And offer my neck for stretchin'? No way!"

Purcell's distant voice reached her as merely an echo, but the words were clear enough, and not at all encourag­ing. She saw Devlin draw a bead and fire at the mine en­trance in an attempt to force the issue. The rifle report echoed through the canyon.

"Can't we talk this over?" said Purcell. "I don't bargain with killers."

"I ain't no killer!"

"You robbed the Colorado Central and shot two men to death."

"I had nothing to do with those holdups." Another short pause. "But I know who did it. You promise to let me outa here, and I'll tell you all about it."

Purcell was trying to bargain for his freedom, evidently. Jess hoped Devlin wouldn't believe that scoundrel's claim.

"Tell me now," Devlin retorted.

"They're the ones who pulled 'em off."

"That ain't true!" one of the outlaws on the ground yelled. "Purcell's the one told us when the shipments was going out."

"Why, you dirty double-crosser . . ." someone else ex­claimed faintly. Strangely, the voice seemed to come from inside the mine.

The sudden explosion of gunfire from the tunnel startled Jess. She and Devlin ducked, but then raised their heads cautiously. The canyon below was silent; the six outlaws on the ground lay unmoving.

"Purcell's dead," the voice in the mine shouted.

Jess stared, wishing she could see inside that black tun­nel.