Of course, in order to do that, Slim would need to kill the thing that ran the saloon. And that would queer the deal—assuming Slim got off a shot before the thing killed him.

Why hadn’t Judd killed Slim quick and quiet? Or had he, and this was just a way to explain the other man’s absence? No way to tell, and no time to ask.

“My men will take over the train station and shoot any of the Others who are still in there,” Durango said.

Parlan’s hands went cold. Taking over the station wasn’t part of the plan. Not his plan, anyway. “And the Bonney boys?”

The other men looked at each other and shrugged.

“Taking care of their own business, I guess,” William Parker said.

“We’ve got enough men, whether Frank and Eli show up or not.” Judd gave Parlan a cold smile, as if he’d already set payback in motion for the anticipated double-cross.

Parlan remembered the one other person who wasn’t in the room. “Where’s Dalton?”

“Probably going round to have a talk with his bitch sister,” Judd replied. “I found out she was in town and where she lived.”

“And you told him?” He’d told no one that he’d seen Abigail in town because he hadn’t wanted anyone in the family distracted by that news.

Judd smiled. “I did. Figured she owed him more than she owed me.”

Parlan bit back his anger. “It could have waited until after the fight.”

Judd’s smile turned mocking. “We’ve got enough men for this fight. We’ll win it without him.”

Durango Jones and the Parkers were watching this byplay with growing suspicion. If Judd McCall was turning on Parlan Blackstone just before a fight, something was very wrong.

Trying to regain the upper hand, Parlan said, “You have a feeling we’re going to win?”

Judd’s smile sharpened. “Don’t you?”

* * *

* * *

Even Rusty’s wild barking couldn’t compete with the pounding on the screen door’s frame.

Running to the front of the house, Barb grabbed the pup’s collar and stared at Kenneth Stone, who stood there wringing his hands.

“Maddie?” she asked, hoping he said no. She was still putting together emergency supplies. She wasn’t ready to flee if that’s what Kenneth had come to tell her.

“No.” Kenneth hesitated. “I have a feeling the doctors need to be at the hospital today. It’s a very strong feeling.”

“We’ve barely got the hospital open and only for emergencies,” Barb protested.

“There’s going to be an emergency.” His eyes pleaded with her. “Evan says you should call because Jana is your housemate. The doc will think I’m overreacting, but he’ll listen to you. Please.”

Intuits were sure there was going to be an emergency. Oh gods.

“I’ll call. Are you packed in case … ?”

“Almost, but Kane is uneasy about something and keeps getting in the way. Almost bit me when I came over to talk to you. Didn’t want me leaving the house.”

“Go home. Stay inside. I’ll make the call.”

* * *

* * *

Looking out the door of the land agent’s office, Jana couldn’t see the other side of the square, didn’t know when the men would walk out and do the posturing that, hopefully, wouldn’t end in a real fight.

“Anything we should do?” Dawn Werner asked as she cuddled her puppy to keep it quiet.

“Stay inside and stay away from the windows until you get the all clear,” Jana replied.

She felt a puff of air against her neck a moment before Dawn gasped.

“Deputy Jana, a Hawk says there is a stranger sniffing around the Maddie’s house,” Air said. “The stranger has a gun. Kane is staying inside to protect the sweet blood.”

Which left everyone else on the street unprotected. “Tell Virgil I’m heading to Maddie’s house to back up Kane.”

Jana went out the back door of the land agent’s office and ran to her vehicle. She’d parked on the street instead of in the parking lot behind the sheriff’s office. Now she was glad of the extra precaution since she could drive away without anyone in the town square being the wiser.

“I’m coming, Kane,” she whispered. “Hold on.”

* * *

* * *

Abigail stuffed a dress and two sets of underwear into a small carryall. She added her prosperity and protection stones and all the money she could find around the house—including the stash she’d found in an envelope taped to the underside of the drawer in her bedside table.

She had the feeling that she had to get out, had to get away, had to leave now.

She stuffed a large bottle of water, a jar of peanut butter, a sleeve of crackers, and a spoon into the carryall.

She dashed out the front door—and froze when a voice said, “You bitch. You’re the reason my name is on a wanted poster.”

* * *

* * *

Barb listened to the doctor tell her with growing impatience that he wasn’t going to the hospital today, that he had office hours today, that there was no reason …

“Doc, are you an Intuit?” Barb interrupted.

A weighted silence. “Yes. I am.”

“Then you understand that some things shouldn’t be dismissed.”

“You’re not an Intuit, Ms. Debany.”

“No, but I was asked to tell you that it was important—vital—that you work at the hospital today.” She swallowed hard, remembering little Maddie’s hand pointing at all of them like a gun. “Something bad is going to happen. You need to go to the hospital now or you won’t be able to get there and help the people who need you.”

Heavy breathing. Then the doctor said, “I’ll make some calls and get to the hospital as soon as I can.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up and started to call Jana. Before she finished dialing, she heard someone outside say in a loud voice, “You bitch. You’re the reason my name is on a wanted poster.”

* * *

* * *

Tolya walked out of the government building, Yuri beside him. Virgil, in Wolf form, was waiting for him in the square. John was also in the square near the spring, keeping watch for any humans who might be doing something sneaky. The other Sanguinati were in position, as was Scythe.

<Someone is sneaking around the Maddie’s house,> Virgil said. <The wolverine is heading there to help Kane.>

That either took Jana out of the fight or put her in a confrontation on her own, since Kane would protect Maddie.

Parlan Blackstone walked out of the hotel, flanked by two men and followed by three more.

Virgil focused on the man standing to Parlan’s left. <That’s the dominant enforcer. That’s the one called the Knife. I know his scent from the house where that male was killed.>

<The biggest threat?> Tolya asked.

<Yes.>

A flurry of reports from the terra indigene who were keeping watch. Humans sneaking around the back of the bank and saloon. Humans sneaking up to the train station. More humans sneaking toward the Universal Temple and the community center.

Too many humans sneaking around if Parlan Blackstone had intended to keep his word.

Ravens gathered in the trees from one end of the square to the other, acting as sentries and reporting on the humans’ movements. Hawks and Eagles flew overhead, circling the square, ready to attack. Coyotes were keeping watch at the side streets. Saul was somewhere in the square, in his true form, moving silently toward Blackstone’s pack.

Tolya smiled, showing a hint of fang. “Mr. Blackstone. Is there something you want to say to me?”

* * *

* * *

Their footsteps filled the land with an odd and terrible silence as they moved along the wide, flat trails the humans had built. It didn’t matter if these Outlaw humans hid inside the dens or tried to run away in the metal boxes that rolled on these flat trails. The enemy would be hunted down and destroyed.

They quickened their steps, salivating at the thought of the coming feast.

* * *

* * *

Parlan studied the Sanguinati. Did the vampire want him to look like a fool? How was he supposed to yield to a stronger force when Tolya had brought one other vampire and a Wolf and was so clearly outnumbered?

He didn’t like Judd being on his left, didn’t like the knife hand being in position for a strike to the back or ribs. He didn’t like a lot of things about this deal, and he wondered exactly when this game had gotten away from him.

And he wondered if Judd McCall was working for himself these days or had gone into business with someone else.

For now he had to play this hand and do his best to win.

“I think this town would be better served by having a human mayor and a human sheriff,” Parlan said, raising his voice to be heard by any people listening at the hotel doorway or hiding in the other nearby stores. “In frontier parlance, I’m calling you out, Mr. Mayor, but I’m doing so in the manner you said was required for a change in government. I’m challenging you for dominance, and the human residents of Bennett are behind me.”

Tolya looked at the men with Parlan. “I don’t see any residents, Mr. Blackstone. I see strangers who have come into town over the past couple of days. Drifters. Outlaws.”

“Humans looking for a fresh start,” Parlan countered.

“Humans who have made no effort to come to my office and ask about available jobs.”

Call and raise, Parlan thought. “Humans who will take their place in Bennett society as soon as there is a human government.”

“There will not be a human government,” Tolya said. “This town exists with the Elders’ permission, and it will continue to exist only as long as it is ruled by the terra indigene. If you manage to form a human government, you condemn all the humans living here—including you and your delegation.”

What to do? Parlan felt the tension in Lawry, had a feeling the men behind him no longer had his back.

Tolya studied him. “You can’t win. Your only choice is—”

* * *

* * *

Hearing a familiar female voice coming from the direction of the bank’s back entrance, Stazia Sanguinati flowed over the counter and shifted to human form from the waist up.

“I don’t think they’re open.” The woman sounded breathless—and frightened. “I don’t think … Oh. Hello.”

One of the cleaners who worked with Abigail Burch. A timid woman who came in every Firesday to cash her paycheck and put a small amount in a savings account. Usually she came in alone. Today, when she shouldn’t be here, she came in with two men. The taller one had a hand wrapped around the woman’s skinny arm.

“The bank is closed today,” Stazia said—and wondered how they’d gotten in when she was certain she’d locked the front and back doors.