SquidgeWorld Archive

Choices to Make - Chances to Take

Big Jim had decided that it was time to let the Devil's Hole Gang have some fun spending the money they had made from their last job. As was his custom, he made them wait at the hideout for two weeks after the train robbery before he allowed them to ride into Eagle Pass.

Heyes had just settled his horse at the livery and was making his way to the saloon when he noticed a blond man sitting on the porch of the hotel. There was something familiar about him, but he had his hat pulled down low and Heyes couldn't quite make out his features. He must have known that Heyes was looking at him, because he slowly raised his head and pushed back his hat with one finger. Startlingly blue eyes looked directly into Heyes' brown ones and for Heyes, time seemed to stand still. Walking up to the porch, Heyes shook his head, as if he couldn't believe whom it was he was seeing. "Jed," he breathed, as the blond stood up and came down to meet him.

"Been a long time, Hannibal." Curry smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "But it's not Jed anymore. Just like I guess they don't call you Hannibal anymore, do they?"

A slight grin tugged at the corner of Heyes' mouth. "No, not anymore. It's just Heyes now." He looked thoughtfully at his childhood friend. "Been hearing some stories lately. About a blond, blue-eyed gunslinger. Goes by the name of Kid Curry. Ever hear of ‘im?"

Something flickered in the Kid's eyes, but it was gone so quickly Heyes wasn't sure what it had meant.

Dropping his gaze, Curry worried the toe of his boot in the dirt and sighed. "Yeah, I've heard of him."

"You know," Heyes paused, his voice thoughtful. "Big Jim's been looking for somebody that's good with a gun."

The Kid brought his head up, his attention caught.

"I don't hold with killin', Heyes." The name felt strange on his tongue. "Haven't had to shoot anybody dead and I don't intend to start now."

"Well, that's good. ‘Cause Big Jim's looking for somebody who's fast with a gun, but he don't intend for anybody to get hurt unless there's no other way. You interested?"

The Kid sighed again. "Guess I wouldn't have come lookin' for you if I wasn't. When can I meet him?"

"He's over at the saloon. Come on."

Heyes led the way into the saloon and they stopped at a corner table where a dark-haired man sat alone, drinking a glass of beer.

He looked up as they approached the table. "Hannibal, I wondered what had delayed you." He spoke with a faint Mexican accent and the Kid put his age to be around 35 or so.

"You said you'd been looking for somebody that's good with a gun, Big Jim." Heyes eagerly nudged the Kid forward. "Jed and I grew up together." He turned to the blond, "Jed Curry, meet Big Jim Santana, leader of the Devil's Hole Gang."

Big Jim looked at the Kid, his smile somewhat mocking. "So, you wish to join the Devil's Hole Gang? You look very young, my friend."

Curry looked at Heyes and then at Santana. "I'm not sure I want to join anything. I came lookin' for my old friend." His voice held a note of reproach and Santana turned to Heyes.

"I do not think that your young friend is who we are looking for," he stated flatly.

Before he could say anything else, a small, stocky man with blond hair came over to the table and stared at the Kid. His grin revealed teeth stained with tobacco and Curry took note of the bulge in his cheek as he spoke up. "You know who this is?" he asked Big Jim excitedly. "This here's Kid Curry!" Pulling up his pants as he continued, his eyes widened as he looked at Heyes. "Is he here to join up?"

"Kyle," Santana interrupted smoothly, "I think the young lady over there is trying to get your attention." He nodded toward a buxom redhead at the bar.

Immediately the scruffy man turned to the girl and then nodded as he looked at Big Jim. "Yeah, I think you're right. I'll see you later." He hurried off and Santana turned back to the two men standing at the table.

"Hannibal, maybe you and I..." Big Jim didn't finish the sentence as he stood up and Heyes glanced at the Kid.

"You said we needed somebody who was fast with a gun." Heyes held his ground and looked the leader in the eye. "You can't get any faster than Kid Curry."

Santana nodded thoughtfully and looked again at the blond. "I have heard about you," he admitted. "The stories say you have never killed. Is this true?"

"It's true." Curry was getting tired of the scrutiny from Santana and was beginning to wish he'd never come looking for his old friend.

A moment later, Santana reached out and clapped Heyes on the shoulder. "I think we should let your friend come back to Devil's Hole with us if he so chooses. I will plan our next job and your friend can decide if he would like to join us on a trial basis."

Heyes gave a delighted smile to the Kid and took him by the arm. "Come on. Let's go have some dinner and you can tell me what you've been doing."

Hesitating as he looked at Big Jim, Curry gave an inward sigh. "Okay." He looked at his friend and then back to Santana. "And if I don't want to stay?" his tone held a faint note of challenge.

Hearing the faint overtone of insolence, Heyes held his breath as he looked at Big Jim. The leader seemed amused at the younger man's question. "There are many men who would be honored to join the Devil's Hole Gang. If you choose not to stay, nobody will try to stop you."

Letting out his breath silently, Heyes once again pulled at the Kid's arm. "Let's go." As they walked back out of the saloon, he turned to Curry and hissed, "I can't believe you! I thought you said you wanted to join!"

The Kid waited until they were on the boardwalk before he stopped and turned to his friend. Once again Heyes saw something in the blue eyes that he couldn't put a name to as the blond said, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. We've spent a few years apart, Heyes." The name still felt awkward on his lips and he looked away as he continued, "I'm not sure I belong here."

Earnest brown eyes stared into the blue eyes that were shadowed and troubled. "Let's get something to eat. We can talk over dinner."

A moment passed before the Kid nodded and they walked to the restaurant across the street. Once inside, Curry paused before the blackboard listing the day's specials. The haunted look on his face pulled Heyes back to another restaurant, another time and another place...

"I've got 20 cents, Han." The slightly grubby hand held out two coins. "How much can we get for that?"

The older boy with dark hair studied the writing on the small sign inside the café. "With my 10 cents, we can get two bowls of soup and some bread to go with it. Should be enough left over for a piece of pie, too."

They sat down and a waitress took their order. She came back a few moments later with two bowls of soup, a plate with biscuits, two pieces of pie and two glasses of milk.

"Ma'am," Han whispered to her. "We don't have enough money..."

She gave them a wink and a smile. "Well, the biscuits are from this morning and we'd only be throwing them out. You'd be doing us a favor if you'd finish them up for us. And I have two boys of my own and know how much they like milk with their meals." She ran a hand through Jed's tousled curls. "You just eat up and enjoy it, okay?" She went back into the kitchen and Jed turned to his friend, his eyes brightening at the sight of the food.

"That was really nice of her, wasn't it, Han?"

"Yeah," he admitted, "It was. We sure don't meet a lot of people like that."

The memory faded away as Heyes pulled himself back to the present and he said, "Order whatever you want - I was pretty lucky last night at poker."

Suspicion flared briefly in the blue depths and then the Kid gave him a small smile. "Still lookin' out for me, aren't you?"

"Well, somebody's got to. Looks like you haven't had a good meal in quite awhile."

Leading the way over to one of the tables, Curry said softly, "Sometimes it's a while between jobs."

Once they were seated, Heyes replied, "I guess it would be if you're being particular about which ones you take."

A pretty brunette came over to their table and they both ordered the steak dinners. She brought back coffee and the Kid took an appreciate sip. It has been awhile since he had been able to enjoy more than the basic necessities and, as of late, his horse had been eating better than he had. He studied the dark-haired man across the table and then asked, "How long have you been with the Devil's Hole Gang?"

"Almost a year. I was playing poker and two of the players were in the gang. You saw one of ‘em before - name's Kyle." At the Kid's nod, he continued, "They were being cheated and I called one of the other players on it. Big Jim came over before it got out of hand and said he appreciated me helping out his men. He introduced himself and asked if I would join him for a drink." Heyes shrugged. "That was it. He said he could use somebody like me that was smart and learned quickly."

He paused as the waitress set down their plates of food and watched as the Kid hastily began cutting up his steak and then turned his attention to his own meal. They were both silent as they began eating and several minutes later Heyes asked, "What about you? What have you been doing since we split up?"

Pausing, his fork halfway to his mouth, the Kid gave a wry grin. "Besides what those dime novels write about?"

Heyes snorted. "Most of those things are all lies." He took another bite of his steak. "Why'd you start hiring out your gun?"

The dark shadows were back in the blue gaze and the Kid shrugged. "Mind if we leave that ‘till we finish supper?"

Heyes nodded. "Sure." He resumed eating; all the while thinking that there was something his old friend wasn't telling him. And Heyes had a feeling he wasn't going to find out what it was any time soon.

After dinner, they sat in rocking chairs on the hotel veranda, smoking cigars. The Kid was curious to see how long it would be before Heyes asked his question again-he was betting on it not being more than a few minutes. He wasn't disappointed.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Heyes asked, his voice deliberately casual.

Taking a deep breath, the Kid exhaled slowly, and then began speaking. "It was right after you went to join Plummer and his gang. I was minding my own business in a salon, having a drink at the bar..."

Sipping his whiskey, Jed turned so that his back was to the bar as he surveyed the room. A group of rowdy drovers were playing poker at the table closest to him and he shook his head at their invitation to join the game. Right now all he wanted to do was relax, have a few drinks - and try to forget about his last job. One of the saloon girls came up to him and smiled as she trailed her fingers down his arm. He gently removed her hand where it lingered on his wrist and nodded politely. "Thank you, ma'am, but I'm not interested right now."

She graciously stepped away as she murmured, "My name's Carrie. You know where to find me, handsome."

As she walked near the poker table, one of the men reached out and pulled her onto his lap. She grimaced slightly, but allowed him to give her a tight hug and kiss on the cheek before she pulled away.

"Hey, you come here," he jerked her roughly back into his lap. "Just because that kid over there ain't interested don't mean I'm not."

She let him give her a few more kisses and once again struggled to get up. Jed shook his head and turned back to face the bar-this wasn't his fight. He would do best to stay out of it. Then Carrie gave a yelp of pain and he quickly spun around to see the drover holding her wrists in a vice-like grip. She was trying to hold back her tears, but was obviously in pain and Curry closed his eyes for a moment, pushing down the anger he felt. The other drovers at the table were laughing at their friend's attempts to force Carrie to return his kisses and finally Jed couldn't take it any longer.

When Carrie gave a yelp of pain, he said quickly, "Let her go." His voice was soft, but the edge of cold rage was distinctly heard by everyone in the room.

"Well now," the drover released Carrie's wrists but continued to hold her on his lap. "I reckon this ain't any of your business, boy."

The others around the table laughed raucously as they drank their whiskey and one of them called out, "Go on, Bob. Give her another kiss!"

"I guess you didn't hear me." Jed stepped slightly away from the bar, his arms hanging loose at his sides and his hands relaxed. "I told you to let her go."

"Yeah?" Bob sneered and then viciously pushed Carrie onto the floor, at Jed's feet. "There you go, boy. She's all yours." He turned back to his friends, laughing uproariously.

Without taking his eyes off the men at the table, Jed reached down with his hand and helped Carrie pull herself to her feet. "Best you move away," he told her quietly.

She gave a quick nod and hurried off to the other end of the room, where she stood for a moment as if undecided and then quickly moved behind the bar and out the back door. Bob's eyes narrowed as he stared at the young man in front of him. "Don't you think you're a little young to be tellin' your elders what to do?" he asked insolently as he stood up.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to rough up womenfolk?" Jed's voice was still low and soft.

"In case you didn't notice, boy," the last word was strained through clenched teeth, "She's a whore. An' whore's don't get the same treatment as decent women."

His right hand hovering over his gun, Jed's mouth tightened as he responded, "She don't deserve what you were doin' to her."

"Oh yeah?" Bob backed away from the table and glared at the blond. "You as good with that gun as you are with advice?" As he finished speaking, his hand was reaching for his gun, but in the blink of an eye, the blond's gun fired and Bob's holster was shot away from his gunbelt-the gun still holstered.

A stunned silence fell over the room and Jed holstered his gun just as the Carrie burst through the bat wing doors with the sheriff right behind her.

"Okay, what happened here?" the sheriff asked, automatically looked at Curry.

"The lady here wasn't interested in his attention," Jed told him politely. "I was just showin' him it ain't right to treat a woman that way."

The sheriff's gaze flickered to the bartender, who nodded. "That's right, Pat. The youngster here was just lookin' out for Carrie. The other fella started to draw first."

"What's your name, son?" the sheriff inquired.

"Jed. Jed Curry."

"Shoot," one of the drovers exclaimed. "I think it better be ‘Kid Curry'. Just how old are you, eighteen?"

Meeting the sheriff's eyes, Jed shook his head. "Does it really matter?" he asked bitterly. "Okay if I go?"

"Yeah, sure," the sheriff nodded. "It was self defense - nothing I can hold you on. But," he narrowed his eyes at the blond. "You might wanna watch your back. People get to talkin' ‘bout what they saw..."

The Kid fell silent and Heyes stared at him. "This all started because you were defending a saloon girl?" he asked in disbelief. He shook his head, but couldn't hold back a grin. "Only you," he muttered.

They were silent for a moment when the Kid spoke up. "I don't know if I want to do this, Heyes. Up to now, nothin' I've done has exactly been on the wrong side of the law. Joinin' up with the Devil's Hole Gang..." he let the words hang in the air as he took a puff on his cigar.

"I thought that was why you came looking for me," Heyes replied quietly. "You knew I was riding with Big Jim's gang."

"Yeah, I did." Another lengthy silence ensued and then Curry continued, "It's hard to find work that doesn't require killin'. Hard knowin' who to trust."

"Nobody to watch your back, either."

"Nope. One minute I'm at the bar sippin' my drink and then some fool comes in, sayin' he wants to take on Kid Curry." His words were tinged with bitterness as he went on, "Next thing I know, I'm standin' in the street in some dusty little town that I can't even remember the name of, facin' down somebody even younger than me."

Heyes slid a sideways glance at his friend. "Stories say you always let them make the first move."

"I have to. That way it's self defense." He turned to Heyes and the blue eyes were shadowed with the past. "What you always gotta worry about is whether or not they had a friend that's waitin' outside town. Waitin' to ambush you for shootin' his friend. Or his brother."

Helluva life, Heyes thought bleakly. "You don't have to decide right now. We're leaving tomorrow for Devil's Hole. Ride with us and, when we get there, you can listen to what Big Jim has planned. If you're not interested, you can ride out."

The Kid nodded. Not only was he physically tired, but he was tired of trying to anticipate trouble on the trail. It would be good to travel with someone he trusted. "I didn't get a room yet."

"You can stay with me," Heyes told him quickly. "Not like we haven't shared a room before."

He could see the relief in his friend's face; relief that replaced the haunted look he had worn since they had first met in town. And not for the first time, Heyes wondered exactly what had driven the Kid here. Whatever it was he certainly didn't seem anxious to talk about it. And that wasn't surprising, Heyes mused. He had always been the talkative one, not the Kid. They finished their cigars went back to the saloon for one last drink before going to Heyes' hotel room.

Big Jim was playing poker at one of the tables and he waved them over when he saw them enter the room. Heyes quickly walked over, the Kid following more slowly. "Hannibal, introduce your friend to the others," Santana indicated the players seated with him.

The other men acknowledged the introduction with a wave of their hand, or a simple nod, until Heyes reached a large man, with light brown hair and a mustache. Heyes introduced him as Wheat Carlson and the Kid saw the flare of dislike in the man's eyes before he lowered his head back to the cards he held in his hand.

The smaller man that the Kid had seen before was seated next to Carlson, and he gave the larger man a poke in the ribs. "Wheat, you know who that is?" his voice filled with awe. "That's..."

"I know who it is, Kyle." Wheat looked over at Big Jim. "What I don't get is what we need ‘im for."

Everyone at the table looked at Curry, who stared impassively at them. Big Jim calmly took a drink of his beer and addressed Wheat. "That is none of your concern. We might find a need for one who is as talented with a gun as he is."

Heyes slowly let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Wheat had made it clear that he resented Heyes when he joined the gang and it looked as if he felt that way about the Kid, too. And the fact that Santana had pointed out that Wheat's views on the subject weren't welcome was going to make things even more strained with Carlson. The others at the table went back to the game and Big Jim gave Heyes a nod which the other man interpreted to mean that the matter was settled and was no longer up for discussion.

Later that night, lying next to his friend, Heyes was wide awake, despite the fact that they had gone to bed hours ago. Sharing a room with the Kid was so familiar and yet strange at the same time. His childhood friend had been replaced by a man who appeared unyieldingly strong, but Heyes knew appearances could be deceiving. Underneath the calm façade, he sensed that the Kid was trying to hide how vulnerable he really was.

His thoughts were interrupted by movement from the figure next to him. The blond was mumbling and a moment later was trembling violently; his head moving from side to side. Heyes reached over to light the lamp next to the bed and then turned to his friend. Curry's eyes were still closed, but he was obviously caught in a nightmare.

"Hey, Kid, wake up!" Heyes spoke sharply but his friend didn't react, other than to fling out his arm, almost catching Heyes in the face.

"Kid!" This time Heyes shook the blond's shoulder and spoke again. "Jed!"

This had the desired effect, as Curry opened his eyes, his expression one of fear and surprise. His face had a fine sheen of perspiration as he stared at Heyes. "Han?" the voice had a boyish quality to it and then he seemed to realize where they were and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he ran a hand over his face-a hand that trembled slightly.

"You okay?" Heyes wasn't sure what else to say.

Swallowing hard, the Kid nodded. "Sorry I woke you."

Heyes extinguished the lamp and lay back down. "I wasn't sleeping. You were always the one who could sleep anywhere and anytime, not me."

Feeling oddly comforted by that admission, Curry nodded, the gesture barely visible to Heyes in the dim moonlight coming through the window. "I guess some things stay the same, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. Wanna tell me about it?"

Several moments of silence followed and Heyes could feel the movement as the Kid shrugged. "Not much to tell. They follow me into my dreams."

"The men you've faced?"

"Yeah. Only this time they're quicker."

The words fell softly into the darkness and Heyes couldn't think of anything to say. It wasn't long before he sensed his friend was falling back asleep and he realized the Kid was so exhausted he couldn't stay awake. Heyes lay awake in the darkness, unnerved by his friend's admission about the nightmare. Eventually, he too fell asleep.

The next morning, neither of them mentioned the interrupted sleep of the night before. They shaved, dressed and were downstairs in the hotel dining room for breakfast before eight o'clock. After eating, they walked over to the livery stable to saddle their horses. Big Jim was already there and soon the rest of the gang joined them.

Once they were on their way, Heyes turned to his friend riding beside him.

The Kid looked at him, knowing he had something to say. "What?"

"Just didn't figure you'd be riding with me to join up in a gang. If I remember right, that's what caused us to go our separate ways a year ago."

For moment Heyes wasn't sure the Kid was going to answer. "Things change," he said quietly.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Exasperated, Curry gave him a sharp look. "You know, I think that's the one thing I didn't miss. You always talkin'."

Heyes merely grinned. He knew the Kid got like this when he didn't want to give Heyes a straight answer. That was okay, he mused. They'd have plenty of time to catch up when they got to Devil's Hole.

Am I doing the right thing? Do I really want to do this? Curry asked himself the same questions several times during the long ride back to the gang's hideout; when they were only a few miles away he resigned himself to the fact that if he wanted to ride with Heyes again, this was the only way.

They paused at the signaling point and Heyes explained the procedure to the Kid before he fired the required three shots. When they reached the cluster of buildings that signified the compound, Heyes drew rein in front of the leader's cabin and turned to the Kid.

"Bunkhouse is over there," he pointed and then dismounted. "I'll be over in a few minutes. Need to see Big Jim about something."

Curry merely nodded and swung his horse around to ride over to the stable. Once the mare was settled, he took his bedroll and saddlebags and walked over to the bunkhouse. The men glanced up as he entered, but no one spoke. He picked out an empty bunk and threw down his gear, just as Kyle came through the door.

"You gonna be practicin' later?" the words burst forth eagerly.

The Kid shook his head. "Tomorrow mornin'."

"Kin I watch?"

Shrugging, Curry replied, "Suit yourself." He lay down on his bunk, using his bedroll for a pillow and covered his face with his hat.

"You don't talk much," Wheat sneered.

The Kid pushed up his hat with his finger. "I do if I have something to say," he replied evenly. With that, he let the hat fall back on his face, ignoring them. What the hell am I doing here?

He slipped into a light doze, awakening when he smelled food cooking. Pushing off his hat, he sat up, running a hand over his face. The others were seated at the rough hewn table and he got up to join them. The stew was good and the biscuits even better. Conversation was minimal and, after everyone had eaten, the Kid asked about Heyes.

"He eats with Big Jim," Hank informed him. "They're probably goin' over the plans for the train Santana's had his eyes on."

"You ever rob a train?" Kyle asked excitedly. "I get to handle the dynamite!"

"No, can't say that I have." The Kid was amused by the other man's child like enthusiasm and he sensed that Kyle was extremely loyal to the gang.

"Not this time," Preacher drawled. "Big Jim's gonna let Heyes try to open it without blowin' it up."

"Hell, that ain't no fun," McMurtry scoffed. "But if'n he can't, then I get to blow ‘er up!"

Rising from the table, the Kid put his hat back on and went over to the door. "Think I'll take a look around."

When he walked outside, he could see there were several smaller outbuildings, in addition to the stable. He followed a trail into the woods, which led him to a small clearing and he looked around, nodding to himself. This would be a good place to practice; there were several sections of old fencing where he could set up targets. He heard footsteps behind him and knew it was Heyes.

"I figured this is where I'd find you. You eat?"

Curry nodded as he turned to face him. "Yeah. You've got a pretty good cook."

Giving a short laugh, Heyes replied, "Not that you'd turn food down - good or bad."

"No, I guess not. Never know when you'll eat again," he said soberly.

"Big Jim's ready to go over the plans for the train we're planning to rob. You been giving it some thought?"

"Yeah, I have." He gave Heyes a small smile. "It's real good to see you again." The smile grew wider. "An' I never robbed a train before. Reckon I'll give it a try."

Heyes reached out and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I've missed having you around - I'm glad you're gonna stay."

With that, he led the way back to the buildings and up the steps to the leader's cabin. The others were there, gathered around a large table, and Big Jim had various pieces of paper spread out. He looked up as Heyes and the Kid entered.

"So, has the gunfighter made up his mind?"

"I don't shoot to kill," the Kid told him flatly.

"Nor do I wish you to," Big Jim told him. "I pride myself on planning a job so well that there is no need for gunplay. It is very simple - we stop the train, we get the passengers off and Heyes will open the safe."

Curry gave a nod of agreement as he bent over one of the papers. "This is where we're going to stop the train?"

"Yes. That is the point at which the train must slow down before the sharp curve at the base of the mountain. We will be waiting for the engineer to cut his speed and then Lobo and Wheat will jump onto the train. They will make their way forward to the first car and order the engineer to stop the train."

He went on to outline the rest of the plan and, as he was doing so, made eye contact with every member of the gang, his expression serious. "It is very important that every man do as I've instructed. I do not anticipate any problems, but there is always the chance that one of the passengers will try to be a hero and that is why you must stay at your posts."

"An' what's he gonna do?" Wheat asked, jerking his head toward the Kid.

"He is there to make sure that nobody does anything foolish. I am quite sure that Mr. Curry will be able to take care of any passengers who might think of drawing their gun."

Wheat gave an almost silent sound of disapproval, but the others merely nodded.

Gathering up the papers, Big Jim spoke again. "There is one more thing." Everyone waited for him to continue, but he seemed to be choosing his words before he spoke. "You know I try to plan for any unexpected problems." Again he paused, and then, looking at Heyes, "If anything should happen to me, Heyes is to be my successor."

Kyle spoke up quickly. "Dang it, Big Jim! You're jis askin' for trouble sayin' somethin' like that. Now you've gone an' jinxed yourself!"

There were exclamations of surprise and, from some, disagreement. "That don't seem fair," Wheat stated angrily. "Heyes just joined up a few months ago."

"Yes, that is true," Big Jim answered calmly. "But he is the one who has the most knowledge of how to plan a job, make sure everyone knows their part, and, most importantly, how to open a safe."

There was more murmuring among the group, but no one spoke up as Wheat had. Heyes looked at them, knowing that most of them would be content to follow anyone who was leading the gang, as long as the jobs continued to be successful.

Wheat was the first one to leave, and his body language clearly indicated that he was not pleased with Santana's final announcement. The others straggled out after him, until only Heyes and the Kid were left in the cabin.

"You really think something's going to happen to you?" Heyes asked dubiously.

Santana shrugged. "The men need to know that they will have someone to lead them out of danger, should anything happen to me. You know as well as I do that they are followers, not leaders."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Heyes agreed.

They walked to the door, exchanging good nights before leaving. Once outside, Curry asked, "Exactly when is this robbery supposed to take place?"

"We leave tomorrow afternoon. Need to be in Rock Creek by Friday around noon."

"These things usually go smoothly?"

"Haven't had any trouble yet," Heyes assured him. "It'll be fine."

They retired to the bunkhouse and the Kid fell asleep almost immediately. When he awoke the next morning, he was glad had hadn't disturbed the others with any nightmares. Judging by the faint streaks of light through the window, he realized the sun was barely up. Quietly dressing, he glanced over at Heyes, who was still sound asleep. Everyone else was snoring and no one noticed as he silently left and headed for the clearing he had found yesterday. He had brought a pack of playing cards with him and he wedged several of them into the top rail of the wooden fence. The shots were loud in the clear morning air and one by one, the gang members began stirring in their bunks.

"What the hell is that racket?" Lobo asked, his eyes heavy with sleep.

Heyes didn't even open his eyes as he replied, "It's just the Kid."

Not bothering to hide his annoyance, Wheat sat on the edge of his bunk and pulled on his pants and boots. "Too damn early for that much noise!"

Kyle was already dressed and hurrying out the door as they others either pulled their blankets over their heads or a few of them began to pull their clothes on. Heyes tried putting the pillow over his head, but it wasn't working. With a resigned sigh, he got up and reached for his clothes. As he left the bunkhouse, he realized he should have warned Kyle not to startle the Kid...but it was too late now.

Just as he reloaded and snapped the chamber shut, Curry heard a noise and instinctively whirled around, his gun pointed at the trail. "Kyle," he breathed; his trigger finger relaxing as he lowered the weapon. "Don't ever do that again!" he snapped. "You know how close you just came to gettin' shot?"

"Sorry, Kid," the other man swallowed hard as Preacher and Lobo came up behind him. "It won't happen again," he said contritely.

Curry's eyes flicked briefly to the other men and then gave a short nod. "Show's over," he said curtly, preparing to go back to the bunkhouse. He saw the deep disappointment in the look Kyle gave him and he relented. "Here," he handed Kyle the last of the playing cards. "Set ‘em up."

Heyes arrived just then and he grinned when he saw the playing cards littering the ground. "Sure hope those aren't mine."

Grinning back, the blond watched as Kyle moved away from the fence. In a movement so swift that it was a blur, he drew, fired and all six cards flew off the fence. Wheat had emerged into the clearing and he shook his head. "Damn fool - showin' off like that." He voice was just loud enough so that the Kid heard him.

As he walked past Heyes and the others, Curry paused a moment to say to Wheat, "Don't recall askin' your opinion." With that, he walked toward Heyes and the others, pushing past them, not missing the grins that Lobo and Preacher exchanged.

Heyes fell into step beside him and commented dryly, "Things sure are gonna get interesting ‘round here with you an' ole' Wheat."

Shrugging, the Kid gave a snort. "You really think I give a damn what he thinks?"

"Nope."

"All right then. An' wipe that stupid smile off your face while you're at it."

The smile turned into a chuff of laughter as they walked back to the bunkhouse. After breakfast, they all saddled their horses and set out on the trail that would lead them out of Devil's Hole and on their way to the mountain road where they would wait for the train.

As he rode beside Heyes, the Kid couldn't completely block out the negative thoughts that crowded into his mind. Was he doing the right thing? Seeing Heyes again made him realize how much he had missed his friend; the argument that had split them up seemed so trivial now. It wasn't too late to back out, he mused, but then he slid his glance sideways.

"Made up your mind?" Heyes inquired, his voice low so the others couldn't overhear. "Sure hope you'll stick with us. Been good seein' you again."

Inwardly sighing, the Kid gave him a faint smile. "Yeah, got kinda lonely ridin' by myself. ‘Specially without you talkin' my ear off."

Pretending to be insulted, Heyes replied, "And you think I missed all that noise when you'd go off to practice all the time?"

Curry grinned, but didn't say anything.

As the miles rolled on and the hours ticked by, the two friends talked amongst themselves, recalling incidents from their past.

Listening to them, Santana was thinking that it was a fortunate thing Heyes' old friend had come looking for him. Heyes was smart and nobody was better at getting a safe open. Kid Curry was an unknown element right now, but Big Jim had every confidence in their newest member to get the job done if the need arose.

When they made camp that night, Heyes and the Kid tended to their horses and then joined the others as everyone brought out jerky and hardtack. Big Jim didn't want to announce their presence in the area, so there was no fire. It wasn't long before they were settling into their bedrolls, except for Wheat, who would take first watch.

The next morning, they broke camp quickly and the sun was barely over the horizon as they got back on the trail. Several hours later, they reached the point at which they would stop the train. After reiterating his instructions from the day before, Big Jim nodded toward Heyes. "If it takes too long..."

"I git to blow ‘er up!" Kyle finished excitedly.

Wheat rolled his eyes and commented drily, "Kyle, one of these days you're what's gonna get blown up."

Lobo snickered, Preacher and Hank grinned and even the Kid had to smile at Wheat's comment. They all dismounted and Big Jim looked at his pocket watch. "We have about thirty minutes before the train will be coming up the tracks."

Heyes and the Kid found seats on an old log and Heyes looked at him, both dimples appearing as he grinned. "Gonna be fine, Kid," as he gave him a light poke in the ribs with his elbow.

Regarding him dubiously, Curry was reminded how many times those words-and that grin-had gotten him into trouble when they were younger...

"Jed, stop being a baby. It'll work out fine."

Doubt shone clearly from the blue eyes as he regarded his friend. "I dunno, Han..."

Slinging an arm around the younger man's shoulders, Han spoke in a low voice, choosing his words carefully. "I just wanna know if my sisters know if Lucy Thompson's been saying anything about wanting me to take her to the dance this Saturday."

Jed pulled away, his expression clearly showing his disgust. "Who cares about some stupid dance?"

"There'll be lots of good food to eat..." Han let the sentence trail off, knowing the mention of food would work as bait to lure his friend into agreeing to the plan."

"Yeah, okay, but whatd'ya need me for? You can climb that tree by yourself!"

Han nodded as he replied, "I can climb the tree, but I need you to get them out there and get ‘em talking."

"How'm I supposed to do that?" Jed's voice held more than a note of exasperation.

"I don't know - you'll think of something."

Jed's part in the plan had gone fine...it was the rotten branch that Han had been lying on that caused the problem. Han had sprained his ankle, and, after hearing about why he had been in the tree in the first place, and Jed's contribution, their fathers had punished both of them.

The sharp whistle of the train brought the Kid back to the present and he felt himself tensing as the other members of the gang pulled out their guns to check the chambers and rifles were pulled from scabbards by those who would be waiting at the edge of the woods.

As soon as the train stopped, the Kid was impressed at how orderly everything was progressing. Passengers were encouraged to disembark with a minimum of fuss, Heyes was working on the combination of the safe; everything seemed to be under control...

Suddenly, three men burst out of a railroad car that the gang hadn't searched - it was filled with cattle headed for market and no one thought that guards would have been clever enough to hide in amongst the animals. The guards started shooting and the Devil's Hole gang began shooting back, retreating to the woods and their horses.

Heyes opened the safe and, amidst the confusion, managed to pull out all of the money, stuff it into a carpet bag and jumped down from the railroad car.

The passengers scattered, taking cover behind boulders, trees, and anything else that would protect them from the bullets flying.

The Kid shot the gun out of one guard's hand, and was aiming at two others who had managed to isolate Big Jim and had him down on the ground. There were very few men who would have been able to do what Kid Curry did. In the split second before he pulled the trigger, he raised his hand and the bullet whistled harmlessly past the man that had broken cover.

Kyle.

With all of the confusion and bullets flying, Kyle had done exactly what Big Jim warned them against. Everyone must keep their positions. It is very important that everyone be where I've told them to be.

And in the moment before the Kid fired, Kyle looked over and saw the gun in Curry's hand and knew he was most probably a dead man. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and then McMurtry felt the heat of the bullet as it whistled by his cheek.

It was over in a matter of minutes. The gang ran for their horses, that amazingly enough, had remained where Kyle left them. With the heavy gunfire, the Kid thought for sure they would have run off to get away from the noise and bullets.

The guards didn't even bother giving chase. They were very happy with having captured the leader of the Devils Hole Gang and never looked back at the fleeing riders as the galloped off.

When they stopped to rest the horses, Wheat dismounted and came over to Curry, his face dark with anger.

"What the hell were you doin'?" he shouted. "You had an easy shot to take one of ‘em out. Why didn't you fire?"

Blue eyes turned to ice as he stood his ground, staring at Carlson. "You weren't standin' where I was." With that, he turned and led his horse over to the small stream beside the trail.

Turning to Heyes, Wheat yelled, "It's his fault Big Jim caught caught!"

Kyle wanted to speak up; knew he should say something about it not being the Kid's fault, but the words caught in his throat.

The bigger man tried to push past Heyes to confront the Kid again, but Heyes grabbed his arm. "If he says he couldn't take the shot, then he couldn't." The words were low and hard, the dark eyes glittering with anger. He turned to the others who were watching the exchange.

"Water your horses." With that he strode off to join the Kid.

Looking up as he approached, the blond steeled himself for what he knew was coming. "Leave it go, Heyes." He watched his horse as she plunged her muzzle into the cool water and drank deeply.

"Leave it go? I brought you to Big Jim. I was happy when you decided to join up with us. But now..." Taking off his hat, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Did you think I wanted to be the leader of the gang that bad that you'd let Big Jim get captured?"

The Kid stared at him, his expression unreadable. Abruptly he turned away. "Think whatever you want."

Exasperated, Heyes threw up his hands and stalked back to where the gang waited. After they were mounted, the Kid came out of the woods, leading his mare. He stared up at Heyes and a look passed between them. Curry gave a nod and mounted, as Wheat angrily looked at their new leader.

"You're jis gonna let him ride back with us? Are you crazy?"

Heyes' answer was delivered in a cold, flat voice. "Since Big Jim's not here, I'm the new leader. And I decide who stays and who goes." He looked at the other riders and added, "That goes for all of you. So decide now if you want to ride back or leave now." The hard brown eyes made contact with ach man and some of the horses moved restlessly, as if sensing their rider's unease under his scrutiny.

Several seconds went by as the gang members talked among themselves, their voices too soft for Heyes to hear. Then Preacher spoke up. "I never figured things would happen this way, but the Bible says the Lord does things for a reason. So I reckon there's a reason Big Jim's not here with us now." He reached into his jacket and produced a battered flash, unscrewed the cap and took a drink. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away," he added.

"I jus' knew he was gonna jinx himself," Kyle muttered under his breath.

Lobo and Hank exchanged grins and Preacher gave a nod as he agreed. "Reckon that's settled."

"Wheat?" The question was meant as a challenge and they all knew it.

Carlson shrugged and looked at Curry. "Guess it don't matter much what I think," he muttered and reined his horse in beside Kyle's.

Throwing him a hard look, Heyes refrained from commenting as they urged the horses down the trail that would take them back to Devil's Hole.

Kyle reined his mount next to Curry's chestnut, wanting to express his appreciation about what the Kid had done earlier, even if it meant Big Jim's capture, but the Kid wasn't in the mood for talking. After a few miles of tight-lipped glances, Kyle gave up and maneuvered his horse next to Hank.

Heyes was glad the Kid kept his distance as he had no idea what to say to him. One thing he did know was that if Curry said he couldn't have made the shot, then something had gotten in his way. Maybe Big Jim had been too close to the guards to make the shot safely. If that were the case, why didn't he just say so? They had been apart for the better part of two years, but Heyes knew his friend all too well. The Kid was one of the most honorable men Heyes had ever known. He expected the same of others. Curry felt the gang should take him at his word that the shot hadn't been possible.

The problem with that way of thinking was that the gang didn't know the Kid the way Heyes did. They wanted an explanation of why Big Jim wasn't riding back to Devil's Hole with them and they weren't going to be happy until they got it. He knew Wheat Carlson was going to give him the most trouble. Since Big Jim had recruited Heyes into the gang, Wheat had a burr under his saddle about it. To suddenly find himself having to take orders from Heyes wasn't going to sit well with Wheat.

While Heyes was at the head of the group of men, Curry slowed the pace of his horse, and soon the chestnut was behind the others. He knew Heyes was trying to figure out what had happened and he wouldn't stop thinking about it until he did. For anyone else, the answer would have been simple. Explain to the gang that Kyle had crossed his line of fire, preventing him from taking the shot. Letting out a deep breath, the Kid knew it was something he couldn't do. In the few days that he had been at Devil's Hole, he recognized that Kyle thought of the gang as family and the hideout a place where he belonged. Big Jim had recognized unswerving loyalty in the somewhat coarse, uneducated man, and had given Kyle a responsibility he clearly excelled at. He couldn't help grinning as he recalled the enthusiasm Kyle had exhibited when it came to blowing something up. A lot of men were uneasy around dynamite; even the Kid had a healthy respect for it and what it could do.

Letting the others know that Kyle had been the cause of Santana's capture would probably result in the gang insisting that Heyes make it clear that he was no longer welcome at Devil's Hole. The Kid just couldn't bring himself to do that. Kyle belonged here - he didn't. He was the outsider and, as much as he wanted to stay and ride with Heyes again, he felt that the best thing for everybody was to move on. He had ridden alone before; he could do it again. Even with Heyes backing him up, the Kid knew that the other members didn't trust him and would forever wonder why he had let Big Jim get captured.

Heyes was anxious to get back to the hideout and, because there was a full moon, decided to ride through the night, stopping occasionally to rest the horses. As the sun was setting, he noticed a pond a few yards off the trail and he nudged his bay across a clearing and dismounted when they reached the water. The others followed suit; the Kid keeping a good distance from the others. He didn't have long to wait before Heyes was walking over to him, leaving the bay with Kyle.

Looking up, the Kid expression was unreadable.

To anyone but Heyes.

He was wrestling with something and Heyes was beginning to get an idea of what it might be. Several possibilities had come to mind and he finally settled on the most likely one. Before he could say anything, Curry spoke.

"I'm gonna rest my horse up for a day or so an' then I'm leavin'."

"You gonna tell me why?"

"I don't belong here, Heyes." He twisted the reins in his hands as he looked down. "I figure you can find yourself another fast gun."

Hands on his hips, Heyes shook his head. "Not like you. So, just like that? You're not gonna at least tell me what happened?"

"What difference does it make?" The Kid's voice was low and hard. "I couldn't take the shot. That should be good enough for you."

"It is. But they don't know you like I do."

"And that's the problem. How'm I gonna trust them to watch my back the next time we're on a job? When they don't trust me enough to know that if I said I couldn't shoot..." Frustrated, he took off his hat, running his hand through sweat-matted curls.

Softly, "Somebody got in your way, didn't they?"

Curry looked at him sharply. "What makes you say that?"

"Because that's the only explanation I can come up with. I was kind of busy at the time, but I thought everybody was where Big Jim told them to be. When those guards surprised us, the rest of the boys were trying to get to the horses..." Understanding dawned in the dark brown eyes as he recalled the horses milling around, some of them spooked by the chaos. "It was Kyle, wasn't it?" It was more of as statement than a question and the Kid looked away for a moment and then nodded.

The blue eyes were clouded with regret as he sighed. "I would've been able to shoot the one guard in the shoulder and Santana should have been able to get free. Just as I lined up the shot, Kyle ran out from the trees."

"I'll bet you did a helluva job not shooting him," Heyes replied, the admiration clear in his voice. "Anybody else would've never been able to pull back in time."

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" the Kid said bitterly. "I can't tell them that." Now the blue eyes pleaded for understanding as he continued. "He belongs in the gang, Heyes. I don't want them kickin' him out. An' that's what they'll do - you know that."

Heyes ran a hand over his face as he thought about what the Kid had just said. Kyle wasn't the smartest member of the gang-a fact that Heyes had recognized immediately. But he was loyal to a fault and worked hard at whatever you told him to do. And he handled dynamite better than any other "powder man" Heyes had ever met.

"So," the Kid looked him squarely in the eye. "Now that you know, what are you gonna do?"

"I think I should tell ‘em what happened," Heyes answered emphatically.

"Why? They should have been able to take my word for it," Curry replied, just as forcefully.

"Still ridin' that stubborn streak I see," the other responded in exasperation. "That sure got us into trouble more than once."

The Kid gave a tired sigh. "Just let it go, Heyes." He tugged on his chestnut's reins and walked back to where the others were gathered.

Shaking his head, Heyes trudged over to Kyle and reclaimed his bay. Mounting, he waited until the others were all of their horses and then he led the way back to the road. They stopped twice more during the night and then, just as the sun was breaking over the mountains, they halted for the final time before they would reach Devil's Hole. During the long night, the Kid had come to the realization that there was really no reason for him to ride the rest of the way with the gang. He might as well part company with them now.

The riders dismounted and let the horses graze by the side of the road, everybody finding a place to sit while they chewed on jerky and drank from their canteens. Walking over to Heyes, who was standing apart from the rest of the men, the Kid told him he was leaving.

"I thought you were riding back to Devil's Hole with us." Surprised, Heyes couldn't completely hide his disappointment. He had been hoping to convince his friend to stay for a while.

Shrugging, the blond looked away for a moment and then his gaze returned to the other man. "What's the point? The hideout's in the middle of nowhere-I need to find the nearest town and start lookin' for work."

Unnoticed by either man, Kyle had gone into the bushes to take care of personal business and he heard the Kid's words as he came out into the clearing. He knew it was his fault Big Jim had been captured and it appeared that Curry wasn't going to set the record straight. Well, Kyle couldn't let him ride off with the others thinking that the Kid was the cause of their leader's absence.

"Ya can't leave, Kid," he said, surprising Heyes and the blond. "Ya just can't go off like that."

Curry gave him a half-hearted smile. "Appreciate that, Kyle. But it's best I go my own way."

Spitting out a wad of tobacco, Kyle looked at Heyes. "Was my fault."

Feigning ignorance, Heyes asked, "What was?"

Shaking his head, Kyle replied, "I reckon everybody oughta hear it an' I only wanna have to say it once."

Glancing at the Kid, Heyes nodded and they went back to join the other men. They all looked up and Heyes nodded to Kyle. "Go ahead - tell ‘em whatever you need to."

Hitching up his pants, Kyle looked at Wheat and then began, "Was me that got in the Kid's way. He couldn't shoot on account of me."

Wheat stared at him and then got to his feet. "What? What the hell were you thinkin', Kyle? Didn't Big Jim tell you to stay and take care of the horses?" He didn't wait for answers as he shouted at the smaller man.

Kyle flushed under Wheat's tirade but stood his ground. "Yeah, he did. But when I saw those guards come spillin' outta that freight car, well...I jist didn't think."

Pulling off his hat and throwing it on the ground, Wheat glared at him. "Damn right you didn't think!" He swung his gaze over to the Kid, who stood next to Heyes, his expression indecipherable. Lowering his voice, Wheat asked, "Why didn't you just tell us what happened?"

"Because you didn't need to know." His tone was cold and his words clipped. He turned away, preparing to climb up on his horse, but Wheat's words stopped him.

"Why'd you keep quiet? Why didn't you tell us it was Kyle?"

The Kid glanced at Heyes before he answered. "You wouldn't understand." This time he did mount his horse and gave a nod as he said, "See you around, Heyes."

"Hey, wait! You're just gonna ride out?" Kyle's voice clearly reflected his dismay. "I told ‘em what happened!"

Wheat stepped forward and put a hand on the chestnut's bridle. "Hold on a minute..." He looked over at the rest of the gang who had been listening intently to the exchange and then up at the Kid. "Reckon a man who don't try to save hisself by tellin' on another man deserves some respect." He fidgeted slightly, scuffing the ground with his boot and added. "Might be a good idea havin' somebody like that ridin' with us."

Heyes grinned slightly and called out, "Well, Kid?"

The blond hesitated a moment and then said quietly, "I guess I could ride back with you and think about it some."

"Now you're talkin'!" Kyle spat out another wad of tobacco and gave the Kid a huge smile. "Let's get goin', Heyes. Sooner we get back to Devil's Hole, sooner we get our share of the money!"

Lobo laughed and slapped Preacher on the back as they walked back to mount their horses. "I'm with Kyle - let's go!"

Once they reached Devil's Hole, they settled the horses and joined Heyes in the leader's cabin as he counted out the money from the robbery and each mans his share. "Remember," he told them as they turned to leave, "Nobody leaves here for a few days. And don't all of you go riding out to the same town. And make sure you don't start any trouble, either."

When the men left, Heyes reached for a bottle of whiskey and poured a glass for himself and one for the Kid, who remained behind. "Your rules?" Curry asked as he sipped at the whiskey.

"No, Big Jim's. Cuts down on the odds of being captured after a haul." He took a drink and then asked, "You think you wanna do this, Kid?"

"Ride with the gang?" Curry asked quietly.

"Well, yeah. And you're gonna be okay takin' orders from me?"

"That'll be the easy part, Heyes." The Kid gave him a grin. "You've been bossin' me around most of my life."

Heyes' laughter echoed through the cabin and drifted out into the quiet night and, after a moment, Curry's voice joined in.