Free Brother's Keeper by Robert J. Thomas

of the man in the doorway nodding in the direction of the man below Jess. The man at the door was pointing his pistol up to the top of the livery. Jess knew he had only seconds to act before they would spot him. He picked up the small chunk of wood he had found on the floor earlier. Then he very quietly reholstered his pistol and pulled the shotgun out of its sling.
Jess threw the piece of wood to the right of the man in the doorway. As the exact same instant that the wood hit the floor, Jess cocked both barrels. Just as the man in the doorway shifted his attention to the sound of the wood hitting the floor Jess let him have the first shot and the man’s head exploded like a melon. Before the man fell, Jess stepped off the top and jumped straight down to the floor, turning around in the opposite direction towards where he figured the other man was. Before Jess’ feet hit the floor he spotted the man and let him have the second barrel just as the man’s shot went wild, missing Jess by at least five feet. The shotgun blast hit the man full force in the middle of his chest. The force slammed him against the wall and he hit the ground, never to move again.
Tony lived behind the livery and Jess could hear him running up the short trail and saw him enter the back door. He had his Winchester and an oil lamp in his hands. Tony looked at the two men and looked at Jess who looked no worse for wear. “You okay Jess?” asked Tony, putting his rifle across his left arm and setting the lamp down on a worktable.
“Better than these two boys.”
“Can’t argue with you on that.”
“You know these two? Are they working for Carter?”
“That one by the front door is one of Carter’s men. Never seen that one though,” Tony said, nodding in the direction of the other dead man lying in a pile of hay. “Must be one of the many fans you’ve gained since you came to town.”
“I do seem to have a lot of people interested in me, don’t I?”
“You are becoming right popular, and that’s a fact. Hell, you ought to run for Mayor. You would win hands down.”
Just then, Andy came running up to the front of the livery, his double-barrel in his left hand. He was breathing heavy and moaning about his shoulder. “Jesus Christ,” Andy exclaimed, “don’t ya ever take a break?”
“Only when they let me, Andy.”
“Well, the odds are gettin’ better. Hell, you must’ve killed damn near a dozen men today alone,” said Andy.
“That’s how those rumors get started. Actually, it’s closer to a half-dozen,” Jess replied.
Andy cocked his head and gave Jess that funny look. “Like it really matters.”
“Well,” Tony said, “I’ll take care of the bodies. Jess, why don’t you go on back up and get some rest. I’ll stand guard again so you can get some sleep. You’re going to need all you can get for tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Andy agreed, “I’m sure you’re gonna have quite a day tomorrow. Probably worse than today, if that’s at all possible.”
“You know, Andy, you’re just a little ball full of good news,” replied Jess as he used a rake to pull the ladder back down so he could climb up to the top.
“Don’t get me riled up. I’ll send LeAnn over to ya.”
“God no, I’d rather deal with a few more armed ambushers,” Jess replied. Andy and Tony both laughed at that.
Tony took care of the bodies and sat guard until about five in the morning. Andy went back home after having a cup of coffee with Tony. Jess had listened to the two of them chat back and forth before he finally fell off to sleep. Jess remembered shuddering a little just before he fell off to sleep. He thought it might have been from the chill in the night air but he realized it was really from the thought of Andy sending LeAnn over like he had threatened. A few hours later Tony woke Jess and Jess climbed down and had a few cups of strong hot coffee with Tony. They sat there and watched the small town come to life. People were slowly coming out and