Free Slocum and the Diamond City Affair (9781101612118) by Jake Logan Page B

in and take him. That means I won’t be able to take him to your place.”
    Jim nodded. “What can I do?”
    â€œKeep an eye on O’Riley. Tell him if I get the stallion I will deliver him to his man in Nogales as quick as I can.”
    â€œI can do that. You be careful.”
    â€œIn the confusion here, this is the best chance we have to separate Clanton and that horse.”
    Jim agreed and said, “Keep your head down.”
    Slocum closed his gritty eyes. “I will.”
    The time for the race drew closer. A six-horse field was being drawn by the committee, which was composed of the hacienda owners and the drunk Clanton. They argued vocally apart from the public. Each of the teams sought ways and means to best show off their horse. Lots of respect would go to the winner and the rich Mexicans had lots of pride to spread over the rest of the populace in such meets.
    The horses were paraded before the bettors and onlookers. Slocum hurried to find Rosa. At last he located her and she ran to him.
    â€œGet your horse and be at the end of the race. Depending on how things go, be ready to either ride or lead him,” he said to her.
    â€œI am ready. I will be there.”
    Slocum headed for where he had hobbled the Roman-nosed gelding when he discovered that two hard-case Mexican vaqueros were shadowing him. Using the horse for a shield, he drew his handgun. The .45 in his fist, he waited behind for them to draw closer.
    He stepped out and confronted them. “Did you come to kill me?”
    Both men went for their guns. Slocum’s Colt barked lead and death at the two. They were too slow and crumpled in the loose dirt with smoking guns in their fists. Screams went up from the shocked crowd, who turned their attention to the north edge where the gunshots had sounded, and many ran screaming for cover.
    Already in the saddle, Slocum sent his upset horse for the parade of racers. He reached Clanton’s shocked jockey and just about collided the bay with the stallion. With a shove, Slocum spilled the jockey out of the saddle. He drove his bay in closer and caught the reins of the Thoroughbred. He counted on the stallion to really lead and swung him around in close presence to his own stirrup, then he looked toward the blue sky horizon and the U.S. border.
    He charged out and the stallion matched the bay’s urgency stride for stride beside his stirrup. From across the open ground he could see Rosa coming across the field on her own horse to join him. She turned north to point the way for him. He had the big horse in his control.
    Even over the crowd’s protests, he could hear Clanton’s hysterical screams. “Stop that fucker! He’s stolen my horse.”
    The ground he viewed was flat toward the border with sparse clumps of greasewood and bunches of dry grass on both sides. That made the way clear, and the two of them were set to make a run for the International Line. He glanced back and nodded at Rosa’s anxious look as she whipped her horse to go faster and keep up.
    They needed a few precious minutes before the men with Clanton and the others recovered. They needed the time to get enough lead on the ones who would pursue them. Crossing the unattended border would not mean safety, but it was all Slocum could do in the short time ahead.
    This would be a race. Both his horse and the stallion were running free, though he might need to switch to riding the stallion and the jockey saddle if he had a desperate closing with his pursuers. He looked back through the dust cloud trailing them. No sign of pursuit yet, but Ike would never stand still for the theft. They’d damn sure be coming.

8
    Slocum shouted to Rosa, “Go hide at Jim’s. I can outrun them now.”
    She nodded, pushing her new horse hard to keep up. “Be careful. Where can I meet you?”
    â€œI’ll find you,” he shouted and pulled away as she went to the east.
    He crossed