Free Sudden--At Bay (A Sudden Western #2) by Frederick H. Christian

bein’ over-bright. All
right, enough jabber. Shuck yore guns —-both o’ yu. An’ mind how yu
do it.’
    With a muttered imprecation, Art
Cotton unbuckled his gun-belt and allowed it to fall to the dusty
ground. Helm’s hands moved too, because for a fraction of a second,
Sudden’s eyes had flicked across to watch Cotton step away from his
guns.
    In that half-second, Helm’s hands
flashed towards his guns and were on the butts, lifting them level,
when Sudden leaped forward, the barrel of his right hand gun
describing a short, vicious arc. The heavy weapon caught Helm above
the right ear and dropped him to his knees, stunned. He half fell
forward, one gun still in his hand, trying to bring it up to sight
it at the man in front of him. Once again, the barrel of Sudden’s
gun flickered in the sunlight, and Helm went down like a pole axed
steer.
    ‘ Some fellers is hard to
convince,’ Green remarked casually. He cast a glance about him.
‘Where’s yore brothers, mister?’ he asked the disarmed Art
Cotton.
    ‘ They ain’t here, damn yore eyes!’
grated Art. ‘Or yu’d be whistlin’ a different tune!’
    ‘ Had it all worked out, didn’t
yu?’ was the sardonic reply. ‘Helm takes the kid for a short ride,
like the one Norris’ an’ Rodgers took me for. Then yu go back to
rawhidin’ this town. Somebody oughta cut yu hombres down to size.’
    Art Cotton spat disgustedly. ‘Big
talk when yu got the drop, mister,’ he sneered. ‘Yu wouldn’t talk
so loud if yu wasn’t hidin’ behind that gun.’
    His boastful words carried clearly to the knot of
spectators who had appeared on the sidewalk as if they had in some
mysterious way sensed the drama which was taking place in the dusty
street. A thought struck Green.
    ‘ Billy,’ he snapped. ‘Hop over to
the Sheriff’s house an’ invite him to join us. If he gives yu an
argument, persuade Mm to come anyhow.’ A grin appeared on Billy’s
face, and he wheeled to do Sudden’s
bidding. In a few moments he was back, herding the discomfited
Parris in front of him. Parris’ face was bloated, his hair
awry.
    ‘ He was takin’ a nap explained
Billy. ‘Snorin’ like a sheep.’
    Cotton looked at the sheriff
disgustedly. ‘Sleeping was yu?’ he raged. ‘This jasper’s treein’
yore town, an’ yu lie there snorin’ yore
thick head off.’
    ‘ Art, I … I didn’t expect…’
mumbled Parris.
    ‘ Yu stupid clod!’ hurled Cotton.
‘Yu wouldn’t expect it to snow in the
winter!’ He turned to face Sudden again. ‘As for yu, mister, yu better get on yore hoss an’ head for
the hills. Yu beat the game once, but yu ain’t likely to get away
with it a second time.’
    Sudden smiled at him, although the smile did not
reach his eyes.
    ‘ Yo’re forgettin’ I’m the one with
the gun,’ he pointed out.
    ‘ I ain’t forgettin’ anything,’
snapped Art Cotton. ‘Yu got a tiger by the tail. So, yu got the
drop on me. So, big deal. Now what yu aimin’ to do —- shoot me down in the
street?’
    ‘ Don’t tempt me,’ was the
rejoinder, and the icy words brought a
startled look to Art Cotton’s face. He countered it with
bluff.
    ‘ Mister, this is our town. Yu
expect help from these sheep?’ He gestured
contemptuously towards the knot of watchers. ‘They wouldn’t lift a
finger to help yu.’
    ‘ I ain’t feelin’ the need o’
help,’ Sudden pointed out. ‘How about yu?’
    Cotton shrugged. ‘If yu was half a
man, an’ wasn’t hidin’ be hind yore gun,
mebbe we could settle this different.’ A malignant gleam of cunning entered his eyes, which turned to
triumph as Green nodded.
    ‘ Yu may be right at that,’ said
the puncher. ‘I’m guessin’ that Cottonwood
needs to see one o’ the Cottons crawl. Mebbe this is as good a time
as any for them to see it.’
    So saying, he holstered his guns
and then unbuckled the twin belts and
tossed them to one side. Billy voiced a protest as he did so.
    ‘ Jim, don’t! It’s just what