The Hell Riders

“You know who I’m talking about. Your feelings have been obvious since we first met them on the trail. You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Jake remained silent for a few seconds and then said, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Where’s this leading?” Dutch asked.

“I don’t rightly know?” Jake lied to his friend and immediately felt bad about it.

“If Sanchez finds out, he. . .,” Dutch didn’t finish his thought.

“He won’t, but if he does, I’ll take care of him.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Dutch said. “I’m riding into the village. Want to come?”

“Nah,” answered Jake.

“Suit yourself,” Dutch said, getting up and walking over to his horse. He mounted and turned towards Jake and said, “Whatever you decide to do about Willow is fine with me.”

“Thanks, Dutch. I appreciate that.”

* * *

The next several days seemed like an eternity to Jake. All he could think about was Willow. Thoughts of a future flew around in his head like bats at dusk. He struggled to pull them together into one coherent group, so he could make sense of them and plan a course of action as well. But Jake was unable to that. His confusion was too great. His feelings were at war with one another.

On the morning of the fourth day of Willow’s absence, Snake, BT, Billy and two new men thundered into the compound. They dismounted in a cloud of dust and ran towards Jake.

“Dutch, Jake!” Snake called. “It’s time to ride.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jake.

“These here boys are Derrick and John, the rest of our gang. The job is set, and we gotta ride now to make it on time. If we don’t, we’ll miss the opportunity, and this is one big payroll,” Snake said excitedly.

“I thought this was a monthly payroll? So if we don’t hit them now, we can hit them next month,” Jake said.

“No good, Jake. We found out the mining company is sending a double payroll this month and none next month. They are tied up in deal to get Indian land, and no one knows for sure what’s going to happen next. It’s now or never,” Derrick explained.

“I just don’t know. I don’t like rushing into something like this. And besides, I don’t even know these new boys, here.”

“Jake, I need some action. I’m tired of sitting around doing nothin’ but humping Mexican whores and drinking whiskey!” Snake stated. “I want to ride. We have to move on. It’s only a few days hard ride to get there, and then we can scout out the best spot to hit them. Once that stage leaves, it ain’t waiting for us.”

“It’s time, Jake,” Dutch said, walking over to his horse with his gear. “Let’s get a move on.”

Jake studied the faces of his men and realized that if he didn’t ride with them, they’d ride without him. Besides, if he was going to take off with Willow, he needed money for a clean start. “Okay, let’s do it,” Jake said forcefully.

Jake watched as the men readied themselves to hell ride. He hoped this job would be different from the last. He didn’t want to lead men to their slaughter once again.