Chapter 32

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The minute the sheriff left, Wilkins turned to the town fathers and looked at them with blazing eyes. “This is what happens when you drag your feet! If we had turned our plan into action immediately, we wouldn’t be in this fix.”

“But it would’ve meant killin’ Storm. I don’t like killin’!”

“None of us do, but you heard the sheriff. Now we got no choice!”

The men turned and looked at each other, some of the gazes frightened, some angry, and some undecided. But they all knew that it was too late to turn back now.

“I ain’t pullin’ any trigger—”

“Nobody’s askin’ you to do nothing, Burnside.” He turned and looked at the others, a gleam in his eyes. “We get someone to do it.”

“Someone? You mean like a—”

“Yeah. A gunslinger.”

“But that’ll cost money, and the town ain’t got any. None it can spare, anyway.”