“Your timing was as bad as my selection of towns to hide out in.” Stone glanced behind them. “Look out.” He grabbed Knox by the sleeve and pulled him off the path they were on. A moment later a shotgun blast ripped the limb off a tree that Knox had been next to.

Knox pointed his pistol over his head and fired four shots in a wide swath to buy them some time. The only thing it bought was a barrage of bullets, one of which burned a crease in Knox’s right arm but didn’t go in.

“Damn it!” He clutched his wounded limb but kept running.

In a flash Stone grabbed the pistol from his hand, whirled around and emptied the clip at the men coming for them. He hit one of them and placed his shots so well that the other pursuers were forced to take cover.

Stone said, “This way, quick!”

They cut across a gulley, hit the asphalt road, crossed it in three leaps and plunged into the woods on the other side.

“How’s the arm?”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Got another clip?” Stone asked.

Knox dug in his pocket and flipped it to him. “Damn sorry I took your gun now.”

“Me too.” Stone slapped the ammo clip in and held the gun ready.

“We can’t outrun them,” Knox said, panting, even as he nervously eyed the gun in Stone’s hand.

“No, we can’t. They look a lot younger than we are.”

“You’re a damn good shot.”

“I don’t think it’ll matter this time.”

“You are John Carr, aren’t you?”

“He’s dead.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Another bullet blast came at them, forcing them to turn east. They raced up a slope, both men’s breaths coming in gasps now even as they slowed. Stone slipped on some mud and fell down. Knox stooped and helped him up.

They were nearly at the top of the hill.

Stone said, “Get behind that tree, Knox. We’ve got some high ground here and I don’t want to waste it.”

Knox took cover and watched as Stone nimbly scaled an oak, shimmied out onto a thick branch, took aim and when the first man appeared out of the brush he opened fire. The man yelled out and went down. Two other men appeared behind him. When they raised their weapons, Stone shot one of them in the leg. A moment later a barrage of gunfire erupted from the woods. Stone returned it, spraying shots all across the front of the tree line. He jumped to the ground, rejoined Knox and handed him back the gun.

Knox looked surprised. “You do understand that I’m here to arrest you for the murders of Carter Gray and Senator Simpson?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“So why are you giving me back my gun?”

“Because it’s empty.”