The Lawman

Part 2: The Girl

 "I'm not who you think I am", Wade sat very still in his saddle.

"Oh really, and who might you be instead? Santa Claus?", the voice asked sarcastically.

"Wade Hart, US Marshal."

"I don't think so. Get off your horse and keep your hands where I can see them", Wade knew the speaker was female, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where she had hidden. However, he wasn't going to argue with a woman. Stepping off of his horse he stood beside the mare waiting for further instructions.

"Step down slowly and back up."

Evil's ears twitched in response to the strange voice.

Wade dismounted and began to walk backward. His mare turned around, following his movements.

"All right, stop", the voice was now right behind him.

Evil stood chest to chest with Wade, eyeing whoever stood at his back. The man could almost see her brain working. Things were not going to end well for the person holding him hostage. He smirked at the thought of Evil getting a piece of his captor.

"I'll warn you, this mare bites."

"Hush up criminal. I know my way around horses just fine."

The word criminal did not go unnoticed, neither did the gun barrel jammed against his spine.

"I guess Kane's friends work faster than I thought."

The person holding the gun didn't stand a chance to respond - Evil lunged forward ears pinned. Wade stepped out-of-the-way and spun around, knocking the rifle loose from his assailant's grip.

"Evil back off!", Wade managed to say before focusing on the task at hand. Pretty grey eyes flashed angrily up at him as he wrestled with the stranger.

"Let go of me!", the woman who'd caught him snarled.

"I'm awful sorry ma'am, but you just can't go around holding up US Marshals-OUCH!"

The woman slammed her booted foot into the instep of his own.

"Damn lady!"

She sneered at him before driving a fist into his stomach. Instinctively he brought his own fists up despite the blow knocking some of the air out of him. Another fist came at him, but this time he was ready for it. Slapping the driving blow sideways, he used the force to spin the woman around. Both guns had been lost in their fight. She lunged forward itrying to escape with him on her heels. When they collided they went down in a heap. Quickly he pinned both of her arms to her sides using his knees, positioning himself so she couldn't kick him in the back of the head.

"Now hold still damn it! Why in the blue blazes are you doing this?"

"You killed my brother you lousy son of a-"

"I did no such thing, now calm down!"

"The hell you did! I saw the man who did it and he's you!"

Heaving a sigh, he waited until she quit spitting and squirming. Her grey eyes narrowed up at him when she realized he was no longer talking.

"Are you done?"

More scowling and narrowing of the eyes.

"Well, I happen to know who did kill your brother: it was a man named Wyatt Hart", here he stopped for a moment, "He's my brother."

Her face went from ticked off to shock in a few seconds. All movements on her end-stopped. After a minute he stood up, then reached down to help her to her feet.