Brand 9

  His name was Jason Brand and the only sure thing he knew about himself was his skill with a gun. His past was a blank, his future unknown. When he met the beautiful and wealthy Virginia Maitland she was a lone woman desperate for help. With her life under threat from unseen enemies, she needed answers.

  Together they rode a dangerous trail through snowstorms, battling the raging elements as well as the men sent out to kill them. And only one thing was certain—the crash of gunfire would determine the outcome in a final showdown.

  HIGH KILL

  BRAND 9

  Neil Hunter

  A version of this story first appeared in 2006 under the title High Mountain Stand-off, published by Robert Hale Limited under the pseudonym ‘John C. Danner’

  Copyright © 2006, 2015 by Neil Hunter

  First Smashwords Edition: April 2015

  Names, characters and incidents in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  Cover image © 2015 by Edward Martin

  This is a Piccadilly Publishing Book

  Series Editor: Ben Bridges ~ Text © Piccadilly Publishing

  Published by Arrangement with the Author.

  Chapter One

  The snowstorm had been raging for two days. Bitter winds, driving down out of Canada had helped to pile up the heavy drifts. Out on the ranges the vast herds of cattle huddled together for warmth and protection from the severe conditions. There was little the ranch crews could do to ease the suffering of the beasts and they were forced to stand back and hope that the majority of cattle would be alive once the storms abated. It was a difficult time for everyone in the territory, even the inhabitants of the settlements. There seemed no let up to the storm and the inhabitants of Butte, Montana Territory, closed their doors and shutters against the hostile elements, resigning themselves to another long night of howling winds and blinding snow. The severe cold had already formed ice on the surface of the banked snow. Thick icicles hung from roof edges, catching the baleful glow of lanterns hung along Main Street.

  There was little movement out of doors. It was the kind of weather only fools or desperate men ventured into. Most of Butte’s businesses had closed early due to lack of custom, though a number of the saloons stayed open, likewise a couple of restaurants. Somehow, despite any difficulty, natural or manmade, there was always time for a drink or something to eat.

  From the direction of Butte’s railroad depot, which was little more than a collection of buildings alongside the tracks, a single figure stumbled defiantly towards the main street. At times completely obscured by the swirling snow, the figure resisted the violent tug of the wind, and after long minutes reached the comparative safety of the closest boardwalk. In the yellow glare of wildly swinging lanterns the dark shape of the figure took on definite form. A young woman, clad in a thick hooded cloak. The face peering out from behind the fur lined hood was pale from the cold, yet still showed itself to be beautiful. The shapely mouth was held in a firm, stubborn line and the bright eyes defied the weather to do its worst.

  Pulling the wind-whipped cloak closer to her body Virginia Maitland picked her way along the slippery boardwalk. A few doors along she could see the frosted windows of a restaurant. The glow of lamplight hinted at warmth and comfort inside. She paused for a moment, her hand on the door handle, eyes peering through the misted glass. A gust of wind drove thick swirls of snow at her and she pushed open the door, stumbling inside, a flurry of cold air and whiteness in her wake.

  ‘Hellsfire,’ a deep male voice yelled. ‘Close the damn door.’

  Virginia thrust a shoulder against the resisting door and felt it close. She turned away from it, pushing the hood of the cloak back from her face and felt the rush of heat from the room.

  ‘Sorry, ma’am,’ the deep voice apologized, ‘I didn’t realize.’

  Virginia glanced at the speaker and saw a stocky, balding man standing at the end of the counter that ran the length of the room. He wore a thick check shirt and a white apron.

  ‘That wind’s comin’ down off them mountains something fierce,’ he went on, still apologetic.

  Virginia smiled. ‘They said I was foolish leaving the train to come up here,’ she said. ‘But I saw no reason to just sit there when I could find food’

  ‘You come from the depot?’

  ‘Yes. It looks as if the train is going to be held up for a long while. They told us the tracks are completely blocked for miles.’

  ‘You hear that, Harry?’ the balding man said.

  Virginia glanced around and became aware of the restaurant’s occupants. There were only six tables in the room. Three of them were in use. A middle-aged man was at seated at the table closest to the door. At another were three hard faced men wearing thick coats and heavy boots. One of them had a rifle leaning against the table close to his left hand. All three of the men had turned to stare at Virginia. There was something in their gaze that unsettled her and she looked away, toward the last of the occupied tables. It was in the farthest corner of the restaurant, facing the door. The single occupant had his chair wedged into the very corner of the wall. He sat slumped in the chair, his body hunched up in the thick, hip length coat he was wearing. His wide brimmed hat was drawn down across his face, shadow falling across his jaw. The remains of meal were on the table in front of him. He looked as if he was asleep.

  ‘I hear,’ the middle-aged man grumbled.

  ‘Don’t appear you’ll be getting’ back to Anaconda for while.’

  The man named Harry picked up his cup and swilled the coffee round. ‘You better brew me up some more of your awful coffee then, Bernie. Looks like I’m going to need it.’

  ‘Bide your time,’ Bernie said. ‘Let me attend to the lady first. Ma’am, if you’d like to find yourself a table.’

  Virginia nodded and crossed the room. She had noticed the pot-belly stove at the far end of the restaurant. There was an empty table close by. Ignoring the open stares of the trio still watching her she crossed to the table and sat down, feeling the heat from the stove. It felt good. Far better than the chill of the cold carriage she had left behind. She hoped there was a hotel in town. A comfortable bed was what she would he needing after a hot meal. She leaned back in the chair, the warmth from the stove relaxing her. She took off her gloves. Brushed stray locks of her soft, dark hair from her face.

  ‘Ma’am?’

  Virginia glanced up. It was the man called Bernie.

  ‘Could I have some coffee? And something to eat, please.’

  ‘Sure. Now I don’t have anything too fancy, ma’am. There’s some beef stew. Or a steak. Potatoes and greens.’

  ‘The stew, I think,’ Virginia said. ‘By the way, is there a hotel in town?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. We got a couple. Ain’t palaces but they do.’

  Virginia nodded. Bernie went away, leaving her to enjoy the warmth from the stove. It made her drowsy. Virginia knew it was more than just the heat. She was tired. Despite the need to continue her journey she knew that what she really needed was a chance to rest. Too many days had passed, most of them a blur in her memory, and she was fast becoming aware of her physical condition. As she had done many times previously, she asked herself the same question—had she been too impulsive taking on the responsibility of this journey? Had she been wrong in her decision not to let anyone know what she intended? And as before she told herself she had done the right thing. The situation in which sh
e found herself had put in her in the position of not knowing who to trust. The thought saddened her, but only strengthened her resolve. No matter what she had to face she would go on. She had come too far to give up now, and it was not in her nature to back away from her problems.

  ‘Coffee, ma’am?’

  The words snapped her out of her lethargic state with a jerk. For a moment Virginia stared at the face of the restaurant owner, then her jangled senses sorted themselves out and she gave an embarrassed smile.

  ‘‘I hope I can stay awake long enough to do justice to your food,’ she said by way of an apology.

  ‘I’ll hurry it along, ma’am,’ he said, placing the mug in front of her.

  Virginia sipped the hot coffee. There was little sound inside the restaurant and she could hear the droning howl of the wind. Glancing towards the window she saw the white swirl of the falling snow.

  Her meal arrived a little time later. She found herself pleasantly surprised. Not only was it well cooked, it also tasted good. Despite her weariness she found herself tucking into the meal with a renewed appetite. While she was eating the three men who had been sharing a table got up and left the restaurant. As the last man went out through the door a muffled figure pushed by him, stepping just inside. Virginia glanced up at the blast of cold air that gusted across the room. She found herself looking into the face of the newcomer and felt a moment of sudden alarm. There was something about the way he was staring at her, his hard, angry eyes taking in every detail. For a moment the angular, hollow-cheeked face turned in Virginia’s direction, and it was almost as if he had found what he was looking for. He turned and left, closing the door with a bang, leaving only a white streak of snow on the floor.

  ‘Now who was that?’ Bernie asked.

  The man, Harry, shrugged. ‘Damned if I know,’ he said, then added, ‘Tell you one thing. He looked mean enough to cut your throat for a silver dollar. Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am,’ he said for Virginia’s benefit.

  ‘I think you could be right,’ she agreed.

  The matter was not mentioned again but Virginia found herself imagining the man’s face over and over in her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder who he was, and why he had been staring around the restaurant so intently. She wondered if she was simply over reacting. The man could have been looking for a friend. Then just as easily he might have been looking for her. It was possible that despite all her precautions, her journey and destination could have been discovered. If that had happened then she might easily find herself in trouble.

  She finished her meal and paid her bill. Pausing beside the stove for a final warm Virginia drew the hood of her cloak over her head and pulled on her gloves.

  Bernie had been watching her quietly. ‘You sure you’ll be all right out there, ma’am’

  ‘Yes. I made it from the train so I should manage a few more yards to the hotel, thank you.’

  Once outside, the door closing off the comfort and warmth of the restaurant, she felt the full force of the storm. The wind seemed stronger and the snow heavier. Virginia kept as close to the store fronts as she made her uneasy way along the boardwalk. It was hard to see for more than a few yards ahead. After that everything vanished in a white, swirling mist. Virginia felt as if she was the only person on the street. She might have been the only person in town. Butte seemed devoid of life.

  Looking up and down the street she saw no one. There was just the swirling snow, eddying back and forth, occasionally gusting aside to reveal a soft glow of lamplight behind window glass. Smoke from chimneys was scattered the moment it emerged but if did remind Virginia that inside those buildings people were huddled around their glowing stoves, at least warm and comfortable, while she was foolishly exposing herself to the elements.

  As if in contradiction to her thoughts a dark figure appeared in front of her. Virginia gasped, surprised by the sudden appearance. Shielding her eyes with a gloved hand she peered up into the face of the figure. The pale light from a wildly swinging lantern illuminated the man’s gaunt features, and Virginia recognized the man who had appeared in the restaurant.

  ‘What do you want?’ she asked, a rising anger replacing her original fright.

  The man’s response was to grin at her. It made him look even more menacing. He lunged forward, his arms rising from his sides, long-fingered hands reaching for her. Virginia stepped back, turning to avoid his grasp. But the fingers of one hand hooked in the folds of her cloak and she felt herself being dragged back. Her feet slipped on the thick snow and she stumbled. She heard the man grunt. Twisting her face towards him she caught a blurred glimpse of his body bending over her.

  ‘You’ll come with me if I have to carry you.’ His words were torn away by the wind almost as he uttered them, but Virginia understood their meaning. It made her realize that her fears had not been groundless - her journey here had been discovered.

  Strong fingers gripped her arm. She was yanked savagely to her feet. Virginia responded without thinking. Her left hand lashed out, catching the man across the bridge of his nose. The blow stung and he swore. And then he hit her back, his palm slapping across her exposed cheek. Virginia fell back against the door post of a dark, shuttered store. The pain of the slap only increased her stubbornness. She kicked out with the toe of her high leather boot catching the man just below the knee. He let go of her, falling back a step, a string of curses flowing from his lips.

  Virginia turned to go by him, hoping for at least a chance of escape. But again was denied the chance. The man took a couple of long strides, his hands catching and gripping her body. Virginia fought him silently, quickly realizing that his strength was too much for her. Despite that she found that she wasn’t afraid of him. Probably because there was little time to do anything but put up as much resistance as she could.

  And then the fingers cruelly digging into her flesh slid away. She heard the man groan, a pained sound. She lifted her head in time to see her attacker stumble away from her. His face, gleaming in the light of a lantern, was twisted in agony.

  Another figure stepped into view, moving towards Virginia’s attacker. There was a flurry of subdued sound. Something metallic shone in the light. Virginia heard a solid thumping sound and a dark figure hunched to the boardwalk.

  Silence fell again. It seemed to blot out everything for a moment. Then Virginia became aware of her own harsh breathing. Now she could feel herself trembling. As her awareness returned she realized how cold she was. She could feel the bitter slap of the wind against her face.

  ‘Can you stay on your feet?’

  Virginia glanced at the speaker. She found something familiar in him, and after a few seconds she recognized him as the man from the cafe. The silent figure sitting in a corner of the room with the remains of a meal on the table in front of him. Even now she could not see his face. Only the merest reflection of light in his dark eyes.

  ‘I’ll manage,’ she told him bluntly. The fact that he’d just come to her assistance didn’t give him the right to speak to her with such brusqueness, she decided.

  ‘Hotel’s just along here.’

  Virginia felt his big hand grip her arm. There was strength in the hand, she could feel it, but it was controlled. She found herself being escorted along the slippery boardwalk, and she knew there was no sense in arguing with this man - whoever he was.

  ‘Lookin’ at you a man might think you had sense. Then you go and do a damn fool thing like this.’

  Trembling with anger Virginia tore herself from his grasp. She braced herself against the force of the wind, turning to face her rescuer.

  ‘Just what did I do that makes you so arrogantly superior?’

  ‘When that feller showed his face back in the cafe you knew he was looking for you. I was sitting in back of you and there was no way of missing how you nearly jumped off your chair. He made you sit up and take notice. And then you get up and walk outside just the way he’d hoped you would.’

  Virginia opened her mouth to rep
ly. But she remained silent. She knew that she had been foolish. Though what else could she have done? She was alone in what she was facing. Or she had been until this strange and violent man had stepped into her life.

  ‘Come on,’ he said grudgingly, taking her arm again and almost dragging her along the boardwalk.

  They reached the hotel. Virginia felt herself being propelled through the opened door and into the dimly lit, stuffy lobby. She took a moment to regain her breath, shaking the snow from her clothing. Behind her the door closed, cutting off the howl of the wind. The tall figure of the man strode past her and up to the reception desk.

  ‘Hey, Milton, get out here’

  A skinny youth appeared. He was pale and pimply and wore huge, steel-rimmed spectacles. His straggly hair kept falling forwards across his eyes and he blinked constantly. He wore multi-colored suspenders over his rumpled shirt, half of which hung out of his pants.

  ‘Lady here needs a room, Milton,’ the man said. ‘She’s off the train stuck down at the depot. ‘Better give her number eight.’

  Milton nodded. He opened the thick register on the desk in front of him, pushing it in Virginia’s direction. He turned the big book around and indicated a line for her to sign on with a grimy finger. ‘You sign here, ma’am.’

  Virginia took the pen he handed her. As she filled in the required information she could feel Milton’s eyes on her. When she glanced up he looked away quickly.

  ‘My luggage is still at the depot,’ Virginia said.

  ‘Milton can arrange to have it brought up. Can’t you, Milton?’

  Milton almost said no but he changed his mind when he caught the man’s expression.

  ‘Sure,’ he said hastily. He took a tagged key from the board behind him and gave it to Virginia.

  Virginia let herself be escorted upstairs and along the narrow, shadowed corridor. Outside room eight she paused, turning to face the silent figure beside her.

  ‘Just why did you choose number eight?’ she asked.