| RULES OF THE
DEATH GAME
"Have you ever been in a sash fight before, Señor Fargo?" Chavez
asked with a sharklike relish.
"No," Fargo said.
"You pick up your end of the sash and stick it in your mouth," the
Comanchero leader explained. "Black Bear will do the same at his end.
then you both pick up your Bowies and fight. There are only two rules, amigo.
You must not let the sash drop from your mouth, and you must not leave the
circle--or else my men will kill you on the spot."
Fargo looked around the circle of Comancheros. Their dark eyes were
lit with blood lust. His blood. He looked at his opponent. Black Bear
was bursting with confidence. he was an expert at this game that Fargo had never
played before.
Fargo knew that the odds were bad. Even worse was if he came out
on top, he would be torn apart by the angry onlookers. What the hell, thought the
Trailsman as he bit down hard on the blood-red sash and tightened his grip on the hilt of
the razor-sharp Bowie, he'd just as soon go out a winner.... |
DEADLIER THAN THE MALE
Fargo figured Cassandra was
falling for him or at least his story. But she didn't lower her shotgun.
Instead she scooped up a pistol and fired two shots into the floor.
Men poured into the room. "Come on, you pecker-woods!"
the ravishing redhead bawled.
Punches rained down on Fargo. Kicks slammed into his sides. He
fought as best he could, landing blows to the right and left. he saw a kneecap and
slammed a heel into it. But knuckles raked his face. A fist plowed into his
stomach. Dimly he heard Cassandra voice, "Pin him down! Tie him up!"
Minutes later, the Trailsman lay hog-tied on the floor. Cassandra
checked the bonds to make sure they couldn't be broken. then she told the men to
leave.
She smiled at Fargo. "My brothers return tomorrow. 'Til ten, I
have you all to myself."
He read the look in her eyes. A chill ran through him. Normally
he wouldn't worry about being alone with a lady. But this was no lady. This
was a murderous maneater who could make death seem easy.... |
