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me?"
    "Let's start with your name. Who are you?"
    Earl's eyes narrowed. There was something
going on that he didn't quite understand. If the
man didn't want his money, what did he want?
No one could know that he'd kidnapped the Vincente woman-he'd been too careful in covering
his tracks. But what if he was wrong; what if this
man was a lawman? What if he had found out
about the kidnapping and tracked him?

    "Keep those hands up," Reese ordered when
Earl dropped one arm.
    Earl stared directly into the stranger's eyes.
He was no coward, but he read something in
those silver depths that warned him the stranger
wouldn't hesitate to shoot him dead.
    "And if I don't feel like telling you my name?"
Earl asked recklessly, testing the stranger.
    Reese shrugged with indifference. "Then
you'd only be hurting yourself." Without hesitation, he aimed his rifle and fired.
    Earl let out a cry of pain, followed by outraged
cursing. He grabbed his ear and blood poured
through his fingers. "Damn it to hell! Why'd you
go and shoot my ear, you bastard?"
    "So you'd know I'm serious," Reese replied in
a voice as hard as steel. "You might want to remember that I always hit what I aim at." The
rifle moved to Earl's heart. "Now I'm only going
to ask you one more time," Reese warned.
"What's your name?"
    Earl licked his dry lips, and in spite of the
chilled air, sweat popped out on his upper lip.
There was no doubt in his mind that the rifleman meant what he said. And he had a feeling
that the man already knew who he was, so he
didn't dare lie to him not with that rifle aimed
at his heart. "Name's Earl," he said hurriedly.
"Earl Miller." His eyes hardened, and he won dered if he could reach the derringer that was
hidden in his sleeve before the man could pull
the trigger. "Who are you, and why d'you want
to know my name?"

    Reese leaned forward, cradling the rifle across
his arm, and said softly, "Earl, I'm your worst
fear."
    Earl could no longer look into those cold, penetrating eyes. "I don't even know you. What've
you got against me?"
    With the creaking of saddle leather, Reese dismounted, keeping his rifle trained on Earl Miller. "Let's just say that you have something that
belongs to a friend of mind, and he wants it
back."
    "I don't know what you're talking about." Earl
could feel the metal of his hidden derringer
against his bare flesh. If he could keep the man
talking and distract him, he'd have a chance at
a clear shot, but he'd better aim for the heart
because if he didn't kill this man, he'd be the one
to die. "What does your friend think I have that
belongs to him?"
    Reese moved a step closer, and Earl took a
step back. "Let's not waste time on meaningless
conversation, Earl. You have a woman who
doesn't belong to you, and you're going to take
me to her, right now." He took another step toward Earl. "But first I want you to tell me about your deal with Graham Felton and where in Dallas you are supposed to meet him."

    Suddenly the color drained out of Earl's face.
He looked almost comical with blood streaming
from his ear and his teeth clenched in fear.
    Earl knew in his gut that he had no choice but
to tell the stranger everything. "Why didn't you
just ask me what you wanted in the first place?
You didn't have to go and shoot me."
    Reese smiled, but it was not with humor; it
was a smile that sent chills down Earl's spine.
"It seemed the right thing to do at the time, Earl.
I didn't think you'd talk until I proved to you that
I am dead serious."
    Earl glanced into the cold gray eyes and
quickly looked down at the ground. "If you'll put
that gun down, I'll tell you 'bout the woman."
    "I have been called many names in my lifetime, Earl, but `fool' was never one of them. Now
answer me this have you and Felton ever met
before?"
    "No. But you know so much already, I'm sure
you know that, too."
    "Where is Saber Vincente? Take me to her."
    Earl paled even more and extended his arm at
an