That is not the law. I am the law, Harlan screamed. "Disarm!" Miller shouted, drawing his pistol. Everyone put their guns down.
Now. Harlan looked around. He saw the neighbors raising their rifles. He saw the doctor watching him with judgment. He saw his control slipping away.
He looked at Elias. He saw the hatred in the scout's eyes. I will not be disarmed by a race traitor, Harlan snarled. His hand moved. It was a blur of motion toward the pearl-handled revolver at his hip.
Elias did not think. He did not decide. His body remembered. Years of drill, years of survival, years of war condensed into a fraction of a second. Elias drew.
The coat cleared leather before Harlan's gun was halfway up. Crack. A single shot rang out. It was distinct, sharp, and final. Harlan jerked backward in his saddle as if kicked by a mule.
His hat flew off. He stared at Elias, his eyes wide with shock. A small red hole appeared in the center of his chest, ruining the fine gray suit. He slumped forward, sliding slowly off the side of the black stallion. He hit the dust with a heavy, final thud.
Harlan's men looked at their fallen boss. They looked at Elias, who stood with his gun smoking, his aim instantly shifting to the next man. "Drop them," Elias ordered. The nervous rider dropped his rifle. The others followed, the clatter of weapons hitting the ground sounding loud in the silence.
Elias did not lower his gun. He walked slowly toward Harlan. The cattle baron lay on his back, staring up at the smoke-filled sky. His breath bubbled in his throat. He looked at Naya, who had followed Elias.
Damn you, Harlan wheezed. Damn both of The light faded from his eyes. He died with a curse on his lips and the taste of dust in his mouth. "It is over," Dr. Aris said softly. The Indian agent, Silas Thorne, who had been hiding in the shadows of the treeline, saw his patron fall.
He turned his mule and vanished into the darkness, riding hard for the border, knowing his protection was gone. Deputy Miller holstered his gun, his hands shaking. "He drew first," Miller said, his voice trembling. I saw it. "We all saw it," one of the neighbors said, nodding grimly.