Hard Ride to Wichita Read Online Free Page B

differ,” Luke replied with a smirk. Joseph was drawn tighter than a bowstring, and the quick wink Luke gave him was more than enough to make him snap.
    Joseph’s hands balled into fists and he lunged at Luke. Before he could get close enough to swing, he was tackled by Red, who slammed his shoulder against the older Paulsen’s midsection.
    Still blinking in surprise at how quickly that had happened, Luke looked over to find Marty in a similar state. As his older brother struggled with Red, Marty sputtered, “You gotta have someone else fight your battles?”
    Not one for threats, Luke struggled to find something to say that would get his point across. Hearing those words, along with seeing the petulant look in Marty’s eyes, sparked something in him that he’d never really known was there.
    â€œYou’ve always been a yellow little coward, Luke,” Marty said as his brother shoved Red aside. “Everyone knows it.”
    When he’d convinced Red to march over to the Paulsen boys, his intention had been to stand up to them and let them know they couldn’t just start trouble and walk away from it. Too many times, Luke had seen blowhards get away with whatever they pleased simply because nobody bothered calling them out for what they were. Also, as he and Red had both mentioned, the Paulsen boys weren’t exactly their favorite people in town. Hearing Marty say those things to him at that particular moment caused Luke’s eyesight to blur around the edges like a poorly taken photograph. Before he knew what was happening, he was no longer standing in the spot he’d once been.
    Marty said something, but Luke didn’t hear it. He didn’t even hear the yelp that came from Marty when Luke punched him in the mouth.
    A few steps away, Joseph threw a punch at Red. Ducking beneath the incoming fist, Red grabbed the front of Joseph’s shirt, pulled him in close, and drove his knee into the other boy’s stomach. Joseph groaned and staggered back as Red stalked forward in pursuit.
    â€œWait a second!” Marty said.
    But Luke was too far along to stop now. In fact, the louder Marty pleaded, the more Luke wanted to stomp him into the dirt. When he snapped a quick jab into the side of Marty’s face, it was mostly to get the other boy to fight back.
    Nearby, Red had a hold of Joseph’s shirt and was tossing him around like a rag doll. The other boy tried to fight back, but Red pulled him down and slammed his knee into his face. Joseph straightened up as blood flew from his nose. The pain from the blow made him unsteady on his feet and a surprised expression showed beneath a spreading crimson mask. Not as surprised, however, as Red himself.
    â€œI’ll get the money for you!” Marty said. “I swear!”
    â€œGet it right now,” Luke demanded.
    â€œI don’t have it!” When Luke cocked his head and drew a fist back, Marty quickly added, “But we got other things. Maybe something we could trade.”
    â€œAnything worth as much as you owe?”
    â€œSure! Sure!”
    Realizing that Marty was anxious to appease him, Luke asked, “What about more than what you owe? You got anything worth that much?”
    â€œWhy more?”
    Luke surged toward the other boy and bared his teeth like an animal. “Because the deal wasn’t for a trade! It was for money and if you can’t scrape it up, you’ll have to make up for it and then some!”
    All Marty had to do was look over to his brother. Joseph pressed both hands against his face and moaned as blood seeped from his nose. Standing nearby with a good amount of blood on himself as well, Red calmly turned to look at how the other two were doing.
    â€œI—I got some things I could trade,” Marty whimpered. “Please. Just don’t kill us.”
    Luke recoiled at that and looked over to Red. His friend wasn’t about to say anything, but it was plain