The Lincoln Myth (56 page)

C
ASSIOPEIA TOOK A STEP TOWARD
J
OSEPE
.

He reacted by re-aiming the gun her way, his eyes alight with rage.

“Remember when we were young,” she said, her voice low. “When we were together. When you first loved me.”

“I think of it every day.”

“Those were innocent times. We can’t ever go back to them, but we can have something new and different. Lay down your gun and give this up.”

“The prophet commands me to fight.”

“There is no prophet here.”

“I wish you could see him. He’s so beautiful, bathed in light, full of goodness. He has never led me astray.”

“Josepe, they won’t hurt you if you’re unarmed.”

“They can’t hurt me.”

She stared at Cotton and the younger man. “I’m afraid they can. They’re just waiting for the chance to kill you.”

Not a hint of fear filled any of the eyes that watched her. Instead she read calculation in the cool gazes that came from all three professionals. Josepe was no match for them. They knew it. He didn’t.

“Please,” she said. “I beg you. None of them will shoot an unarmed man.”

Josepe seemed puzzled.

“Don’t you see,” she said. “They came here to kill you. Neither you, nor Rowan, was going to leave here alive.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because it was her job to lead you here,” Stephanie said.

L
UKE CRINGED AT
S
TEPHANIE
’
S WORDS
. O
N HER KNEES, WITH
no weapon, but still on the offensive. Gotta give it to her. He formed a new respect for his boss.

“She’s only trying to antagonize you,” Cassiopeia said. “She can’t, if you lay down the weapon and surrender.”

“You have no power over me any longer.”

“Josepe, you have to listen. These people know what they’re doing. You’re not in control.”

“They don’t seem like a problem to me,” Salazar said. “Killing them would be easy.”

“Then do it,” Luke said.

“I might just blow your knees away and let you live as a cripple the rest of your life. That’s what you deserve. Death may be too good for any of you.”

“Does that include me?” Cassiopeia asked.

“Your thoughts are impure. Your motives tainted. You played with me years ago, and again over the past few days. So yes, it includes you.”

M
ALONE SPIED THE DISTANCE BETWEEN HIS RIGHT HAND AND
the gun nestled at Luke’s spine. Eighteen inches. Tops. It rested facing away, making it easy for his hand to secure a grip. But that had to be done quickly and carefully, signaling nothing to Salazar. Cassiopeia had read their intentions. Thankfully, Salazar was confused enough to not know exactly who to believe.

“Josepe,” Cassiopeia said. “I want you to lay the gun down and come with me. You and I can work this through.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Don’t make it any worse. There’s no escaping here.”

Salazar chuckled. “You underestimate me. My two men are out there waiting. I think this is all of the government we’re going to see. I would imagine if there were more we would have seen them already.”

Salazar aimed the gun at Stephanie.

Cassiopeia stepped in between, daring him to fire.

Malone’s hand eased toward the gun.

“I’m not going to allow you to do this,” Cassiopeia said. “You’re going to have to shoot her through me.”

“I feel nothing for you,” Salazar made clear. “Not anymore.”

S
ALAZAR FOUGHT TO KEEP HIS COMPOSURE
.

“She should expect no more protection from you than the wolf might find or the dog the shepherd finds killing the sheep. It is our duty to wipe all of the unclean from our midst. Let Heavenly Father deal with them.”

The angel glared at him.

“When a man prays for a thing, he ought to be willing to perform it himself.”

That he should.

“Kill them all. Start with the lying temptress.”

M
ALONE’S HAND WRAPPED AROUND THE GUN.
H
E FELT LUKE
tense as his finger found the trigger. Cassiopeia had diverted Salazar’s attention enough to allow the move to go unnoticed.

“If you turn and trample the holy commandments of God,” Salazar said to Cassiopeia, “and break your sacred and solemn covenants, becoming traitors to the people of God, would you not be worthy of death?”

“You cannot do—”

“You have committed a sin that cannot be forgiven in this world.”

Salazar’s voice rose.

“Let the smoke ascend that the incense thereof may come before God as atonement for your sins.”

Malone heard the magic word.

Atonement
.

His grip on the gun tightened, but he hadn’t yet freed it from Luke’s belt.

“Stop this,” Cassiopeia said. “Stop it now.”

“You are no different from Judas, who deceived and betrayed Jesus Christ.”

Salazar was yelling.

Working up courage.

“No different at all. The prophets say that we should suffer our bowels to be taken out before forfeiting the covenant we have made with God. Judas was like salt that had lost its saving principles, good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of man.”

He slid the gun free.

“One,” he whispered to Luke, his lips not moving.

“I love you, Josepe.”

Cassiopeia’s words sliced his heart.

Was it true, or simply designed to stand Salazar down?

“You’re not worthy of love,” Salazar bellowed back. “You are not to be believed.”

“Please.”

Tears streamed down her face.

“Please, Josepe.”

The Spaniard’s attention was totally on her. Stephanie remained on her knees, back straight, head high, watching. The gun was leveled at Cassiopeia’s chest. Malone resented the hell out of being placed in this position. Stephanie had come to end the problem.

But the task had fallen to him.

“Two,” he breathed.

S
ALAZAR STEELED HIMSELF
.

“If the gentiles wish to see a few tricks,”
the angel said,
“we can perform them. They call you a devil. That is not an insult. We Saints have the meanest devils on the earth in our midst. We cannot attain our endowment without those devils being present. We cannot make progress, nor prosper in the kingdom of God, without them. We have always had a need among us for those who steal our fence poles, or the hay from a neighbor’s stack, or the corn from afield. These men have always served a need. As you do.”

He resented being called a devil, but understood what the vision was saying. Tough jobs had always required tough men. He watched as Cassiopeia’s tears increased. He’d never seen her cry before, and the sight was disconcerting.

And those words.

I love you
.

They gave him pause.

“Heavenly Father will have mercy on all of their souls.”

That he liked.

“We shall possess the earth because it belongs to Jesus Christ, and he belongs to us, and we to him. We are all one and we will take the kingdom and possess it, under the whole heavens and reign over it forever and ever. All ye kings and emperors and presidents help yourselves, if you can.”

“That is true,” he said to the vision.

“Nations will bow to our kingdom and all hell cannot stop it. Do your duty. Do it now.”

“T
HREE
.”

Malone swung the gun around as Luke dropped to the ground.

He aimed the weapon.

Salazar reacted, shifting left.

“No,” Cassiopeia screamed.

“Drop the gun,” Malone yelled. “Don’t make me do it.”

Salazar’s arm never stopped, the black dot of the barrel homing in on him.

No choice.

Malone fired.

The round found Salazar’s chest, staggering him backward. Salazar regained his balance and never hesitated, again re-aiming his weapon.

Malone fired a second time.

To the head.

The bullet entered through a neat crimson hole, then exploded out the back, blood and brains splattering on the rocks.