“I didn’t intend to. Give her up? Why, you damned fool, it took me a long time to get her this far. I didn’t know a woman could fight so hard.”
“But where can yuh take her, Angel? You’ll never get her out of this Valley.”
“Won’t I? Once I get into the lava beds, all hell won’t stop me.”
“You crazy fool!” grunted Briggs. “You haven’t a——”
Briggs had been standing with his arms folded, but now he dropped his hands, and perhaps Angel thought he was going to draw a gun. At any rate, Angel’s wrist crooked and the report of his revolver shot shook the room. Briggs jerked sideways, falling into Fohl, who tried to save him, and almost fell with him.
“Good God!” exclaimed Langley.
Angel was crouched forward, his gun held tensely in his hand. Lila swayed against the wall, her eyes wide with the horror of what she had seen.
“Keep away from me,” warned Angel. “Nobody can stop me, I tell yuh. Keep yore hands where they are. By God, I’ll kill anybody who tries to stop me.”
“Nobody goin’ to stop yuh, Angel,” said Langley. “Don’t shoot any more. We’ll help yuh get away.”
“There’s somebody comin’!” exclaimed Fohl. “Hear ’em?”