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75 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano

That time I saw the stab of flame and knew which direction the man was in. I didn’t, however

know where Rosemarie was, so I held my fire. I groaned, so he would think I was hit. It

worked! He started back toward me and lit a match to see who he had just killed. Just then

Rosemarie started making noise and he turned for just a second. It was all the time I needed. I

swung my rifle and took his legs out from under him and got on top of him before he could

move. With all the commotion going on, the two men Guerra had sent came rushing into the

cave mouth. I yelled for them to hold their fire. They came in and one untied Rosemarie and the

other signaled Francisco Guerra and his other men to come to the cave. I held the man down.

He was sobbing, saying to go ahead and kill him. Without his family, he said, he had nothing to

live for anyway.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As soon as Raul and the other man with him saw to it that Rosemarie was safe, they stumbled

toward the back of the cave. I held the man down and he had all but given up fighting.

“Rosemarie!” Guerra shouted.

“I am here father,” she said.

“Are you hurt? Did he touch you in any way?” Francisco wanted to know.

“I am unharmed.” She said.

By this time Guerras men had lit a torch of dried grass from outside the cave and had found me

and the other man. I held onto the man as Raul and two other men grabbed him.

“Now, Cabron! You will die! Raul said.

“No wait!” I said. “Let the law handle it!”

“There is no law for the coyote’s protection!” Guerra said.

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