Slocum's Breakout - Jake Logan [67]
Atencio grabbed the gun from Harriman and stepped away. He cocked the pistol, obviously intending to put a bullet in the head of the man who’d almost executed him.
“Stop,” Slocum said sharply. “We need him to get out of here.”
“I want him dead.”
“No. No killing.”
“What are you, a lily-livered coward who can’t shoot an unarmed man?” Harriman laughed hard, pointing at Atencio.
“He’s trying to goad you,” Slocum said.
“We will use him to get away,” Atencio finally said, swallowing his anger with obvious effort. “How do we do this?”
“Think any of his guards want him dead?” Slocum saw the flash of fear cross Harriman’s face. “Might be you can stay alive awhile longer if you keep them at bay.” Slocum rounded the desk and jammed his six-shooter into the warden’s ribs. He pulled his coat out enough to hide the weapon.
Using the barrel, he steered the warden out of the office. Atencio stared hard, then yielded his position, falling in on the other side of the warden as they went into the corridor where a half-dozen guards milled about.
“What are you layabouts doing here?” The warden bellowed again to get the men moving.
Slocum moved fast, knowing he had little time before Harriman figured out some way of alerting his guards. If the warden ever considered his chances less with Slocum and Atencio than he did with his own men, he would call out for help.
“I won’t let him kill you,” Slocum said softly, steering Harriman out into the prison yard. “I won’t unless you try to get away.”
“What are you going to do with me?”
“That depends,” Slocum told the warden, “on how fast you can get all three of us horses to ride through that big gate.”
Atencio kept his face down so the guards wouldn’t notice, but the uniform proved a good disguise. The men cleaning up the yard, hunting for hiding prisoners, and working to get back a semblance of discipline saw only the blue coat and the garrison cap, not the face.
“Where are you going, Warden?”
Slocum tensed. He recognized Sergeant Wilkinson’s raspy voice.
“Tell him you’re going to supervise the hunt outside the walls.”
Harriman spoke in a monotone voice that caused Wilkinson to come over.
“Something wrong, Warden?”
Slocum considered just shooting the guard sergeant, then knew that would only get him and Atencio killed on the spot. As good as it would feel to cut down Wilkinson, the feeling would be short-lived once the tower guards opened fire on them.
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong. Get me those horses. Th-These men and I will find the escapees since you are unable to do so.”
“We just started, and those yahoos can’t get far,” Wilkinson said.
“No back talk, Sergeant!”
Wilkinson went off, grumbling. Slocum relaxed a little and told the warden, “You saved both your lives.”
“Go to hell. I’ll see both of you on the gallows with your damned necks broken! Mark my words!”
A guard brought up three saddled horses. Slocum found himself jockeying around so the warden would mount under the cover of the six-shooter but had to mount himself. In those seconds there wouldn’t be anything to keep Harriman in line.
“Kill him if he tries to warn the guards,” Slocum whispered to Atencio loud enough for the warden to overhear. “Use that derringer you took from him. It’s not much of a gun, but you’ve got two shots.”
Harriman started to kick his heels into his horse’s flanks, but the threat slowed him long enough for Slocum to mount and cover him again.
“Out. Now. Take it slow. Order the gates open.”
Slocum and Atencio rode knee to knee with Harriman to keep him in line. The hair on the back of Slocum’s neck rose as they approached the gate. So close to getting out of San Quentin. So close.
The gate swung open, and they started forward.
“Hold on! Stop them!” came Wilkinson’s order.
They’d been discovered.
19
“Run for it!” Atencio galloped away, leaving Slocum and Harriman in the dust. Slocum wanted to duplicate that escape effort but held back. Outrunning a posse of guards from the prison wasn’t possible.
“Wilkinson!” Harriman half turned