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As Jefferson continued to pull himself toward her, Selena grabbed a stick from a nearby pile of brush.

The sound of gunfire swelled to a crescendo as Jefferson pulled himself to his feet and began to run toward her.

The easy lope of a wolf bounding toward his prey.

Selena stood her ground and prepared for battle. For too long she had given way to his assaults. What had it got her?

She needed to be strong for her younger sister.

The swing of her stick was easily deflected with a brush of his arm.

Selena staggered backward as her enemy pressed his advantage.

“Betray me. Will you? After all that I’ve done for you.” Jefferson raised his pistol toward her head. Selena closed her eyes preparing for the final impact.

There was nothing.

Her eyes blinked open.

Jefferson lay on the ground before her feet.

“I tripped him.” Her sister held up a roll of the wire that she had only recently taken down from the tree. “See.”

She gathered her sister into her arms as a sob of relief shuddered from her slender form. “Good for you Jamie.”

“Sorry, I’m late ma’am.” A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stood over them. “I saw what happened but I couldn’t get over here in time.”

The storm of gunfire subsided as he hauled Jefferson to his feet.

“Well. Well. If it isn’t Jefferson Little himself,” the Mountie laughed. “Looks like your theivin days are over.”

Other members of the posse were filtering out from the forest. Some nursed wounds, others prodded gang members before them. This fight was over.

Selena’s thoughts turned toward a vision of Walter, lying motionless in the snow before the grey monolith of his father’s bank.

Panic overwhelmed her as she headed down the trail back toward the town.

She had to see what had happened to him.