Turnbaugh gave a dark chuckle. ‘‘You lawdogs and your badges,’’ he said, ‘‘you’re worse than priests with their crosses.’’ He shook his head. ‘‘I never could understand why a little ornament like that makes such a difference to yas.’’ ‘‘I don’t expect you would,’’ said Sam. He paused, took a breath and gave another glance at either end of the bar. Here goes, he said to himself, hoping he’d given Maria enough time to get into position near the empty window frame to back him up. But there was no time to wonder about it now. ‘‘I’m taking you to Fort Smith, Turnbaugh,’’ he said. Turnbaugh gave another dark chuckle. ‘‘Are you now?’’ he said in a cocky tone, as if it were all a joke. ‘‘Care to hear some numbers on how many twobit lawmen like you has tried that same thing?’’ ‘‘The numbers don’t matter,’’ said Sam, barely shaking his head. ‘‘You’re going with me. Don’t make me kill you.’’ *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Sabio's Redemption at the end of this book.

Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack is on the trail of a gang of Yuma jailbreakers led by the blood-thirsty Suela Soto, and he’s leaving a trail of death and destruction. The pursuit will bring Sam up against one of the most infamous criminal gangs ever to pull a heist in the West—the Hole in the Wall Gang. * * * * “What do you mean? Why do you want him? He is an old man. He’s harmless. He is no threat to you,” the priest pleaded. But as he spoke, Soto shifted his gun to his other hand, took off his glove and held his right palm out for the priest to see. “Do you recognize this?” he asked, showing a tattoo that circled his palm. The priest almost gasped aloud. He shook his head and quickly made the sign of the cross. “You—you are one of them?” the priest asked, nodding at the tattoo, his face growing even more troubled and ashen than before. “One of el diablo’s—” He caught himself about to speak in Spanish and stopped short. “One of the devil’s own!” * * * * *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Vengeance at the end of this book.