Reid grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the noose. Eliza resolved that she would not scream, would not cry, would not beg for her life. She may not have the chance to escape, or have the strength to fight them off, but she would not allow them to take the very last vestiges of her dignity.
“Without further ado—”
Reid’s announcement was cut short by the simultaneous reports of four guns. Eliza looked around, certain it had been the four guards firing into the crowd. But instead, the four deputies fell off the edge of the platform, leaving her alone with Reid and the fifth deputy.
“Where did that come from?” Reid bellowed. “Who did that?”
While everybody was scanning the buildings for the mysterious marksmen, another shot fell the fifth deputy. Reid looked terrified, drawing his own g
