Hard Ride to Wichita (10 page)

She smiled at him and sipped from her glass. Closing her eyes, she savored the taste of the drink as well as the heat it brought.

“So, you own this place?” Luke asked.

“I have partners, but yes. I run the day-to-day operations.”

“Is your name really Stormy?”

Her eyes opened and locked on to him. “As far as you're concerned, it is. But I'm guessing someone in your line of work is accustomed to folks living under assumed names.”

Luke took another drink. His mind filled with possibilities of what she was talking about. Rather than show how desperate he was for a hint of what he should say next, he bought himself some time by mimicking the way Stormy had lingered over the exotic liquor.

Finally she asked, “You are a bounty hunter, right?”

Lowering his glass, Luke felt his temper flare. “Where did you hear about that?”

“From Wayne. He's the man who looks after our stable.”

Luke's teeth ground together and a curse rumbled up from the back of his throat.

“Before you get too riled up,” she said, “let me assure you he didn't come running to me with this. I understand you wanted to tend to your affairs without everyone knowing who you are.”

“But you found out anyway,” he snarled.

“That's right. Only because I overheard you two talking when you were outside.”

“So you eavesdrop on the folks you call guests?”

“In case you didn't see the name on the sign, this is my place,” Stormy told him sternly. “I can come and go as I please, wherever I please, on this property. But no, I wasn't eavesdropping. Your friend had already been brought inside and you were lagging behind. I came out to see if you required anything, only to find you and Wayne engaged in a rather heated discussion. I stayed put in the event you drew your pistol and Wayne needed my help.”

“All right. So you heard me talking. Now what?”

Stormy poured another portion of brandy into her glass. “Would you like some more?”

“No,” Luke replied.

Holding the glass a few inches beneath her nose, she swirled the liquor around while staring over her desk at him. After a few seconds, she said, “You look rather young to be a bounty hunter.”

“Do I?”

“Of course, we get young men in here all the time. Mostly, they want to get their first taste of a woman or feel what it's like to indulge in some of the finer things. Lots of times, it's the sons of rich landowners or ranchers.”

“The ones without all that money probably just go to a saloon for their women, right?”

“That's right. To a saloon or an establishment without my high standards. That being said, I still say you seem too young to be the man you claimed to be. Was that just some tough talk to a frail old stable hand or are you truly someone who hunts men for money?”

“What's it matter to you?” Luke asked indignantly.

“How many men have you captured?”

Throughout the years, Luke found that he had a penchant for lying. Although he didn't have the stony face of a poker player, he could weave his words around his situation and surroundings to seem as convincing as possible. He didn't lie unless it was necessary, but so far, Red had been the only one to ever catch him in one. He thought about what Stormy had heard, what she probably knew, and what she could see. Since she already doubted him, he figured trying to talk himself up wasn't the way to go.

“I've brought in a few,” he said.

“Who were they?”

“Nobody you would have heard of. I'm just getting started in my line of work, but I've brought in some dangerous men.”

“How dangerous?” she asked.

“Dangerous enough to have a price on their head,” he told her with a healthy amount of anger in his voice. “If you brought me in here to call me a liar, then I don't have to sit here and take it. All you should be concerned about is whether or not I can pay for what I've gotten here.” Standing up, he added, “I assure you I can, so I'd like to get back to some more pleasant company.”

“Please, sit down.”

There was respecting strength and then there was being shoved around by someone who thought they were stronger. Luke had spent too much of his life being on the receiving end of the latter, and when he heard the tone in Stormy's voice just now, he was ready to show her just how much he hated it.

“You won't tell me to do anything,” he snapped. “I don't care how many men you've hired to watch this place. None of them will be able to get into this room before it's too late to make any difference.”

Even though he hadn't made a move toward his gun, Luke's voice alone had an effect on the woman in front of him. She wasn't petrified, but the superior glint in her eye was gone as she said, “I'm sorry. It's just that . . . you do look rather young. Most bounty hunters tend to be more experienced.”

“And how many bounty hunters do you know?”

“A few.”

“You want to know something? The men I did get the drop on made the same mistake you did. They underestimated me on account of how I look. They stood just as tall as you please until I burned them down.”

“Have you killed men?” she asked.

“What's it to you?”

Stormy was more shaken than he'd previously thought. She did a good job of keeping her chin up, but when she picked up her brandy glass, her hand was trembling just enough to create ripples in the liquor. She took a sip, set the glass down, and folded her hands on top of her desk. “I didn't mean to offend you. You just are not like most men in such a dangerous line of work.”

“I can pull a trigger just fine.”

“That's good to hear.” Clasping her hands a little tighter, she looked him dead in the eye and said, “I have a business proposition for you.”

“Business?”

Stormy nodded. “There's a man in town, not from around here, who owes me a good deal of money. He's apt to leave any day now and doesn't intend to pay. I'd like you to collect it for me.”

“And you think a bounty hunter needs to do this?”

“Not a bounty hunter specifically. Just someone willing to shoot this man if push comes to shove. Is this the sort of business you're interested in?”

It was some time later when Red finally came staggering into the room toward the front of Stormy's that had been made into a small saloon. There was a bar, a few tables, and several ladies lounging about batting their eyelashes at the fellows who came along. Emma must have had a word or two with those ladies, because they didn't try very hard to tempt Luke. Instead they smiled and gave him friendly pats as they walked by as if he'd been taken off the menu. Red was still pulling his suspenders over his shoulders and halfheartedly tucking in his shirt as he approached the bar. He had a few words with one of the girls there, who steered him in the direction of Luke's table. Red went to tip his hat, found he wasn't wearing it, and gave the helpful woman a lazy salute.

“Hot
damn
!” Red exclaimed as he pulled up a chair and dropped himself onto it. “Coming here has got to be the best idea I've ever had. Maybe the best idea anyone's ever had.”

“Do you have any money left?” Luke grunted.

“Sitting in paradise and money's all you can think about? There must be somethin' wrong with you. Somethin' up here,” Red chided as he tapped Luke's forehead. “Or maybe a little lower. Didn't you get yourself a woman?”

“I did, actually.”

“Well, good for you.” Twisting around in his chair, Red asked, “Which one is she?”

“Never mind that. I saw Stormy.”

“Stormy? She's that sweet little thing that brought us in here, ain't she? Rose told me about her. Said she owns the place. Is that why you're askin' me about money? Did she sweet-talk you out of everything you had?”

“Will you just shut up and listen to me?” Realizing he'd spoken loud enough to be heard throughout most of the room, Luke dropped his voice to a harsh whisper and said, “I was with a lady and Stormy came to find me.”

Red's eyebrows shot up and the lewd remarks he wanted to make became so obvious that they might as well have appeared as writing on his face.

“Not for that,” Luke quickly said. “She offered me a job.”

“Just you?”

“Well . . . us. She overheard us telling the old man outside that we're bounty hunters.”

“And she believed it?” Red straightened up and nodded proudly. “We're actually pullin' this off.”

“The job sounds pretty simple and the pay isn't bad.”

In a matter of seconds, Red's high spirits took a dive. “You took the job?”

“I told her we'd think about it.”

“Why?”

“What was I supposed to do?” Luke snapped.

“You were supposed to turn her down flat. I shouldn't have to tell you, but we ain't bounty hunters.”

“I know that.”

Composing himself quickly, Red took a look around the room to find the few other men in there were too preoccupied by the ladies to take notice of him or Luke. There were two ladies without company at the moment, who were eagerly looking toward the front window, where some new arrivals were being lured inside. Studying Luke a bit more carefully, Red asked, “How long have you been sitting here?”

“An hour or so. Maybe a little more.”

“You been drinking?”

“No!”

“Just checking,” Red told him. “That might explain a few things if you'd had too much whiskey.”

“I'm not drunk. I've been thinking about taking her up on her offer.”

Red laughed under his breath as if he'd just caught on to an inside joke. When Luke looked back at him without a trace of a smile on his face, Red snapped right back to the intense scowl he'd had before. “Sometimes it's hard to tell when you're joking.”

“I'm not joking.”

“Why would you consider something like this? Going to Wichita is crazy enough, but at least I can see what brought that on. Taking on a job, pretending to be something we ain't . . . that's just plain loco.”

Instead of getting angry or defensive, Luke knocked his hand against the top of the table and insisted, “It's nothing of the sort. If anything, it'll only help us do what we need to do in Wichita.”

“How do you figure?”

“It was going to be hard for men like us to go in and find Granger, but we could have done it.”

“So you say,” Red grumbled.

Luke continued unabated. “Finding someone like him is easier for someone who's more
like
him.”

“First we're bounty hunters, now we're outlaws. If that ain't loco, I don't know what is.” When he saw Luke glaring at him across the table, Red eased back into his seat and said, “Go ahead. I won't interrupt no more.”

“All she wants us to do is collect some money from a fella who owes her,” Luke said in a rush while he still had the floor. “She's got men around here who protect the girls and such, but she's worried that this man she's after will see one of those men coming and get away before any of them get close.”

“Is that all she's worried about?”

Reluctantly Luke said, “She also told me there might be shooting.”

“So she thinks one of her boys will get shot on sight and instead she sends someone like us to get shot on sight. Sounds real inviting. I see why you'd want to sign on for this job.”

“We're not talking about some mad-dog killer,” Luke explained. “He's just some blowhard who thinks he can pull one over on a woman. He doesn't have a reason to gun down anyone that comes along. If he doesn't recognize us, we can think of any story we want to have a word with him somewhere private, and when we get the chance . . .”

“What?” Red asked.

Luke was still wearing the expectant smile he'd put on when he thought he'd spelled out his intentions. “When we get the chance, we get the drop on him and take the money away from him.”

“So you really do want to be an outlaw.”

“That money ain't his, Red. He stole it and we're taking it back.”

“How do you figure this will help us in Wichita?”

“That's what I've been sitting here thinking about,” Luke said. “We do this job, it gives us something to tell to Granger or one of his friends in regards to our qualifications.”

“What qualifications?”

Speaking quickly in much the same way he'd explained countless math problems while they were in school together, Luke said, “It's the same thing we're pulling on this fella who owes the money. We say whatever we got to say to get in close with Granger. Once we're there, we finish the job.”

“It sounds to me like you still don't know what this job is.”

“I know well enough.”

“You're ready to kill this Granger fella?”

“Yes,” Luke replied. “I told you already.”

“That was when you were still angry and the blood was pounding through you after what happened at your house. I thought you might come to your senses after you had a chance to simmer down.”

“If you want me to ease up on my ma and Kyle being killed, then you'll be waiting a long time.”

“Then maybe you're eager to join 'em,” Red offered.

“Your problem is that you still think I'm this defenseless little kid you once knew. I don't need protecting anymore. If you don't want a part of this, then you're welcome to leave.”

Red shook his head. “I said I'd see you through this and that's what I aim to do. I'm just making sure you still know which way you're headed. This trail you're takin' might lead to someplace you don't wanna go.”

“It's my trail. I'll go wherever it leads. Besides, it could wind up being good for both of us.”

“How do you figure?”

“Something else I been thinking about is this fella who took Stormy's money. If he's done this to her, odds are pretty good he's probably done it to some other folks. That means he'll have more money than just what Stormy's expecting us to bring back.”

“We've already got money,” Red said.

“The more we have to hand over to Granger, the better our chances are of getting to see him face-to-face.”

“Is that something else you've been thinking about?”

“Yep,” Luke replied. “Even if this fella Stormy is after doesn't have one penny more than what he took from her, going up against him still buys us plenty. It's something we can talk about that makes us look more like dangerous men because it's a true story that can be backed up. Also, it'll give us a bit of practice before we go up against a man like Granger or anyone riding with him.”

“Now, that,” Red said while pointing across the table, “is the first sensible thing you've said since I sat down.”

“If we can't go against a man like this thief, we don't have any business sniffing after Granger or stepping foot into Wichita.”

“What happens if we get whipped by this thief you're talking about? That is, if we walk away from him at all?”

“Then we go home. Leastways, we don't go to Wichita.”

Red's eyes narrowed as if he were squinting through his friend's surface to get a look at what was boiling underneath. “I don't think you believe that.”

“I don't,” Luke told him without a twitch. “Because I think the two of us can do this job and do it well. Even though I was heeled when I went in to talk to Stormy, she told me I was too young to be who I was claiming to be.”

“She was right about that.”

“My point is that us looking the way we do will work in our favor. If we can get this thief to underestimate us the same way, then getting up close to him will be even easier.”

“What did you do to convince her that you could handle this job?” Red asked.

“Honestly, I don't know. She changed her tune real quick, though.”

“You think she might be throwing us to the wolves?”

That stopped Luke in his tracks. “What do you mean?”

“I mean maybe she's trying to get someone to go after this thief or whoever he is as some kind of distraction or . . . I don't know. We only met these people a couple hours ago. They could be angels or they could be devils. Who can tell what they're really after?”

After a pause, Luke said, “Then we'll have to be careful. Besides, it's not like we're talking about some desperado who's wanted in five states.”

“You don't know that either!”

“If he was so dangerous, he'd have better things to do than cheat some cathouse out of a few dollars.” Seeing that he was making some headway, Luke added, “I bet you could think of a pretty easy way to get a look at this fella to see what sort of man he is.”

“You know where to find him?”

Luke nodded. “Stormy told me right where to look.”

The wheels were turning within Red's mind. Luke could tell as much by the way his friend drummed his fingers against the table in a steady pattern of dull taps. All around them, women were laughing, men were boasting, a banjo was playing, and bottles were clanking against the tops of glasses. “What's his name?”

“Carlo Procci.”

“Never heard of him,” Red grunted.

“In this case, that's a good thing.”

“Where do we look for him?”

“Stormy told him where he was staying,” Luke said. “It's a hotel not too far from here.”

“You know which room?”

“Yes, but she also said he's moved on from there. Been hiding out since he stole that money.”

“When do we have to get to him?” Red asked.

“Soon. He's leaving town pretty quick.”

“He may already be gone.”

“Then we should hurry,” Luke shot back.

Red's expression became intense as if he was locked in some sort of contest with the young man sitting across from him. “If he's not at his hotel, then where do we find him?”

“Stormy told me he's a cardplayer and that he favors two saloons here in town.”

“If he ain't at either of them?” Red asked.

“Then we go look at the stable where he's keeping his horse. Before you ask, yes, I know which stable it is and, yes, I know what kind of horse he rides.”

“This lady was mighty thorough.”

Luke nodded. “I'd say she spends a lot of time sitting outside and sizing men up just like she did with you and me. She sees a whole lot and makes it her business to remember as much as she can.”

“You put all that together while I was with Rose, didn't you?”

“Mostly.”

Red sighed. “What if things don't go well?”

“Then you won't have to worry about Wichita anymore because we'll either be dead or too hurt to ride.”

Even though Luke barely flinched when he said that, Red knew him well enough to tell when he was joking. “You think it's funny now, but it might be a whole different story when things get rough.”

“We've already seen things get rough.”

“Not with someone who might be a real killer.”

“If we can't handle this, I'll forget all about Wichita,” Luke said.

“You swear?”

“Yes.”

Red held his hand in front of his mouth, spat on his palm, and stuck it out toward his friend. Luke spat on his own palm before shaking Red's hand.

“There's no going back now,” Red told him.

“I agree.”

“What I mean is, you break a promise after this and that makes you no better than a mangy dog in the street.”

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Once more.”

“We don't pull this off,” Luke vowed, “we go home.” Tightening his grip on his friend's hand, he added, “But if we
do
pull it off, we ride from here on without looking back or otherwise second-guessing ourselves. That makes us look weak.”

“This is all my fault,” Red groaned as he took his hand back. “I ain't gonna leave you with so much time to think anymore.”