“That would be great.”
“Excellent. Before I do that, there is something I need from you.” As Chuluun said that, Baht walked up to stand closer to Clint. “The bounty hunter you brought in took something that belonged to our entire tribe. Since you brought him here, I am guessing you already know about this.”
“I heard that Eddie made off with something, but I don't know what it was,” Clint replied, sticking as close to the truth as possible. So far, that hadn't been much of a problem.
“So, you brought him here to trade for my help with your situation?” Chuluun asked.
Clint was always amazed at how much his poker experience translated into life away from the game. Right now he could tell that the old man knew a lot more than he was saying. Every instinct in Clint's head told him to not even bother trying to bluff someone with such clear, intense eyes.
Cutting straight to the quick, Chuluun asked, “You didn't know he was wanted by our people, did you?”
“No, sir. He offered to bring me here so you could translate.”
“He . . . came here on his own accord?”
“More or less,” Clint replied.
“And why did you hand him over to us?”
“Your men were anxious to get to him and they were itching for a fight,” Clint said. “Before any blood was spilt, I gave them what they wanted and tried to make sure Eddie wasn't hurt. Well . . . not hurt too badly, at least.”
Chuluun's eyes narrowed further as he studied Clint.
“Send this traitor away,” Baht said. “We have the thieving bounty hunter and he has his translation. He can leave the woman behind as well.”
“Shut your mouth, boy!” Chuluun roared.
Baht backed down so fast that he reflexively took a step toward the door. Regaining his composure, he straightened and puffed out his chest. He did not, however, step forward to where he'd been a few seconds ago.
In a level voice, Chuluun said, “Baht, shoot Mister Adams.”
The younger man grinned and reached for the gun holstered at his side. He barely slipped his finger beneath the trigger guard before Clint drew his Colt and took aim in a single, fluid motion.
Stepping forward to stand between the other two men, Chuluun said, “I believe Mister Adams spoke the truth. If he'd wanted to fight, there would have been a fight. From what I've just seen, it would have been a most impressive fight. Where is the bounty hunter?”
“Tumen says Nayan was with the thief. She is the one who called out.”
Chuluun rolled his eyes. “That woman . . . Are you sure she does not have the coins?”
“I told you already. We searched her belongings twice.”
“Search them again and bring the bounty hunter here.”
“What about Nayan?” Baht asked.
“I don't want to hear her speak another word,” the old man said in a disgusted tone. “Most of her words are too hollow to bear any weight.”
THIRTY
Clint and Lylah were left alone in Chuluun's shelter, but it was obvious that they weren't meant to leave. Men were posted just outside the hut and several more scurried throughout the camp just beyond Clint's sight. After the better part of an hour had gone by, Clint was feeling restless.
“They say they want to get their hands on Eddie, but why do I feel like the prisoner here?” he muttered.
Lylah looked at him, but didn't respond.
Clint's hand drifted toward his pistol. He knew he could make it out of the hut and probably to Eclipse, but wasn't certain just how much dust would be kicked up in the process. He'd gotten a good look at the camp and had a vague idea of how many men he'd have to face. Even so, he wasn't sure if facing them was a good idea. He'd survived plenty of scrapes by listening to his instincts and following his gut, but every so often those same things got him into trouble. At the moment, it was difficult to figure out which category this situation fell into.
Just as Clint was about to test the waters of leaving the hut, the men outside stepped away from the door to allow Chuluun to return. The old man held several things collected in his arms, none of which seemed very threatening.
“I brought some things for Lylah,” Chuluun said. “She can draw a map and any instructions you might need. I will write the words as well as some notes from when we were speaking, since I am not about to go with you on your ride.”
“Can you tell her that she doesn't have to go?” Clint requested. “I don't want her to be put into any more danger than necessary.”
“Oh, I already told her that. I offered her a place here for a while and even gave her a chance to tell us if she was being held captive or mistreated. You'll be happy to know she had nothing but kind words to say about you.”
“Yeah,” Clint said as he watched Tumen step into the hut and glare at him, “that is good to know. Tell me something, Chuluun. Is that her real name? I think it was given to her by Madeline, but she must have a proper name.”
“She does.”
“You already asked her that?”
“We spoke for a long time,” Chuluun said. “She is a friendly woman and very pretty. I am a man, so I enjoy speaking with friendly, pretty women. I asked about her birth name, but she did not want to tell me. It seems she has great affection for Madeline and, out of respect for her, wishes to keep the name she's been given.”
Clint looked at Lylah, who'd taken an interest in the conversation since Maddy's name had been mentioned. Nodding solemnly, Lylah smiled at Clint and got to work drawing upon the parchment that Chuluun had given her.
“You should know that it is because of what she said that you and your partner are to be set free,” Chuluun added.
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. Coming here with that bounty hunter was a risky move, but I believe that you were not aware of this risk. As for the bounty hunter, well, there's only one way for us to know what he might have been thinking.”
As if on cue, Eddie was shoved into the hut. He knocked against Tumen like he'd hit a brick wall. To his credit, Eddie looked as if he meant to scold that wall for being built in such an inconvenient place.
“What brings you here, Eddie?” Clint asked before the bounty hunter could say anything he might instantly regret.
“A few assholes who smell like wet dog brought me here,” Eddie replied.
Tumen grabbed the bounty hunter by the front of his shirt and pulled him to stand beside Clint.
“The only reason you're not dead,” Chuluun said to Eddie, “is because of Nayan's history of stealing from her own people. She says you stole our gold and I'm sure you will point the finger back at her. What I want to know is why you came back to this camp at all.”
Clint watched the bounty hunter, wishing he could just tell the other man what to say. Before he could attempt any prompting, Eddie spoke on his own behalf.
“I came back because Clint needed help and you're the only ones who could do the job.”
“And you gave no thought to the missing coins?” Chuluun asked.
Eddie shrugged and said, “I honestly didn't think they'd be missed yet.”
It was a truth given because there was nothing left to lose. Clint recognized the tired resignation that seeped into Eddie's voice like cold water through a leaky roof. The old man must have noticed it as well, because he accepted it almost immediately.
“Mister Adams has gotten the help he wanted,” Chuluun said. He then raised a finger and added, “But we will get our property back as well. Since I have heard too many bad things about Kyle Morrow, I will allow all three of you to go after him.”
Eddie let out a relieved sigh and even chuckled a bit when he said, “You've made the right choice. As soon as this is done, I'll bring back them coins.”
“I know you will,” the old man said. “Because I'm sending someone with you to make sure of it.”
Baht stepped up and declared, “I will make sure the job is done properly or I'll bring the bounty hunter's head back on a stake.”
The old man shook his head. “No, you won't. You have spent too many nights with Nayan. That's why Tumen will go with them.”
Baht sputtered a bit, but didn't even try to change the old man's mind. Tumen crossed his arms and stood there like a carving chipped from stone.
“And if he doesn't return with the coins,” Chuluun added, “our people will not rest until both of the white men's heads are on stakes. The woman is not to be harmed, Tumen. She's seen enough pain.”
THIRTY-ONE
The next morning, Clint and Lylah rode out on Eclipse while Eddie and Tumen rode with them on their own horses. Lylah had been offered the use of a horse, but she insisted on staying with Clint. The truth of the matter was that Clint was getting used to her being back there as well. If she was coming along, it just wouldn't have felt right to not feel her arms wrapped around his midsection or her head resting upon the back of his shoulder.
But that's not to say the ride was a quiet one.
“I hope you're happy, Clint,” Eddie groused. “You pull that gun on me, get me tossed into something close to a jail, nearly get me executed, and then allow this beast to tag along with us.”
“You're the one who brought us here,” Clint reminded him.
“But you didn't have to serve me up like that!”
“I wasn't going to let them kill you.”
“Really? And how were you gonna stop them? I suppose you had a rescue all planned out?”
“I spoke to Chuluun and some of the others. Besides, you did steal from them. You could've told me we might be walking into a camp full of angry armed men.”
“If you must know,” Eddie said, “I wanted to get us close enough for you to ride in so I could stay behind and meet up with you when you were finished.”
Clint nodded and watched the trail ahead. “Ahhh. So that was your plan, huh?”
“It sure was. If I would'a known you'd stick a gun in my face and let me get tossed into a stinking pit like an animal, I wouldn't have even agreed to help you.”
Tumen's laugh was so low and so gravelly that it almost blended perfectly with the crunch of the horses' hooves against the ground. When Clint looked over at the big man, he was surprised to see a wide smile covering Tumen's face.
“Yeah,” Eddie sneered. “Laugh it up. Step too far out of line and I'll knock you off that horse. I don't give a damn how many Mongolians might come after us. Let 'em all come!”
No matter how much Eddie fumed, Tumen wouldn't stop laughing. In fact, just watching the big man for a few seconds was enough to bring a grin to Clint's face.
“What's so damn funny?” Eddie asked.
Tumen's smile didn't fade in the slightest when he answered that question. “You say you were locked up like an animal. Then you say you were thrown into a pit.” Shifting his eyes to Clint, he said, “When the other men came to get him, they found him under Nayan.”
“Nayan?” Clint asked. “Is that the woman Chuluun was talking about?”
“Yes.”
“That's enough of that,” Eddie said. “Can't we just ride in peace?”
“She was riding you good,” Tumen said. “His hands were bound and he was squirming like an animal in a trap. Still, she rode him hard enough to scream when she was through. If the bounty hunter didn't like that pit of Nayan's, then perhaps he would like to be tied up with the men.”
Clint and Tumen both laughed at that.
“I said that's enough!” Eddie snapped.
“She really screamed?” Clint asked. “I think I heard that.”
“The whole camp heard that,” Tumen replied.
Clint shook his head and looked over at Eddie. “And here I was feeling bad for handing you over just to avoid us all possibly getting shot. You're right, Eddie. I'm truly ashamed of myself.”
Just as Eddie was about to try to salvage some of his pride, Tumen cut in with, “If you get a chance to hand me over to some wild woman who might tie me up and ride me, I think you should do it.”
When Clint started laughing this time, he thought he might not be able to stop. “Tell you what, big man. I know a few places in the Territories where I might just be able to hand you over to some very capable women.”
“That would be good.”
“For a man who just might try to kill us, you're a funny guy, Tumen.”
“Yeah,” Eddie growled. “Real fucking funny.”
THIRTY-TWO
Since they were headed toward Prescott, Clint decided to ride to the stagecoach platform where he'd received Maddy's letter. Since he'd been attacked the last time he was there, he figured it was a good spot to look for a sign of where the gunmen could have gone in the meantime. Eddie Sanchez might have been a whining, thieving pain in the ass, but he was good enough to pick up on something Clint might have missed.
When the platform was in sight, Clint pulled back on his reins and waited for the others to come to a stop. “I think Eddie should do this alone,” he said.
Tumen didn't like the sound of that. His face hardened into a suspicious scowl that didn't need any words to go along with it.
As always, Eddie had more than enough words to make up the difference. “Oh yeah. I could use some time to scout on my own. Shouldn't take me more than a few hours to have a look around.”
“I'll go with him,” Tumen said.
Eddie started to protest, but cut himself short. Arguing with the big man would have done as much good as debating a post.
“All right, then,” Clint said. “If any of those men who attacked me before are still lurking about, they shouldn't be expecting either of you two. See what you can find and meet me back here. If you take too long, I'll come in after you.”