Two Days Later
It was getting late in the afternoon. Several of the townsfolk stopped what they were doing and turned to watch as a tall, lean, dark-haired stranger rode slowly down the main street of town. The lone rider looked like trouble to them, and because gunmen came often to Black Rock, they knew they should get off the street. The shooting could start up at any time.
Texas Ranger Lane Madison was aware that people were watching him, but he didn’t care. He kept his gaze focused straight ahead as he continued on toward the saloon.
He was a man on a mission, and he had only one thing on his mind.
He had come to town to track down the Cooper Gang.
Lane had been in Black Rock once before, several years ago, and it was obvious things had changed since then. The town looked even more run-down now. He knew the place had a sheriff named Brown, but from what he’d heard, the lawman was useless against the big guns. Lane intended to seek him out and have a talk with him about Dan Cooper and his men, but first he wanted to stop at the saloon and get a feel for the place.
Catching sight of the Tumbleweed Saloon, Lane reined in out front and dismounted. He tied up his horse and then paused for a moment to look around. The street seemed quiet enough, so he went on inside. The place was reasonably crowded. There were poker games going on at the tables and several men drinking at the bar. Lane joined those standing in front of the polished oak bar.
Lane had deliberately taken off his Ranger badge before he’d ridden into town. He wanted to remain anonymous while he was in the saloon in the hope that the talk going on around him would be more open.
Harold, the bartender, had seen him come in and went to wait on him. “What can I get you?”
“Whiskey,” Lane answered.
Harold made short order of pouring him a stiff drink. “You just passing through, or you planning to stay around for a while?”
“I’m not sure.”
Harold was used to that kind of answer. “Well, if you need another drink, just holler.”
“I will,” Lane said, paying him for the whiskey.
Lane picked up his glass and took a deep drink. The last information he’d been given about Dan Cooper and his gang of killers was that they had been thought to be riding for Black Rock after robbing a stage. That meant they would have been here some time in the past two weeks.
It wasn’t often Lane let his emotions drive him, but after he’d learned what the cold-blooded outlaws had done during the robbery, he’d known he had to bring them in. Not only had they shot the stage driver, but in the hail of gunfire that had followed, a young mother and her four-year-old daughter had also been killed. Now, he was in Black Rock, hoping to learn something that would help him pick up their trail.
Lila was in the back of the saloon flirting with all the gamblers. She wasn’t having any luck distracting them from their games, so she decided to go after the new man who’d just walked in.
Even from this distance Lila could tell he was one fine-looking man. She cast a quick glance at the gamblers at the table. They were nothing but ugly drunks, and she knew she was ready for a change. This tall, handsome man was just what she needed, and she set her sights on him.
“Welcome to the Tumbleweed,” Lila purred, coming up behind him as he stood at the bar. Her gaze lingered on the broad, powerful width of his shoulders.
Lane heard the saloon girl’s greeting and turned to find the scantily dressed female standing behind him, eyeing him with interest, her expression openly seductive. “Afternoon,” he returned.
“I’m Lila.”
“Nice to meet you, Lila.” Lane thought she might be just the one he needed to talk to.
“You, too. What’s your name?” she asked in a sultry tone.
“Lane Madison,” he answered.
“Well, Lane Madison, what brings you to the Tumbleweed? You looking for a good time, or did you just need a drink?”
“I’m always looking for a good time,” he told her.
“Well, you’ve found it.”
“That’s good to hear. Can I buy you a drink?”
“I’d like that,” Lila accepted eagerly.
Harold quickly served her and then moved away again once he’d been paid.
Lila took a sip of her drink and gazed up at Lane. By the time she’d finished the glass, she realized that despite several minutes of flirtation, she knew little more about the stranger than when she’d met him. She was trying her best to get him upstairs when the shouts broke out at the back of the room.
Lane had been playing along with her, biding his time when the fight started.
The bartender started cussing loudly as the violence erupted.
Lane glanced over at him just as Harold picked up the shotgun he kept hidden behind the bar and went out to put a stop to the brawl.
“I think we’d better step back a little,” Lane told her, drawing her away from the ruckus.
She didn’t hesitate to go with him.
They stayed at the end of the bar that was farthest away from the trouble and watched as Harold brought the fight under control. The bartender was a tough man, and the men who were fighting knew it. When he stalked up with his shotgun and ordered them out of the bar, all but one of the men involved stopped fighting. When that man started to pick up a chair to throw at someone, the bartender hit him on the head with his shotgun.
“Get him out of here!” Harold bellowed in disgust as he stood over the fallen man.
Harold watched angrily, shotgun still in hand, as several of those involved in the brawl dragged the unconscious gambler from the saloon and threw him in the street. Only when they were gone did Harold return to the bar and put his gun away.
“Good job, Harold,” Lila said calmly. She was accustomed to the ugly side of saloon life and knew a strong hand was necessary to keep things under control. Early on, Harold had actually had to use his shotgun to restore order in the Tumbleweed. These days, his reputation was so well-known that very few ever dared to challenge him. No one wanted to push Harold too far.
Harold gave a shake of his head as he looked over at her. “If they can’t afford to lose, they shouldn’t be gambling. That ol’ boy is stupid. He only lost a few hundred. When was it? Just a few nights ago a fella lost his whole ranch in a poker game, and he didn’t start no fight.”
“Of course he didn’t start no fight,” Dolly put in, joining their conversation as she strutted up to the bar. When the fight had broken out, she’d hurried away from the drunks to hide out until everything quieted down. Now that the saloon was quiet again, she wanted to find out more about the man Lila was flirting with. “He would have ended up dead if he had.”
Lane heard her statement and wondered if he was on to something. “Why is that?” He looked at the bartender. “I’ve seen you in action. You could have broken up a fight if one started.”
“Those gamblers were different,” Dolly explained. “The man who won is known for being real mean—and real fast on the draw. The loser was lucky he walked away, even if it was with just the clothes on his back.”
“Do you know who the gunman was?” Lane asked, looking between the bartender and the ladies.
“Just one of the wild ones who pass through here sometimes,” Harold answered quickly, giving the girls a censoring look that told them to keep their mouths shut.
Lane knew what the bartender was doing by giving the girls that look, and now he believed even more that he was on the right trail. The Cooper Gang had been to the Tumbleweed Saloon.
“There are a lot more losers than winners in a poker game,” Harold said.
“You’re right about that,” Lane agreed with a half smile. “I learned that lesson a long time ago.”
Lila looked up at him and purred seductively, “You don’t look like a ‘loser’ to me, handsome.”
Lane chuckled and smiled down at her. “Why, thank you, Lila. You just got yourself another drink. Give the lady whatever she wants.” He tossed some more money on the bar for the bartender.
“I’ll tell you what I want—” she began as she leaned closer to him, wanting his full attention.
“I’ll tell you what I want, too,” Dolly put in quickly, ignoring Lila’s testy look as she interrupted. When the stranger glanced her way, something about him seemed different from the other men.
Lane was surprised that the pretty, dark-haired girl was flirting with him, too, but he wasn’t interested in her either. He had to talk to the sheriff and find out if Dan Cooper had been the deadly gunman who’d been in town, and if so, where the outlaw had been headed when he’d left Black Rock. “I appreciate your offers, ladies, but I have to be going.”
Lila was not used to rejection. She was shocked and a bit insulted by his dismissal. “I can show you a real good time—and I can make it fast. Just ask any of the boys. They’ll tell you.”
“Some other time, maybe,” he said easily.
He finished off the last of his drink, and, nodding to the two saloon girls, he walked out of the Tumbleweed, leaving the women staring after him in frustration.
Lila picked up her newly refilled glass and glared at Dolly. “You didn’t have to come over here.”
“You don’t get first pick of all the handsome ones,” she retorted.
Lila just turned and strutted away to where the gamblers were starting up a new game. She had to get back to work. Only one good thing had come out of spending time with Lane Madison: he’d bought her a few drinks, and the more she drank, the better the other men looked to her.
Dolly stayed at the bar and frowned a little as she looked at Harold.
“Who was that man?” she asked.
“He said his name was Lane Madison. Why?”
“I don’t know. There was just something about him—He’s not like a lot of the other men we get in here.”
“Maybe you’ve done business with him in the past,” Harold suggested.
“Oh, no,” Dolly quickly protested. “If I had gotten him upstairs, I would have remembered every minute of it.”
Meanwhile in St. Louis
Bryce Parker never forgot a man who owed him a debt, and Raymond Howard was heavily indebted to him. As he heard Howard’s carriage pull up in front of his home, he smiled confidently.
The moment he’d been waiting for had arrived.
Raymond Howard was there.
Bryce smiled broadly to himself and remained seated until the maid knocked on the door.
“Mr. Parker? Raymond Howard is here to see you,” the girl announced.
“See him in,” Bryce responded. He turned serious as he got to his feet to welcome his visitor. Bryce watched Raymond walk into the study, and he noticed how the other man eyed his opulent surroundings. Bryce felt very proud that he had Raymond right where he wanted him.
“Good afternoon, Bryce,” Raymond offered, struggling to keep his manner confident. He knew what a predator Bryce was and didn’t want to appear weak.
“We have much to discuss,” Bryce Parker began, getting straight down to business as he came around the desk. He did not offer to shake his visitor’s hand but gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
Raymond sat down and couldn’t help feeling intimidated when the other man remained standing. Just knowing that Bryce had outmaneuvered him left him outraged. The knowledge that there was nothing he could do about it made him even more frustrated and furious.
Bryce leaned a hip casually against his desk as he confronted Raymond. “In the course of our business dealings, you have come to owe me a considerable amount of money.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Raymond replied tersely.
“Good, I’m glad you’re aware of what you owe, because the time has come for you to pay up.”
Raymond had suspected that was the reason Bryce had insisted upon this private meeting here at his home. “As I told you, I am working at finding a way to repay you.”
“I’m afraid ‘working at finding a way’ isn’t enough, Raymond,” Bryce said, piercing the other man with a cold-eyed look. “I am a businessman. I want my money now.”
Desperation took hold of Raymond. Bryce had a reputation for dealing harshly with anyone who crossed him, and he’d heard more than a few stories of what a dangerous enemy he could be. He certainly didn’t want to turn Bryce into an enemy. “I’ll need more time—” he began.
Bryce cut him off before he could say another word. “You’re out of time, Raymond. I am not a patient man.”
“But there’s nothing I can do to access the funds. The money is tied up in my dead wife’s estate. There’s no way I can completely settle my debt until—”
“Yes, there is.”
“There is? What?” Raymond asked in frightened confusion.
“You have something I want…” Bryce deliberately left the sentence hanging. He liked having control over the other man.
“I do?” Raymond was startled by the younger man’s declaration, and he couldn’t imagine what he was talking about.
“That’s right. You do, and I intend to get it.”
“What is it? Name it. Whatever I have—is yours—” He was frantic to find a way to pay off his debt to Bryce. If he got through this, Raymond knew in the future he would not be so foolhardy in his dealings anymore.
Bryce turned a threatening regard on the weakling sitting before him. “I want Destiny.”
“Destiny—” Shock hammered through Raymond at the mention of his stepdaughter.
“Yes. She’s going to marry me.”
In that instant, Raymond realized what Bryce was about. Bryce’s reputation was known far and wide. Whenever he wanted something, he got it, and he’d been wanting to be accepted by the upper echelon of St. Louis society for some time now. Few in society paid much attention to Bryce, though, for despite his success in business, he came from a family with no social status. By marrying Destiny, Bryce would accomplish his goal. The Sterling family was one of the most highly regarded in the area. Raymond himself had certainly benefited from the Sterling’s connections when he’d married the widowed Annabelle.
“That’s right. As soon as Destiny becomes my bride, all your debts will be forgiven.”
Desperate as he was, Raymond was determined to make the marriage happen. “How do you want to handle this?”
“Bring her here to me tonight—at, say, seven o’clock.”