The Outlaws: Jess (26 page)

Jess ended up putting sixteen stitches in
Rooker's palm. Rooker promised to send over two thick steaks as
payment and went on his way. Since no other patients were waiting,
Jess cleaned up, donned fresh clothing, and made a pot of coffee.
He scarcely had time to enjoy his first cup before the bell jangled
again.

His patient was Harvey Dooley, the
postmaster. He complained of a hacking cough.

"Since I was on my way here anyway, thought
I'd bring this to you myself, Doc," Dooley said, handing Jess a
letter. "Just arrived this morning."

Jess stared at the letter as if it were a
snake about to bite him. Who would know to find him here? He wanted
to tear the letter open immediately but forced himself to treat
Dooley first. The moment the postmaster left, Jess ripped the
letter open. Tiny bits of paper sifted out, landing at his
feet.

Puzzled, he scooped the pieces up and tried
to fit them together. His eyes widened in shock when he realized he
was looking at pieces of the wanted poster bearing the images of
the Gentry brothers. He stared at the envelope; it bore no return
address. He knew without being told who had sent it.

Meg.

Denver

The two days it took to reach Denver were a
lesson in perseverance for Meg. Arlo acted as if he owned her. Once
she dozed off and awoke abruptly to find him trying to remove her
guns. She quickly put a stop to his shenanigans and vowed to remain
alert during the remainder of the trip. During a short stop in Fort
Morgan, she tore up the wanted poster, purchased an envelope and
stamp at the post office, and mailed the torn pieces to Jess. It
was something she had to do.

The train pulled into the Denver station in
mid-afternoon. A hired carriage took Arlo, Meg and their baggage to
the Antlers Hotel. When Arlo bespoke a single room for them, Meg
vigorously objected, insisting on separate rooms. When people began
to stare at them, Arlo shot her a venomous look and asked for
adjoining rooms. Rather than raise a ruckus, Meg agreed to
adjoining rooms, vowing to keep the connecting door locked at all
times. The only reason she agreed to the arrangement was because
she knew Arlo would wire Sheriff Bufford and expose Jess if she
didn't. Meg couldn't allow that to happen. Somehow Arlo Skully's
threat to Jess would have to be dealt with.

Arlo left her at the hotel while he went out
to drum up a poker game for that evening in his room. Before he
left he ordered Meg act as his hostess during the game, serving
drinks and being pleasant to his customers. Meg's refusal threw
Arlo in to a rage.

"Keep on defying me and I'll follow through
with my threat," Arlo shouted. "One telegram will put your lover
behind bars. I gave in to you on separate rooms but don't expect me
to give in to your whims again. If you're as fond of that doctor as
you say, you'll put on a fetching dress and present yourself in my
room tonight."

"Very well, I'll do as you say, but don't
expect me to bed any of the men you intend to fleece."

"We'll see," Arlo muttered, warily eyeing her
six shooters.

Meg ordered dinner sent up to her room that
evening, savoring her privacy. Two days in Arlo's company had
nearly undone her. If it wasn't concerned about Jess's safety she
would have run out on Arlo long ago. After she ate, Meg dressed in
her best dress, a crimson silk with snug waist and modest neckline.
Zach had bought it for her on her eighteenth birthday and she'd had
little occasion to wear it.

Around nine o'clock Meg heard people moving
about in Arlo's room. A short time later Arlo knocked on the
connecting door and invited her inside. Dragging in a calming
breath, Meg slipped a small pistol into her pocket and opened the
door. She wasn't about to enter the lion's den unarmed.

Meg counted five men besides Arlo in the
room. All looked to be prosperous business men. Arlo always liked
to go first class. A table had been brought up to accommodate the
men and a makeshift bar and buffet was set up on the dresser across
the room. All the men turned to ogle her as she entered the
room.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" a stout,
well-dressed man in his mid forties asked, leering at her.

"Let me introduce my wife," Arlo said,
grasping Meg's arm and turning her toward the men. "Gentlemen, meet
my wife. Meg is here to be of service to you. Let her know your
needs and she'll be happy to accommodate you."

Meg winced but said nothing.

"Meg, the gentleman who just spoke to you is
Darby Williams," Arlo continued.

Meg greeted each man coolly as Arlo
introduced them. Besides Darby Williams, there were Carl Jones,
Felix Menton, Bill Finney and Larry Dodge. Six in all, including
Arlo. Though the men appeared to be upstanding citizens, Meg
wouldn't be surprised to learn they all were philanderers and
womanizers.

"Shall we begin?" Arlo said, motioning toward
the poker table. "My wife will serve drinks and food."

As the evening progressed, Meg grew
excessively tired of having men look down her cleavage as she
served them. It was demeaning and embarrassing. When Carl Jones
groped beneath her skirt as she passed him, she upended a glass of
gin on his head. Then she smiled sweetly and apologized. Arlo shot
her a warning look and told her not to let it happen again.

But it did happen again. A short time later,
Darby Williams got up to stretch his legs. Meg was standing at the
makeshift bar with her back to him and didn't see him approach. She
was shocked speechless when Williams grasped her bottom in both his
hands and squeezed.

"I'll reserve a private dining room for us
tomorrow night, sweetheart. You'll join me, of course. After dinner
you can appease my other appetite."

Meg's temper exploded as she aimed her elbow
backward into his soft gut.

"Take your hands off me! I'm a married
woman," she blasted.

Williams gave a grunt of pain. "You don't
expect me to believe that bullshit, do you? You're a whore, lady.
Skully doesn't know any other kind of woman." His hands returned to
her bottom.

Meg had had more than enough. She whirled, at
the same time pulling the small revolver from her pocket. She
pointed the gun low, shoving it against his privates. Williams let
out a high pitched squeal.

"Listen, mister, and listen good," Meg
hissed. "Try that again and I'll shoot off your balls and mount
them on the wall."

Williams turned a sickly shade of green and
backed away.

"What's going on?" Arlo asked when he saw
Williams stumble backward.

"Get that whore out of here!" Williams
demanded in a tone that brooked no argument. "She's a menace to
society."

Arlo leaped to his feet, shoving back his
chair so fast it hit the floor with a resounding thump. "What did
Meg do?"

"Threatened me with that little firearm of
hers."

Arlo's gaze swung around to Meg. She smiled
smugly at him and said, "I refuse to be groped by scum like this.
I'm not a whore, I'm not even your wife. Find someone else to
service the men you intend to fleece."

Arlo raised his hand to backhand her but Meg
deftly stepped out of harm's way.

"I will not let you strike me. Good night,
gentlemen," she said, striding through the connecting door. Before
she slammed and locked it behind her, she heard one of the men ask,
"What's all this about being fleeced? Are you cheating,
Skully?"

Meg didn't hear Arlo's answer but she knew
the men would be watching him like a hawk. He'd already amassed a
small fortune this evening and she hadn't the slightest doubt that
he was cheating. She earnestly prayed he got what was coming to
him.

Meg was sleeping soundly when Arlo rattled
the connecting door hours later.

"Meg, open up, dammit!"

Meg struggled awake, reaching beneath her
pillow for her gun as she slowly regained her wits. What time was
it? Late, very late, she decided, not yet morning.

"I'm sleeping, go away," she responded
grumpily.

"I'm not going away. You'd better open the
door before my pounding rouses every patron in this hotel."

Meg reached over and turned up the lamp. Then
she checked the chambers in her gun and pulled on a wrapper.
Causing a ruckus was the last thing she wanted. Gingerly she opened
the connecting door, allowing Arlo inside. He glanced at her gun
and gave a snort of disgust.

"You've ruined everything," he charged. "What
would it have cost you to be nice to my clients? You're no virgin,
for godsake. One more lover or less shouldn't make a difference to
a woman like you." His gaze returned to her gun. "Put away that
weapon."

"I'm not playing whore for you or anyone
else," Meg defied.

"You'll do as I say. I'm having some
important men in tomorrow night and I expect you to be nice to
them, distract them, if you will. They're all silver barons. I
intend to win enough money to put me on easy street for live. When
we check out tomorrow, I may even own a silver mine or two. This is
your last chance, Meg. You know what I'll do if you don't
comply."

"I'll make a deal with you, Arlo," Meg
offered. "I'll be as nice as I can without compromising my dignity
if you agree to let me go my own way after tomorrow night. You know
I'll never be a wife to you. If you try to force me to your bed you
won't win, and you'll never know when I might take a notion to
shoot you in your sleep. Furthermore, you will not threaten Jess's
freedom."

Arlo frowned. "Are you asking me to release
you from your promise and forget what I know about Gentry?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking. If I help
you win a fortune, it's the least you can do. We aren't married no
matter what you say. We both know you don't really want a wife.
I'll bet you were surprised to learn I was still alive and living
in Cheyenne. The only reason you looked me up was out of curiosity,
and maybe to punish me for running off the way I did."

She paused and sucked in a deep breath. "If
the results of the game meet your expectations, I will have
fulfilled my end of the bargain. If you have any honor at all,
you'll fulfill yours."

Meg's hand tightened on the butt of her gun.
She had no idea what she would do if Arlo turned obstinate;
shooting him to keep him quiet about Jess was an option she didn't
relish.

"You're right about not needing a wife," Arlo
admitted. "But stop and think about the handsome rewards for both
of us if we team up. You can distract the players while I fleece
them."

"One more time, that's my final offer. Do I
have your promise to let Jess alone if I help you this last
time?"

"I can't do that. That piece of information
about Gentry is all the hold I have on you."

Meg thumbed back the gun hammer. Her finger
tightened on the trigger. The metallic click was as loud as a
gunshot in the silence of the room. Arlo stumbled backward, his
face as pale as death.

"Don't shoot! For godsake, have mercy."

Meg didn't intend to shoot Arlo, though the
thought held a certain appeal. It had been an involuntary
motion.

"It would be so easy to pull the trigger,"
Meg said wistfully. "You don't know me anymore, Arlo. I've changed.
I've brought men tougher than you down. I'm really not the kind of
woman you want to mess with."

"I can see that now," Arlo said, his gaze
riveted on the gun in Meg's hand. "I've certainly misjudged you.
You're too dangerous to have around. Put the gun down. Let's
discuss this like civilized people."

The gun remained pointed at Arlo's middle.
"I'm through talking. I'll help you win that fortune you want, but
the price is Jess's freedom."

Arlo made a nervous swipe of his tongue
across his lips. "I agree. Now put the gun down."

Meg speared him with a suspicious look. "If
you don't keep your word, I'll hunt you down and kill you. I can't
make it any plainer than that. I'm an excellent tracker. I'm a
professional bounty hunter, remember?"

Arlo swallowed convulsively. "How can I
forget? Do your part and I'll keep my promise. The game begins at
nine o'clock tomorrow night. Tonight, actually," he said. "It's
nearly dawn."

Meg closed and locked the door behind Arlo.
Though he'd given his promise, she didn't trust him. All she could
do was make sure he won heavily tonight, enough to satisfy his
greed and keep him from ruining Jess's life.

Nine o'clock came too early for Meg's peace
of mind. But a promise was a promise. After tonight she'd be free
to do as she pleased. Would she return to Cheyenne? Probably not.
Without Arlo's interference, Jess held a secure place in Cheyenne
society. She would only hinder his career. On the other hand,
perhaps she and Jess could present a united front against the
gossips if she returned. Lord knows she couldn't imagine living the
rest of her life without Jess.

Would Jess welcome her back? Meg wondered.
She'd left town with Arlo, without so much as a good-bye. Perhaps
he wouldn't want anything more to do with her. She couldn't really
blame him.

Later that evening, when Arlo knocked on the
connecting door, Meg still hadn't decided whether she would return
to Cheyenne and Jess.

"The men are here, Meg. It's time for you to
join us."

Meg plastered a smile on her face and flung
open the door. Arlo grasped her arms and hissed into her ear,
"Remember why you're here. And keep that damn pistol I know you're
carrying in your pocket."

Meg shrugged out of his grasp and walked over
to meet the five men gathered around the makeshift bar. The evening
went better for her than the previous one. The men seemed intent
upon the game instead of her. Nevertheless she played the part
expected of her, distracting the players when the stakes were high.
She didn't enjoy it one darn bit for she knew Arlo was cheating. If
she didn't think the five poker players could afford it, she would
have felt more guilt than she actually did.