The Trailrider's Fortune (14 page)

"Here now.
That's hardly the way to begin a new acquaintance," the flaxen-haired
Bannister chided. He pulled a fine cotton handkerchief to wipe the spittle from
his cheek. He smelled of talcum and pomade. Too much pomade.

"We aren't going
to become friends," she replied. "I need to relieve myself."

"Don't be too
anxious to make us enemies, dearie. That man of yours isn't going to be around
much longer. A charming young widow needs protection from ruffians and
scalawags." He cut the ropes on her wrists.

She rubbed the
blood back into her hands. "As the saying goes, it takes one to know
one."

"Madam, I may
be considered a scalawag by some, but my manners are impeccable. I'd hardly be
ranked amongst common ruffians."

She snorted in
derision. "You drugged a woman and abducted her. No ruffian would do a
thing like that, would he? Do you plan to stand around boasting about your
manners while I disgrace myself all over your shoes, or take me somewhere to
answer nature's call? My manners aren't like yours. I just might do it."

"I begin to
comprehend what that ejaculating pistol you married sees in you. Quite the
little hellcat, you are." He pulled her roughly to her feet and dragged
her outside, where two Mexicans sat on either side of a small fire. Bannister
barked at one of them. "Ignacio, take the lady to the outhouse."

A slight man rose
and led her a few yards into the darkness. He stood outside as she stepped into
the small wooden structure. She thought she might pass out from the stench. At
least there were no flies at night. She hated to consider what the outhouse
would be like in the afternoon. She also hated to think the men were listening
and waiting for her to urinate. Their laughter seconds later confirmed her
suspicion. When Rafe arrived, she'd be only too happy to watch them pay for
their humor at her expense.

She knew now there
were at least four men involved. The overstuffed dandy, those two Mexicans, and
some other Anglo she'd heard Bannister talking to earlier. There had been
something about that fellow's voice. She couldn't place it, but she knew it.
Rafe had been right…she'd still been too trusting.

The door creaked
open. "
Señora
?"

She stepped past
Ignacio and focused her fulminating glare on Bannister. "So, what did Rafe
do to make such a lasting impression? Have your cousin tossed in jail? Point
out to the world that your father never married your mother?"

"Ah, a lady
with a dry wit." Her captor chuckled without mirth. "He assisted
vigilantes in hanging my brother. I was only tried and convicted—lucky me!—of
complicity in several robberies. I spent over three years in prison, planning a
just reward for Conley when I got out."

Damned men and
their notions of "justice" again.

Sparkle looked
askance at his expensive suit and bowler hat. "Did the warden send you to
a haberdasher after your release, or did you rob one on your way to kidnap me?
I suppose it would be a gross lack of manners to arrive at a kidnapping in a
worn suit."

"Speaking of
garments…" He raked his eyes over her saloon dress. "I see your taste
runs to European originals."

"Sorry, this
is only a saloon costume. The owner makes all the girls at the Scarlet Lady
wear them. Signature color."

It was probably one
of the most ridiculous debates she'd ever been in, sniping with a convicted
criminal over fashion tastes, but it was killing time. Time was her only ally.
Sooner or later one of these buffoons would make a mistake or Rafe would show
up. And these men would be very sorry. She knew how relentless Rafe was when he
vowed to mete out justice.

Bannister tried to
offer a section of moldy biscuit. Sparkle averted her face. There was no way
she'd eat anything else they offered her. Bannister didn't seem surprised.

"Conley with a
saloon doxy. Tell me, do you clean his pistol for him?"

"Yes, and it's
a Colt with a very long barrel." She glanced at his crotch before letting
her eyes rest on the shoulder holster beneath his coat. "Quite long,
compared to your derringer. Is there anything besides snake venom around here
to drink? Some plain water?"

She was tossed back
inside the shack with a plate of beans and a cup of well water. She took a tiny
sip, figuring if it was tainted again, she wouldn't get enough of the drug to
affect her. She noticed her reticule was missing. She patted her right thigh
and felt along the garter. They'd taken her bag, but she still wore her knife.
The dandy hadn't searched her. His miscalculation. He couldn't assume a woman
was unarmed…not in a cattle town. Certainly not when she worked in a house of
ill-fame.

At the first crack
of thin gray light, she began shouting for her handbag. The dandy appeared in
his trousers and suspenders and said she couldn't have it.

"There's
nothing of any value inside," Sparkle insisted. "At least bring me
the deck of cards. I could read them to pass the time."

"Ah, yes…tarot
cards. I was told you're some manner of gypsy. However, I already know what's
in my future. I'm going to murder your loving Conley. There," he laughed
caustically. "Now you owe
me
two dollars."

So he knew enough
about her to know what she charged for readings, did he? A revolting thought.
"No, I owe you a kick in the crotch."

"My, aren't we
the picture of femininity?"

Just then a rider
approached amid a swirl of dust. Sparkle saw why she'd recognized the voice.
"Joe Brooks, you yellow-bellied skunk!" Sparkle shouted as he alit.
"Coming around the Scarlet Lady, pretending you liked Ruby Ann, when all
along you just wanted to get to Rafe."

"No, all along
I wanted to get at you. I thought that was understood. With your husband
deceased, you'll be available. After a decent period of mourning…say a month or
so." He snickered before turning to Bannister. "I want my three
hundred. The riders I saw with Conley are heading this way."

"You
guaranteed that she'd bring Conley himself. I don't deal with lackeys. You get
paid when I see Rafe Conley stone cold dead."

Sparkle started to
laugh, causing both men to stare at her. If it had been anyone but Joe Brooks,
she could have kept quiet, but the irony of that particular idiot being the one
at the center of this scheme was just too hilarious.

She turned to
Tobias Bannister. "You listened to this swaggering mule? He doesn't know
what he's talking about. I'm not married to Rafe. I only said that to get rid
of this imbecile. Rafe played along and bought this ring to keep Brooks from
making a continued ass of himself." She flashed Brooks a look of pure
triumph. "Not that it helped."

"She isn't
married
to him?" The question was bellowed at Brooks.

"Jesus,
Bannister! Her boss and everybody in town thought they were married. Conley
said she was his wife just that same morning when he came to the
drugstore."

"A
mistress," Bannister spat. "Maybe he'll come, maybe not. I wouldn't
walk two blocks to go after that whoring mistress of mine. I'll find out what
these riders want. Take her to the shack and keep her quiet."

As Brooks shoved
her through the doorway, Sparkle spun and drew her short blade, jabbing it against
his side. "Come in with me, Joe," she purred. "You're so anxious
to spend time together. Shut the door. You make a sound, you'll find yourself
showing everyone what you ate yesterday and just how much liquor's in your
liver." Sparkle hoped the false bravado hid her fear.

If his friends had
come, Rafe must be nearby too.

She and Joe stood
locked together, listening as a new voice addressed the leader outside.
"Heard you're looking for Conley."

"I have
something that belongs to him. He'll get her back when he comes to face
me."

"He can't
come. Had to testify in court."

"Inform him
I'll be keeping his little lady friend until he personally rides out here. I'm
sure we'll find many interesting ways to pass the time. She's quite pretty. Who
the hell are you, anyway?"

"I am Sam
Parker, friend to Conley and his woman. This is my partner, Driscoll."

"What the
hell's
that
?" Bannister demanded. Sparkle caught the nervous edge
in his voice.

She cracked the
door a quarter inch and gave Brooks another warning jab. "Don't get brave
now, Joe. You've always been craven. Stay that way and keep breathing."

"A
horse," Parker shrugged in answer to Bannister's question as a sorrel
trotted up. Sparkle recognized the animal instantly and began to smile. Rafe
was
here.

"I know it's a
horse," Bannister snapped. "Whose is it? It's saddled. Where's his
rider?" Parker mumbled something. Bannister trained his gun on Driscoll.
"What's that pinned to his blanket? You and Conley think you can put one
over on me?"

Sam calmly went up
to the stallion and pulled the scrap of paper from the saddle blanket.
"Give me that." Bannister snatched the paper from Parker's fingers
and read aloud. "Johnnycakes. Johnnycakes? What the hell's th—"

Sam nimbly jumped
aside as Snatch snorted and reared, hooves flailing. Bannister shouted and went
down, firing wildly. Sparkle tried to hold Brooks, but he broke free, flung the
door of the shack open, and streaked past the other men. He caught the loose
reins of Driscoll's horse. Before he could swing up into the saddle, a bullwhip
cracked the reins from his hand.

"Wouldn't push
your luck, Brooks," came a familiar drawl.

Sparkle emerged to
witness a bizarre spectacle. Rafe had his peacemaker pointed at Brooks, who was
playing clay statue. The two Mexicans were on their knees, begging and sobbing
in broken Spanish to Parker and Driscoll who pointed cocked pistols at them.
Bannister lay in the dirt on his back. Snatch stood over him, licking and
nibbling at the crotch of his fancy trousers. Sparkle stepped closer and glimpsed
yellowish clumps of cornmeal on the suit fabric. Even as she gazed at it, the
fabric turned a shade darker. Mr. Well-Mannered Outlaw had just wet himself.

"What's your
horse doing?" Sparkle asked Rafe as he pulled her against his left hip.
Her arms wrapped around his waist as she tried to stop herself from shaking.
"Besides scaring the hell out of Bannister?"

"Eatin' his
favorite food. He'll rear and kick to get some. Always give him some of those
cornmeal cakes after he takes somebody down. Snatch don't work unless he gets
his rewards, same as me."

"I thought you
were teasing about him working with you." Sparkle was suddenly a little
lightheaded.

Rafe's arm
tightened around her. He glanced down at the small knife in her fist.
"Where'd you get the sticker?"

"It's mine. I
always wear it. They forgot to search me."

Rafe's eyes
widened. "But I did, that night in the hallway."

As if either of
them would ever forget the search in the Scarlet Lady's monkey hall! Sparkle
blushed at the reminder. Rafe's eyes roamed over her. "You have it on you
then, too?" She nodded faintly. His face went ruddy as well, but she
suspected his color wasn't due to embarrassment. "Later you'll show me
where." She met his intense gaze and shivered. His voice softened.
"You all right, darlin'?"

"I'm in one
piece," she answered with a calm she didn't feel. Another slight hug, then
she pulled back a bit, straightening her shawl. "Where the hell am
I?"

"About thirty
miles outside of Dodge."

"
Dodge
?"
she choked, reeling. "As in Dodge City?"

"Shit howdy,
Dodge City."

"But I can't
be!"

"Okay, then
you ain't," he shrugged. "Pick a town you like and be thirty miles
outside of there."

He wrapped his whip
back into a neat coil. Snatch ambled over and patiently allowed his master to
tie the coiled whip onto his pommel. "Last thing I want to do with you
right now is argue." Rafe pivoted and gave her another lingering
appraisal, his eyes stripping away her garments and leaving hot licking little
flames wherever they touched and caressed. "The
very
last
thing."

Bannister and the
others must have kept her drugged for days to take her this far, she dimly
noted. She'd lost her bag, been frightened half to death and humiliated…all
because of Rafe Conley. Who was now being smooth and reasonable and too darned
virile. She wanted to kill him.

Rafe glanced at his
partners. "Samson, you two take Bannister to the law. Got to figure out
what I owe my pal Brooks here."

Joe found his
voice, but it had gone decidedly high and squeaky. "Holy Jesus, Conley! I,
I…It was an accident! I didn't know he planned to harm her, or drag her out
here to West Kansas. I thought he'd only
pretend
, you know? To flush you
into coming after him. Honestly, I never thought it would come to this."

Sparkle liked the
way the weasel's Adam's apple bobbed as he lied. Only a dolt would believe the
gum he spewed, and Rafe was surely no dolt. He glanced down at her. "What
was his part in it?"