New Mexico Powder Keg

by JR Roberts

  “All right, then Mr. Professional. I’ll let you tend to the prisoners while I put the horses up for the night. My nose is telling me there’s some fine supper to be had over in that direction, so I’ll meet you there once you get things situated.”

  There was a wagon parked in the spot where Clint was pointing marked by a banner that read, ‘Chuck’s Eats’. Hall glanced back at the prisoners who were gazing about at the camp like dogs watching a steak being dangled in front of them. “We might be better off just parting ways with these two right here,” the bounty hunter said.

  “And I suppose you know just where to do that?” Clint asked.

  “Like you said yourself,” Hall proudly replied. “I’m a professional.”

  Clint studied the people in the vicinity. Most of them fit the description of what he would expect to find in a mining camp. There were ragged men staggering in or out of tents pitched around makeshift saloons, tired prospectors looking for a place to rest their heads, and a variety of men and women looking to profit from them. None of them showed much of any interest in the pair of prisoners that had been brought into town apart from a mild curiosity. On the other hand, Hall seemed just a bit too anxious to rid himself of his burden.

  “Tell you what,” Clint said. “I’ll take Sven and you take Don. That seem fair to you?”

  “Christ, Adams. Just give me an hour, huh?”

  “No need for this to be so difficult,” Clint told him as he climbed down from his saddle.

  “Exactly. I … hey! What are you doing?”

  Clint had walked over to the horse carrying both prisoners and pulled his hunting knife from its scabbard hanging from his belt. “I’m making this easier for both of us,” he said. With that, Clint sliced through the rope tying the men to the saddle horn and then made another quick slash that severed the rope tying the prisoners to each other. He roughly pulled Sven down from the saddle and freed his hands.

  “You can stick close to me,” Clint said to Sven. “And Don can stick close to Jarred. Either that, or the two of you can take your chances out there where horse thieves are getting strung up or left to rot in the dirt. Maybe your friends will still be partial to you. Maybe they won’t.”

  “And why would we have any better chance with you two?” Don asked.

  “I’m not after you,” Clint said. “When I get what I’m after, if you’ve proved yourselves, I’d be willing to turn you loose.”

  Looking to Hall, Don asked, “What about him?”

  “I’m after cash,” Hall said. “And you two are worth a chunk of it.”

  Both of the prisoners wilted a bit but didn’t have the spirit to do much about it. Looking for that reaction was almost definitely Hall’s reason for saying what he did. Clint was certain of it.

  “There are some men at the end of this ride that are worth more, though,” Hall added. “They’re the same ones that are out for you.”

  “Out for us?” Sven asked. “What do you mean?”

  Seeing exactly where the bounty hunter was headed, Clint pointed to Don and said, “Ask your friend there. He’s one of the fellows who tried to gun me down just for showing my face at the wrong time. The man I was with was killed like he was nothing.”

  “Howlett?” Sven asked.

  Don nodded. “Yeah.” He then looked to Clint and Hall before shrugging. “Me and Sven know each other. From before.”

  “Of course you do,” Hall sighed. “You both work for the same group doing just about the same thing. You think me and Clint here are idiots for not thinking you two were already acquainted?”

  “But nobody ever mentioned anything,” Don said.

  “What the hell difference does it make?” Clint told him. “I imagine you knew the man I brought with me to set up that meeting with Bennelli.”

  “Yeah,” Don sighed.

  “And if those friends of yours were so quick to kill him, then why would they hesitate to kill you two?”

  Both men looked at each other and then to Clint. “So what do you want from us?”

  Hall approached both of them and put a hand on each one’s shoulder. “We just want the two of you to stay healthy. Oh, and the best way to do that is to help us find Bennelli, Howlett and whoever else is behind this insanity.”

  “How do you figure?” Don chuckled.

  “Because with them still out there,” Clint said, “you two aren’t worth a hill of beans. And in case you haven’t noticed those trees we passed on the way here, this ain’t exactly friendly territory for the likes of you anymore. Of course, if you’d like to take your chances out there with friends that would just as soon kill you as look at you, go ahead. I’m sick of playing nursemaid.”

  Neither prisoner had to ponder their choices for very long before Don said, “We’re with you, boss. Can we at least have our guns back?”

  “Don’t push it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  After parting ways with Clint for the moment, Hall made a beeline to the long tent he’d spotted earlier. It was one of the larger tents supported by a wooden frame and had two water troughs in front of it. In fact, it looked to be one of the largest tents in sight and the business its owners conducted was booming.

  Women were lined up in front of the place like so many dresses on display in a seamstress’s window. Most of them wore nothing more than slips, flimsy blouses and stockings. There was a wide selection to choose from and the moment he was close enough to see them, Hall was singled out quicker than a piece of raw meat tossed to a pack of dogs.

  “This place is great!” he said as he hastened his steps toward the large tent.

  “What are we doing here?” Don asked.

  “If you have to ask that question after seeing these here ladies, then something ain’t right with you.”

  While all of the ladies were putting on their prettiest smiles, most of them were aimed at Don. Before long, Don was smiling right back at them. “Well, I guess this place is pretty nice,” he said.

  One of the ladies stepped forward. She was slightly older than the rest, with just a bit more meat on her bones and flowing blond hair. “See anything you like, hon?” she asked.

  Don nodded. “I’m looking at her right now.”

  “Awww, ain’t that sweet?” the blonde said. “If I could still blush, I’d be doing it right now. As for your friend,” she added while looking over to Hall. “I know exactly what he needs. Andrea! Get on out here!”

  A few seconds later, a slender woman with firm, pert breasts walked out of the tent. She was dressed in loose skirts and a corset that pushed her cleavage almost up to her chin. Every step she took caused her to bounce in a way that would catch any man’s eye and the smile on her face told Hall that she knew exactly what she was doing.

  “I see there’s a couple of new faces in the camp,” Andrea said. “Which one do I get?”

  “This one’s mine,” the blonde said as she pulled Don close to her ample bosom. Since there was no objection forthcoming, she dragged him into the tent.

  Hall stepped forward until he was within inches of Andrea. “Guess that leaves you and me, darlin’.”

  She smiled, pulled open the tent’s flap and showed him inside.

  The interior was mostly open space that was sectioned off by folding partitions that divided the rear portion of the tent into rooms. Sounds of other ladies satisfying their customers drifted through the air, mixed with the scents of perfume, cigar smoke and sweat. With Andrea so close to him, however, Hall’s senses were quickly filled with nothing but her.

  Andrea’s long, dark brown hair went all the way down to the small of her back. Her lips were full and naturally red and her body was both soft and muscular. She led him to a room all the way at the back of the tent, situated in a corner that put the main wooden frame on two sides of them. It was the closest thing to real walls they could get, even if the door was just a curtain held shut by a hook set into a loop on the frame.

  “Where’d you find that one?” she
asked while fitting the hook in place to keep the flap shut.

  Hall stood close to her and placed his hands upon Andrea’s hips. “He’s one of yours, girl. Don’t you remember?”

  “There’s so many, it’s hard to keep track.”

  “Speaking of hard . . .”

  As Hall pressed against the front of her body, Andrea reached down between his legs to feel him. When she found his rigid pole, she raised an approving eyebrow. “Isn’t it customary to take care of business before pleasure?”

  “I’ve never been one for customs. Besides,” he added while taking her firm backside in his hands, “it’s been way too long.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Andrea wrapped one leg around him and slipped her hands up under Hall’s shirt. Raking her fingernails against his bare skin, she whispered, “If you still want a spot in the group, this is a good way to go about it.”

  “I live to serve, sweet thing.”

  “I wish I could believe that, Jarred. I really do.”

  “How would you like me to prove it?”

  She backed up a step, pulled the hat off Hall’s head and roughly grabbed one of his ears to force him down. Hall didn’t do a thing to resist as he lowered himself to his knees in front of her. Andrea lifted her skirts to show that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing beneath them and gathered them up around her waist. She then picked one foot up, kicked it out and draped it over one of Hall’s shoulders. From there, he wasted no time before reaching around with both hands to cup her ass and pull her close so he could bury his face between her legs.

  Andrea smiled widely as she grabbed his hair and arched her back. Hall’s mouth found the thatch of hair between her thighs and his tongue slipped inside of her. She ground her hips against his face, moaning softly when he hit just the right spot.

  “That’s it,” she whispered. “God, it has been too long.”

  He licked her for a while longer and then started to stand back up again. Before he could get to his feet, Andrea gripped his hair and held him where he was. Hall challenged that by standing up anyway until she was forced to let him go. Although she tried to keep him down, she didn’t exactly put up a fight. Instead, she gave him a tussle for a few seconds and became even more excited when he grabbed her up in a tangle of arms and legs to lift her off her feet.

  Andrea’s eyes widened and she pulled in a few excited breaths. When Hall dropped her down onto the cot situated in the middle of the little room, she lay on her back and watched him as he peeled off his clothes. When he loomed over her, she stared at his rigid cock and spread her legs for him.

  Hall climbed on top of Andrea and quickly entered her. She was dripping wet and ready for him and when she had every inch of his erection inside, she let out a long, trembling sigh. As the bounty hunter found his rhythm, Andrea propped one leg on the edge of the cot and lifted the other up high. Hall grabbed her ankle so he could bring that leg up close to his mouth and take eager bites along her calf. When he nipped at her a little harder, Andrea watched him intently and writhed beneath him.

  “Harder,” she whispered.

  He fucked her harder, his body pounding against hers amid both of their labored grunts. They weren’t the only ones making noise inside that tent, but as far as they both concerned, they were the only ones that mattered. Andrea rested her leg on Hall’s shoulder and leaned back. Closing her eyes tightly, she placed both hands flat upon his chest so she could feel his muscles tense every time he pounded into her.

  Soon, Hall pulled out of her and once more put his head between her legs. This time, he didn’t tease her before pressing his lips against her pussy and putting his tongue right where it needed to be. Her body reacted out of pure instinct, causing her to spread her legs wide and arch her back as her entire body began to quake. Her climax came quickly and tore through her body in wave after powerful wave. Even before it had subsided, she was getting up and crawling over to him.

  Hall lay on the cot, allowing Andrea to claw and bite his flesh wherever she could. She made her way down his chest, along his hips and finally wrapped her lips around his cock. She devoured him greedily, sliding her mouth all the way down to the base of his shaft. From there, Andrea sucked him as though he was her last meal, moaning quietly until he started to buck against her face.

  Her mouth curved into a smile and she looked up to see his face as his climax began. Hall took hold of the cot with both hands, clenching his eyes tightly shut and leaning back to savor every moment. Andrea reached up with one hand to run her nails down his chest and used the other to stroke the base of his cock as her tongue went to work on his tip. She licked and tasted him, using her wet mouth to push him all the way over the edge. When he’d finally reached his limit, she closed her lips around him and drank him down.

  She kept her mouth on him for a while longer, moaning softly while letting her tongue drift up and down his length. When she was ready, she eased her mouth off of him and settled onto the cot next to the bounty hunter. Draping one leg across his body, she scratched his chest and stomach like a cat that was making its bed.

  “Hot damn,” Hall sighed. “I sure missed you, Andy.”

  “Of course you did.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Andrea didn’t bother getting dressed when she walked across the room to pour drinks for herself and Hall. All she wore was one of the sheets pulled off the cot which hung on her shoulders like a cape. While pouring some whiskey from a bottle into two glasses, she kept her back to Hall.

  “So, who is that I saw riding with you into camp?” she asked.

  Since all he could see was the back of her head and a wall of white sheet, Hall busied himself with pulling on his clothes. “Don’s the man I told you about.”

  “He was working at my dry goods store in Parker?”

  “That’s right. The other one who was tied up like a calf at a rodeo worked with Howlett.”

  “You’ll have to be more specific,” she said as she turned around. “Victor works with a lot of men.”

  Now, Hall had something much better to look at. The sheet was still draped over her shoulders but it provided a backdrop for her naked body. Andrea’s skin glistened with the sweat from their lovemaking and her nipples were still erect. The sight of her was enough to pull Hall off the cot and drag him across the room to stand directly in front of her. Taking the glass she offered him, he said, “He rode with one of the groups that went out stealing horses.”

  “I see. What about the other man? The one who wasn’t tied up.”

  “He’s Clint Adams.”

  “I don’t like the tone in your voice when you said that.”

  Hall drained most of the whiskey from his glass in one sip. “You’ve never heard that name before?”

  “Why would I?”

  “He’s a well-known person. Especially in West Texas.”

  Andrea sipped her whiskey daintily. Without reacting in the slightest to the alcohol’s burn, she shrugged and said, “I’ve been dealing with a lot of men who claim to be famous. Some of them can back it up while others are just animals who are good at being animals.”

  “Adams ain’t no animal,” Hall said.

  “Is he a peace officer?”

  “No exactly.”

  “Then some sort of gunman?”

  “Most definitely.”

  Andrea shrugged again before striding past him to a trunk situated at the foot of the cot. She let her sheet fall off of her, exposing the smooth curves of her waist and hips. “Gunmen don’t impress me,” she said. “Not anymore.”

  “He’s more than just a gun hand. He’s the sort of fellow who sinks his teeth into something and doesn’t let go. And when he puts his mind to something, he’s deadly enough to see it through all the way to the end.”

  “Are you trying to frighten me?”

  “Nope. Just telling you who those men were that I rode into camp with.”

  Andrea took another sip of her drink and then bent at the w
aist to set the glass on the floor. She then opened the trunk and started sifting through the clothes within. “You were sent out with one task,” she said. “How is that coming along?”

  “Oh, I know how to do my job,” Hall told her. “That ain’t the problem.”

  “Then what is the problem, exactly?” she snapped. The edge on her tone was more than enough to overcome the fact that she was standing naked before him. In fact, Hall even backed away from her out of pure instinct as she glared at him.

  “You were sent out to work for the cause,” she continued. “Why haven’t you delivered yet?”

  “I brought the money. What bothers me more is them trees scattered out there. And don’t you dare try batting your eyelashes and telling me you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

  “Why are you so surprised, Jarred? Many of the men hanging from those trees were men you brought to us over the past month.”

  “If I’d known they’d end up like that . . .”

  “You’d do what?” she asked. “Notify the sheriff? Bring a marshal to this camp? Good luck finding either. There’s no real law to be found throughout all of New Mexico. In case you’d forgotten, that was part of the plan as well.”

  “And what part of the plan mentioned stringing up human beings like they was nothing but meat?”

  Andrea selected a plain green dress and slipped it on. “We’re sending a message,” she told him. “Several, actually. The lawmen will know that their rules no longer apply here and the lawless will know that there’s a new authority that must be reckoned with. For everyone else who happens upon those trees, those trees will serve as fair warning that changes are coming and that they’ll be written in blood.”

  “I suppose that was Howlett’s idea?” Hall said. “Something that disgusting reeks of that little mongrel.”

  “It was his idea. Funny that you never seemed to mind working with him before. I believe you knew about his nature well before I was even introduced to him.”

  “Knowing about a murderous animal is one thing. Giving him free rein to smear his filth all over the place is something else.”