“Hired us,” she corrected.
Eli had been sitting with his back to a wall cleaning his gun. His legs were resting on the edge of the bed, and the parts of his pistol were situated on a cloth spread over his lap. “Why would you do that?” he asked.
Arching her back as if she were modeling the latest fashion from Paris, Rosa glanced over to Eli and said, “Shut your mouth. You don’t get to question me yet.”
“All right,” Mackie said as he stepped between the other two. “I’ve been with you for a while, so I hope that counts for something.”
“Sure it does,” Rosa said as she ran her hands over the front of her bloody dress.
“Then tell me, why would you do that?”
Eli shook his head and chuckled under his breath as he finished his cleaning and began fitting his gun back together.
“I went to see him just like we discussed,” she replied. “I asked him what happened and where Blevin got off to. He couldn’t tell me a damn thing.”
“And you don’t think he might have known something useful if you would’ve taken the time to ask nicely? Jesus Christ, Rosa, bending men around your little finger is yer goddamn specialty.”
She smiled. “I started, but he wouldn’t have any of it. He just talked about all the trouble that’s been going on since he hired us. He also mentioned how he might just have to forget about this whole thing and hire someone else. He even mentioned going to the law.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Mackie grunted. “He’s in too deep to go to the law.”
“Yes, but he still wanted this job done, and he sure as hell would go to someone else to get it done.” Spinning so she was facing Mackie straight on, Rosa added, “And are you willing to bet that he wouldn’t mention who had this job before?
“Even if he let one of our names slip, odds are someone might know who he’s talking about. We can’t afford to be connected to a mess like this. We’re known as people who can be trusted on any job. When someone hires a Sapphire, someone winds up dead. That’s how it is and that’s how it’ll stay.”
“I don’t think that someone should be our client,” Mackie said. “That might not do wonders for our reputation either, you know.”
Rosa reached out to slide her fingertips along the bottom of Mackie’s chin. “I know, but that client won’t be telling anything to anyone. Nobody even needs to know he was a client.”
When he saw Rosa turn to throw a warning glance at him, Eli held up his hands and said, “Ain’t nobody hearing anything from me.”
That seemed to be good enough for her, so she nodded and turned her attention back to Mackie. Rosa put an exaggerated pout on her face and placed both hands on his face. Leaning forward so her lips were brushing against his ear, she asked, “Are you mad at me?”
“I’m just not sure this was the best thing to do,” he said. “I mean, we should be laying low after the way we left Carson City.”
“Nobody even lifted a finger to stop me from doing whatever I wanted in that place,” Rosa said with a smile. “And now we can keep our heads held high and our winning streak going. If anyone asks, we’ve never even heard of Galloway or Blevin.”
“All right, then. Before you get too busy patting yerself on the back, you should know them other three young-bloods we called out here ain’t never showed up again.”
“You mean the ones who were supposed to check out the Blevin place?”
“Them are the ones,” Mackie said.
“I might know what happened to them,” Rosa told him. “Mr. Galloway brought up a name just before he died.”
“Was it the name of someone good enough to take down three armed men all by himself?”
Rosa smiled and nodded. “All that and more. He’s even good enough to put one hell of a feather in the Sapphires’ caps once word gets around that it was us who killed him.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Clint waved to the man behind the front desk of his hotel on his way to the little dining room. It wasn’t too late to get something for supper, but he wasn’t going to expect anything to be too fresh, either. Just as he caught the scent of baked chicken, Clint heard the man behind the desk shout his name.
“Mr. Adams! Someone was asking for you.”
“Was it the sheriff?” Clint asked. “Because I’ve already had a word with him.”
“No, not the sheriff. She said you both were friends of John Blevin.”
Hearing that put Clint on his toes. His hand drifted toward his pistol as he took a quick look around. As near as he could tell, the only people in sight either worked at the hotel or were eating there. “It’s a she?” he asked.
“Most definitely.”
“Did you get her name?”
The clerk winced and shook his head. “Not as such. She was in a hurry.”
“What did she want?”
“I don’t know, but I told her you might be back for dinner.”
Clint nodded and started walking into the dining room. “That’s where I’m headed now. If she comes back, point her my way.”
“Will do.”
After spotting a table against the wall, Clint walked across the small room and wove between the few other occupied tables. Since he was expecting to see some pretty woman wearing a sapphire pin coming straight at him, the walk seemed doubly long. Clint made it to his seat without incident, though, and put his back to the wall so he could watch the rest of the room.
His eyes were so intense that the girl who walked over to take his order lost her smile by the time she opened her mouth.
“What can I get for you, sir?” she asked quickly and without returning his stare.
Clint realized how nervous he was making the poor girl and softened his features with a smile. “Sorry about that. I was drifting off. What’s good here?”
The effect was immediate and caused the girl to let out a breath and put on a smile of her own. “We’ve still got some chicken pot pies left.”
“I’ll have one and some water.”
“Coming right up.” Even though she was much more at ease, she was still anxious to get away from Clint’s table and back into the kitchen.
The water was brought to his table, and the food came shortly after that. Clint dug into the pot pie and quickly found himself tearing through the tender meat and flaky crust. When he looked up to find a woman staring intently at him from across the room, Clint met her gaze and wiped his mouth with the corner of his napkin.
She moved toward him slowly at first. Then, once she was two tables away, she hurried to one of the empty chairs at Clint’s table and sat down.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” she said.
Clint was still a bit surprised when he nodded at her. One hand held his napkin on top of the table, and the other was resting on the grip of his holstered Colt. “I . . . wasn’t expecting you, Victoria.”
The blond woman wore a dark blue skirt and a simple brown top that was buttoned all the way up to her neck. Compared to the woman that had spent a good amount of Johnny’s party rolling in the hay with Clint, she almost looked like a completely different person.
“Did the man tell you I was looking for you earlier?” she asked.
Clint reflexively looked toward the lobby and nodded. “He mentioned someone was asking about me, but he didn’t say who it was.”
Victoria was flustered and out of breath. Her eyes nervously darted to and fro, making her seem even more guarded than Clint had been. “That was me, all right. I know you and Johnny were friends, and after I heard about what happened to him, I hoped you might have come back to check on him for yourself.”
“What happened to Johnny?” Clint asked.
“He’s gone! He’s just gone. His house is cleaned out. His horses are gone. His wagon’s gone. Everything’s just . . . gone.”
Clint relaxed a bit. “Were you and him close?”
“We were friends, but not as close as you and I were,” she replied with a guilty little grin.
“He talked about you a bit and hoped you would show up at the party. After that, I haven’t heard much of anything from him.”
“Well, he didn’t make a big announcement but he’s moved on.”
“Really? To where?”
“Last I heard, he was heading west,” Clint said. Since he figured Johnny would have told her if he’d wanted her to know, he left it at that. Fortunately, that seemed to be enough for Victoria.
She let out another breath and smiled. “As long as he’s all right. Mind if I join you for dinner?”
“Not at all.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Victoria had half a pot pie, and Clint kept her company as his own food settled. He suggested dessert, but then she made a better suggestion that involved going up to his room. A few minutes later, they were out of their clothes and under the sheets.
Clint’s room was a small space occupied by a narrow bed, a table, and two chairs. The only light in the room at the moment came from a lantern holding a flame that was just big enough to be seen. Clint pumped his hips between Victoria’s open legs with growing intensity, until the head-board knocked against the wall.
Beneath him, Victoria closed her eyes and arched her back while letting out a slow, panting moan. Suddenly, her breath caught in her throat and her fingers clenched tightly around Clint’s hands. Her orgasm swept through her and nearly stole her last bit of breath away before Clint thrust once more into her.
Clint remained inside of her until his climax faded. Only then did he roll to one side and scoop her up with one arm to hold against him. She lay with her cheek resting on his chest and her leg draped across his hips.
“That sure beat the hell out of that barn,” she said breathlessly.
“Yes, indeed.”
“I’ve been thinking plenty about that barn, you know. Every time I did, I hoped to get another go at you.”
Clint chuckled and rubbed her shoulder. “I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”
“Are you kidding? I still haven’t caught my breath.”
“I’m surprised you found me. After all, it’s not like anyone knew I was coming.”
“I didn’t know either,” she said. “I was just checking the hotel registers looking to see if Johnny was here. I saw your name and thought you might know where he went.”
Even in the darkness, Clint had been careful to keep his face unreadable. That point he’d just raised had bothered him since he saw Victoria in the dining room, and those few words put his mind at ease. “So how well did you know Johnny?” he asked, addressing another thing that had been under his skin.
“He’s lived here for a while,” she said simply. “I would see him most of the times when he came into town. I was a little worried about folks trying to take advantage of his hospitality when he told everyone about that party of his, and I guess I got even more worried when he went missing afterward. You must think I’m awfully suspicious.”
“Not at all, especially when compared to some other people I know.”
“Maybe just a busybody, then.”
“Yeah,” Clint said as he stretched out. “That sounds more like it.”
Victoria responded with a playful jab to his ribs. “I heard Johnny came into some money. Is that true?”
“He must have come into enough money to pay for that party he threw.”
“Could be. I think a lot of that food was brought by neighbors and such. Everybody liked Johnny even though he didn’t talk much.”
“There you go, then. I know he headed west, and that’s about it.”
“So what brings you back here?” Victoria asked.
“I wanted to check and see if he left anything important behind. There were some horse thieves at that party, and I didn’t want them doing any more damage than they already did. Other than that, I was just stopping here for a rest until I moved on myself.”
“Did you hear about those two men from Western Union?”
Clint felt his stomach clench and his muscles tighten even worse than they had been before. “I know Mr. Galloway was found dead. Was there another?”
He could feel Victoria’s head brushing against his chest as she nodded. “The other man who ran that office. I think it was Mr. Galloway’s partner.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was killed in his home. I hear he was found in his own bed, naked as a jaybird.”
“Who would want to do a thing like that?” Clint asked, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt.
“I don’t know, but he was a mess when they found him. At least, that’s what I heard.”
Sitting up and turning to look at Victoria’s face, Clint asked, “How did you come across all this information?”
The tone in his voice alone was enough to send a chill under Victoria’s skin. “I just . . . heard it. This isn’t a very big town, you know. People talk, especially when something like this happens. What’s the matter, Clint? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Although the lantern was only throwing off a weak excuse for light, it was enough for Clint to see the fear on Victoria’s face. The longer he looked at her, the more she recoiled, until she was about to slide off the side of the bed.
“What’s wrong, Clint? You’re scaring me.”
“Nothing’s wrong. That’s just some troubling news. Two men killed in one day.”
“I don’t know if it was in one day, but they were both only found recently. Did you know them?”
“I’ve done some business with Galloway, but I only met his partner once.”
“What kind of business?”
“Nothing much, really,” Clint lied. “But I was one of the first to see him after he was killed.”
“Oh God,” Victoria said as she straightened up and put her hand to her mouth. “That’s terrible. No wonder you’re so nervous.”
“Yeah,” Clint said as he walked over to the corner where all their clothes had wound up. “I should probably see if there’s anything I can do to help with all of this.” As he picked up his own clothes, Clint sifted through Victoria’s as well.
He felt the dress and blouse she’d been wearing and found nothing more than buttons and cloth. Her boots were old and weren’t holding anything but a worn set of laces. Her underthings were so thin and frilly that they didn’t need to be inspected. When he was done, Clint felt a little embarrassed to be poking through her things like that.
“I need to go,” he said while pulling on his clothes. “If you want to stay here, you’re more than welcome.”
Victoria got up and walked over to him. She stood next to the pile of her clothes without making another move toward them. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Clint and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. “I live here in town, remember?” she asked gently. “I can get home just fine.”
“All right.”
Clint walked to the chair between the bed and the window where he’d left his holster. While buckling the Colt around his waist, he heard the sounds of Victoria’s movements come to a stop. When he turned around, he found her standing there with her clothes on, but not fully buttoned.
With a solemn look on her face she asked him, “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. It’s just odd to have men turn up dead not long after I’ve talked to them. I guess it just doesn’t set right.”
“If something else happens, do you think I could stay here with you?”
“It doesn’t set right with you, either, huh?”
She shook her head.
“If you think I’d have any objection to you staying here, you must not have been paying attention for the last hour or so.”
Victoria laughed and finished dressing. “I thought you might say something like that.”
THIRTY-SIX
“What the hell do you mean there’s no investigation?” Clint asked.
The man in front of him was a stout fellow in his late forties. Although his face was clean-shaven, he had the look about him of a man who’d have
a hard time growing a beard if he wanted to. His only response to Clint’s sudden display of temper was to raise his hands as well as his voice so he could be heard clearly.
“It’s not that there’s going to be no investigation, Mr. Adams,” the stout man said. “It’s just that I won’t be conducting it.”
Clint took half a step back and looked the man up and down. Sure enough, there was a badge pinned to the man’s chest and a gun belt around his waist. “You’re the law around here, aren’t you?” Clint asked, just to be sure.
“Yes, I am.”
“And you do know two men were killed today?”
“Yes, I do,” the man replied with a bit more annoyance in his voice.
Clint looked him up and down once more and then shook his head. “Then maybe you could help me out here. I don’t see why you’d be dragging your feet unless you had some reason to let a murderer go free.”
The lawman reared up and cocked his head to one side. “Now, see here! Nobody’s letting a murderer go free, and I resent what you’re implying.”
“Really? Then I suppose you figure those men died of natural causes?”
“Of course not. I just don’t have to explain my actions to you, sir!”
Even though he wasn’t too concerned about overstepping his bounds, Clint could tell he wasn’t going to get anywhere if the lawman’s guard was raised and fortified. He nodded and eased up just enough to make the stout man think he’d had something to do with backing Clint down.
“You may know that Mr. Blevin and I conducted some recent business with Mr. Galloway,” Clint said.
The lawman’s voice matched Clint’s more relaxed tone. “I am aware of that.”
“Then you can understand why I’m a little upset.”
“Actually, I do.”
“Then could you tell me what’s going to be done about these murders?”
Finally, the lawman let out a deep breath and hooked his thumbs through his belt as if he was getting ready to cut loose with a grand announcement. “Certainly,” he said. “There will be a Pinkerton agent arriving within the next day or two.”
Clint stood quietly waiting for the rest of the announcement. When it was clear that the lawman was through, Clint asked, “That’s it?”
The Sapphire Gun Page 12
