A Different Trade

by J. R. Roberts

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Will had been gone for less than a minute when Clint stepped back around the corner and onto the porch in front of Miss Tasha’s. Both ladies who’d been out there before were still there now. One of them, a slender blonde in her twenties, sat in a chair with one leg draped over the arm in a way that caused her skirts to fall away just enough to present an interesting view to passers-by.

  “Howdy,” she said. “Thought you were gonna hide in the alley all day long.”

  “The view on this side of the building is a whole lot better,” Clint said. He took a bit of money from his pocket and offered it to her. “This is for before,” he said. “For when that bald fellow was asking about me.”

  She took the money, folded it up, and slid it down the front of her body. After tugging the front of her dress down to expose one dark little nipple, she eased her clothing back into place and put the money into a pocket. “Yeah,” she said. “I thought you’d appreciate that. I don’t care much for that one anyway.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “He comes along like he owns the place. Like he owns us. He’s rough when he’s with us. He likes to throw us around when he takes us upstairs.”

  Clint looked over to the other girl. She was younger and had a little more meat on her bones, which made her very easy on the eyes. The troubled expression on her face when the subject of Kurt had been brought up wasn’t so pretty.

  “Does he prefer any one of you over the other?” Clint asked.

  Both women shook their heads.

  “What about today? Do you know what he’s doing in there today?”

  “I don’t care,” said the younger girl. “Just so long as he’s not doing it with me.”

  “Why all the questions?” the other woman asked. “He owe you money or something?”

  “It’s more than that,” Clint said. “Any way you could find out some more about him or any of the men he might run with?”

  “Maybe,” the blonde said. “But it’ll cost more.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re dangerous.”

  Clint stepped a little closer to the blonde with her leg hiked up on the arm of her chair. “Sounds like you already know a thing or two on the matter.”

  “Could be.”

  Digging into his pocket, Clint discovered he was almost out of cash. Leaving just enough to have something for Will when he came out, he took out one bill and discreetly gave it to her. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  The blonde took the money in an experienced hand, only to make it disappear quicker than if she were showing him a magic trick. “Ingrid,” she told him.

  “Will you have something to tell me later tonight?”

  “I can tell you a thing or two right now if you like.”

  He shook his head. “It’ll have to be later. How about seven o’clock?”

  “You come back here and I’ll be waiting,” Ingrid said.

  “If I can’t make it, can you come to me?”

  “Where?”

  “There’s a hotel all the way down on Linden.”

  “The place near Mackie’s?” she asked.

  “That’s the one. Come by there if I don’t show up here. Is that all right?”

  She looked Clint over and seemed to like what she saw. “For you, sure.”

  Just then, the front door swung open and Will stepped outside. He wore an excited look on his face and could barely contain himself once he spotted Clint. “Mr. Adams, I—”

  Clint grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from the front of the cathouse. As soon as they picked a spot in front of the neighboring store, Will said, “Sorry about that, but that fella you wanted to know about isn’t in a spot where he can hear me.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “Oh, yes. He’s busy with one of the girls inside. They just went up to her room.”

  “Do you know which room?” Clint asked.

  Will nodded. “The end of the hall on the right. I even got a key.”

  When Clint saw the key in Will’s hand, he could hardly believe it. “Why the hell did you get a key?” he asked.

  “I thought you might want it. Don’t you want to go and see him? Isn’t that why you wanted to know all of this? Anyway, my mother always says it’s better to have more and not need it than not have enough.”

  Clint took the key from him. “Smart lady. You’re sure this is the right one?”

  “Yeah. I did what you said and asked the girls. Actually, I just needed to ask one, and since she was the same one who was with me, I didn’t need to pay her any more. She said none of the girls really likes that man or any of the others that have been coming around here.”

  “How many others?”

  “She didn’t say,” Will replied. “But she did say that the fella you’re after is kind of quick. Whatever that means.”

  “All right, then,” Clint said as he handed Will the rest of his payment. “I won’t waste any more time.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Clint walked through the cathouse with purpose. Some of the women who weren’t with customers watched him, but they knew when a man should be approached and when he should be left alone. One of them knew Clint a bit better than the rest, and she approached him straight away. Rather than trying to discourage her or steer her in another direction, Clint smiled broadly and wrapped an arm around the buxom redhead.

  “Back for more?” she asked. “I knew you wanted something other than a tour of our parlor.”

  “You are very right,” Clint said without breaking stride. “And that’s why I came back. I don’t believe I caught your name last time.”

  “You never asked for it.”

  “I’m asking now.”

  “Why do you want it now?” she asked. “You’re not interested in fucking.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you haven’t done one thing to make me think you were. Why are you here, Clint?”

  They were at the foot of the stairs leading up to the rooms where most of the working girls conducted their business. The redhead had a firm grip on Clint’s arm and wasn’t about to let go anytime soon. He turned to her and said, “This is as far as I need you to go. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from here for a spell.”

  “Why? Are you going up to look in on Kurt?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because that sweet boy who was in here before asked about him and bolted from here like his tail feathers were about to be plucked. Now you show up.”

  “All right,” Clint said. “Would it be a problem if I did need to have a word with Kurt?”

  “No.”

  “And if those words got a bit loud?”

  She smirked. “Make that asshole squeal as loud as you can. Ain’t none of us girls going to lift a finger to stop that. You might have a bit of trouble from Miss Tasha, though.” She let go of Clint’s arm and rubbed his chin. “Don’t worry about it none,” she said. “I’ll keep this area as clear as I can for as long as I can. Just try not to shoot anyone other than him.”

  She said that last part with a wink, and Clint allowed her to think that was a joke as he went upstairs and headed for the right-hand door at the end of the hall. Once he was there, Clint took a moment to wonder just how much he was going to trust a kid who he barely knew. He eased the key into the lock, turned it, and felt no resistance whatsoever. Putting his shoulder to the door, he eased it open as quietly as he could. As it turned out, he didn’t need to be quite so cautious since the people in that room were more than a little preoccupied.

  “Get on your knees,” Kurt said from his spot near the bed. He stood with his back to the door, naked as the day he was born and looming over a young girl dressed in nothing but an unbuttoned blouse.

  Clint opened the door
slowly, resisting the urge to hurry inside before Kurt could touch the young woman again. Once he got a bit closer, Clint saw that he was already too late on that account. The girl crawled off the bed and did as she was told. As soon as she was kneeling, Kurt took a firm grip of her hair with one hand.

  A split second after the girl had caught sight of Clint entering the room, Kurt wrenched her head in the other direction while snarling, “Look at me, bitch.”

  Although he couldn’t see exactly how excited Kurt was at that moment, Clint could read what he needed in the other man’s voice. When the girl attempted to pull away from him, Kurt brought up his other hand, which was wielding a hunting knife as he gripped the woman’s hair with enough force to pull it from its roots.

  “You know what I want, you damn whore,” Kurt said. “Now give it to me before—”

  The barrel of Clint’s Colt tapped against the back of Kurt’s head, freezing him in his spot. “How about we take a moment to think about what the lady wants,” Clint said. “From where I’m standing, I’d guess she wants to get the hell out of this room. Am I right?”

  “Y-Yes,” she replied.

  “Let her go,” Clint demanded.

  Remaining rooted to his spot without moving a muscle, Kurt said, “There’s money on the dresser. Take it.”

  “I’m not robbing you. Let her go. Now.”

  Kurt released his grip on the girl’s hair, allowing her to scurry away on all fours like a frightened rabbit.

  “Collect your clothes and get out,” Clint told her.

  She hurried to gather her clothes and was out of the room before anyone had a chance to say another word. After the door shut, Clint said, “Drop the knife.”

  Kurt held his ground and didn’t relax his grip on the hunting knife. “That voice sounds familiar.”

  “It should.”

  Without any regard for the precarious position he was in, Kurt turned around to look over his shoulder at the man behind him. “Oh yeah,” he said through a wide smile. “I kicked the hell out of you not too long ago. Your face is looking better. How are them ribs?”

  “Better. How about you tell me why you’re here.”

  “If you don’t know why I’m here, I must’ve hit you harder than I thought.”

  “No. I mean why you’re here in a shit hole town like this one when there are much greener pastures not too far away. You and Westin are into a lot more than wringing money from saloon keepers, right?” When he didn’t get an answer, Clint thumbed back the Colt’s hammer and tapped the end of the barrel once more against Kurt’s head. “Right?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Kurt spat. “Right.”

  “So tell me more about that.”

  “The best I can tell you is to leave this room, leave this town, and do both of them things real quick.”

  “So there truly is something good brewing around here,” Clint mused. “I know you’re not exactly paid to think, but try to recall as much as you can about the business you and Westin are involved in. While you’re at it, tell me just who the hell that one-armed asshole is who rides with you. You can use short words if that makes it easier.”

  Kurt met Clint’s eyes and said, “Real tough talk from the man with the gun. This would be a whole lot different if things were leveled out.”

  “You want level, huh?” Clint said as he holstered the Colt. “I was hoping you’d say something along those lines.”

  THIRTY

  Marching Kurt down the hall and up the next flight of stairs was arguably one of the best times Clint had ever had inside a cathouse. His conversation with the big bald man hadn’t taken long. Since Clint wasn’t outnumbered three to one and being held at gunpoint, the conversation went a whole lot better than the last one he’d had with Kurt. Sure, Clint was sporting a few fresh bruises and one small cut on his temple, but Kurt looked like he’d been run over by a locomotive.

  All of the fight was out of the big fellow, and he stumbled with every other step. Whenever he faltered too much, Clint shoved him forward and grunted, “Keep moving.” There wasn’t even a need for Clint to have his pistol drawn. Judging by the dazed expression on Kurt’s face, he barely knew what was going on. He was so confused, in fact, that he didn’t realize he was still naked.

  After making it to the third floor amid a flurry of whispers and giggles from the girls they passed along the way, Clint slapped him on the cheek to wake him up a bit. “That room there,” he said while pointing to the door at the end of the hall. “That’s the one you told me about?”

  “Yeah,” Kurt groaned.

  “That’s the one where he is?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is he in there now?” When he didn’t get an immediate reply, Clint grabbed Kurt’s face and shook him hard enough to hurt. “Don’t lie to me! You make one wrong move now and I’ll beat you worse than I did before.”

  Finally, a spark showed in Kurt’s eyes as he wheeled around to face Clint. He still couldn’t hide the twitches of pain from all the fresh welts and cuts coming from the fight he’d recently lost. “I ain’t lying!” he fumed. “He’s in there. He’s always in there except for when he goes out to gamble and that ain’t until later at night. Every goddamn night!”

  Clint nodded. “All right. I believe you.”

  “Good. Are we done?”

  “There’s just one more thing for you to do before we’re done.”

  With that, Clint grabbed Kurt by one shoulder and the back of his neck. On any other day, the big man would have been able to pull free from that. But after the punishment Clint had given him in his room, Kurt was lucky to remain on his feet as he was shoved down the hall. When they got closer to the door they’d just been talking about, Clint launched him toward it with a powerful boot to Kurt’s ass.

  The big man staggered forward, and after the kick, he fell with all of his weight against the door. Clint stayed put just long enough to watch as the door wasn’t just knocked open, but taken clean off its hinges. All he could see in the room past that door was a wide desk and a few slender figures scrambling to see who the hell was making such an abrupt entrance.

  “What is the meaning of this?” asked a man in a shrill voice. As Kurt tried to get back to his feet, the other men in that room parted like the Red Sea so another could get closer to the busted door. “What are you doing just standing there?” the shrill voice asked. “Do what I pay you to do!”

  Keeping his hand on the grip of his Colt, Clint backed down the hall. It took several seconds for anyone inside that room to get a look out because Kurt was so large and so unsteady on his feet that he blocked them from seeing much past him. Moving past him was next to impossible. Clint waited until Kurt was finally able to step aside. When he saw the spindly, angry old man from the Tiger’s Paw, Clint whispered, “I’ll be damned. He wasn’t lying to me after all.”

  The old man stood in the doorway and glared out as if he were angrily staring down the world and everyone in it. Clint wasn’t the only one in the hall by now. There were half a dozen doors between the far end and the stairs, most of which were open so curious men and women in various states of undress could see what was happening.

  Although his beady little eyes found Clint, the old man looked around at all the other faces staring back at him before shrieking, “Mind your own goddamn business! You,” he said while stabbing a bony finger at Kurt, “get your ass in here and explain yourself. You are a disgrace!” His tirade continued, but was partially blocked out when one of the other men in that room propped the door back against its frame.

  When it became clear that nobody was coming through that door for a while, Clint made his way to the stairs and started climbing down. His steps remained steady and purposeful as he kept his ears and eyes open for anything that might tell him someone was coming for him.

  The customers on the second floor were amused but eager to get back
to their rooms, and the girls watched Clint with beaming smiles.

  As he continued down to the first floor, Clint was certain he would hear footsteps rushing to catch up to him or someone shouting for him to stop and answer for what had been done to Kurt. None of that came, however. There was a bit more noise inside Miss Tasha’s than usual, but it seemed about right considering the commotion. The front door was in his sight when Clint finally got one of the confrontations he’d been expecting.

  “Wait right there,” Miss Tasha said as she stormed out of the back parlor. “I heard there was a fight, and you must be the cause of it. I can tell just by looking at you.”

  Clint brushed a hand against a spot marking one of the few lucky punches Kurt had managed to land while in his room upstairs. “You’re right, ma’am.”

  “Get out,” she snarled while pointing to the front door. “And don’t come back.”

  “I was just on my way out,” he replied, tipping his hat. “Good evening to you, Miss Tasha.”

  “Expect a bill from me when I get a look at the damage you caused.”

  Clint walked outside and found both Ingrid and the woman who’d escorted him upstairs waiting for him on the porch. Ingrid smiled and said, “Don’t you pay a cent for no damages. Me and the girls will take up a collection.”

  “Much obliged,” Clint said.

  “I suppose I’ll be coming to you to have that talk we mentioned earlier instead of you coming here.”

  “That’d be a good idea,” he said.

  Before Clint could take one more step, the redhead took his face in her hands and planted a kiss on his lips. “Cassidy,” she said when she came up for air. “My name’s Cassidy. I’ll be coming as well.”

  “Now that sounds like a mighty good idea.”

  THIRTY-ONE

  “Oh no!” Henrietta said as soon as she took a look at Clint’s face. “They got to you again?”

  Clint had barely made it through the front doors of the newly renamed Howling Hound Saloon before he was noticed. “Is Leo around?” he asked.