Part 20 (1/2)
She stirred in the bed, which made McCluskey wonder if she knew somehow that he was thinking about her. She sat up and stretched, the sheet falling away to reveal her surprisingly lush nudity.
Maybe once they got to Mexico he'd keep her around longer than he had thought, McCluskey mused.
”What are you doing awake?” she asked him. ”Are you all right?”
”I'm fine. Just thinking about something.”
”Those strongboxes full of gold?”
McCluskey chuckled. ”How did you know?”
”Because I was dreaming about them.” She pushed the sheet back, stood up, and went over to him. As she draped herself across his lap, she took the bottle out of his hand and drank some of the whiskey. ”All that gold ought to belong to us,” she said as she gave the bottle back to him.
”You don't want to go in partners with Harmon?”
Delia snorted contemptuously. ”Partners, h.e.l.l. He's the boss, and he'll always be the boss. That's the kind of man he is.”
”I'm afraid you're right,” McCluskey agreed.
”Besides, I saw the way he was looking at me. Sooner or later, he's going to expect me to come to his bed, Frank.”
McCluskey didn't say what he was thinking, which was that he didn't care nearly as much about that as he did about the gold.
Delia evidently mistook his silence, because she went on. ”I know, I know. That shouldn't bother me. But that's just it, Frank. Ever since I met you, I haven't been what I was. You changed me. I don't want to be with anybody but you. I'll play up to a man if I have to, for us to get what we want, but other than that I'm your woman and your woman alone from here on out.”
She was loco, all right, McCluskey thought, but undeniably useful. He drew her closer to him and kissed her. She responded eagerly, squirming on his lap.
McCluskey drew back. ”If we can get our hands on that gold, we can go someplace n.o.body'll ever find us. We'll be together from now on.”
”Yes, yes,” Delia panted. ”I like the sound of that.”
”But our only way out of here with those strongboxes is if we take Harmon with us as a hostage. Otherwise, his men will come after us. They'll be afraid to, though, as long as his life is in our hands.”
”What about when we're safe?”
”Then we kill him,” McCluskey said. ”If we don't, that old man would likely hunt us to the ends of the earth to get even.”
Delia nodded. ”Yes, he would. When are we going to do it?”
”No time like now.” McCluskey stood up, not so gently setting Delia on her feet. ”It's the middle of the night. He and his men think they're safe in Pine City, so most of them are probably sound asleep.” He slapped her bare rump and made her squeal and jump a little. ”Get some clothes on. Those strongboxes are just waiting for us!”
Before leaving the livery stable, Luke went through the dead guard's pockets and found six more shotgun sh.e.l.ls. It was a distasteful task, but he felt better for having the extra ammunition.
With a man on guard inside the barn, it was doubtful Harmon would have posted another one outside, but Luke couldn't rule out that possibility. He left the place by the smaller rear door, slipping into the alley behind the barn.
Moving like a phantom through the shadows, he made his way around the building, back to a spot where he could look along Pine City's main street. Lights burned in the hotel lobby and the saloon, but the rest of the businesses were dark, long since closed for the night.
He didn't see anyone moving along the boardwalks.
He took a couple steps to cross the street to the hotel when one of the big double doors on the front of the barn sc.r.a.ped open.
Luke whirled in that direction, bringing the shotgun to bear. An icy finger raked down his spine. He wasn't afraid of many things in this world, but he knew good and well the guard he'd left in the barn was dead.
The man couldn't have gotten up and walked and opened that door.
Luke managed not to pull the shotgun's triggers, but it wasn't easy. He was glad he did, though, as the man-shaped shadow stepped out of the barn.
The shadowed man thrust his hands in the air and exclaimed in a harsh whisper, ”Don't shoot!”
”Silas?” Luke lowered the gun.
The liveryman was breathing hard from sudden fear as he moved closer. ”Lord, I thought you was gonna blow me in half!”
”I almost did,” Luke said as he motioned Silas back into the thicker shadows next to the barn and went with him. ”What are you doing here? Were you inside when I was fighting with Harmon's man?”
”No, sir. I just got here a couple minutes ago. I came because Tillie and Miz Walton and Mr. McGill were all worried about you. I was, too. Seemed like you might've had time to escape by now, so I decided to come and see.” Silas swallowed. ”But when I went inside and struck a match, all I found was that dead fella.”
”I managed to get out not long ago,” Luke explained. ”You say you were with your wife and Mrs. Walton and Ben McGill?”
”Yes, sir. Them and some others from here in town are gathered at the cafe, waitin' to see what's gonna happen.”
”You mean waiting to see whether or not I'm going to kill Dave Harmon for them?” Luke asked.
Silas sounded a little angry as he replied, ”That ain't exactly the way it is. All the menfolks have got guns. If we heard shootin', we were gonna come help you. Figured we'd take Harmon's men by surprise that way.”
Luke had to admit that strategically, it wasn't a bad plan. His escape would serve as a distraction, giving the townspeople more of a chance against Harmon's hired killers.
”But if I didn't get out, you'd just go on knuckling under to him.”
”We're not gunfighters, Mr. Jensen,” Silas said. ”And most of us got families. Can't expect us to go up against those gun-wolves without much chance of winnin'. We figure if anything'll swing the balance toward us, it's havin' somebody like you on our side.”
Luke nodded in the darkness and clapped a hand on Silas's brawny shoulder. ”I know. And I'm sorry I sounded a little testy there. What do you say we try to get Harmon's boot off this town's neck?”
”That's all we want,” Silas said. ”Just a chance to get on with our lives in peace.”
”All right. Can you tell me where Harmon and his men are right now?”
”Harmon's in the hotel, as far as I know. He's got his own suite there, down at the end of the hall on the second floor. Probably some of his men are there, too. But some of 'em are still in the saloon. I had a look as I was comin' down here a few minutes ago. I think they got themselves an all-night poker game goin' on.”
”What about Marshal Kent?”
Silas shook his head. ”Lawman or not, he ain't gonna help us.”
”I'm not expecting him to. I just want to know where he is so I can keep an eye out for him.”
”He ain't married. He sleeps in the room back of his office. That's where he is now, I reckon.”