“That was for the card game. I’m talking about whatever you’ve got going with that fancy britches over there. You wanted me to get some information on what he was here for and I’d say he’s into something pretty big if he’s got armed men coming after him.”

  “Right. You were supposed to get information,” Slocum pointed out. “What information did you get?”

  She placed her hands upon her hips and was about to say something when muffled voices drifted down from above. They sounded as if they could have been coming from one of the saloon’s upper floors, so both she and Slocum moved away from the alley and started walking down the street. There were enough people going about their business for them to blend in like two more fish joining a school.

  Once they got a few storefronts away from the Jackrabbit, Slocum pulled her aside so they could pass for a couple looking into a picture window at the hats and watches being offered there. “What are you after now?”

  “Just what’s mine. Even though I didn’t get any specifics about what he was doing, I’m the one that pointed you in Mason’s direction. You’re the one that pulled his fat from the fire, but I’m the one that showed you where the fire was.”

  “Point taken.”

  “A man like that doesn’t stop to pick up his extra socks when leaving a place where he was almost shot,” she continued. “Whatever’s in that bag he’s carrying is important. That means he’s got important business brewing. Since it’s business you wouldn’t have known about or bothered with before, I’d say that still makes us partners.”

  “I don’t even know what I’m dealing with as far as that’s concerned.” Before she could interrupt, Slocum quickly added, “But if you want to earn any more than what I already let you take, you’ll have to do more than stick your nose into a room.”

  Dulcie started to get her nose bent out of joint, but realized the truth in what he’d told her. “What else do you want me to do?”

  “Partners cover each other’s backs. That’s all I ask from you. If anyone comes around asking where I went, where I came from, what I did, or who I did it to, you’ve got to put them off my trail.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to pretend you didn’t know than if you actually didn’t know those things?”

  Studying him as if they were locking horns, she replied, “I suppose so. You just want me to make things up if someone asks?”

  “After you try to deny knowing anything at all. The misdirection will go over easier after that.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  Slocum held her by the shoulders and moved in close so he could talk to her without the possibility of being overheard by so many random passersby. “You’re right about Mason. He’s party to some business that’s got deep roots and may be connected to even deeper pockets.”

  Her eyes widened in a way that reminded him of when she’d been naked on top of his bed. “That’s what I like to hear! So . . . we’re equal partners?”

  Slocum gave her a crooked smirk and a quick shake of his head. “Unless you want to ride along with me when the shooting starts, it’s a long way from equal. Do you know who those gunmen are?”

  Judging by the look on her face, Dulcie may have been considering trying to claim ignorance on the matter. She abandoned that notion and nodded. “Yes, I know who they are.”

  “I’m going against these Terrors of White Pine whether I like it or not. Our paths have crossed too many times for it to be a coincidence and it’s looking like there’s too much money involved for me to just ride the other way. This could be a damn good windfall, but I need to do it properly. Got me?”

  “Yes, I do. Front to back,” she said while rubbing his chest and letting her hand drift to his waist. “Top to bottom.”

  “All right,” Slocum said. “We’re trying to not draw attention here. Get my things and drop them off at the livery. You know what to do from there.”

  Her hand drifted an inch or so below his gun belt. “I sure do.”

  “With the partnership, I mean.”

  “This is exciting. Any chance I might be able to get you alone before you leave?”

  It was a struggle, but Slocum somehow managed to tell her, “No. There isn’t.”

  That only strengthened her resolve. “Then maybe we don’t have to be alone. Just somewhere out of sight. Maybe in the back room of this store right here?”

  Considering the fact that she’d been ready to swindle him if the tide had turned differently in that card game, Slocum had been more than ready to convince Dulcie to lie a little after he left and then steer clear of Reno for a good long while. After the night they’d had together and the promise in her eyes now, however, he was seriously reconsidering that strategy.

  “Not right now,” he said. “Later. Definitely later.”

  She played up her disappointment, licking her lips as she stepped away. “I suppose I can wait until you get back with my fifty percent.”

  “Try ten.”

  “Thirty. And I promise I’ll earn every penny of it when you bring it to me.”

  “Fifteen it is.” When she turned to walk back to the Jackrabbit, Slocum swatted her on the rump and added, “And you will earn it. I’ll see to that.”

  8

  As luck would have it, there were a few wagons rolling down the street in front of the Jackrabbit so that Slocum could weave between them on his way to the tailor’s shop. Once there, he took a quick peek at the saloon to find Yancy staggering from the alley. Before long, Darrel Teach and Mark Landry strode down the street to meet up with him. Since none of the men seemed to have the first clue as to where to look for him, Slocum took comfort in the knowledge that the other two had probably just arrived. He kept his head down and entered the tailor’s shop, making sure to keep his back to the front window at all times.

  “Can I help you?” a round-faced man in a starched white shirt asked.

  “I’m here to meet my employer. He should have just arrived.”

  “Oh, yes. A well-dressed gentleman carrying a valise?”

  “That’s him.”

  Mason stood at the back of the shop. He was huddled so close to a corner that he could almost pass for one of the wooden frames used to model the suits. Slocum approached him and stood so his back was to the tailor as well as the entire front portion of the store.

  “Is it safe?” Mason asked.

  Slocum kept his voice low and his tone conversational. “Did you hear what I said to the man at the front? I’m supposed to work for you, so act the part.”

  Mason straightened up and tried to put on the same high-and-mighty expression he’d worn during the card game, but couldn’t do a very convincing job. “Is it safe?” he asked as if he were inquiring about the latest amendment to a trade agreement.

  “More or less. The men are outside the saloon right now.”

  Beads of sweat appeared on Mason’s brow and he shifted on his feet as if he was deciding whether he should bolt through the front door or charge through the window to get the hell out of there.

  “I doubt they’ll look in here,” Slocum told him. “If they do, we’ll head out the back.”

  “Is there a back way?”

  “There’s always a back way,” Slocum said reassuringly.

  Mason drew some comfort from that. “Where do we go from there?” he asked in a steadier voice.

  “Did you finish your business with Warren?”

  “No. I was supposed to meet with him tonight, but under the circumstances, there’s no chance I’ll—”

  “There’s every chance you will,” Slocum cut in. “Haven’t you ever had to follow through on a negotiation when someone else was trying to shove their way into it?”

  “Yes, but that’s very different. There weren’t . . .” Pausing to glance at the front of the shop, Mason nervously studied the tailor, who was keeping himself busy hemming a pair of gray trousers. Either he saw something sinister in that or Mason was jumpier than Slocum thought because he lowered his voice and turned away as if the round-faced tailor were a genuine threat. “They weren’t negotiations involving firearms.”

  “That’s where I come in,” Slocum assured him. “I deal with plenty of firearms. You got away from those men, so you might as well go about your business.”

  “But they already know I’m supposed to meet with Mr. Staples. They could be there waiting for us. No, no. It’s too risky.”

  “Let me try to arrange something.”

  Suddenly, Mason’s eyes narrowed as if he found Slocum to be every bit as sinister as the tailor. “Why have you taken such an interest in my affairs?”

  “Because your affairs are very profitable. I’d be lying to you if I said I’m not interested in a slice of those profits. From all that time we spent playing poker, I already know how futile it is to lie to you.”

  That was the boldest lie Slocum had ever told to Mr. Mason, including every single bluff during that game. The only reason he attempted it was because he knew exactly how to float one by the other man. Since Mason visibly relaxed, it seemed Slocum had gotten away with another one. “What are you after, Mr. Slocum?”

  “A fee for services rendered. Nothing more.”

  “What services?”

  Dropping his voice to match the insistent tone Mason had used when he was still nervous about being spotted, Slocum said, “Getting you out of that room alive, for one. Did you already forget about that?”

  “No.”

  “And getting you to your meeting for another thing. Wouldn’t you normally hire an armed man to keep you safe if you were traveling through dangerous territory?”

  “Yes, but one thing concerns me.”

  “What’s that?”

  Mason glanced at the tailor, found him to still be working on the same set of trousers, and then asked, “Why were you coming up to my room in the first place?”

  That was a good question. To be honest, Slocum hadn’t expected Mason to get around to asking it until after he’d had some more time to collect himself. Since that time had come sooner rather than later, he rolled with the punches. “I crossed paths with those gunmen already.”

  “Those men who barged into my room?”

  “Those are the ones. Didn’t you hear Carl say as much before he tried to kill us both?”

  Mason thought about it, but was obviously having trouble recalling everything. Even so, he nodded.

  “You know who those men are, don’t you?” Slocum asked.

  Mason took a lot less time to nod to that.

  “They were at Warren Staples’s barn before. I heard you were here on business involving horse trading and put the two together.”

  “Where did you hear about that?” Mason asked in a tone that bordered on fierce.

  Without batting an eye, Slocum replied, “It pays to know who you’re playing cards against. If you would have bothered, you would have known that Wade’s mine was worth at least triple what he was bragging. That’s why he took his losses so lightly and that’s why I was able to get him to bet more than the rest of you.”

  It was another lie, but Mason swallowed it just as easily as he’d swallowed the others. As long as Slocum stayed on the periphery of what was truly important to the businessman, he figured he could get away with a little more.

  “So what did you find out about me?”

  Knowing it was always good to mix a lie with a truth, Slocum said, “Not much. Just that you’re a man of means and are here for some important business. I figured I might be of some service to you and decided to try and catch you before you left town. Fortunately for both of us, I did.”

  “Almost not so fortunate, but yes.”

  “So do you have need of a guard for this meeting with Warren?”

  Mason took a deep breath, squinted as if he were reading a book that was being held just outside his range, and nodded. “I believe so. It is an important matter. I don’t think I should go back to the saloon, though.”

  “Isn’t there somewhere else you’d rather stay?”

  “There’s a very nice hotel on the other end of town,” he replied enthusiastically. “I’ll also need to replace the clothes I left behind.”

  “Seems we’re in just the right place for that. Have a word with our friend over there and take your time. I’ll let you know if you need to move things along.”

  Mr. Mason was more than happy to go along with that. Once he and the tailor got to talking, Slocum felt confident that he could leave the two alone for hours without having to worry about the businessman straying anywhere he might be seen. Although he guessed Darrel Teach was a crafty one, he didn’t think the outlaw would assume a man running for his life would duck into a tailor’s shop to try on new suits. If that did enter his mind, Slocum wouldn’t be too far away to see an attack coming.

  He walked a few doors down from the tailor’s where he could lean against a post outside a doctor’s office. There was plenty of shade and more than enough traffic along the street to keep him from sticking out like a sore thumb. From there, Slocum watched the Jackrabbit, two streets, and the tailor’s shop. If he happened to be spotted, he could stand his ground or make a quick getaway without putting Mr. Mason in harm’s way. After all, there was no sense in jeopardizing a perfectly good payday.

  Less than an hour later, Slocum picked out a familiar face among those passing by. When he let out a sharp whistle, Dulcie spotted him right away and crossed the street to stand beside him.

  “I delivered your things to the livery just like you asked,” she said.

  “Was Harry there to meet you?”

  “He sure was. If he didn’t already know me, I would have had a lot trouble just leaving something anywhere near your horse. As it was, I convinced him to put your bags inside so they weren’t out in the elements. That boy’s got a soft spot for me. It’s adorable.”

  “Grooming new customers nice and early, huh?”

  She disciplined him with a swat on the arm and a scowl. “He’s a good boy and he’s doing a hell of a job guarding those animals of yours. By the looks of it, he’s barely even left that spot since you got to town. You’d best make it worth his while before you leave.”

  “I will. Don’t worry about that. Did you see any of those other men that were in Mason’s room?”

  “No, but I did ask about them. Conrad told me they’ve been stomping around the Jackrabbit all day, threatening folks for information and just making asses of themselves in general.”

  “What information were they after?” Slocum asked.

  “Just what you’d expect. Asking about Mr. Mason and you. Seems you made a good impression on the Terrors of White Pine,” she added sarcastically. “And before you ask, Conrad didn’t tell them any more than what they probably already knew or would find out before long anyway. That you two were staying there and were still in town.”

  “Did he tell them what room I was in?”

  “There was nobody in your room when I went there,” Dulcie said with impatience creeping in at the edges of her voice. “And I’m certain nobody was following me. It ain’t like that gang of outlaws care much about sneaking. From what Conrad was saying, they were strutting around like they owned the place. Of course, things have been worse now that one of them wound up dead.”

  “How’d that go over?”

  “It ain’t the first time someone’s been shot in there. The sheriff came along to look in on what happened. There’s a price on the heads of anyone in that gang, so the owner took credit for the shooting and said how those killers were stirring up trouble since they got here. He’ll be getting his payment tomorrow.”

  Slocum let out a slow whistle. “All that happened since we tore out?”

  “Sure enough. The sheriff was there just long enough to get a look at the dead fella and ask a few questions. The only one who had a different story was Holly. She’s a girl who works there. She caught up to me when I was fetching your things and says she saw what happened.”

  “I think I know the one.” Slocum then described the girl who’d stuck her head out from one of the rooms down the hall from Mason’s. Before he was even finished, Dulcie was nodding.

  “That’s her,” she said. “She’s been in this line of work plenty long enough to know when to keep her mouth shut. Especially when it’s involving men like those Terrors taking prisoners and getting set in the hall like so much dirty laundry. If that redheaded fella hadn’t been such a prick to her the night before, she might’ve been more inclined to get on Darrel’s good side. After I told her who you were, she agreed to go along with what everyone else was saying. Since the owner’s happy with his reward and the sheriff was happy to have a member of that gang buried in his town, I don’t think anyone will ask her about it anyhow.”

  Slocum nodded and then shifted his gaze to the street. With no strutting gunmen to be seen there or on the board-walks, he allowed a small, contented grin to drift onto his face. “You did real good, Dulcie. I appreciate it.”

  “What about our arrangement?”

  “It’s still in effect. Don’t you worry.”

  “How much will I be looking at?”

  “Don’t know.”

  She crossed her arms and stared at him intently.

  “I truly don’t know,” he assured her. “I won’t forget you.”

  “See to it that you don’t,” she told him. “Otherwise, I may just have to tell the law about your part in that shooting upstairs.”

  “So that’d make me entitled to part of the reward? That’d be downright charitable of you.”

  The scowl deepened on Dulcie’s face as she thought about where to go from there.

  Slocum leaned forward and spoke to her as privately as he could manage while standing in the open. “They don’t make contracts for arrangements like this,” he said. “You trusted me this far, so you’ll just have to trust me a little further. If my word’s not good enough to satisfy you, I don’t know what else you’re looking for.”

  “I suppose your word is fine. That is, as long as I’ve got it.”

  He extended his hand and she grasped it. When he sealed the deal, it was with all the conviction he would give when making a deal ranging from buying land to settling a debt for a round of drinks. “I consider you my partner in this. The percentage we agreed upon stands firm.”