expression on his face that made Rafe's heart falter for an instant.
"How is she?" Rafe asked.
"She's pretty dehydrated. Probably has sun poisoning,
but she'll recover. She's young and strong."
"Can I see her?" It seemed like the right question
to ask.
"I gave her some laudanum. She's sleeping now."
Rafe ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, relieved he
didn’t have to see her again right now and unwilling to explore why.
"Thanks, doc. I need to leave her here for a while. I've
got to see to my horse and try to find a place to stay the night."
"Won't be easy. Bunch of rowdies burned the hotel down.
There ain't nowhere else to stay in town. You
planning on being here long, you and your—wife?"
"I've got a job waiting for me in Eagle Pass." When
had he stopped being surprised by his talent for lying?
"Well, you can stay here until she's fit to
travel." He gestured toward an overstuffed chair in the corner. “That
chair’s not too uncomfortable. Or you can make a bed for yourself on the
floor.”
"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll be glad to pay whatever
you think's fair."
The doctor made no reply, just snorted and turned back into
the room where his wife slept.
*****
It was easy enough to find Jose late that afternoon. He was
in the saloon, the kind of place they'd visited frequently during their long
association. Like everything else in this overgrown town, it had the look of
impermanence, the look of something that had been thrown up overnight to meet the
sudden demand thrust on it. It was nothing more than a large tent, windowless,
stifling, filled with the too-sweet odor of cheap perfume and the even more
offensive stenches it was meant to disguise.
It was barely noon, but already several poker games were in
progress at tables scattered throughout the tent. Whiskey flowed and scantily
clad women hovered over the tables, waiting to see who the big winners would
be.
" Amigo ," the Mexican called with a broad
smile. "Sit. Tequila?" He offered a bottle, but Rafe turned up his
nose.
"Isn't it a little early for that?"
Jose laughed, setting the bottle back on the table. "It
is never too early for tequila, amigo . But tell me, what have you been
up to since I last saw you?"
Rafe lowered his tall, weary frame into a char. He'd tried
all day to decide how much to tell Jose. Jose could be ruthless when money was
involved. Their goals drove them in the same direction, but they were after two
completely different things. And neither of them would give up their goal. Rafe
was the only one willing to die for what he wanted, while Jose was more than
capable of killing for a million dollars in gold-even Rafe, even his own
mother, if he had a mother.
"Well, she knows where the gold is, but she's not
sharing. She won't tell me, but she says she'll show me where it is."
Jose studied him intently for a few moments before throwing
up an arm in dismissal. "Not a problem, amigo . It should be easy to
convince her to talk. Use some of that gringo charm of yours."
Rafe snorted. "I ran out of that a long time ago."
Jose leaned toward him with a conspiratorial wink. "Then
do whatever you need to do. Dios! "
"I just don't seem to have much stomach for torturing
women."
"Of course not, amigo. " Jose smiled, light glinting
off a gold capped tooth. "You would not have to torture her. It would take
very little, a twist of the arm maybe, and she would tell you whatever you want
to know. I only hope you are not becoming distracted."
Jose narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Must I
remind you of all that El Alacran has done to you?
Have you forgotten how close to death you were the day I found you in the
desert where El Alacran left you? Do you remember how
the buzzards circled overhead? Do you remember the one that landed on your
chest and—"
"Enough!" Rafe bellowed, suddenly aware that he had
begun massaging his wrist. He stopped, glaring at the other man. It would have
been easy at that moment to kill Jose. "You've made your
"How is she?" Rafe asked.
"She's pretty dehydrated. Probably has sun poisoning,
but she'll recover. She's young and strong."
"Can I see her?" It seemed like the right question
to ask.
"I gave her some laudanum. She's sleeping now."
Rafe ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, relieved he
didn’t have to see her again right now and unwilling to explore why.
"Thanks, doc. I need to leave her here for a while. I've
got to see to my horse and try to find a place to stay the night."
"Won't be easy. Bunch of rowdies burned the hotel down.
There ain't nowhere else to stay in town. You
planning on being here long, you and your—wife?"
"I've got a job waiting for me in Eagle Pass." When
had he stopped being surprised by his talent for lying?
"Well, you can stay here until she's fit to
travel." He gestured toward an overstuffed chair in the corner. “That
chair’s not too uncomfortable. Or you can make a bed for yourself on the
floor.”
"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll be glad to pay whatever
you think's fair."
The doctor made no reply, just snorted and turned back into
the room where his wife slept.
*****
It was easy enough to find Jose late that afternoon. He was
in the saloon, the kind of place they'd visited frequently during their long
association. Like everything else in this overgrown town, it had the look of
impermanence, the look of something that had been thrown up overnight to meet the
sudden demand thrust on it. It was nothing more than a large tent, windowless,
stifling, filled with the too-sweet odor of cheap perfume and the even more
offensive stenches it was meant to disguise.
It was barely noon, but already several poker games were in
progress at tables scattered throughout the tent. Whiskey flowed and scantily
clad women hovered over the tables, waiting to see who the big winners would
be.
" Amigo ," the Mexican called with a broad
smile. "Sit. Tequila?" He offered a bottle, but Rafe turned up his
nose.
"Isn't it a little early for that?"
Jose laughed, setting the bottle back on the table. "It
is never too early for tequila, amigo . But tell me, what have you been
up to since I last saw you?"
Rafe lowered his tall, weary frame into a char. He'd tried
all day to decide how much to tell Jose. Jose could be ruthless when money was
involved. Their goals drove them in the same direction, but they were after two
completely different things. And neither of them would give up their goal. Rafe
was the only one willing to die for what he wanted, while Jose was more than
capable of killing for a million dollars in gold-even Rafe, even his own
mother, if he had a mother.
"Well, she knows where the gold is, but she's not
sharing. She won't tell me, but she says she'll show me where it is."
Jose studied him intently for a few moments before throwing
up an arm in dismissal. "Not a problem, amigo . It should be easy to
convince her to talk. Use some of that gringo charm of yours."
Rafe snorted. "I ran out of that a long time ago."
Jose leaned toward him with a conspiratorial wink. "Then
do whatever you need to do. Dios! "
"I just don't seem to have much stomach for torturing
women."
"Of course not, amigo. " Jose smiled, light glinting
off a gold capped tooth. "You would not have to torture her. It would take
very little, a twist of the arm maybe, and she would tell you whatever you want
to know. I only hope you are not becoming distracted."
Jose narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Must I
remind you of all that El Alacran has done to you?
Have you forgotten how close to death you were the day I found you in the
desert where El Alacran left you? Do you remember how
the buzzards circled overhead? Do you remember the one that landed on your
chest and—"
"Enough!" Rafe bellowed, suddenly aware that he had
begun massaging his wrist. He stopped, glaring at the other man. It would have
been easy at that moment to kill Jose. "You've made your
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