quick.
âAll right,â Luke said. âIâll go.â
âLeave the pistol,â Slocum warned.
Having already admitted defeat, Luke dropped his weapon without hesitation.
Pointing a finger at Matt without taking his eyes off Luke, Slocum said, âI havenât forgotten about you. Leave that shotgun where you dropped it along with any other guns youâre carrying.â
âB-But them are my guns,â Matt said meekly. âI . . . I own âem.â
âYou want them back, come and find me some other time. I have a feeling weâll be crossing paths again.â
Slocum put just enough of an edge into his tone to make both men carry out the orders theyâd been given with haste. Matt was in such a hurry to leave that he didnât even remember heâd been injured until he made it to the corner. Luke helped his partner along, but not without a steady tongue-lashing to go with it.
As he collected the guns that had been left behind, Slocum waited for any sign that there were more gunmen to worry about. Although the street remained silent for the time being, he didnât fool himself into thinking it would stay that way for long.
9
The Three Star Hotel was where Slocum had stayed the last time he was in town. Back then, it was a modest little place run by a family whoâd just gotten started and had thrown everything they had into maintaining their business. The rooms were small, but clean. The meals served were tasty and stuck to a manâs bones. Most important, the beds were a hell of a lot better than sleeping on a bedroll in the middle of the desert. Slocum headed there now because he simply couldnât recall the name of any other hotels in Mescaline.
On his way there, he felt more and more eyes staring at him from behind darkened windows and shadowy doorways. After having to endure a long dayâs ride and the scuffle in the street, he no longer gave a damn who was watching as he, his horse, and a bundle of recently acquired firearms made their way to the three-story building near the center of town. The outside of the Three Star was much fancier than he recalled, and there were plenty of lanterns burning within. Slocum tied his horse to a post, entered the hotel, and walked up to a desk where a tall, frail-looking woman stood with a pencil already in hand.
âCan I . . . help . . .â The womanâs question trailed off as her eyed narrowed into a harsh squint. She stared intently at the man that had just walked in from the darkness before whispering, âJohn? Is that you?â
Slocum nodded and gave her a tired smile. âIt is.â When heâd started talking, Slocum couldnât remember her name. Just seeing the womanâs narrow features and warm eyes brought her right back to the front of his thoughts. âItâs . . . Margaret, right?â
Her smile had been there before, but now it positively beamed. âThatâs right! I didnât think youâd remember.â
âYou remembered me.â
âWell, after what happened when you were in town last time, it would be next to impossible to forget you.â
âThis time is shaping up to be fairly interesting as well,â Slocum said. âIâd be surprised if you hadnât heard the commotion.â
âI did hear something, but I guess I just thought it could have been some drunks or the like.â
Slocum could tell she had more to say on the matter, but he was too tired to press. Instead, he told her, âI could use a room. Do you have anything on the third floor?â
âNo, but I have plenty of nice rooms on the second.â
âSounds fine. Something away from the stairs if youâve got it. Iâd also like a good view of the street.â
She smiled again nervously. âNow that sounds familiar.â
âYeah, I suppose I did have to watch my back and just about every other
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