and let the fiery liquid slide down his throat. “Why’s
that?”
“Because
his brother owns the damned town. Gregor’s always got protection, and he’s
damned vicious. You go after Gregor, you’re not just taking him down. You’re
taking down Butch McKenzie and the Nolan brothers, too.”
Hinto
coughed and slammed the rest of his drink down. “Are you fucking with me?”
“I
wish.” Lou looked glum. “I’ve been trying to get rid of Butch for months. Bastard
bleeds me dry, especially after a run like this.” He waved around him and
glared at the thugs in the corner. “Those two are Nolans. They reamed one of my
girls so bad yesterday she still can’t sit down. Butch lets them do whatever
they want out as his ranch. Stole three of my whores the day he rode into town.
Hear tell they’re still fucking anything that moves at his ranch.”
“So
why don’t you get them back?” Hinto asked. Lou was no pushover. And this was
the first Hinto had heard of Butch McKenzie. The Nolan brothers, unfortunately,
he’d run into before, but not the pair in the corner. The last time he’d run
into them, he’d taken a set to jail, where they met the hangman. How many
brothers were there in that damned family?
Lou
leaned closer to lower his voice and still be heard. “No one screws with Butch
because he’s got currency out his ass. Connections with the UTO, they say, and
lots of hired guns. Trust me, he makes Gregor look like a beginner. And if
you’re after Gregor, I’ll bet it has somethin’ to do with a dead woman. Man
carves ‘em up and uses ‘em hard. Likes it rough.”
“So
I hear.” Hinto swallowed the rest of his drink, surprised when Lou shoved the
rest of his nuggets back across the bar at him. “Lou?”
“You
get rid of Butch and Gregor and you’ll never have to pay in here, starting
right now.” Lou glanced over Hinto’s shoulder. “Hurly, I thought I told you not
to come in here for a spell. Jenny ain’t real fond of your sorry ass, done gave
her the scratch.”
Several
men around them laughed.
“I
know, Lou. But you ain’t gonna believe this.”
His
excitement spurred the piano player to cease and the singer to shut her mouth. All
eyes turned to Hurly, and Hinto’s senses flared, a sure sign of trouble. Hell. He’d warned her to keep quiet. Surely she had more sense than to make
trouble in this town.
“Well,
spit it out, Hurly.”
“Some
dude out there just knifed Freddy Nolan, right before he punched Cedric in the
nose. Blood everywhere. ‘Cept it weren’t no man. It’s a woman, and boy, she’s a
looker.”
Hinto
swore under his breath and followed the crowd that swept out of the bar, hard
on the Nolan brothers’ heels.
Shit.
No good can come from this.
Was
he ever so right.
Chapter Six
Thais
knew allowing Hinto a few kisses had been a mistake. Not only because of the
odd feelings he’d stirred, but because of the new way he thought he could talk
to her. Bad enough he eyeballed her like a bag of sweets, shooting
self-satisfied smirks in her direction all damned morning long. But to order
her about like a child? “Ride your ass on over to church and pray you have a
lick more sense by the time I return,” he’d said.
Oh,
she planned on giving him a lick of sense. A foot up his ass might fix
his attitude. Sneering at the thought of taking him down a peg, she caught the
attention of two women rounding the church. The pair wore dresses in pastel
lavender and pink. The shapely garments covered their shoulders and chests and
cinched just under their breasts, showing off womanly curves. Long enough to
sweep the ground, the finery looked ridiculously out of place in the grungy
town.
At
least the whores dressed for success. Short skirts for easy access and tight
blouses to emphasize their wares. What exactly did these town ladies hope to
gain by wearing such frilly things? Was that expensive lace dragging along the
ground at the hemline of the
that?”
“Because
his brother owns the damned town. Gregor’s always got protection, and he’s
damned vicious. You go after Gregor, you’re not just taking him down. You’re
taking down Butch McKenzie and the Nolan brothers, too.”
Hinto
coughed and slammed the rest of his drink down. “Are you fucking with me?”
“I
wish.” Lou looked glum. “I’ve been trying to get rid of Butch for months. Bastard
bleeds me dry, especially after a run like this.” He waved around him and
glared at the thugs in the corner. “Those two are Nolans. They reamed one of my
girls so bad yesterday she still can’t sit down. Butch lets them do whatever
they want out as his ranch. Stole three of my whores the day he rode into town.
Hear tell they’re still fucking anything that moves at his ranch.”
“So
why don’t you get them back?” Hinto asked. Lou was no pushover. And this was
the first Hinto had heard of Butch McKenzie. The Nolan brothers, unfortunately,
he’d run into before, but not the pair in the corner. The last time he’d run
into them, he’d taken a set to jail, where they met the hangman. How many
brothers were there in that damned family?
Lou
leaned closer to lower his voice and still be heard. “No one screws with Butch
because he’s got currency out his ass. Connections with the UTO, they say, and
lots of hired guns. Trust me, he makes Gregor look like a beginner. And if
you’re after Gregor, I’ll bet it has somethin’ to do with a dead woman. Man
carves ‘em up and uses ‘em hard. Likes it rough.”
“So
I hear.” Hinto swallowed the rest of his drink, surprised when Lou shoved the
rest of his nuggets back across the bar at him. “Lou?”
“You
get rid of Butch and Gregor and you’ll never have to pay in here, starting
right now.” Lou glanced over Hinto’s shoulder. “Hurly, I thought I told you not
to come in here for a spell. Jenny ain’t real fond of your sorry ass, done gave
her the scratch.”
Several
men around them laughed.
“I
know, Lou. But you ain’t gonna believe this.”
His
excitement spurred the piano player to cease and the singer to shut her mouth. All
eyes turned to Hurly, and Hinto’s senses flared, a sure sign of trouble. Hell. He’d warned her to keep quiet. Surely she had more sense than to make
trouble in this town.
“Well,
spit it out, Hurly.”
“Some
dude out there just knifed Freddy Nolan, right before he punched Cedric in the
nose. Blood everywhere. ‘Cept it weren’t no man. It’s a woman, and boy, she’s a
looker.”
Hinto
swore under his breath and followed the crowd that swept out of the bar, hard
on the Nolan brothers’ heels.
Shit.
No good can come from this.
Was
he ever so right.
Chapter Six
Thais
knew allowing Hinto a few kisses had been a mistake. Not only because of the
odd feelings he’d stirred, but because of the new way he thought he could talk
to her. Bad enough he eyeballed her like a bag of sweets, shooting
self-satisfied smirks in her direction all damned morning long. But to order
her about like a child? “Ride your ass on over to church and pray you have a
lick more sense by the time I return,” he’d said.
Oh,
she planned on giving him a lick of sense. A foot up his ass might fix
his attitude. Sneering at the thought of taking him down a peg, she caught the
attention of two women rounding the church. The pair wore dresses in pastel
lavender and pink. The shapely garments covered their shoulders and chests and
cinched just under their breasts, showing off womanly curves. Long enough to
sweep the ground, the finery looked ridiculously out of place in the grungy
town.
At
least the whores dressed for success. Short skirts for easy access and tight
blouses to emphasize their wares. What exactly did these town ladies hope to
gain by wearing such frilly things? Was that expensive lace dragging along the
ground at the hemline of the
Similar Books
