Blood Gold Read Free Page A

corridor. Atthe balcony, he peered into the saloon below.
    At the bar, several customers were hunched over coffee mugs, but as none of them was either Gideon or Hannah, he slipped down the side of the stairs and straight outside.
    His guts throbbed with every shuffled pace down the boardwalk, but he had errands to run.
     
    ‘Patrick, you bull-headed idiot,’ Gideon muttered. He pushed the drawer closed and stood with his hands on his hips a moment, considering the abandoned bed, then sauntered to the window.
    He peered up and down the road, and just as he was about to turn away he saw Patrick hobble from the store, a bulging saddlebag on his shoulder, a shining Colt on his hip. Patrick mounted a horse. In the saddle, he flinched and hunched over, clutching his guts, then inch by inch righted himself.
    Gideon sighed, then hurried from the room and down the corridor and stairs. Outside, as he dashed across the boardwalk, Patrick was lifting the reins with his gaze set on the edge of town.
    Gideon paced into the road and stood before Patrick.
    ‘Had a feeling you wouldn’t listen to advice,’ he muttered, raising his arms.
    ‘You can’t stop me leaving,’ Patrick grunted, staring over Gideon’s shoulder at the plains beyond.
    ‘I can’t, but as your doctor, I’m advising you to stay here and rest for at least another week.’
    Patrick snorted and lifted the reins high.
    ‘As a patient who’s paid his bills, I got no reason to stay when I got gold to find.’
    Gideon sighed. ‘Nothing I can say will stop you leaving, but there’s a chance you won’t live long enough to find anything but death. Too much movement could open up that wound and with nobody to patch you up …’
    Patrick tipped his hat, then pulled on the reins.
    ‘You’re right. Nothing you can say will stop me leaving.’
    Patrick sidled his horse past Gideon, then without a backward glance, trotted from Destitution.
    Standing in the centre of the road, Gideon watched Patrick leave town; he shook his head. Then he turned and with his head down, sauntered towards the Belle Starr.
    From the shadows in the alley beside the Belle Starr, Salvador Milano stepped out, his eyes lively and the usual arrogant smirk plastered across his grimed face.
    Gideon flinched, then shrugged and moved to walk past him, but Salvador jumped to the side and threw both his arms back to hold on to the swing-doors and block Gideon’s way. He rocked back and forth, licking his lips.
    ‘Now that sure was an interestin’ conversation,’ he drawled.
    Gideon shrugged. ‘If you reckon so.’
    ‘I do.’ Salvador chuckled. ‘And I reckon I might just buy you and me a right friendly drink while you explain it to me.’
    Gideon opened his mouth to mutter a refusal, but with a last glance over his shoulder at the small and distant form of Patrick riding into the plains, he nodded and let Salvador shepherd him into the saloon.

CHAPTER 4
    At the bar in the Belle Starr, Salvador Milano hunched over his second whiskey.
    ‘Who attacked ’em?’ he grunted.
    Gideon swirled his whiskey, then gulped it.
    ‘Jack Wolf and his bandit gang.’
    ‘So,’ Salvador mused, ‘Jack’s now got himself a whole mess o’ gold.’
    Salvador licked his lips and knocked back the remainder of his whiskey.
    Gideon considered Salvador’s sly smirk for a moment, then snorted.
    ‘Hope you aren’t thinking of going after that gold. You know what he did to you last week.’
    ‘I know that.’ Salvador rubbed his jaw, the bruising now yellowed and fading. He nodded slowly. ‘I’m just musin’. Where did Jack ambush ’em?’
    ‘Hangman’s Gulch.’ As Salvador shrugged, Gideon pointed through the window. ‘It’s about thirty miles out. You head—’
    Salvador lifted a hand. ‘Quit talkin’. You’ll take me there.’
    ‘I want nothing to do with this.’
    Gideon lifted his whiskey, but with a lightning gesture, Salvador grabbed his arm, halting his hand with the glass brushing his