Blood Gold Read Free Page B

lips.
    ‘Take me there.’ Salvador widened his eyes and with his other hand, patted his holster.
    Gideon glanced at the holster and shrugged.
    ‘All right. I’ll take you to the gulch, but no further.’
    Salvador lifted his hand from Gideon’s arm.
    ‘Once I got me Jack’s trail, I got no use for you.’
    ‘Reckoned you might want my help. Once you find Jack, he’ll fill you so full of holes, you’ll need me to fill them.’ Gideon sipped his whiskey, then chuckled . ‘Or perhaps just someone to bury you.’
    ‘You’re either brave for jestin’ me, or stupid,’ Salvador muttered, his right eye twitching. ‘Which are you?’
    ‘Neither,’ Gideon said, setting his earnest gaze on Salvador. ‘I’m just telling you the truth.’
    For long moments Salvador glared at Gideon, but as Gideon continued to stare back, he nodded and hung his head a moment.
    ‘Perhaps you’re talkin’ sense. I need me an advantage to get Jack.’ Salvador tapped his chin. Then a slow smile emerged. ‘And I know where I’ll get one.’
    With an arrogant flick of the finger, he tipped his hat to Gideon and swaggered across the saloon to the stairs. He mounted the stairs three at a time, turned, then stalked along the upstairs corridor.
    Belle Starr emerged from the shadows, herpowdered, chubby face wreathed in a huge smile, which died as soon as she saw Salvador.
    ‘I told you last week that you’re banned from coming up here,’ she muttered. ‘Your custom ain’t welcome until I say so.’
    ‘Where’s Hannah?’ Salvador grunted.
    ‘In the end room, but she’s got company and you ain’t seeing her either now or when she ain’t got company.’
    ‘I got money,’ Salvador snarled.
    ‘You may have. And when you treat my girls right, they treat you right back. Gideon patched up Sally and she’ll be fine, but you charging up here just proves you ain’t learnt your lesson.’ Belle set her squat legs wide and bunched her shoulders. ‘You take one pace past me, and you ain’t welcome in here ever again.’
    Salvador licked his lips, then brushed past Belle.
    ‘You wouldn’t dare.’
    ‘George!’ Belle screamed, but Salvador continued his firm pacing down the corridor to the end room.
    In front of the door, Salvador rolled his shoulders, then kicked open the door.
    ‘Hey,’ a voice cried from the bed. ‘What you …’
    A flushed face peered over the bedclothes and stared at Salvador, then gulped.
    ‘Get out while you can still walk,’ Salvador muttered, tucking a thumb in his gunbelt.
    The man leapt from the bed and dashed to the door, gathering his clothes with frantic haste. He edged past Salvador, not meeting his eyes, thenhurtled down the corridor, pausing only to shuffle into his trousers and gather sufficient decency. But when he’d clattered to the end of the corridor, he yelled for Belle.
    With the bedclothes hitched to her chin, Hannah glared at Salvador from the bed.
    ‘I’ve heard about you from Sally,’ she muttered. ‘I ain’t going with you.’
    Salvador snorted and took a long pace into the room.
    ‘You’ll do whatever I pay for.’
    As Hannah jutted her chin and glared at Salvador with steady defiance, firm footfalls paced down the corridor to the end room.
    ‘That’s enough, Salvador,’ Belle said from the doorway.
    Salvador turned to face Belle.
    As ever when trouble threatened to erupt, Silent George stood behind her, looming a good two feet above her head. His bony, bald head and wide eyes gleamed as he cracked his knuckles.
    ‘Like I said,’ Salvador muttered, ‘I got money.’
    Belle glanced over her shoulder at George, then shrugged.
    ‘I like money.’ She smiled. But the smile died and a harsh glare took its place. ‘But sometimes, it just ain’t worth it.’
    ‘For the right price what you provide is always available.’
    Salvador reached into his jacket pocket. With his gaze never moving from Belle’s eyes, he counted billsinto his other hand.
    When twenty dollars