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“I ‘pologize Sir. I be truly sorry. I didn’t means to--.” A whispery Southern drawl beseeched backing away even as the men at the table moved in their crude laughter over-riding her words. Feeling them closing in, a flutter of cold shot through her. “Sir?” she pleaded turning to the flat nosed, leathery man still seated.
Standing, Quincy O’Landry, shook his head, spraying the beer she had spilt on him from his hair. Some of it spattered on to her creamy coco-colored face and he smiled, “Damn right, ya are a sorry bitch. Ya ain’t even good enough to be a servant. Still I think, me boys and I can find a use for ya.” He said standing, pulling the front of her dress until he could see what was hidden inside. ‘Hmm, she ain’t half a bad looking piece.’ He paused listening to the silent saloon room, ‘Damn it is sweet being one of McLaughlin‘s hired guns. Took a bit, but we have the citizens of this town trained to keep out our way. Besides, I don’t see a one of these chicken-livered cowards taking a risk for a darkie anyways?’ And, raising his beady eyes to the room, Quincy saw he was right not one soul was paying them any mind and smiling he began trailing a hand down her, “What ya say boys? This one should be far more enjoyable than the dried up granger’s wife we all took turns at last week.” having reached her breast, he pinched it cruelly.
The sharp sting of pain jolted Lottie causing her to struggle out of the fog of fear she had been drowning in and as she broke surface, she slapped Quincy in the face.
“I don’t know Quincy; she might be too much for you.” Said one of the three other men bunched up around her.
“Yeah, maybe we ought to wear her down.” The youngest with long greasy hair chimed in.
Comprehending none of them intended to release her; Lottie turned her tear-streaked face to the bar and saw men she served drinks to daily look shamefully away. Taking a breath, she gathered her courage then stomped on greasy hair’s foot while head butting the one they called Quince straight in the face.
“OOOaaa- ya Nigger Bitch!” Quincy roared, blood dripping from his split lip and rearing back, he struck her full force with the heavy weight of his hand, the sound of which echoed across the now deathly silent room.
“Let the lady go!”
Puzzled Quincy turned, ‘Ain’t no one said a word out the side of their mouth since we took over. So which one of these curs has decided they can stand up on two legs?’ Pushed away from the end of the bar, Quincy saw it was a tall, wide-shouldered, thin boy. “Hell ya ain’t nothing but a green behind the ears kid.” Quincy said and began laughing. “Is this best y’all can do? A kid?” He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, swinging Lottie around in front of him like a ragdoll has he taunted the saloon.
The Kid looked around at all the ducked heads, frowned and stepped forward and as he did, Quincy saw the Colt strapped to his leg.
“Ah, me boy, ya go right ahead and pull that hog leg.” Quincy said rubbing one hand offensively down Lottie’s body. “Just ya keep in mind if ya happen to miss this here little lady and actually shoot me then my boys here will take it upon themselves, to beat ya till your own sweet Ma won’t recognize ya.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
His brown eyes skimmed about the room, taking note of the men surrounding him. Deciding he was relatively safe, for now, Heyes rocked back on the legs of his chair thinking, ‘Steak meals, imported cigars, good whiskey and now a reserved poker room . . . hell yeah, I could really become accustomed to the benefits of being a member of the Devil’s Hole Gang.’ Throwing a couple of poker chips into the pot, he dropped back into his thoughts. ‘The jobs we’ve been pulling have all been top rate. Plus, my skill with locks and safes has really improved my standing with not just Big Jim but the men too. Hell, the Union Pacific has made me look so good, leaving all them rickety old Miller safes on their trains, I oughta send them and thank you.’ Feeling good about his self, Heyes had to swallow the grin that threatened to engulf his poker face.
“I raise ya a hundred, Heyes,” Wheat said around the cigar clamped tight between his teeth.
Lowering his chair legs to the floor, Heyes raised an eyebrow questioningly to Wheat’s challenge as Kyle sat between them and was next up on the bid.
“Tarnation, Wheat! My cards ain’t that good.” Kyle whined, glaring at his friend and tossing his cards down. “Why ya have to go and do that anyhow?”
“Regretful to you Kyle, but I want’s to see Heyes there lose or fold.” Wheat’s hard eyes flitted to the large pile of poker chips in front of their newest gang member thinking, ‘just once . . . no one can be that lucky.’
“Well alright then, I’s going to git ‘nother one of those fancy mixin’ drinks.” Kyle stood up weaving a bit in his boots “Any y’all want one?”
Everyone shook their heads; chiefly because the last drink Kyle brought in looked like cow drool and he had gone all around the room showing it off boasting how the mixologist called a Phlegm-Cutter.
“Humph, y’all just ain’t got any cultural at all.” Kyle said hitching up his pants, preparing himself for the long walk to the door separating their reserved room rest of the saloon.
‘Kyle is a character.’ Heyes thought watching him stagger across the room. ‘Half the time, I cannot tell if he is stumbling on his own clumsiness or from drink. But the way Big Jim is aiming at raising me up to his second, I need to get all these men figured out clear through. But Kyle, he is giving me a tough time. Primarily because I cannot see, what Big Jim see’s in him.’ Heyes shook his head, when Kyle pulled open their door to hang on its frame as if it were some long lost lover. ‘All right this clumsiness can without a doubt be blamed on drink. I sure, hope he makes to the bar without falling under any of the tables.’ Then a soft smile caressed Heyes mouth, ‘I gotta admit. I do like Kyle he is perfectly harmless and friendlier than an overgrown blue-tick hound.’
“You playing or folding, Heyes.”
Shifting his brown eyes back to the game, he looked at the other players never bothering to pick his cards up because he knew what they were. ‘Now Wheat he is a different tale all together.’ Heyes thought running a finger up a stack of poker chips, ‘His cards are worthless, I know they are by the way he’s been chewing his cigar to bits. Although I get the impression he would rather be chewing’ on me. If there were, one member of the Devil’s Hole I need to watch myself around it would be him. Wheat is as close as a second as Big Jim has had until I showed up. I’m positive if it weren’t for the money I’ve been filling his pockets with then Wheat would have no qualms about leaving me behind as a treat for a posse.’ Picking up several hundred dollars from his pile, Heyes flashed him a large dimpled grin while looking deep into Wheat’s foggy blue eyes, ‘The real question is. Should I let him win? Or, would it bolster him too much, making me appears mediocre?’
“Whooowee a showdown.”All eyes swiveled to Kyle where he still held onto the doorframe and with the new silence in the room, the affair on the main floor could be heard clearly.
“Sir, the choice is yours, I still say let the Lady GO!”
“Boys there is a gunslinger out here and I think there is gonna be some fireworks.” Kyle whooped hopping from side to side.
“Listen here Kid; I ain’t even gonna to pay ya no mind.” Quincy’s scratchy voice rolled into the room raising everyone’s curiosity. “Now go on and let adults do their own thing, I ain’t got time to mince words with a kid.”
Then the shriek of a woman’s scream reverberated into their poker room. Wheat pulled at the corner of his bushy mustache, Heyes pushed his chair back and Lobo shifted about in his seat his big eyes flitting between the royal flush he held and the main floor he could not see and said, “Kyle, what is going on out there?”
“Well this ugly one, ‘bout my size, he’s gots hold of a gal and she screamed when he ran his tongue all the way down the side of her face.” Kyle said his face a flush with excitement.
“So what’s that gunslinger doing now?” Kain asked, although he had already folded in the last go around, he was generally too lazy to become fully involved unless he had to. Besides, l like the rest of them was enjoying Kyle’s reporting.
Heyes though stood, his curiosity was at full boil and looking round at the others, said, “I fold.” In a few long strides, he was standing behind Kyle. ‘Kyle’s right that guy is pretty ugly but he forgot to mention ol’ ugly has three men backing him and there all wearing tied-down guns. That makes four against one skinny kid, who thinks he’s a hero.’ Turning his attention to the Kid, whose back was to them. He caught the way the fingers of his right hand rubbed together, ‘It can’t be.’
“Aw quit mincin’ words Quinc.” A lean, pitted face member of their circle said stepping out, “Let’s dance, Kid!”
Before the man had hardly cleared leather, the Kid had drawn.
‘It is.’ Heyes thought, pulling his gun and pushing past Kyle as the pitted-faced man’s bullet zinged into the wall behind the Kid. By the time, he had moved in behind and too the right of the Kid, three of the four men were lying on the floor bleeding.
“That was amazing!” Kyle squalled, pounding on the doorframe. “He plugged all three of’em quicker than a rattler and all in just three shots! Whooowee and I never seen nothing, not nothing like that.”
“Ah hell, Lobo sounds like we are missing something worthwhile.” Wheat grumbled tossing down his cards, stomping up and shoving his way past Kyle to stride into the saloon.
“Hey, hey, Wheat.” Heyes said grabbing at the older man. “Don’t go jumping out there making us a target.” However, even as he said this, the Kid had swung his sites around to them.
All three of them shot their hands skywards in unison.
Feeling the weight of his Remington still in his hand, Heyes threw forth his most charming smile thinking, ‘damn but I hope he recognizes me.’ And smiling bigger thought, ‘and that he’s over being mad at me.’
The gunslinger nodded, returning his full attention to Quincy, “Now for the last time, Sir, let the lady go.” The Kid said placing Quincy in the sights of his nickel-plated Colt. “I believe we both know I could peg you off without breaking a sweat.”
Heyes strode forward, past Kyle and Wheat’s fumbling grasps, placing himself just off the Kid’s shoulder. ‘I ain’t seen him since he stormed out of Rowdy Clara’s down in Wichita.’
With a sneer Quincy pushed Lottie away and she ran from the saloon never once showing signs of slowing, “Kid ya might’en have won this round.” Quincy looked disgustedly at his bleeding friends. “But ain’t no way in hell, ya will make it out of this town alive.”
“Oh I would not say that.” Heyes said smiling hugely, swinging the barrel of his Remington toward Quincy. “See the Kid’s not riding alone.”
“Heyes! What the hell do you think your doin’?” Wheat hissed, when he heard him offer the gang’s services to a complete stranger.
Quincy’s cold eyes took in the dark-haired man who was backing the Kid up. ‘He ain’t much more than a kid himself. What the hell is this world coming too?’ He thought with a frown, his gaze flicking to the faces of the five road-hardened men clustered behind him and knew he was whipped. Kicking the pit-faced man at his feet, he hollered, “Get the hell up. I ain’t dragging none of ya worthless cusses to the Doc. Y’all supposed to be so tough and y’all let yourselves get beat down by a snot-nosed kid. Y’all plain disgust me.” Snatching his hat from the tabletop, Quincy stalked for the saloon never looking back as his three men pulled each other up: one clutching a shot arm, another favoring a blown out knee, and the third’s shattered hand streaming blood all over the place.
Kyle chortled, beaming over at the gunslinger, “He got’em all and they get to live to tell of it. Whew, imagine being that good.”
“Well it don’t matter none Kyle cause Heyes here thinks he’s good enough to offer us all up as security for that snot-nosed kid.”
“I don’t know if I would call him that, Wheat.” Kyle glanced over at the gunslinger who was now watching them.
Seeing his hard blue eyes, Wheat swallowed, “Well maybe yuse right Kyle.” But a smile crept out from beneath is bushy mustache as he thought, ‘I got him, I got him, I got him . . . Big Jim don’t never like his men being risked for no good reason. And Heyes offering us up like that.” Wheat smiled even larger. ‘He’s going to find out he’s knocked himself down a notch or two.’
Heyes laid a hand on the gunslinger’s shoulder, “Gentlemen. I would like to introduce you to my cousin, Kid Curry.”
Kyle’s eyes popped and rushing over, he yowled, “Tarnation, Heyes this be the Kid Curry and he is ya family. Who has family like that and then rides alone?”
Heyes grinned sheepishly at his cousin. “It’s a long story.”
“Howdy, I’m Kyle Murtry.” Kyle said shoving out his hand, grinning fit to bust the barrel.
Not knowing what else to do, the Kid shook his hand, “Good to meet you Kyle.”
“Are you really the Kid Curry?” Kyle’s brown eyes brimmed with such happiness; a person would have thought he was meeting Santa Clause.
“That is what I have been told.”
Heyes moved slightly in between Kyle and the Kid, “Hey, we two got a few things to discuss.”
“Oh yeah, right.” Kyle said. “See ya later Kid.”
Kid grinned at him then pushing his hat up, he crossed his arms settling back into his heels.
Heyes looked back at the Kid and held up one finger.
Kid frowned slightly but nodded.
Walking right up into Wheat’s face, Heyes growled, “You now see how us backing him up was essential?”
Wheat stood up straighter, wondering how he had read his mind. But, he also saw something dark in Hannibal Heyes’s eyes. He swallowed hard; this new side of their safecracker was dangerous. He could feel it and seeing Heyes’s Remington was no longer lax in hand, Wheat began to sweat and stammered, “Well sure Heyes, sure we didn’t know he was family and all.”
With a tight grin that caused his right dimple to pulsate, Heyes slipped his gun into its holster, “Glad we understand one another.” He let the Wheat back away from him before moving. Then walking away from the Devil’s Hole Gang, Heyes stopped short of his cousin, each of them taking time to appraise the other. As they did, their many past disagreements played through their minds and at length, Kid inhaled deeply, “Well I see you haven’t gotten yourself killed, Hannibal.”
Hitching his thumbs into his holster belt, Heyes chewed on the inside of his lip snorting softly, “I see you’re still taking on others troubles, Jed.”
The tension between them expanded.
‘He’s grown big as horse but he ain’t been eating enough.’ Heyes thought the caretaker in him kicking in. ‘He’s got a hard look about him too, kind of cynical. My guess is he’s done a lot of maturing while we’ve been apart. Wonder if we could make it work this time?’ Knowing they were playing a game, Heyes decided to raise the ante and stepping closer whispered, “Kid I apologize. I have missed you something awful.”
A smile took over the Kid’s face, his blue eyes shining with happiness, he grabbed Heyes pulling him into a hug, “I have missed you too. You stubborn-headed lout.”
Pulling back Heyes adjusted his new black Stetson with its fancy silver hatband, “Kind of calling the kettle black there ain’t you?” He said dropping an arm about his cousin’s shoulders. “But, I ain’t ever letting you out of my sights again. Hell, who would have thought a person could be so lonely without family around? Now let me buy you a drink and a really big steak.”
“Sure thing let me grab my saddlebags.” Kid said gesturing toward a chair by the bar and picking them up, he joined Heyes thinking, ‘I ain’t letting you out of my sights neither because your right, it was damn lonesome by myself.’
Stepping into the reserved room, Heyes said “Kid these here are my pals.”
Kid took note of the men, obviously outlaws that his cousin was calling pals. ‘Yup, I am going to stay right by his side. ‘Cause now that I am all grown up, it is my turn to take care of him and the way he’s headed, ain’t no doubt he needs someone he can trust at his back.’
Seeing Kid’s serious expression, Heyes eyebrows bunched tight together, “Everything okay, Kid?”
And, seeing the concern in Heyes’s eyes, Kid realize how great it felt having someone who honestly cared about you and burst once more into a huge smile, “Nope, everything is perfect Heyes, just perfect.”