Stealing West (11 page)

Leon lived for dangerous.

“Not too bad,” he replied. “A little achy, but nothing that's going to slow us down. It gets stronger all the time.”

“Was the coach worth fucking up your ankle and putting a bounty hunter on your tail?”

Leon regarded him for long seconds as he toyed with the second whiskey. “My ankle wouldn't have gotten fucked up if the badge on board that coach hadn't shot out my horse while I was at a dead run.”

“True, but he wouldn't have shot your horse if you hadn't stopped the coach.” Thomas shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I'm not trying to get on your case again. It didn't make a huge difference to me when I was going to drag you in, and it makes even less of a difference now. But I've seen the things men can do to each other—robbery, rape, torture, murder—and my question was genuine.
Was
it worth it?”

“A few months ago, I would've said no. Now?” Leon picked up the glass, ready to down it. “Yeah, I'd say it was all worth it.”

“I don't understand. This last robbery was all worth it, somehow? Robbing coaches in general wasn't worth it?”

The whiskey burned going down, giving Leon needed strength. He couldn't explain that this last robbery had given Amy to Kenneth, that his best friend had finally found a woman who recognized his worth, that he was finally getting the life he'd always wanted even when he'd said otherwise to Leon. But Thomas was going to want an answer. Leon knew him well enough now to recognize when he had a burr under his saddle.

“It's put me on the straight and narrow, didn't it? I can't go back to that, not on my own, and definitely not with my shit ankle.” He set his empty glass back on the table. “I would've thought you'd say that was worth it.”

“Sure, it's worth it to get back on the straight and narrow. If that's where you want to be, or where you intend to stay. But something pushed you off the straight and narrow once before.”

Leon snorted. “Yeah. Life.”

“Plenty of people live their life without turning to hurting innocent people,” Thomas said mildly. “But what's going to stop you from veering off the straight and narrow again?”

“Why do you care?”

Thomas regarded him for several beats, his face impassive. “Because if you keep up the way you've been, you're going to meet a lawman who can shoot straight, or a bounty hunter who needs that five hundred enough to chase you down, or a sharpshooter who doesn't take kindly to being robbed.”

He squirmed in his chair. He knew Thomas was right. In his own way, he cared enough about Leon at the moment to not want that to happen. Another example of that caretaker disposition he wouldn't admit to out loud.

“I haven't gone this long by being dumb,” he said. “I don't plan on losing what sense I've got now, just because I might limp a little. I'll do what I have to do. Just like always.”

“Yeah, I guess you will.” He gestured at one of the girls moving through the saloon. “Two more whiskeys over here.”

Somehow, Leon felt like he'd failed whatever test Thomas had been posing, but there was nothing to be done about it now. He wasn't going to lie to him. He had every intention of trying to go straight. He just couldn't realistically promise that he'd never slip. He didn't think any man could.

“What about you? You've been around for as long as I can remember. You must've started hunting for bounty pretty young.”

“Yeah, I guess I was pretty young. My father became a bounty hunter after the War. Before that little skirmish, he was a preacher, but he lost everything when the Yankees moved through Tennessee, including his oldest boys and his wife. I was fourteen when he decided to start over in California, and fifteen when we started hunting outlaws.”

“So he just chose to fight sin in new ways. Makes sense.”

“Guess so. The money helped. He wasn't free of debts and he had a family to feed.”

“You've got other siblings?” Leon knew next to nothing about Thomas's personal history. He couldn't believe Thomas was opening up to him now.

“Three younger sisters. They were just babies when Ma died.”

He was almost jealous. The only family he'd had in years was Kenneth. “So are they here in California still?”

“No, I put them in school. They were too young to be married when my father died, and I couldn't stick around to take care of them.”

“This bounty'll go pretty far for them, then.” He smiled up at the serving girl as she set the new drinks in front of them, waiting before she left before asking, “They somewhere you can visit when this is all over?”

Thomas smiled sadly. It was the most genuine smile Leon had ever seen from Thomas, and at the same time, nothing like a smile at all. “Maybe. But it's difficult to get all the way to New York, and there's always another bounty, you know?”

In that moment, he wanted to pull Thomas to his feet and smother him with kisses, wipe away the anguish and replace it with something more manageable, something that wouldn't leave him in such obvious pain. The urge rattled him. Being happy with their arrangement and temporary partnership was one thing. Wanting to place the man in a position only Kenneth had held before was something else entirely.

He gulped down his whiskey. It was making him a little lightheaded. He needed to eat something soon, or risk being useless to help with Sue. “If you ask me, you should do it while you can. I would. And not look back.”

“Maybe someday. It'll be easier when they're married. I'm just happy to do what I can. Ma always had plans for the girls...” Thomas's voice trailed off. “I don't usually talk about them. It isn't safe.”

“I won't tell.” He put every ounce of sincerity he had in his body into his low tone. He meant it. “You've got my word on it.”

Thomas inclined his head. “Thanks. Maybe we should go down to the hotel and get dinner. I think we've got a long night ahead of us.”

“Yeah, probably.” Though he didn't really feel like ending the conversation. He wanted to know more about Thomas, now that he was finally starting to open up. As they rose to their feet, he caught Thomas's arm to keep him from walking away just yet. “I mean it, you know. You want to talk, I'm here to listen.” He smiled. “Sir.”

Thomas looked at Leon's hand. “I hope you're around the next time I'm in the mood to talk.”

His smile widened. “Me, too.”

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CHAPTER 8

There was a moment when Leon thought everything was going straight to hell.

Per their prior arrangement, they split up outside the Birdcage, Thomas slipping into the shadows while Leon went around the back. It didn't take much to find Sue's dressing room, but a man who made Thomas look tiny sat outside her door, clearly meant to be a deterrent. For a second, Leon thought it might be this Phoenix guy, but when one of the serving girls came waltzing down the corridor and addressed the guard, he realized he was just an employee.

He had to wait nearly an hour before the man got up to take a leak. Only then could Leon slip inside.

Susie sat at a dressing table, her back to the door as she brushed out her long brown hair. Her reflection in the mirror showed the vague blue eyes, off focus like he had always known them. Scarlet fever had stolen her sight as a child, but it had done nothing to mar her simple beauty or taint her vocal talents. She sang like an angel, and she had the porcelain complexion and bow mouth to go with the image.

At the sound of the door opening and closing, the hairbrush froze in mid-stroke. “Who's there?”

Leon took a deep breath and took off his hat. It was an automatic gesture in her presence, even though she couldn't see it. “An old friend, I hope.”

Relief flooded through him when recognition slowly sank in. With a brilliant smile, Susie set the brush down and carefully rose, holding out her hand in his direction. “Just you?” She held still while he came forward, but instead of letting him shake her hand, she took his fingers and pulled him closer into a hug. “Where's Kenneth?”

“Gone and got himself married.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. It wasn't sexual. For as pretty as Susie was, he had always thought of her as a little sister. “He's left me all on my own.”

She slapped playfully at his arm as they parted. “You mean, to get into trouble. Nobody does trouble like you do, Leon.”

He laughed. “You'd be surprised. I'm in a little different line of work right now.”

Gesturing for him to sit down, Susie resumed her seat. Hope gleamed in her face. “Really? What are you doing?”

The one thing he and Thomas had agreed on was not letting Susie know what his real purpose was. Their reasons were different, but Leon didn't bother hiding the fact he wanted to protect her from the truth. If she had strong feelings for this Phoenix, he was going to be partially responsible for breaking her heart. He didn't want that to stain her feelings for him. It was kind of nice knowing someone as good as Susie thought he wasn't such a bad fella.

“A little of this, a little of that. But I was in town and I heard you were singing, and I knew I had to come see you.”

Her light laughter was as charming as her voice. “It's a good thing Billy isn't here to hear you say that. He'd haul you out of here faster than you could shake a stick.”

“After everything I did for him?” Leon pretended to be hurt, though they both knew it was an act. Her brother owed him and Kenneth too much. “And here I thought—”

A knock interrupted him.

“Susie? Darling?” The voice was rough and deep, and Leon tensed, taking a defensive step away from the young woman. “Do you have a little time for me?”

It had to be Phoenix. “You need for me to go?” he asked in a low voice.

“No, no, you just got here.” Setting down her brush, Susie felt across the dressing table for the decorated hair clip. “Come in!”

The man's features matched his voice. A scar ran from his temple to his chin, as though somebody had tried to slice his face from his skull. He was tall—taller than Thomas—and tobacco juice stained his sandy beard. He wore a bowler hat high on his brow, and a pair of the flashiest pearl-handled guns Leon had ever seen. As soon as he saw Leon, his watery eyes narrowed.

“Who the hell are you?” Phoenix growled. “Susie, who this is?”

She didn't seem alarmed by the menace in the man's voice. Leon imagined it was because she couldn't see just how threatening he actually looked. “Oh, this is an old friend from Texas. Leon Stroud, David Phoenix. Now stop hovering, David. Sit down a spell.”

When Phoenix didn't move, Leon took the initiative and sprawled back in the chair he'd vacated. “Phoenix. I know that name, don't I?”

Phoenix crossed the room in two long strides, but he wasn't aiming for the empty chair. He grabbed Leon by his jacket and hauled him to his feet. His breath hung in a sour cloud between them.

“You better know the name of the guy who is going to cut out your liver. What do you think you're doing in my girl's room?”

So far, the rumors about Phoenix were panning out. He didn't fight the larger man's grip; the last thing he needed was to look hostile. “Just saying howdy to an old friend.” Leaning a little closer, he lowered his voice into a conspiratorial tone. “Had to take a little detour when a bounty hunter got a little close, actually. You know how that goes, right?”

“No, because I'm not stupid enough to get a bounty hunter on my tail.” Phoenix pushed him back to the chair with nearly enough force to break the furniture. “And I hope for your sake, one didn't follow you here.”

Susie's laughter drifted back from the dressing table. “Nobody catches Leon. Don't let him fool you, David.”

Leon grinned up at him. “You heard her. Don't let me fool you.”

“Well, now you've had a chance to say howdy to your old friend, get out.” He licked his meaty lips. “I'd like to spend some quiet time with my girl.”

Even if he hadn't known the man's history, Leon wouldn't have left a sweet girl like Susie alone with this brute. She deserved better.

“I'm not sticking around for long.”
Not for as long as you're here at least.
“And you'll get to have her all night after her show, right?”

Phoenix moved away from Leon in favor of Susie. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she didn't try to push him away. “I was trying to be polite because Susie says you're a friend of hers. Why don't you take the chance to walk out before I throw you out?”

“And lose the chance to learn from a master? I'm young, but I'm not stupid.”

“What are you looking to learn?”

“Considering how long you've ducked the law? Anything you'd be willing to teach.”

“I ain't got the time to teach anything,” Phoenix protested, but the edge was gone from his voice, and his stance was more relaxed and less aggressive. “What can you do, kid? Shoot straight?”

“As an arrow. Been robbing coaches in Texas and New Mexico for six years. Never been caught.” He could also lie with the best of them, but he'd save that little tidbit for himself. “I've been working with a partner but he went off and got hitched, so now I'm on the lookout for a new gang. You wouldn't need someone who'll do just about anything to avoid working an honest day, would you?”

“You ever been to Mexico?”

Leon grinned and leaned back. “Where do you think I was heading after I left here?”

* * * *

Thomas ordered black coffee and situated himself in the back of the saloon. It wasn't ideal, but he could see most of the occupants, as well as the stage. If Phoenix entered with Leon in tow, he would be able to make it across the room quickly. Or get a clear shot. He hoped. But as the seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes crawled through the saloon, his anxiety grew. What if Phoenix did something to Leon? What if Susie didn't remember Leon?

What if Leon had given Thomas up to Phoenix?

He hated that final question, but his mind always returned to it. The fact was, he had to be prepared for the possibility, even if he had trusted Leon with information that he had never shared with another person. Even so, the question became more pressing as the time passed and neither Leon nor Phoenix made an appearance.

When he finished the last swallow of his cooled coffee, he decided he couldn't stand there and wait all night. If the worst had happened, and Phoenix had fled, he was losing time by just standing around like a fool.