The Sapphire Gun Read online

  “My name’s Clint.”

  “I’m Victoria. Who was that you were talking to?”

  “I don’t know,” Clint joked, “but he sure throws a hell of a party.”

  THREE

  The music rose to a frantic level, and the makeshift band played like they were putting on a show for the President. As if following Clint’s lead, many more of the people there made their way to the dance, picked out a partner, and kicked up their heels. Two of these dancers were dressed slightly better than the others and slowly moved away from the band so they could hear each other speak.

  One half of this couple was a tall man with well-groomed hair, a thin mustache, and skin that was the color of richly tanned leather. His features were sharp, and his eyes burned like two pieces of coal in their sockets. He held onto his partner as if she was the last woman on earth, and he looked directly into her eyes as their bodies moved together.

  The woman had long, flowing hair that was dark with the occasional streak of gold. Her skin wasn’t as dark as the man’s, but was closer to the color of cinnamon. Her body was tight and trim, but still managed to fill out her dark skirt and white blouse nicely.

  “You’re looking at that man like you know him,” the woman said.

  “That’s because I do know him, Rosa,” he replied with a subtle Castilian accent.

  “Does he know you?”

  “Possibly. I doubt I should bother introducing myself, however. If anything, Mr. Adams would only know me by reputation.”

  Allowing herself to be swept into a broad circle, Rosa leaned back and let her hair sway behind her. The man leading their dance moved like a bullfighter and made no effort to hide the fact that his dancing had come from classical training.

  Even though his face never pointed away from Rosa’s, the Spanish man’s eyes darted to remain fixed upon Clint whenever possible. He watched as the blonde pressed herself against Clint, and then he turned away when Clint spun around to face his direction.

  “Have you introduced yourself to our host?” he asked.

  “You know I haven’t, Franco.”

  “Perhaps it is time.”

  Snapping her head upright so she could stare him down as the music built to a climax, she said, “I am following your lead.”

  Franco laughed at the banter, wrapped her up in one arm, and then snapped her outward like a whipping extension of his own hand. Rosa twirled while smiling and bouncing off one dancer after another. Within the chaos of the party, she didn’t stand out too much, and a few other women twirled even faster as if to outdo her.

  Once he saw Rosa separate from the larger group and make her way to Johnny, Franco selected another woman from the crowd and took her in his arms. She was a tall, skinny woman with hair that looked like burnt straw. Her face wasn’t quite what someone would consider beautiful, but the smile that showed up there made her a lot more attractive.

  “Hey!” the man who’d been dancing with the brown-haired woman shouted. “That’s my wife!”

  Keeping her eyes on Franco and her hands on the Spaniard’s broad shoulders, she replied, “Shut up, Walter. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  As Franco danced, he kept his eyes and hands glued onto his new partner. Actually, his eyes left her every so often to check on Rosa’s progress with Johnny. His hands, however, remained attached to her wriggling hips.

  Midway through the next song, Rosa tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to walk back toward the dancers. Franco spotted her immediately and launched himself into a flurry of skillfully moving feet and gyrating hips.

  The brown-haired woman did her best to keep up, but mainly watched Franco appreciatively. Just as her husband had decided he’d had enough, she felt Franco pull her in and then spin her away as he’d done to Rosa not long ago. She bumped against her husband, who quickly moved her behind him.

  Franco bowed slightly and touched his forehead in a friendly salute. “You are a very lucky man, señor.”

  “Yeah,” the husband grunted. “I know I am.”

  Between the Spaniard’s warm smile and his willingness to step away, the husband didn’t have much of a reason to complain. His wife was still worked up, so she quickly pulled him into a bad impression of Franco’s dance steps.

  Rosa wove through the crowd and slipped into Franco’s arms. “He will be leaving soon,” she reported.

  “Will Adams be going with him?”

  “I don’t think he’s going alone.”

  “I see,” Franco replied.

  “Will you kill both of them?”

  Franco held her close and rubbed his hips against hers. “I have not decided yet.”

  FOUR

  The party didn’t even break its stride when the sun went down. If anything, it picked up an even better stride after the last of the sun’s rays had disappeared from the sky. The men who’d been playing instruments all day gave up their spots to another group who picked up various items from nearby and did their best to make music with them. Even though the music wasn’t much more than a semi-rhythmic beating of pots, pans, buckets, and chair legs, the crowd was too drunk to notice.

  Couples still danced. Drunks still kept drinking. The food disappeared from the tables as if devoured by a swarm of locusts. And more than a few of the people in attendance paired off to disappear to a place with a bit more privacy.

  Clint and Victoria were two of those people. The privacy they found was in the back of Johnny’s barn. Inside the drafty structure, most of the sounds from the party were blotted out. Replacing that noise were the sounds that came from a few horses and one cow that Johnny had locked up for the event.

  Leading Victoria to an empty stall, Clint kicked open the short gate and backed inside.

  “You sure there’s nothing else in there?” she asked.

  Clint kept backing up until his ankle bumped against a stack of hay. “I’m not certain, but there’s one way to find out.” With that, he toppled onto the hay and pulled Victoria right along with him.

  She let out a surprised squeal, but didn’t struggle in the least. In fact, she twisted her body to make sure she landed directly on top of Clint. Both of them landed better than if they’d dropped onto a bed. There was more than enough hay on the floor to wrap around them while also cushioning them from the wooden boards beneath it all.

  Victoria wore a plain blouse that laced up the front. Those laces had become plenty loose while she and Clint had made their way to the barn. Now she wasn’t even able to keep her blouse shut as she twisted and settled on top of him. Clint’s fingers slipped beneath the laces to pull them completely out of place.

  Although she put a somewhat appalled expression on her face, Victoria only looked down to watch as Clint eased her shirt open. “Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were trying to take advantage of me.”

  “You do know better,” Clint replied. “You know damn well I’m trying to get you out of these clothes.”

  “I guess I do. You’re doing a fine job of it, too. Here,” Victoria said, “let me help you a bit.”

  Straightening up, she pulled open her blouse and let it fall off of her. She arched her back and used both hands to fix her hair, which was mostly a way to give Clint a good view of her full breasts. They bounced and swayed with the motions of her body. Her large pink nipples grew harder as Clint reached up to take hold of them.

  At first, he cupped her breasts and massaged them. Then, he positioned her nipples between his fingers so he could rub them until they were fully erect. Soon, Victoria was leaning forward and situating herself so she was straddling his hips.

  “You must think I’m a dirty girl, letting you do this to me,” she whispered.

  Clint kept one hand on her breast and let the other one wander along her side before rubbing her thigh. “Something tells me you’d like it if I thought that.”

  She smiled, reached down to loosen Clint’s jeans, and nodded. “Maybe just a little.”

  “Only a little
?” Clint asked as he gathered her skirt around her waist and reached between her legs to rub the warm, wet lips he found there.

  Gasping as Clint’s fingers touched the right spot, Victoria freed Clint’s penis and guided it into her waiting pussy. “All right,” she whispered as she put him inside and lowered herself onto him, “maybe more than just a little.”

  Once he was all the way inside of her, Clint lifted his hips and pushed in just a bit more. He was just able to grab her by the hips as she let out a gasp of pleasure and closed her eyes tightly. The more Clint moved, the deeper he and Victoria sunk into the pile of hay. Before long, it was closing in around them as if it meant to swallow them whole.

  It took a bit of doing, but Victoria was finally able to gain a bit of footing. Her knees dropped down on either side of Clint, but she supported herself by placing both hands flat upon his chest. Even though she could stay on top of him, she started to wobble the moment she let her instincts take over and tried to ride him in earnest.

  Feeling the first pangs of frustration just as much as she did, Clint grabbed hold of her and tossed her onto her back. Victoria landed with a sigh and opened her legs wide to receive him. When she felt Clint’s hands move along the silky smooth skin of her inner thigh, she stretched back and savored the feel of his touch.

  The downy hair between Victoria’s legs was just as blond as the hair on her head. Clint let his fingers drift through that hair for a moment before he found the sensitive nub of skin that made her squirm when he touched it.

  “Oh God,” she sighed. “Don’t make me wait any longer.” Clint positioned himself at the right spot and moved his hips forward so his rigid cock slipped straight into her. Victoria was so wet that he glided in easily. And every time Clint thrust forward, she was even wetter when he pulled back.

  Victoria reached out with both hands to grab hold of whatever she could. All she was able to get ahold of was hay, and she kept clawing through the coarse strands until her fingertips scraped against the floor. All the while, Clint kept rocking on top of her. Outside, another makeshift band started to play a drunken song.

  “You were sure right about one thing,” Victoria said as Clint buried himself inside of her. “This is one hell of a party.”

  Clint pumped his hips forward until he could feel that soft, blond hair tickle his leg. One more thrust like that, and Victoria moaned as if she meant to accompany the band.

  FIVE

  It was well after sunrise before Clint woke up and got to his feet. He wasn’t in the bale of hay, but he still had plenty of pieces of straw stuck in some uncomfortable places. Victoria was somewhere, but she’d come and gone a few times throughout the night. Clint didn’t have any trouble spotting Johnny. He was the one loading a wagon not far from the barn.

  “You’re up earlier than I expected,” Johnny said once he spotted Clint.

  “Actually, I was thinking that I slept later than usual.”

  “Then I guess I’m just getting used to the habits I’ve picked up in the last few days of debauchery. The closer it gets for me to leave, the more anxious I get to start moving.”

  “Then why wait?” Clint asked.

  The question was simple, but struck Johnny hard enough to make him stop what he was doing and stare into space. He blinked a few times, shrugged, and replied, “I guess there’s no reason.”

  “That is, unless you had a schedule to keep regarding your payment.”

  “I was told to pick up the money when I had a chance in the next few days. The rest was just me guessing how long I should wait for you to arrive.”

  Clint held out his arms and smiled. “I’m here.”

  “And you don’t mind lending me a hand? It might get rough if the wrong people find out what I’m carrying.”

  “And it’ll get even rougher if you stand around announcing it.”

  Johnny laughed and looked around like a kid who was trying to sneak out of his house. Apart from himself, Clint, and the horses, there wasn’t another living thing in sight that wasn’t passed out drunk or fast asleep.

  “I wouldn’t mind getting out of here,” Johnny admitted. “A man can only take so much of this kind of thing.”

  Even though Clint hadn’t quite reached his limit just yet, he nodded and turned his back to the remaining women to which he had yet to introduce himself. “What are you going to do about these folks? Should I start rousting them from their sleep?”

  Johnny tossed a passing glance at his little house and waved it off dismissively. “Nah. Let ’em have the place. Anything of value has already been broken or loaded onto this wagon. The property’s due to be sold in a month, and it’s only a matter of time before one of these fools burns the house down. If anyone can get some use of it until then . . . God bless ’em.”

  Clint laughed and said, “It must be nice to have a bit of extra money.”

  “It sure is, my friend. It sure as hell is.”

  Eclipse was tied off near a trough closer to the fence surrounding Johnny’s property. Hearing all the commotion when he’d arrived, Clint figured that would be better than putting the Darley Arabian where he would be a tempting target for a drunken horse thief.

  As he started to untie the reins, Clint realized the reins were already untied. He also realized one of his saddlebags was missing. While looking around for the bag, Clint spotted a figure laying not too far away.

  The man was on his side with every one of his limbs pointing in a different direction. He was breathing, but that simple action seemed to cause him a bit of pain. Every inhale was accompanied by a pronounced wheeze, and every exhale was shaky.

  Clint bent to examine the man and found a large, dirty imprint on the man’s side which was in a peculiarly familiar shape. The man’s hand was still clutching Clint’s missing saddlebag.

  “Looks like you can take care of yourself, huh, boy?” Clint said as he retrieved the bag from the man who’d attempted to steal it. Upon closer examination, Clint could easily spot the shape of Eclipse’s shoeprint pounded into the man’s side. “I won’t even worry about waking this fellow up. I’d say the poor bastard paid his dues in full.”

  Eclipse stayed in his spot, calmly watching as Clint made sure everything was cinched in its place and ready to go. Once he felt Clint climb into the saddle, Eclipse looked up and shook some of the dust from his mane.

  “There’s that beauty of a horse,” Johnny said. “You sure you don’t want to sell him to me? We could make a bundle putting him out to stud.”

  “Like I said the last time you offered,” Clint said as he patted Eclipse’s neck, “no deal.”

  “Can’t blame me for trying.” In the time that had passed since Clint had gone to get Eclipse, Johnny seemed to have turned into a new man. His smile was brighter. His eyes were wide and alert. He even sat up straighter in his seat and held onto the reins, anxiously waiting to give them a snap.

  “Hey,” one of the bleary-eyed partygoers shouted from his spot on the ground. “You goin’ to get more food?”

  “You folks are on your own,” Johnny replied. “But thanks for coming out to celebrate with me.”

  “So . . . no more food?”

  Johnny snapped the reins and said, “Not unless you fetch it your own damn selves.”

  The wagon rattled and shook as it lurched into motion. Although the vehicle wasn’t too old and was in fine repair, it was loaded down with just a bit more weight than it was designed to carry. It didn’t take long for the wheels to get rolling and the two horses pulling the wagon to find their stride.

  Clint rode alongside the wagon and nodded toward the house behind them as he asked, “So you’re really not coming back?”

  “No need to,” Johnny said happily. “I feel a little bad that you didn’t get to enjoy more of the party.”

  “I enjoyed myself plenty.”

  Johnny smirked. “I’ll just bet you did. Victoria looked like quite a party, herself.”

  “She was.”

  Both
men swapped a few jokes and laughed more than the punch lines deserved. After they’d crested a hill at the edge of his property, Johnny produced a canteen full of lukewarm coffee and handed it over to Clint.

  Compared to the swill that had passed for beer the night before, that tepid coffee was good enough to make Clint’s morning even brighter.

  SIX

  The house was full of bodies in various states of undress and unconsciousness. Standing among the sounds of snores and the stench of stale liquor, Franco buttoned up his shirt and watched the wagon through the window. Behind him, Rosa stood up and stretched her naked body like a cat lounging in the warm sun’s rays.

  “They’re leaving,” Franco said.

  Rosa stepped up to the window, apparently unmindful that she still hadn’t a stitch of clothes to cover her. “Maybe they’re coming back. I thought he would be here for at least another day.”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Should we get ready to leave, as well?”

  Franco took hold of her by the hips and pushed her back against the wall. The others in the room with them were passed out or sleeping, but he pulled down his pants and lifted her off the floor as if he wouldn’t have cared if he were performing in front of a paying audience.

  Within moments after Rosa’s legs wrapped around him, Franco slid into her and thrust his hips forward. The flimsy wall shook a bit as her bare bottom slammed against it.

  Keeping one arm wrapped tightly around Franco’s neck, Rosa reached out to steady herself with the other.

  A few of the people in the room were stirring, but that was mostly so they could shift to a better position and fall back asleep. If any of them bothered to open their eyes, they would have seen Franco cup Rosa’s tight buttocks in both hands so he could pump into her even harder.