The Governor's Gun Read online

  “You mean she sees one man, then stops and sees another?” Clint asked.

  “Umm, well, no,” Mrs. Hellman said, “I mean more than one man . . . at a time. I, uh, I don’t judge, mind you. I still say Eve’s a lovely girl, but . . . I don’t think she’s very . . . moral. If you know what I mean.”

  * * *

  As they walked to the house on the other side, Adrienne said, “That just doesn’t sound like Eve to me. I mean, more than one man? Eve’s never been like that.”

  “Adrienne, when was the last time you saw your sister?”

  “Several years ago, when she first left Saint Louis to come here.”

  “And why did she come here?”

  “To get married.”

  “So where’s the husband?”

  “There is no husband,” she said. “When she got here, she changed her mind.”

  “And stayed anyway?”

  “She told me in a letter she decided she didn’t like her fiancé, but she did like Austin. So she stayed.”

  “And how many letters have you had since then?”

  “Just a handful.”

  Clint couldn’t help thinking Adrienne just didn’t know her sister very well anymore.

  EIGHT

  The man who lived on the other side said he didn’t know Eve at all.

  “She kept to herself,” he said.

  “Did you notice if she had any visitors?” Clint asked.

  “I keep to myself,” he said.

  “What about your wife?” Clint asked. “Would she know anything?”

  “I doubt it,” he said. “We keep to ourselves.”

  His name was Jim Spader. He was in his forties, rugged looking, and Clint couldn’t help feeling he was nervous talking about Eve.

  “Well, did you happen to see her today? Notice anything? Perhaps by accident?”

  “No,” he said, “not even by accident.”

  “Okay,” Clint said, “gave a good day.”

  “Yeah.”

  He slammed the door.

  “Unpleasant man,” Adrienne said as they walked back to the house.

  “Is he your sister’s type?”

  “Frankly, I don’t know what my sister’s type is,” she said. “In fact, I’m afraid I don’t know very much about my sister at all.”

  Clint was glad to hear her admit it.

  * * *

  Back in the house he asked Adrienne if she minded if he looked around.

  “You mean . . . search the house?”

  “Yes.”

  She rubbed her upper arms.

  “That would be . . . invading Eve’s privacy, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yes, it would,” he said. “I guess it all depends on how worried you are.”

  “Can I make us a cup of tea and think about it?” she asked.

  Clint didn’t like tea, but he said, “Sure.”

  He went into the kitchen and watched as she prepared the tea. It was obvious she didn’t know her way around as she had to look for everything.

  When she finally had the tea ready, they sat at the kitchen table. Across from each other.

  “Do you think she’s in trouble?” she asked.

  “No way I can tell, Adrienne,” I said. “Hopefully, she’ll still just come back on her own, maybe walk in late tonight.”

  “You’re probably right,” she said. “I’ll bet she just forgot I was coming today.”

  “I tell you what,” Clint said. “Since it makes you uncomfortable to have me search the house, why don’t you have a look around after I leave. Maybe you’ll find something helpful.”

  “I’ll do that. Oh, I haven’t even asked you how your meeting with the governor went.”

  “Not like I thought,” he said. “In fact, I didn’t even see the governor.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  He told her about the three men he’d met and what they wanted him to do.

  “Are you going to do it?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “The way they got me here made me mad.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “I’m supposed to see them again in the morning. If I do it, I’d have to stay here in Austin a lot longer than I figured.”

  “Would that be so bad?” she asked, turning coquettish on him.

  “Maybe not,” he said, reaching across the table for her hand.

  He stood up, drew her up to her feet, gathered her in, and kissed her. The kiss went on for a long time. She moaned into his mouth and pressed herself tightly against him.

  “I wanted to do that on the train,” she whispered to him.

  “So did I.”

  “Is this terrible of us?” she asked. “It’s my sister’s house.”

  “Well,” he said, “it’s not like we’d use her bed, right?”

  “Oh no,” she said. “I have my own room and my own bed. She wrote and told me which room I could use and even described it for me.”

  “Really?” he asked. “Why don’t you show me where it is?”

  As she led him by the hand from the kitchen, he thought this would at least take her mind off her sister for a short time.

  Or maybe not such a short time.

  NINE

  Adrienne led Clint to a neatly appointed bedroom with a large bed in it.

  “My sister knows I like to have room in my bed,” she said.

  “Looks comfortable,” he commented.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m too forward,” she said, turning to face him.

  “I thought it was me who made the first move in the kitchen.”

  “Actually,” she said, putting her hands against his chest, “it was me who made the first move on the train, when I sat across from you.”

  “Well,” he said, “you brazen hussy.”

  He pulled her to him, and standing there pressed tightly together, they kissed for a long time, neither of them in a hurry. They explored with tongue and lips and hands, then started on each other’s clothes.

  She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hands inside. He undid her dress in the back, and she let it fall to the floor. Frilly underthings followed, and then she reached for his belt.

  “Wait,” he said. He unstrapped his gun, looked around, then hung the belt on the headboard.

  “You need it to be close, don’t you?” she asked.

  “At all times,” he said. “Is that a problem?”

  “No,” she said, “as long as you don’t wear it to bed.”

  “Hardly ever,” he said.

  They came together in another kiss. She was naked, all warm and long and lean, her breasts larger than he’d thought they would be. They filled his hands and more, the nipples dark brown and large.

  She undid his belt, yanked his trousers down to his knees, then pushed him down onto the bed. She took off his boots, then his pants and underwear. As he lay on his back, his cock was already poking up at the ceiling.

  She ran her hands along his thighs, then took his cock in both of them, as if she were cradling a baby bird. She stroked it with one hand, cupped his ball sack in the palm of the other. Then, licking her lips first, she lowered her head and took him into her mouth.

  He groaned as she began to bob up and down on him.

  Reaching down to cup her head, he held her lightly, then slid his hands beneath her arms to lift her up onto him.

  They both scooted up on the bed so that his legs wouldn’t be hanging over the side. Moaning, she rubbed herself up and down him, pressing her breasts to his chest, trapping his hard penis between them. She rubbed the hair of her crotch up and down the length of him, and through the hair he could feel the slick, wet lips of her pussy
.

  She moved up and down him, up and down, and then suddenly she mounted him and took him inside. He slid into her wetness easily, and groaned as the heat of her settled around him.

  She pressed her hands down on his chest and began to ride him, her butt bouncing up and down on his thighs with audible slaps. He reached around to cup her buttocks while she continued to bounce.

  Eventually, she sat upright on him, pretty much jumping up and down on him now. Each time she came down on him, he pierced her to the core and she gasped, her eyes going wide.

  He lifted his hips to meet her as she came down, causing her to gasp even louder. Her breath began coming in rapid pants, and he knew she’d continue on until she found her release. He decided to let her; they had plenty of time for other things later.

  She was relatively quiet while in the throes of passion, with only an occasional moan escaping her lips. When her time came, he felt her tense, thought maybe she might cry out, but it didn’t happen. If anything, she got even quieter—which he couldn’t say for himself when he finally erupted inside her . . .

  * * *

  They lay together quietly for some time afterward, her head on his shoulder. Several times she started, thinking that she heard her sister coming in, but each time proved to be a false alarm.

  Finally, she sat up on the bed and looked at him.

  “I have to get dressed,” she said. “If she should come home . . .”

  “I understand.”

  She placed her hand on his thigh.

  “You’re a wonderful man,” she said, “and I don’t just mean this. I mean everything you’ve done.”

  She stood up and began to dress. He followed.

  “I’m not done yet,” he said. “If she doesn’t come home tonight, I’ll be back tomorrow to help you look for her.”

  “Thank you,” she said, relieved. “I—I wouldn’t even know how to start.”

  They left the bedroom, walked back into the living room.

  “I’ll stop by tomorrow after my appointment at the Capitol,” he promised.

  “I don’t want to get in the way—”

  “You won’t,” he said. “Your sister’s welfare is the most important thing.”

  She linked her arm in his and walked him to the door. He forgot that he had the cab waiting outside, had promised to tell the driver how long he’d be. Nevertheless, the man had waited.

  “Everything go okay?” the driver asked.

  “Sure, thanks for waiting.”

  “Where to?”

  “Back to the hotel.”

  “You got it.”

  Clint sat back in the cab, wondering if something had, indeed, happened to Adrienne’s sister, or if there was something else going on between the sisters.

  TEN

  In the morning Clint went to the hotel dining room and had a breakfast of steak and eggs, and coffee. It was very satisfying. When he went out the front door, he found his cab waiting. The night before the driver had asked Clint if he’d need him anymore.

  “In the morning,” Clint had said. “I’ll be going to the Capitol Building.”

  “I’ll be here,” the driver had said.

  “What’s your name?” Clint had asked.

  “Danny.”

  “See you in the morning, Danny.”

  As he approached the cab, Danny called out, “Good morning to ya.”

  “Morning.”

  “Sleep well?”

  “Very well.”

  He climbed aboard and Danny shook the reins at his horse.

  “Got business with the governor?” Danny asked.

  “The lieutenant governor,” Clint said.

  “Same thing, almost,” Danny said. “Kinda impressive.”

  “Don’t be impressed. I’m just interviewing for some work.”

  “What kind of work?”

  “Gunsmithing.”

  Danny seemed satisfied with that, and drove the rest of the way to the Capitol in silence.

  * * *

  When they arrived, Danny reined in and waited for Clint to step down.

  “Want me to wait?”

  Clint thought a moment, then said, “Why not? When I come out, I’ll want to go to the same house we were at last night.”

  “No problem.”

  “Thanks, Danny.”

  “Say,” Danny said as Clint started to walk away.

  “Yeah?”

  “If I’m gonna be drivin’ ya around, maybe I oughta know your name.”

  “Sure,” Clint said. “It’s Clint Adams.”

  He turned and walked to the steps of the Capitol.

  * * *

  “Adams should be here any minute,” Wheeler said to the lieutenant governor in the man’s office.

  “Maybe you should go and meet him at the door,” Miles Edgerton said.

  Wheeler started to get to his feet, then sat back down.

  “Ah, we might as well let someone show him up here,” he said.

  “Get some coffee, then,” Edgerton said. “We should have something to offer him.”

  “We do,” Wheeler said. “Money.”

  “Well, money and coffee, Harold,” Edgerton said. “Go and see to it.”

  “What if he gets here while I’m gone?” Wheeler asked, standing.

  “Then I’ll talk to him until you get back with the coffee,” Edgerton said. “Go. And bring back three cups.”

  “I’d rather have whiskey,” Wheeler said.

  “Not this early, Harold. Coffee will do fine.”

  As Wheeler left the office, Edgerton hoped that his aide wasn’t close to falling apart on him. He needed the man to hold up his end of the bargain.

  ELEVEN

  There were no Texas Rangers today, just the two armed soldiers at the door. Clint gave them his name, and one of them showed him into the building.

  He followed the soldier up a winding staircase to the second floor and down a hall.

  “This here is the lieutenant governor’s office,” the man said. “There’s a girl works inside.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Clint opened the door and entered. The girl who looked up from the desk was about twenty-five, and very pretty. She had brown hair piled up on top of her head, showing off a graceful neck.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Clint Adams to see Lieutenant Governor Edgerton,” he said.

  “Oh, of course,” she said, standing. “Come this way, sir.”

  He followed her to another door. There she knocked, and then opened it.

  “Sir, Mr. Adams is here.”

  He heard the lieutenant governor say, “Send him in. And see where Wheeler is with that coffee, will you, Amy?”

  “Yes, sir.” She looked at Clint and said, “You can go right in, sir.”

  “Thank you, Amy,” he said. He slipped past her, the scent of her perfume tickling his nostrils. It was a fresh, sweet smell.

  After he was inside, she withdrew and closed the door.

  “Good morning, Governor.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Adams. Please, have a seat.”

  Clint first reached across the desk to shake hands, then took a seat.

  “I hope you’re comfortable at the hotel?”

  “Very.”

  “Have you had breakfast?”

  “Yes,” Clint said, “at the hotel. That was very good, as well.”

  “Well, good,” Edgerton said. “I’ve got some coffee coming . . . I hope, whenever my aide gets back.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought it was your aide’s job to fetch coffee.”

  “It’s actually his job to do whatever I tell him to do,” Edgerton said. �
��Don’t worry, he gets paid quite well to do everything.”

  Clint nodded, didn’t comment further.

  “Have you given our offer further thought, Mr. Adams?” Edgerton asked.

  “Actually, Governor,” Clint said, “I don’t think I ever really heard the full offer.”

  “You’re right, of course.”

  At that moment the door opened. Amy stepped in, then stepped aside to allow Wheeler to enter with a tray. On it was a coffeepot and three cups.

  “Thanks, Amy,” he said.

  She nodded, and withdrew.

  Wheeler carried the tray to the lieutenant governor’s desk and set it down.

  “At last,” Edgerton said. “Pour three cups, Harold, and then have a seat. We’re talking about our offer to Mr. Adams.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Wheeler poured a cup and handed it to Clint, then did the same for the governor.

  “Anything in yours, Mr. Adams?” Wheeler asked.

  “No, black is fine.”

  Wheeler nodded, sat down with his own cup.

  “We are prepared to offer you five hundred dollars to construct this gun for the governor,” Lieutenant Governor Edgerton said. “We have the finest gunsmithing tools available for you. You would remain a guest of the hotel you are now in until the job is finished.”

  “Will I be around when the governor is given the gun?” Clint asked.

  “If you like, yes,” Edgerton said. “That would be totally up to you.”

  “What kind of gun would you like?”

  “Something special,” Edgerton said.

  “Something he could use now, or later?”

  Edgerton exchanged a glance with Wheeler.

  “How do you mean?” the lieutenant governor asked.

  “I mean is it to be something he can wear now, or after he’s out of office?”

  “I imagine he’d like something he could put to immediate use,” Edgerton said.

  “Do you wear a gun, Governor?” Clint asked.

  “I don’t.”

  “Can you use one?”

  “Not very well.”

  “Can the governor shoot?”

  Edgerton looked at Wheeler, who said, “Very well.”

  “I know he was a lawman at one time,” Clint said. “I imagine he knew how to shoot then, but I didn’t know about now.”