One Man's Law Read online

  “I’ll tell you if you tell me your reasons.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’ve visited Graham more times than I can count,” Clint explained. “I’ve been in and out of that doctor’s office and passed you just as many times coming and going from the marshal’s house, but you wait until now before stopping by to say hello. There’s got to be a reason for that.”

  “I’ve been busy too, you know,” she said. “I also didn’t know if you even noticed me.”

  “Usually, you’ve got your hair pinned back and your hands full of bloody bandages. I must admit, you look a hell of a lot better tonight.”

  Leah pulled in a breath, which caused her breasts to push against the material of her dress. She started to speak, but leaned forward to kiss him on the lips instead. Her mouth lingered there, and the tip of her tongue even ran along Clint’s bottom lip.

  When Clint caught his own breath, he asked, “Would you like to see my suite?”

  “Yes,” Leah replied as she quickly got to her feet. “I’d like that very much.”

  NINE

  Sometimes, the quiet women turned out to be the wildest. Leah didn’t say a word as Clint showed her up the stairs and through the door at the end of the hall above the main floor of the Pearl. She wore a polite little smile and kept her hands clasped in front of her during the entire walk. In fact, Clint was second-guessing his intentions when he unlocked the door and opened it.

  “Here it is,” he announced with a sweeping gesture of his hand. “Luxury at its finest. You see that second chair over by the window?”

  Leah nodded.

  “The regular rooms don’t have that, but this suite does. I should arrest the owner of this place for charging an extra dollar a night just for—”

  Clint was cut short as Leah rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. Her lips pressed urgently against his, and she gave him a kiss that easily put their first one to shame. She started by nibbling on his lip and then allowed her tongue to slip into Clint’s mouth. She pressed herself against him with so much force that Clint soon felt his shoulders bump against the wall.

  When she pulled back a little to catch her breath, Leah wore a wide smile. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

  “I know I’ve been thinking about it ever since I caught sight of you when I brought the marshal in.”

  “I caught sight of you when you first rode into town.”

  Clint ran his hands along her sides until his palms grazed the sides of her breasts. He could feel Leah’s muscles tense as he moved his thumbs over her erect nipples. “That was over a month ago, so I guess you win,” he said jokingly.

  Shaking her head and lowering herself to her knees, Leah said, “No. I think we’re both winning this one.” With that, she pulled open Clint’s pants and reached inside for him. Her fingers wrapped around his hard shaft and freed his cock so she could get a look at it. Gazing at him hungrily, she opened her mouth, placed her lips upon the tip of his penis and slid her tongue against the smooth, sensitive skin.

  Clint felt his knees buckle slightly as she eased her lips all the way down to take him completely inside her mouth. As she did that, Leah ran her tongue up and down the bottom of his cock until he was rock hard and ready to explode.

  Holding her shoulders, Clint eased her back so he could collect himself. She looked up at him with disappointment and immediately leaned in to suck him some more. Although Clint wanted to make the moment last as long as possible, it felt too good for him to force her away.

  Somehow, he managed to keep control of himself as Leah bobbed back and forth to suck him like a stick of candy. When he eased her back again, Clint kept hold of her and moved her toward the bed.

  Leah tugged at the ribbons and buttons holding her clothes in place and almost tore her dress to get it off. Clint wasn’t able to hold back as much and did rip her dress at the shoulder in his haste to get it off of her. Hearing the sound of tearing fabric brought a fire into Leah’s eyes. She moaned loudly the moment she felt his hands upon her bare breasts, and she reached down to stroke his cock as Clint ran his tongue along the bare skin of her neck and breasts.

  Rather than take the time to lay down on the bed and allow Clint to climb on top of her, Leah sat on the comer of the mattress and spread her legs. She used one hand to ease herself open and another hand to guide Clint’s rigid penis between the moist lips of her pussy.

  She was warm and wet, allowing Clint to glide into her smoothly. Clint stood up with his clothes hanging off of him, using both hands to cup Leah’s backside and lift her up to him. Leah leaned back and moaned as Clint entered her. She wriggled in his hands and clenched her eyes tightly shut as every inch of his erection was driven into her.

  Clint closed his eyes for a moment, just to let the pleasure he felt wash over him. He didn’t want to keep them closed for too long, however. The sight of Leah arching her back and slowly grinding her hips against him was simply too good to miss.

  Her naked skin had the color and texture of freshly spilled cream. Her nipples were a soft pink, and there was also a light splash of freckles here and there along her upper body. A tight, yet curved belly rose and fell with every one of her excited breaths. Clint even pumped into her harder a few times just to see Leah’s reaction. She pulled in a breath and smiled as her pussy tightened around him.

  The downy hair between her legs was a perfect match for the red hair on her head. That made her skin look even paler by comparison and made Clint want to get a closer look for himself. He pulled out and bent down to run his tongue between her legs. Leah let out a surprised yelp and then reached down to grab a handful of his hair.

  “You surprised me,” she whispered.

  Clint looked up and asked, “You want me to stop?”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  Clint licked her until Leah was begging for him to get back inside of her, Rather than pick up right where they’d left off, Clint straightened up and took her hips in both hands. She followed his direction instinctually and flipped over so she was on all fours with her knees on the edge of the mattress.

  Looking over her shoulder, Leah watched Clint carefully as she lowered her chest to the mattress and lifted her backside. She kept watching as Clint settled in behind her and started pumping into her from behind.

  Clint’s hand fit perfectly on her hips. From that angle, he could feel her wriggling and squirming with every thrust, while also being able to hold onto her and keep her from moving too much. Clint buried himself deep into her. By pulling her closer to him, he was able to go a little deeper and drive Leah into a powerful orgasm.

  As soon as her climax had passed, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and gripped onto the blankets as Clint kept thrusting. As his own climax approached, Clint could feel her tensing and trembling with her second. They finished together, and Clint had to fall onto the bed since his legs were too weak to hold him up any longer.

  “Oh my God,” Leah gasped. “There’s no way I’m going to wait another month for that.”

  “I feel stupid for waiting more than a few days.”

  Her hand drifted along his chest, but she didn’t move another muscle. One of Leah’s legs was hanging off the side of the bed, and her hair spilled along her back as well as the mattress.

  Clint closed his eyes to let the tingling in his body run its course. He’d worked up enough of a sweat that the slight breeze coming in through the cracked window cooled him down. Downstairs, the show was just getting under way and was announced amid a raucous piano melody.

  “Damn,” Clint whispered.

  “You don’t like that music?” Leah asked.

  “Not that. Someone’s coming.”

  Leah lifted her head and waited before dropping it back down again. “I don’t hear anything.”

  But Clint was already pulling his clothes back on and searching for his boots. “You will.”

  Sure enough, the sound of footsteps drew
closer to the door and was quickly followed by a knock that echoed through the entire room. Clint opened the door just enough to look outside and found the bartender anxiously staring back at him.

  “There’s a one-eyed man downstairs askin’ for you, Marshal.”

  TEN

  The bartender was obviously afraid of the one-eyed man in question. Of course, Ed Beene had that effect on most people. He wasn’t a big man and even had a build that was slightly skinnier than average. He wasn’t especially tall, either, but he looked like someone who’d been through hell more times than he could count and wasn’t welcome back.

  Ed wore a battered duster that had collected so much dirt while hanging on Ed’s wiry frame that it was almost black. There were bullet holes scattered throughout the back of the coat, which had more than likely been answered by the modified .44 Smith & Wesson revolver holstered at his side.

  Long, stringy black hair hung down from the squat, wide-brimmed hat upon Ed’s head. When he turned around, he displayed a smile that looked both evil and friendly at the same time. His left eye was bloodshot and his right one was covered by a leather patch.

  “Clint Adams!” Ed snarled. “If you kept me waiting, I was gonna tear this place down!”

  Unable to keep the smirk from his face, Clint extended a hand and said, “I know, Ed. That’s why I came down so fast.”

  Ed’s grip was as strong as a trap that wasn’t about to let go of the animal it had caught. “Knowin’ you, you were probably up there with a pretty little lady.”

  “Well, actually...”

  “Are you shitting me?” Once he saw Clint shrug, Ed turned around and picked up his glass of whiskey from the bar. He raised it in a toast without easing up on his ironclad handshake. “Here’s to ya!”

  Clint waited until Ed had downed his whiskey before pulling free of his grip. “How long have you been in town?”

  “Just got here.”

  “I take it you’ve got some news?”

  Ed held Clint’s gaze for a few seconds and then chuckled under his breath. Slapping the bar, he said, “A beer for my friend, here! He’s gonna need it.”

  “Just tell me what you need to tell me, Ed.”

  “It’s always better to have a drink when you get good news.”

  Knowing it would have been useless to argue, Clint nodded to the bartender and accepted the beer. He lifted the mug, took a sip and then set it down again. “All right,” Clint said. “I’ve had my drink. Now I’ll have my good news to go along with it.”

  “I found that asshole you were after.”

  Clint nodded and let out the breath he’d been holding. “That’s what I was hoping to hear. Where is he?”

  Ed shifted so he was leaning with both elbows against the edge of the bar. Shaking his head, he said, “I still don’t see why you didn’t take after him your own self.”

  “I had other obligations.”

  “Like that fucking thing pinned to yer shirt?”

  Anyone who’d spent a second in the same room as Ed Beene wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to know that he wasn’t too fond of lawmen. As he’d said that last sentence, he glanced over at Clint as if he was about to throw the beer he’d just bought into his face.

  “I would have gone after him if I didn’t think I could get ahold of someone even more talented at tracking than I am,” Clint said. “You were bound for Labyrinth just like I was, so don’t start complaining about going out of your way. Besides, I’m paying you, aren’t I?”

  “I ain’t gonna accept no fee from you,” Ed grunted. “At least, not the whole fee. I just wanna hear why you’d take a job as some asshole law dog of a pisshole town like this one.”

  Clint let out a weary sigh and took a long pull from his beer. Finally, he said, “I lost the trail, all right?”

  “Go on.”

  “I didn’t even really pick up a trail, if you need to know. I hoped someone else might have some luck, so I sent for a real tracker. The marshal of this town was wounded, and he wanted me to look after things while he was getting better.”

  “Awww,” Ed said. “Ain’t that sweet.”

  “You’re a real ass sometimes, you know that?”

  Ed lifted his glass again and said, “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Now tell me where you found Brewer before I arrest you for public intoxication.”

  “You’d do that?”

  The look in Clint’s eye left no room for doubt.

  Once the bartender had refilled his glass, Ed reported, “I heard about what happened to ol’ Chuckie not far from here.”

  “You’re friends with Chuck Brewer?” Clint asked.

  “Nah. I just keep appraised of men like that because it’s my job. I been hired a few times to track him down for other crimes, but I could never get to him fast enough to cash in. Rich folks and railroad companies don’t have the patience to hunt down a man like him. After a while, they’d rather stop paying me and hope Brewer don’t come sniffing around their interests no more.”

  Turning one half of his mouth up into a crooked grin, Ed added, “But I did piece together some things after all those times I was hired on to hunt the man.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like where he’s probably headed, for one. The only problem is that he’s dug in deeper than an Alabama tick.”

  “That’s fine,” Clint said. “I don’t mind doing a little digging.”

  “I know you don’t, but all the digging in the world won’t get you to him if you don’t know another way to get to him.”

  “Why do I need another way?”

  Ed gnashed his teeth together and stared at the bar as if he was willing it to burn. “Brewer’s got a special spot he favors that’s just over the border in Old Mexico. The locals treat him like the goddamn mayor, and the only trail that I know of to get there is guarded so well that a dog couldn’t crawl through on his belly without someone seeing and reporting back to Brewer.”

  “This isn’t the good news I was expecting,” Clint groaned.

  “There may be a way to get to him, but I just don’t know about it. You see, I only pieced this together after lots of—”

  “I know,” Clint interrupted. “You mentioned that already.”

  Ed kept his smile intact as he looked around and then leaned in so he could speak without anyone but Clint listening in. “I said I didn’t know about it. That don’t mean there ain’t someone who does know.”

  Sifting through Ed’s poor grammar, Clint finally asked, “Are you saying there’s someone who knows a better way in?”

  Ed nodded. “His name’s Rand Liddell.”

  “You know where I can find him?”

  Ed nodded again, and his smile widened into something that would put anyone off their lunch. “He’s locked up in Callahan.”

  “You mean Callahan State Prison?”

  “That’s the one. Right over in Louisiana. Got a real nice view of a swamp.”

  “Any chance of getting in to visit him?” Clint asked.

  “Maybe, but I doubt he’d be willing to cooperate since there’s no way in hell he’d be let out of that cage of his. He might be more friendly if we did something nice by way of showing him we mean business.”

  “How nice?”

  Ed raised his eyebrows and replied, “We could break him outta there.”

  ELEVEN

  The conversation hadn’t gone on much longer after that. Clint excused himself and went back up to his room, chalking up what Ed had said as coming from too much whiskey. The one-eyed tracker had slapped Clint on the shoulder, bought the rest of the bottle he’d been working on and stumbled off to find a cathouse.

  The next morning, Clint woke up to the sound of a poker game going bad, and he threw his gun around his waist just in time to race down the stairs to break up the ensuing fight. Not even that, combined with his complimentary steak and runny eggs, could get Ed’s suggestion out of Clint’s head.

  Clint was still thinkin
g about it when he was flipping through the newspaper while sitting just outside the marshal’s office. Leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, he paid some attention to the printed words while wondering if he’d made a bad decision in hiring Ed in the first place. Before he could come to a conclusion on that subject, he heard a series of heavy thumps against the boardwalk accompanied by lighter taps.

  Looking over toward the source of the sounds, Clint jumped to his feet and said, “Jesus, Marshal, what are you doing here?”

  Graham was dressed as smartly as ever and even did his best to stand up straight despite the obvious pain that it caused. He walked with a severe limp and might have fallen over if not for the cane in his right hand. “This is still my office, Adams. I don’t need a reason to be here.”

  “Last I heard, you needed a good reason to step foot out of your house.”

  “Doc Salazar does run a tight ship, but I think I know myself better than he does.”

  Clint stood beside the marshal and offered to help the Englishman make it the rest of the way to the office. That help was soundly refused in the form of a quick back-handed swipe.

  “I’ve made it this far,” Graham said as he turned to lower himself into the chair beside the front door. “I can make it another couple of steps.” After settling into the chair, Graham let out a haggard breath and held his cane in a looser grip. “I hear you’ve been keeping things under control.”

  “This isn’t exactly Dodge City.”

  “Still, there are challenges to every job.”

  The first challenge that sprang into Clint’s mind was staying awake while sitting behind Graham’s desk, but he didn’t mention that one. Instead, he brought a chair out so he could sit on the boardwalk next to the Englishman. “I kept your seat warm,” Clint said, “but you’re welcome to it as soon as you’re able.”

  “What about the prisoners?”

  “I handed them over to some lawmen from Dallas. Those rustlers were already wanted for thinning out the herds of some very powerful men.”

  Graham scowled. “After all the trouble we went through to catch them, I would have liked to hold the trial closer to Sailsby.”