Shadow Walker Read online

  The brunette with the ample curves took hold of Clint’s hand and guided it between her legs. “If you’re looking for a piece,” she whispered, “I’ve got one for you right here.”

  “Believe me,” Clint said as he positioned himself so the brunette could only get ahold of his leg, “the man I’m asking about is someone you’ll want me to catch.”

  “You’re a bounty hunter?”

  “Ooo,” the slender one said. “I like bounty hunters.”

  “I’m after a man named Coltraine,” Clint said before any more women could descend on him. “Any of you ladies heard of him?”

  Clint could tell he’d struck a chord with every single woman close enough to hear him. Two of the three that were nearest to him lowered their eyes and started easing back. The one who stayed put was the busty brunette, but she suddenly wasn’t so talkative.

  Of course, one reason for the silence in the room might have been the appearance of a wiry old man who looked more like a tattered scarecrow than anything that should be up and moving on its own.

  “You wanna pull his tallywacker before he pays, then I’ll still expect my percentage,” the old man squawked as he gripped onto the doorway connecting the front room to a study. “Even if it comes out of your own pockets, I’ll still get my percentage!”

  “I know, Silas,” the brunette said. “How could I forget?”

  Squinting at her like a bird contemplating when to pluck an eye from its socket, Silas quickly shifted his gaze to Clint. Some of his white hair was plastered down, while other pieces of it stuck out at odd angles from his speckled scalp. “This here’s a place of business. You pick out someone you like and have yer fun. No free samples!”

  “I’m not trying to get anything for free,” Clint said as he sensed more and more anger inside that bony old man. “I’m just—”

  “He was just about to come up to my room, Silas,” the brunette interrupted. “That is, unless you intend on scaring him off.”

  Silas stared at them both for another few seconds and finally let out a disgruntled sigh. Shuffling around, he went back to whatever he’d been doing in the next room.

  “Come on,” the brunette said as she took Clint by the hand. “Let’s get some privacy.”

  The Peacock’s Feather was set up like a lavishly furnished home, complete with pictures on the walls and doilies on the tables. Like most houses of its kind, this one didn’t hold up too well under close scrutiny. The pictures were all of various women in various stages of undress and it was plain to see that the only rooms used for more than show were the ones upstairs.

  On the way up to one of those rooms, Clint asked, “Is that the man I need to talk to?”

  “That’s the man you were asking for,” she corrected, “but I’m the one you need to talk to. You can call me Maddie.”

  “Do you know something about Co—”

  For the second time since he’d arrived, Clint was cut off by Maddie. This time, she reached up to place her hand on his mouth while she glanced back in the direction from which they’d come. Suddenly, she took her hand away and planted a kiss on Clint’s lips that truly curled his toes inside his boots.

  Clint was so surprised that his eyes actually opened wider the longer she kissed him. That was how he was able to see Silas peeking out from the next room at them.

  When Maddie started whispering to him, Clint could feel every movement of her lips against his own. “Silas won’t like anyone asking about Coltraine, so unless you want to shoot that old man before he shoots you, come with me and look like you’re happy about it.”

  Clint put on a smile and wrapped his arm around Maddie so she could lead him to her room. When he looked back again, Silas was still watching.

  FIFTEEN

  “Good Lord, these rooms are all starting to look the same,” Clint groaned.

  Maddie locked the door and set the key on top of a small table. “Visit a lot of cathouses, do ya?”

  “Normally, I’d say no. Lately, I can’t seem to get away from them.”

  Stepping in front of Clint, Maddie unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her fingers along his bare skin. “You don’t look like the sort who would have to pay to catch a woman’s eye.”

  Clint placed his hands on top of hers to keep her from undressing him any further. “If you’ve got something to say about Coltraine, just say it.”

  She put on an exaggerated frown and threw in a pouting lip to boot. “You sure you don’t want to give this bed something to creak about?”

  “That’s beside the point. I came to talk about Coltraine and if you don’t start talking, I’ll march out of here and tell your boss how you duped me into coming up here.”

  She shrugged and kept trying to ease her fingers deeper underneath Clint’s shirt.

  “Then,” he added, “I’ll be sure to tell him that I got away without paying.”

  Finally, Maddie pulled her hands away and moved to the only chair in the room. After placing the chair quietly next to the little square window, she said, “You wouldn’t do that. I can spot an asshole a mile away and you’re not one.”

  Clint took a breath and let it out in frustration. “Great. This has been a waste of time.”

  “Coltraine was here two weeks ago,” Maddie announced.

  “Was he alone?”

  “He’s never alone. He brought an Indian along as always, but not one of the Indians from around here.”

  “You know that for certain?” Clint asked.

  Maddie laughed once and nodded. “This town’s a stone’s throw from two Shoshone villages. It helps to know your neighbors.”

  “What was Coltraine here for?”

  “Same thing as always. He wanted Silas to hand over one of the girls and that old piece of shit was more than willing to comply.”

  “Does he always hand over a woman when Coltraine comes around asking for one?”

  “Nope. Sometimes he hands over two. It never really bothers him, though, because they’re usually fresh off a train or lost on their way to Cheyenne.”

  “We’re a long ways from Cheyenne,” Clint pointed out.

  Maddie nodded. “They’re really lost.”

  “How often does he come around?”

  “Maybe once every couple of months. No more than twice in that amount of time, though.”

  “And you’re sure about this?” Clint asked.

  “I’ve been working here for three years. Silas may be a crusty old buzzard, but he’s not dumb enough to get rid of one of his top earners. Besides, I’ve been helping him balance the books ever since his eyes started to go. That’s why he doesn’t trust me.”

  After his brief time in the old man’s company, Clint had an easier time swallowing that odd bit of logic. Before he could ask another question, Clint saw her hold up a finger and point toward the door. Suddenly, Maddie let out a loud moan that sounded as if she were having the time of her life.

  “He’ll come knocking if he doesn’t think we’re conducting business in here,” Maddie said softly.

  “I’m looking for Coltraine and one of the women he took from Markton.”

  “If you find him, you might have more than one woman who’s ready to leave.”

  “How many do you think there might be?”

  “I don’t know his schedule or how many places he hits on each trip,” Maddie admitted. “But I do know he hits a lot of places in all. If someone is doing something about it, I’m willing to help. Unfortunately, Silas likes his arrangement with Coltraine, which is why I brought you up here to talk. Odds are Silas would find some way to get word to Coltraine if he knew you were after him. I figure, you being the Gunsmith and all, that you’re the best bet we’ve got.”

  “You know me?”

  “Sure,” Maddie replied. “One of the new girls used to work at the Cherry Blossom and she told us all about how Sal hired you on to protect his girls. I always did like Sal. Anyway, all I can tell you is that Coltraine always passes through Fort Marsden just
south of the Montana border.”

  “Fort Marsden?”

  “It’s more of a trading post, but a few soldiers have set up shop of their own. They take money to escort folks through Indian country, but I’m sure they’re up to plenty more than that.”

  “And how did you come by this information?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve spent a few springtimes earning some extra money by providing some of those boys company. Silas had that one worked out way before I started working here. I happened to be working when Coltraine was carting some of his stolen girls north to the Crow.”

  “So the Crow Indians are working with him?”

  “I wouldn’t think all of them are, but there’s sure a few. I know the ones Coltraine rides with are Crow.”

  Clint’s head swam with all the new information he was being given. The feeling reminded him of the old warning to beware what you wish for, because you might just get it. “How many others are there besides Coltraine?”

  “I couldn’t tell you,” Maddie said regretfully. “I know that he travels with one Indian when he makes his rounds, but it’s rarely the same one twice in a row.”

  “Is there anyone who might know the answer?”

  “There’s a supply sergeant named Bray who would know plenty about Coltraine’s comings and goings. He’s stationed at Fort Marsden and you should have some time to get there since Coltraine is off collecting a few more girls before heading back north.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I make it my business to know, just in case someone finally decides to do something about it.”

  Suddenly, someone rapped on the door as if they were trying to crack the boards.

  “Open this door,” Silas squawked from the hall.

  “Jesus Christ,” Clint whispered. “Does he keep such a close eye on everyone you bring up here?”

  “He gets jumpy around the time when Coltraine is around,” she explained.

  “How jumpy?”

  “Jumpy enough to keep a pistol on him when he goes to the outhouse and jumpy enough to kill someone who he thinks might spoil his deal with Coltraine or send him to jail for it.”

  The knocking came again, followed by Silas’s grating voice. “That’s the gunfighter from Sal’s place. I know it is! Open up!” After a half second of silence, there came the metallic scraping of a key moving in the door’s lock.

  SIXTEEN

  After fumbling with the key, Silas pushed open the door with one hand. His other hand was wrapped around an old Smith & Wesson revolver that looked as if it weighed more than he did. His eyes were flaring and he bared his teeth like a mongoose looking for something to bite.

  “If you’re up here spreading lies about . . .” Silas stopped himself in midsentence when he finally stepped into the room. The old man’s eyes snapped open a bit when he got a look at Clint and Maddie.

  Clint was sitting on the edge of the bed and Maddie was on her knees between his legs. Her head was in his lap and both of her hands were sliding up and down Clint’s thighs. Slowly, Maddie raised her head and looked over her shoulder.

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Clint snarled.

  Looking around as if the room were big enough to host another group of conspirators, Silas mumbled, “Oh, I thought that there was . . . that you two would be . . .”

  “What did you think I came here for?” Clint asked. “To have a gun pointed at me by some crazy old fool?”

  Silas lowered the pistol as if he’d forgotten it was in his hand. Squinting at Clint, he said, “Sorry about that. I must have thought you were someone else.”

  So far, Maddie was enjoying watching the show. Turning just enough for Silas to catch a glimpse of her stroking Clint’s erection, she asked, “Should I leave you two alone or can we get back to what we were doing?”

  Some of the fire returned to Silas’s eyes, but that wasn’t nearly enough to overpower the glare he was getting from Clint. “My apologies,” Silas said, while backing away and bumping against the door frame in the process. “I’ll go.”

  Not only did Silas pull the door shut, but he took the time to fumble with the key some more so he could lock it, as well. After that, the sound of his footsteps rattled through the air as he rushed back down the stairs.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so flustered,” Maddie said. “That was one hell of a sight.”

  “Quick thinking on your part. I wasn’t looking forward to gunning down a frail old man today.” Clint started to get up, but Maddie wasn’t about to move. “Do you think he’ll be coming back?”

  She smiled and shook her head, then slowly brushed her lips back and forth against the tip of his penis. “He’ll be watching for us to come down the stairs, but he won’t be barging in on us.”

  “Then you don’t have to—”

  “No,” she said as she slid him into her mouth and out again, “but I want to.”

  Clint tried to maintain his focus on the task at hand since Maddie had already proven to be so helpful. “So . . . Coltraine is probably getting women and trading them to another tribe.”

  Maddie nodded just enough for her mouth to rub against him at a slightly different angle. She kept one hand moving up and down over Clint’s stomach while the other rested in his lap. When she slid her lips down his cock again, she ran her tongue along the bottom of it.

  As the pleasure rushed through him, Clint leaned back on his elbows and pulled in a deep breath. The more she sucked on him, the harder it was for him to remember any other reason for him to be there. Finally, he asked, “Is there anything else . . . you can tell me?”

  Although Maddie let him slip from her mouth, she kept her lips less than inch from his stiff cock and her hands moving up and down along its length. “I’ve told you all I know. If there’s anything else, I’m sure it’ll come to me if I take a few moments to think.”

  Her lips immediately closed around the tip of his cock while her hand vigorously stroked him. The moment she took her hand away, she lowered her head all the way down until every last inch of him slid down her throat. Maddie curled the tip of her tongue as she eased her head back up again, sending a chill through Clint’s entire body in the process.

  “I figure this is the least I can do for a man who’s out to put down a mangy dog like Coltraine,” Maddie whispered. “If there’s anything else I can do, you just tell me.”

  Clint sat up so he could run his fingers through Maddie’s hair. “I want to get moving as soon as I can before those girls are lost for good.”

  “Fort Marsden is only a hard day’s ride from here. You should be able to make it before Coltraine manages to get there.”

  “And I guess it wouldn’t look right if we came down the stairs right away,” Clint said. “With Silas watching and all.”

  “That’s right.” With that, Maddie placed her lips around Clint’s hard cock and slid them all the way down. Her head bobbed up and down faster and faster. She only slowed when she felt Clint’s hand press against the back of her head. From there, she eased up so she could give him something he wouldn’t soon forget.

  SEVENTEEN

  When Maddie had told him Fort Marsden was a hard day’s ride away, Clint figured he’d leave Silver City as soon as possible. Once his legs were steady enough to walk again, he left Maddie’s room and headed downstairs for the front door. Sure enough, Silas was watching from the other room and muttered something under his breath when Clint tipped his hat and left.

  Eclipse was waiting outside and responded eagerly when Clint climbed into the saddle and flicked the reins. The stallion tore through town and seemed anxious to break into a run. Once Clint found the trail headed north, he touched his heels to Eclipse’s sides and gave the stallion exactly what he’d been waiting for.

  In no time at all, Eclipse had built up a head of steam that made Clint feel more like he was flying than riding. The directions Maddie had given him were simple enough and every one of the landmarks sh
e’d mentioned were right where they should be. Considering how accommodating she’d been and that she was among the women who were being threatened, Clint had no reason to think she was lying to him. Even so, he kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of an ambush.

  Not only was there no ambush, but Clint caught first sight of the fort by early evening. When he saw it, he pulled back on the reins and brought Eclipse to a stop. Clint took a spyglass from his saddlebag, peered through the lenses and nodded to himself.

  “Sure looks like a fort to me,” Clint said under his breath. “Not a very impressive one, but a fort all the same.”

  He climbed down from his saddle and took a moment to stretch his legs. After taking a few sips from his canteen, he cupped his hand to pour some of the water into it. “I guess when she said it was a hard day’s ride away,” he said as he held the water under Eclipse’s mouth, “she was talking about a stagecoach ride.”

  As the Darley Arabian lapped up the water and nudged him for more, Clint did some quick figuring in his head.

  While giving the stallion another helping of water, Clint nodded again. “Yep. That would be about a day’s ride by stage and there’s no such thing as an easy day’s ride by stage.”

  When Eclipse stopped drinking, Clint took another sip for himself and put the canteen away. He considered camping outside for the night, just so he could be rested in the morning. Then again, if the fort was as Maddie described it, there may just be a much better alternative.

  When Clint approached the fort, he watched for the usual patrols and guards. There were no patrols and the post where a guard normally sat was occupied by a tired-looking man in a dirty uniform. Clint instinctively slowed when passing the post, but the man there didn’t even seem to notice him. Instead of vying for the guard’s attention, Clint moseyed through the open gates.

  Inside, the place had the vague structure of many other forts Clint had seen. There were small buildings around the perimeter and close to the wall, with larger structures in the middle. Unlike those other forts, however, this one had little to no military presence.