Free Red River Showdown by J. R. Roberts

moved away from his gun and was now occupied with the game of solitaire he’d been playing before Dench’s arrival. He had a full head of thick, black hair which hung around his face as if every strand was arranged as intricately as the clothes he wore.
    An expensive silk suit was draped perfectly over broad shoulders and came complete with every accessory money could buy. Gold cuff links, a gold watch and a gold tie tack all matched one another perfectly. There were a few scars on his face, but even those seemed to be there to make him look a bit more dashing.
    â€œI didn’t set up this trip,” the handsome man said. “And I don’t appreciate my employees calling me by my common name.”
    Dench’s first impulse was to turn away from the door with a disgusted sneer etched onto his face. His hand even started to move toward the knife tucked under his belt, but he stopped once he got a better look at the man seated in front of him.
    Even though he hadn’t moved more than a few muscles, the well-dressed man had made a slight shift in his manner that made him look less like a gentleman and more like a killer.
    After a few seconds of staring death in the face, Dench said, “I just don’t see why I had to stow away, Mr. Solomon.”
    Solomon nodded slowly and looked back down at his cards. “You’re a wanted man.”
    â€œSo are you.”
    â€œYes, but I conduct my business discreetly, whereas you tend to cause a commotion. Case in point, your entrance onto this boat, which was supposed to be nice and quiet.”
    â€œIt woulda been plenty quiet if I could’ve just kept my head down and walked on.”
    Letting out a heavy sigh, Solomon started to set down the remainder of the deck of cards in his hand. Halfway through the motion, he wound up slamming down the cards with enough force to shake up the ones that had already been laid down. “I told you before, I didn’t set this whole thing up. I steered a few choice people here and arranged for this to be an accommodating place for us to do our business.”
    â€œAnyone that matters knows you’re here. All you gotta do is snap yer fingers and I coulda—”
    â€œI swear to Christ if you mention having to stow away one more time, I’ll kill you where you stand. There’s enough noise on this tub without you yelling about this stupid shit.”
    Solomon kept his eye on Dench for a few more seconds, until it became clear that Dench wasn’t going to push it any further.
    â€œDidn’t I tell you there might be some undesirables on board?” Solomon asked in a somewhat soothing tone.
    â€œYou mean the law?”
    â€œThat’s precisely what I mean.”
    â€œI thought you were gonna find out about that before this boat even got moving.”
    Solomon looked down at the table in front of him and began meticulously putting every card exactly where it was supposed to be. “There were some men on the job, but they haven’t reported back. We couldn’t wait too long for them, so we had to cast off, set sail or whatever the hell else you call it once those damnable paddles start slapping against the water.”
    Now, Dench took another look out the door. When he closed it this time, he did so very carefully. “How’d the law hear about this?”
    â€œThe men we’re after aren’t exactly unknown to the authorities. They could have been followed or they could have alerted them themselves if they caught wind that I might be here. That’s why I couldn’t risk you being seen in those few moments when it would have been easiest for someone to turn around and walk straight off this boat.”
    Reluctantly, Dench said, “I guess that makes sense.”
    â€œNow what happened to you? It looks as if you ran into some trouble.”
    â€œSomeone caught sight of me when I was trying to get out of the goddamn laundry room. I thought I was