Free Sweet Silken Bondage by Bobbi Smith

here?"

    "Mr. Cordell" Luis responded with a cool smile.
"I'm glad to see you finally made it back. I've been
waiting for some time to speak with you, and I was
beginning to wonder if you were going to return."
    "Oh, really?" he drawled sarcastically, not believing
the gall of the man.
    "Yes, I understand you and your partner ran into a
little trouble with the law last night."
    "What do you know about it?"
    "Why, nothing, nothing at all. Frenchie, I believe
her name was, told me what had happened, that's all."
    "Look, Alvarez, why are you here?" Clay demanded, resenting his intrusion and wanting to get
rid of him. "What do you want?"
    "I'm here because I wanted to repeat my offer to
you, Mr. Cordell. I want to hire you to find my
daughter."
    "And I told you before that I'm still not interested in
your deal. Now, go on and get out of here." Clay's
concern for Dev was foremost in his mind, and he
wondered in annoyance if this man would ever give
up. He had refused his business proposition point
blank. He'd told him that he didn't want anything to
do with chasing down his errant daughter, and yet
here he was, back again.
    Luis smiled even wider. "Ali, but Mr. Cordell, I've
raised my offer again."
    "I said I wasn't interested - not at any price!" Clay
just wished the man would leave and let him get on
with what he had to do. He had to concentrate on
getting Dev out of that jail cell.
    "Not even to save the life of your friend?"
    Clay went completely still at the question, and he
slowly raised his gaze to meet the .Californio's. "What
are you talking about?"
    "I'm talking about Mr. O'Keefe. I understand he's
been arrested for murder."

    "Yes, so?"
    "So, perhaps there's something I can do to help you.
I am not without influence here in Monterey, you
know."
    "Sorry, Alvarez. I'm not interested in bribing anyone. Dev is innocent, and all I have to do is prove it."
    "Ali, but Mr. Cordell, Pedro Santana had a lot of
friends here in town, and vigilantes have been known
to storm jails and wreak their own type of justice.
Who knows if your friend O'Keefe will stay alive long
enough for you to prove that innocence?"
    "Why you..." The implication of his words infuriated Clay, and he took a menacing step toward Luis.
    Luis held up one well-manicured hand to stop him
as he dictated with a steely calm, "I wouldn't if I were
you, Cordell." He waited to continue until he was
certain the bounty hunter had his fierce temper under
control. When he spoke again, it was in a conversational tone, "I think it's a more than fair exchange,
don't you? My daughter returned for the life of your
friend."
    "You set this up, you no-good, son-of-a-"
    "As it is now," Luis interrupted his tirade, "all the
evidence against O'Keefe is circumstantial. As long as
it stays that way, I'm sure hell be safe enough in jail.
Of course, should you refuse to take my job offer,
there's no telling what other evidence might unexpectedly turn up against him."
    Clay was holding himself under rigid control as he
ground out the words, "I want Dev out of that cell
today!"
    The Californio's smile turned cruel. "Sorry, Cordell.
No deal. He stays put until you get back with my
daughter. Once Reina's home with me, I'll see that
your friend is cleared of all charges and released. Until
then, he stays right where he is. He's my insurance,
you see." He watched the growing anger and frustration mirrored in Clay's eyes and was pleased. "Of course, if you're not interested in taking on the job-"
Luis enjoyed power-plays, and after the way this
gringo had talked to him previously, he was taking
great pleasure in making him crawl a bit. He started
to leave the room.

    Clay was trapped, and he knew it. It enraged him
that he was helpless to do anything more to free Dev,
but Alvarez seemed to be holding all the aces. In
temporary defeat, he demanded, "What do you want
me to do?"
    Luis's thin lips curved triumphantly. "I have here a
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