Free Lone Star 05 by Wesley Ellis Page A

felt the layers of grit fall away into the soapy water. And the sound of Jessie’s voice lulled him into contentment. He also felt the first stirrings of an erection as they talked, but he fought it. That would come, if at all, later.
    Her first cursory search through the diary did not yield Mueller’s name or connection. She put it aside to look at again later. She turned her attention to the man on the other side of the screen.
    â€œHow long have you been in town, Thad?” she asked.
    â€œAbout a week now,” he said. “And I wasn’t the first. Two other men, Fagan and McKittrick, bounty hunters like me, were here first. And just the other day those two detectives showed up. I don’t know when the marshal got here, but he didn’t show his face on the street until a few days ago. Have you run into the detectives?”
    â€œNo, but Marshal Scott has told me about them.”
    â€œYeah. They could get themselves killed. Asking too many questions and offending the wrong people. I believe in keeping my bu—my head down in my work. That way I don’t get my nose shot off before its time.”
    â€œSo tell me,” Jessie said, “how serious are you about collecting the rewards for the Starbuck boy? I mean, are you and the others thinking about breaking him out and carrying him back to the law in another territory?”
    â€œWe’ve talked about it. After we decided not to carve each other up. But the problem is he’s wanted in so many places. It’d almost be better, from a bounty hunter’s point of view, to kill him and then present proof of his death to all the folks who want him, dead or alive. And to do that, yeah, we need to bust him out, get our hands on him.”
    Jessie was silent for a moment. “You said you’ve talked about it. But you haven’t made any plans to do so?”
    â€œNope.” He took a sip of the whiskey, and it burned its way down his dry throat. He ran his hand over his stubbly chin and neck. After he was finished bathing, he’d shave. Then he would really feel like a new man.
    â€œIf the others decided to break him out and then kill him, would you go along, Thad?”
    The question came at him like a bolt of lightning. He didn’t know the answer—and that disturbed him. A man in his profession should be prepared to kill in a second if it meant his own life or a few extra dollars. Those were the hard facts. A man who wasn’t willing to accept them was better off finding himself another business. Thad was unwilling to accept the fact that he would join the others in breaking out the kid, only to wind up killing him. Jessie must have sensed this weak point in him—which was why she was pressing him on it now.
    â€œI don’t know, Jessie,” he said frankly.
    â€œNow that you know I want to prove he’s not my brother—wouldn’t that make a difference?”
    â€œHell yes, it would,” he replied, exasperated. “What do you want me to say, Jessie? I don’t like doing what I do for a living, but what else is there for me? I’ve tried everything from punching cattle to gambling to law work. Did I tell you I was a deputy for a month once? It was down in New Mexico Territory. A little border town. I was just about as broke as I am now, so I couldn’t turn it down. But when some tequila-mad bandidos blasted the marshal, my boss, to bits, I turned in my badge. They still owe me a month’s pay.”
    â€œDon’t change the subject, Thad.” Her voice was closer, right over his shoulder.
    He looked up. Jessie stood there with her hands planted on her hips, her shapely legs in a wide stance. She was not smiling.
    â€œFor Christ’s sake, don’t look at me like that. All right, I promise not to have anything to do with a plan to spring the kid. In fact, I’ll tell Fagan and McKittrick to call off the whole thing and go ‘home. It’s