An Agent for Camille by Parker J Cole

Author:Parker J Cole [Cole, Parker J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

“This fella’s sure got a strange name, dontcha think, Crawley?” The man everyone called Pinky, short and rotund man with thick lips and a double chin, leaned back in his chair. “Ain’t never heard of it before.”

Rounder threw two chips into the pile in the center of the table. “You gonna talk or ya gonna play?”

Pinky let out a rusty laugh, his chins jigging against the tight collar of his throat. He pushed back his sweat stained hat from his forehead. “Fella with a name like that…sounds strange.”

Rounder had questions of his own as he peered through the cigar smoke wafting around the table. The man’s middle finger was missing so why on earth did everyone call him Pinky? A moment later, Rounder silently answered his own question: what would you call a man missing his middle finger? Unfortunate?

“Go ahead and make yer play, Pinky.” Crawley, the man sitting directly across from him, turned and spat tobacco juice into the nearby spittoon. “We ain’t got all day.” A shank of hair fell across his right eye, obscuring it. A long, ragged scar ran down the side of his face, bisecting his left eyebrow.

“Aw, Crawley, we got all the time in the world.” Pinky tossed two chips into the pot. “Ain’t like we got nothin’ else to do but wait. Sticks got family here, don’t he?”

“Shut up and play, Pinky.”

“All right, all right. Call.”

The obvious dissatisfaction in Pinky’s tone gave credence to Rounder’s suspicions. These ruffians were indeed holed up here in Lantern for a specific reason. And what was it about Sticks having family here?

“Whatever Crawley sez, goes, Pinky. Ya got that?”

That would be Larry, one of the twins the sheriff had mentioned. Larry had a copious amount of hair. Barry didn’t.

“Simmer down, Larry.” Pinky snorted. “I ain’t bein’ disrespectful. We all know Crawley’s the smart one here.” Rounder noted a look pass between him and Crawley. “What you gonna do?”

Larry grumbled incoherently as he tossed two chips to the growing pile.

Pinky shook his head and then jutted his chin out in the direction of the silent man by Larry’s side. “Sticks, what ya got?”

The tall, skinny man folded. More than once, Rounder saw the man’s gaze wander over to the saloon girls that sashayed back and forth. Nothing in his expression revealed much but the intensity of his regard made Rounder remember Honor’s warning. He was glad he’d made Camille promise to not show up here.

It didn’t take much to know that these ruffians were predators. Of all the men at the table, Sticks had the potential to be the most lethal. How Rounder knew that, he wasn’t quite sure, but his instincts screamed to keep a close eye on the silent man.

“Barry,” Crawley drawled.

“I gots me a good hand here so I’m raisin’ ya.” Barry threw four chips and then another, a little smile twisting his lip. Unlike his brother who hadn’t smiled in the entire time they’d play the game, Barry smiled as if they were all apart of some jest.

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