No Place For a Lady by Deb Stover

Author:Deb Stover
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2015-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Ray listened patiently while old Teddy told him Desperado was waiting by the creek, then asked Luther to stay with their hostage while he took care of business. He buckled on his holster and made sure his pistol was loaded before sliding it into place.

The bottom line was, Ray didn't trust Desperado. Hell, he didn't even know who Desperado was, and he wished like hell he could go back and undo the day he'd invited the man to join the Lovejoy Gang—not that it was much of a gang.

Desperado was more violent than all of Ray's men combined. Until the mysterious man had joined them, they hadn't killed a single man.

Now there were at least two dead, and the entire Lovejoy Gang could end up at the end of a rope because of this lone trigger-happy man. Stealing was one thing, but killing was another. Ray wasn't a killer, and he hadn't wanted that reputation. Now he had it, whether he'd pulled the trigger or not.

Hell, all he'd wanted out of this was enough money for a fresh start. He sighed and gnashed his teeth, wondering how and when he'd turned into a fool. Seemed every decision he'd made since Ma's death had been the worst possible thing.

That was about to change. Resolve settled in his gut and burned through him. Ray Lovejoy was finished being a fool. Now if he could just stay clear of the business end of a rope, he might manage to make something of the rest of his life.

He clenched and unclenched his fists as he approached the area where Desperado waited. Pausing beside the creek, Ray said, "It's about time you showed up."

Desperado and his fancy horse stepped from the shelter of several tall pines, and he flashed one of those smiles that never quite reached the man's eyes. "I'm here now, Lovejoy." Desperado held one hand out in front of him, examining his fingernails.

Ray suspected the only thing under Desperado's fingernails was other men's blood. He swallowed his anger and faced the man. "I told you I didn't want any bloodshed back there." His anger hummed just beneath the surface, threatening to overtake him at any moment. "There was no call for it. We had things under control without killing that passenger and the driver."

Desperado lifted one shoulder, a sneer marring his face. "I saw things different."

Ray drew a deep breath. He couldn't undo the damage—two men were dead and nothing would bring them back. But he wanted to make damned sure it didn't happen again. "This is my outfit. You do what I say while you work for me."

Desperado narrowed his eyes, but after a long pause, he nodded. "That's what I'm doing."

Ray resisted the urge to send the man on his way now—he needed information first. "Did you deliver the letter?"

"Done." Desperado examined the nails on his other hand.

"And...?"

"I slid it under the front door of that fancy house, just like you said."

Ray shoved his fingers through his hair. "Did Ballinger get the message?"

The shoulder lifted again.

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