The Lost Outlaw by Paul Fraser Collard

Author:Paul Fraser Collard [Collard, Paul Fraser]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781472239105
Amazon: 1472239113
Goodreads: 41882550
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2019-07-24T23:00:00+00:00

Jack lay back on the bed in the boarding house and savoured the sensation. After weeks of sleeping on nothing more than a bedroll, the moth-eaten and lumpy mattress on the iron bed frame felt wonderful. Not even the pervading odour of the room could spoil the moment, the potent mixture of piss and sweat the legacy of the thousand or more teamsters who had spent a night in the simply furnished room.

He had been lying there for no more than a minute when there was a knock at his door.

He laboured to his feet with a groan, the movement sending a spasm of pain shooting up and down the back of his legs. It was bad enough to make him pause, his hands moving to the pit of his spine.

A second knock followed the first.

‘For fuck’s sake, all right.’ He did not bother to hold back the cantankerous response. He wanted peace, just for a moment or two, yet already he was being disturbed. ‘What is it?’ he snapped as he slipped back the bolt then opened the door.

‘Well, that sure is a fine welcome.’ Kat stood there, her arms folded across her chest.

‘It’s all you’re going to get.’ Jack felt his crabbiness shift as he saw just who it was that had come to disturb him, yet he tried not to reveal it. ‘What do you want?’ He delivered the line deadpan, and was pleased with his choice of tone.

‘I wanted to speak with you for a moment.’

‘Well, here I am.’

‘I wanted to thank you for my pistol.’ Kat’s hand dropped to her left side, where she wore the long-barrelled Navy Volcanic. Her familiar Remington was on her right. The combination of weapons would allow her to fire off sixteen shots in a short space of time, firepower that was unheard of in a world of single-shot muskets and carbines and six-shot revolvers.

‘You did that already.’ Jack saw through the answer immediately. It was a poor attempt to divert the conversation away from her real reason for seeking him out. It also did precious little to distract him from the licentious thoughts that were beginning to rampage across his mind. He did not truly hold out hope that the thanks she wanted to deliver included pushing him back into the room so they could be alone, but just the notion was enough to shorten his breath and make his heart pump that little bit faster.

Kat stood there a moment without speaking. Then she took a step towards him before lowering her voice. ‘I wanted to warn you.’

‘About what?’

‘Vaughan.’

‘Go on.’ Jack forced himself to concentrate on her words. Now that she was closer, he had caught the faintest whiff of her scent. Against the stink of urine that emanated from his room, it was intoxicating.

‘You mustn’t trust him.’

‘I don’t.’ Jack searched Kat’s eyes as she delivered her warning. He had been around enough women in his life to be reasonably good at reading emotions. But he had not the faintest clue what he saw reflected in her gaze.

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