Page 186 of New Storm Rising
My dear hubby nodded and, striding past me without giving the other people so much as a glance, he stepped over to where De Ravera was lying on the ground, arms still tied and eyes widened in terror. Bending down, he lifted the man’s chin until frightened eyes met ice cold ones.
“Fool.” He jabbed a finger at the outlaws, still gazing into the Spaniard’s terrified eyes. “You really thought you could use people like them against me? I used tobeone of them. I survived the hell that breaks or makes a man, and came out on top. You never stood a chance.”
Then, dropping the man’s face back into the dirt, he rose and strode away without another word.
***
It took quite a while to sort everything out because, as the sheriff explained, processing criminals of such notoriety required additional care and diligence. There was also the little fact that most of the deputies were scared shitless from being held at gunpoint by the most dangerous criminal this side of the Atlantic Ocean, but that surely didn’t have anything to do with the delay, did it?
The thing thatdidn’ttake long to sort out, however, was the bounty. Mr Rikkard Ambrose could be amazingly convincing.
“Five hundred and thirty, five hundred and forty, five hundred and fifty-seven thousand dollars and thirty cents.” Pocketing the stack of cash, he gave a curt nod at the sheriff. “Much appreciated.”
“I’m sure.” The sheriff pulled a face. “Now, get the hell out of my office so I can drown myself in a bottle and try to forget all this.”
Without a word, Mr Ambrose turned around and strode out of the office. I started to follow him—then glanced back and waved with a broad smile. “Toodeloo. We’ll try and come visit again as soon as we can.”
And, ignoring the sheriff’s groan of agony, I scampered after Mr Rikkard Ambrose. My dear husband was currently striding across the street, towards the hotel to which the marshal and Karim had gone ahead to book rooms for the night. The pair were waiting for us at the bar. The moment the two of us entered, one of them jumped up and strode towards us.
“Mr Ambrose!” Striding towards us, Marshal Angus Angleton bowed deeply. “I must most humbly apologize for my unjustified criticism earlier today. If anything I said was interpreted as an insult, I sincerely beg your pardon.”
“My pardon?” Mr Ambrose cocked his head. “For what?”
“Why, for assuming you would collaborate with those despicable desperados, of course.” Shaking his head, the marshal put on a disappointed expression. “I should have realized it was merely a ruse to apprehend them all. And please give my compliments to your double-agent.” Grabbing a glass of whiskey from the bar, he lifted it in a toast. “Staying undetected in a gang of outlaws for this long—admirable, really admirable.”
Mr Ambrose stared at him. “Double agent?”
Angleton blinked. “Mr Wolf, naturally.”
“Oh, Wolf? He’s no double agent. He’s a ruthless killer with a massive price on his head I used to work with in my younger days.”
“Pfffft!” In an arc, Mr Angleton sprayed his whiskey all over the bar.
“Are you all right?” I asked, concerned. “Do you need some medicine? I heard there is a travelling salesman in town who sells excellent remedies.”
“Ggrgh!” Massaging his throat, the marshal coughed. “Krk! Grg!”
“Well, if that’s all, Marshal, we shall be going now.” Giving the man a curt nod, Mr Ambrose turned away. “I have matters to take care of.”
And he strode off, me hot on his heels. For one, because I wanted to get out of there before the marshal was able to process the new information, and for another, because something my dear hubby had said had caught my interest. An interest that grew all the greater as I saw Mr Ambrose march towards Wolf, who was leaning against a wall at one end of the bar.
“So…” I gestured at the man with the three-day beard leaning against the wall. “You used to know him?”
Mr Ambrose gave a cool nod. “We are…acquaintances.”
I read between the non-existent, silent lines—and gasped. “You have afriend?”
“That would be an egregious exaggeration of—”
A devious grin spread across my face. “You have a friend. You. Have. A. Friend! Mwahahaha!”
That caused Wolf to glance up, and a feral grin to spread over his face. “I like her. Where did you find her?”
“In none-of-your-business land,” was my dear husband’s curt reply. The two of them stared at each other, like either of them might launch into an attack at any moment.
Finally, Mr Ambrose nodded. “Wolf.”
The desperado nodded back, one corner of his mouth quirking up. “Dick.”
