Crow Bait

Two

The three men rode up to the fourth and dismounted. One of the men—the largest—was carrying an extra saddle. Another man had extra saddlebags. And the third was carrying an extra handgun and rifle.

The man they were meeting was standing next to a buckboard. He was tall, ramrod straight even though he was in his sixties. His face was deeply chiseled with lines he had earned over a long, hard life. And though he currently was a wealthy man, his life was still hard. New lines were still forming.

The man with the saddle walked around and dropped into the bed of the buckboard.

The man with the saddlebags did the same.

The man with the gun walked to the older man and handed them to him.

“Done?” the older man asked.

“Done.”

The older man handed him an envelope with money in it, payment for all three.

“Do not ever contact me,” the older man said.

The man with the envelope looked inside, raised his eyebrows, and said, “You got it.”

All three men mounted up and rode off.

The older man with the chiseled face did not move until they were out of sight.