Texas Bluff

CHAPTER 36

Butler understood why he saw so many men coming into this place. He was expecting some suspect-looking whores, at best, but every girl in the room—except for Madame Rosie—was beautiful.

“Would you like a drink while you’re tryin’ to decide?” Rosie asked. “You can have beer, whiskey, coffee…how about some music? Our piano player can play anything you like.”

He needed to stall.

“I think I’ll have a beer,” he said, “but no music. I’d like to talk to these fine ladies.”

“Well, talk away, friend,” Rosie said. “Talkin’ is free here at Rosie’s. Have a seat somewhere and we’ll get you that beer.”

There were several girls seated on a large sofa and they scooted either way to allow him to sit in between. Once he was down, he found himself pressed between some prime, sweet-smelling female flesh.

He had to force himself to remember he was not there for pleasure.

The man who answered the door went up the back stairs to the second floor, walked quickly down the hall. He knocked on the door of room 5—Lily’s room.

“What?” Lily shouted.

“Sutherland,” the man said, “it’s Walt, from downstairs.”

“Go away,” Sutherland’s voice came.

“It’s important,” Walt said. He waited, then added, “You told me to let you know if anybody asked for you.”

Seconds later the door opened and Sutherland appeared, holding a sheet around his waist. Since he had the sheet, Lily was left on the bed, nude.

“Somebody asked for me?”

“A fella came to the door, gave your name in order to get in,” Walt said.

“And you let him in?”

“I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Where is he?”

“In the parlor with the girls.”

“What’s he doin’?”

“I don’t know, pickin’, I guess.”

“Okay.”

“What’re you gonna do?”

“None of your business,” Sutherland snapped. “Go back where you belong.”

He slammed the door, turned to face Lily. She was a tall, busty brunette who had convinced Sutherland he was the best man she’d ever been to bed with. Of course, she’d convinced a lot of other men of the same thing. The only difference was, Sutherland knew she was lying, but he didn’t care.

“Comin’ back to bed, sweetie?”

“Afraid not,” Sutherland said. “I’ve got to get dressed.”

If it was a lawman downstairs, he didn’t want to get in a shootout with him. If it was Luke Short or Butler, this wasn’t the place to face them.

“Does this place have a back way?” he asked Lily.

“I think it’s blocked.”

He pulled on his pants, and then his boots. When he strapped on his gun, he walked to the window and looked out. He was on the second floor, but it wasn’t a long drop. He was a tall man and figured it shouldn’t be too bad.

“Are you goin’ out the window?” Lily asked.

“There’s somebody downstairs I’m not ready to see,” he said.

“Well, I hope you were intendin’ to pay before you leave,” Lily said. “Rosie don’t like to be stiffed.”

Hurriedly, Sutherland took some money from his pocket and dropped it on the dresser, then opened the window and climbed out. He dangled there for a moment, then dropped. The landing jarred him, but didn’t break or sprain anything.

He was in the alley next to the building. He moved to a window he knew looked in on the parlor. The drapes were parted just enough for him to see Butler on the sofa with some of the girls. They had him tangled up good in their arms and legs. For a moment he considered busting in and taking him, but there was too much that could go wrong in a room full of people.

He hated not taking a shot when he was so close, but he was more concerned at that moment with how Butler had found him. If the gambler could do it, so could the sheriff.

He decided to go back to the Bloody Spur and have a little chat with Zeke.