Holly was already coming around the table and was in just the right spot to reach out and stop Jen from falling over. The redhead had spotted the glazed look in the other woman’s eyes and managed to steady her just long enough for Steve to take notice.
Blinking as if he’d just awaken from a dream, Steve took his wife in his arms and thanked Holly quickly.
Caleb had just emerged from one of his few mandatory stints in his office when he spotted Steve and Jen making their way to the door. “Leaving so soon?” he asked cheerfully.
Although Steve managed to put on a weak smile, he wasn’t convincing anyone when he said, “I think we just need to get some rest.”
“You look like you could use a drink. How about one on the house?”
“Thanks, but no. I . . . uh . . . we really just need to lie down for a bit.”
Steve took his wife outside, and Caleb didn’t make a move to stop him. When he turned around, he saw Doc leaning against the bar in his usual spot. Caleb walked around to pour Doc his usual.
“Did he take the fall we were hoping for?” Caleb asked.
Doc reached out for his glass and drained it in one sip. “And then some.”
Caleb let out a slow whistle and poured himself a beer. “And did anyone else see you tampering with the cards?”
“I’d be personally ashamed if they had. Especially after all the practicing I’ve done.”
“Great. How long do you think I should wait before having another word with Steve?”
“I don’t know. They were both taking it pretty hard.”
“I sent Holly over to their hotel to see about taking Mrs. Wright out for tea or something,” Caleb explained. “That way, I can talk to Steve without any interruption while the wounds are still fresh.”
Doc looked over to Caleb with something of a shocked expression on his face. Once he saw that Caleb wasn’t laughing, Doc raised his glass. “I’d have to say that’s not only one of the coldest things I’ve heard you say but a hell of an idea.”
A few moments drifted by as Doc poured himself some more whiskey. The silence was broken when Caleb asked, “If I set up a private poker game and extended Steve’s line of credit, do you think he’d come by later to try and win some of his money back?”
“I stand corrected. I believe that is the coldest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
Suddenly, Holly burst through the front doors. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and she raced straight over to where Caleb and Doc were standing.
“I thought you were going to comfort Mrs. Wright,” Caleb said.
The redhead pulled in a breath and replied, “Too late. She went to the sheriff’s office. I couldn’t catch up to them.”
Caleb pressed his fingertips to his aching head without saying a word.
“This could get interesting,” Doc said with a smirk.
[23]
“This is an outrage! What kind of town is this where an honest man can be swindled out of all the cash in his pockets as well as the cash he left at home?”
Ben Mays swung his feet down off his desk and jumped out of his chair. The dark-haired woman had stormed into his office like a runaway bull and had taken most of the deputies by complete surprise. Although he’d heard her furious steps approaching the door, there was no way Mays could have expected the woman to come in swinging.
“Settle down, ma’am,” Mays said. “What’s the problem?”
“I’ll tell you what the problem is! We’ve been cheated!”
“And who are you?”
“My name’s Jennifer Wright, and this is my husband Steve.” As she said that, Steve came walking in. He was huffing for breath and reaching to take hold of her arm as if he had any chance of stopping her. She shook him off with ease.
“What happened?” Mays asked. “What are you talking about?”
“My husband was cheated out of his money at one of your saloons.”
“Which one?”
“The Busted Flush.”
That caused Mays to take notice. Not only that, but the ears of all his men perked up as well. “Go on,” the Texas Ranger said.
“It was in a faro game,” Jen continued. “He was cheated. I know he was, because that very same dealer took him for enough to force us to sell our business in Dennison to pay him off.”
“This sounds more like a local matter,” Mays said. “Have you been to see Sheriff Hopper?”
“Yes, I have. He said that gambling is perfectly legal and that my husband was taking his chances when he laid down his money.”
Mays shrugged and then immediately flinched. “He does have a point there.”
“Maybe for an honest game,” Jen explained as tears welled up in her eyes. “But isn’t cheating illegal? Isn’t there something you can do about this?”
“Do you happen to know who this man is?” Mays asked.
“I certainly do. His name is Holliday.”
Mays turned to look at his men and got a few knowing smirks from them. “Actually,” he said while facing Steve and Jen, “I may be able to help you, after all. This isn’t the first complaint we’ve had regarding Holliday. Him and several others have been fleecing plenty of good folks out of their hard-earned money, and it’s time to put a stop to it.”
“Are you going to do something about this?” Steve asked.
“I’ll most certainly try, sir. Are you able to prove any of these claims? Or, do you perhaps know anyone that will back you up?”
Jen looked to Steve and leaned into her husband’s arms. “No,” she said after choking back a sob. “That’s why the sheriff wouldn’t do anything.”
“Well, you just sit tight and let me handle this,” Mays said. “I think we might just be able to help you two, after all.”
The lawmen fell upon the saloons like a plague of locusts. Ben Mays and his men tore through the large and small establishments alike in a sweep that took less than two hours to finish.
It was a well-planned affair and went off without a shot being fired. On the contrary, the gamblers went along quite willingly, since they were used to being hauled in every so often and shaken down for a percentage of their winnings. When they saw how quickly the jail cells were being filled, however, they realized this wasn’t just another collection run to fill the city’s coffers.
Doc was eating breakfast when the lawmen came storming into the Busted Flush. He barely took notice of them at first, but it was hard to miss them when they made a line straight through the saloon and directly to him. Seeing those men charge toward him with pistols and shotguns held at the ready, Doc found his hand moving reflexively for the gun holstered under his arm.
“Go on and draw it, Doc,” Mays said. “That would save me a whole lot of trouble.”
That’s when Doc spotted the badges on the men’s chests. He also saw a look in their eyes that told him they would burn him down happily if he gave them the first excuse to do so. Extending his arms, Doc stood up and allowed his gun to be taken from him as the lawmen hauled him outside.
“What the hell is this?” Caleb asked as he stormed out of the office.
Mays shoved Doc ahead of him as he moved toward the front door. “Town’s getting sick of these gamblers cheating its citizens. You want to come along with us?”
“No, but—”
“Then shut yer mouth. Say your piece to the judge. I don’t want to hear any of it.”
And just like that, the lawmen stomped out of the Flush. And Doc wasn’t the only one missing. In their wake, there were a whole lot of confused players sitting at half-empty tables.
“Looks like they made off with Clem and Jerry,” Hank said from behind the bar.
“Great,” Caleb fumed. “That means we don’t have anyone to deal blackjack or spin the roulette wheel! I just got that damn wheel, and now this happens!”