“Jesus,” Caleb said. “I didn’t have any idea those two would move so fast after leaving here.”
Doc let out a choppy laugh and said, “Believe me, I didn’t either. Did you manage to catch up to them since I’ve been gone?”
“Haven’t had the time, seeing as how I was busy trying to track you down for the last hour or so. But I’ll bet there’s going to be plenty of spare time in my future, since folks run out of here screaming about being cheated before the law comes stomping in! I knew I shouldn’t get too attached to all those profits this place has been pulling in.”
“I find it amusing how you can be so upset when I’m the one who was shot at this afternoon.”
“Yeah, well I’ve been shot at myself through all this. I’ve even had to sidestep a few knives along the way.”
“One knife, Caleb. No need for dramatics. Besides, we both knew something like this would be coming. Weeks did say that he would be coming after me as well as you. We just made the mistake of thinking he would stick to his own timetable.”
“Well, he can stuff that timetable up his ass. After all the shit that he’s pulled, Weeks can come and try to take my place from me if he wants it so bad.” Caleb looked at Doc with amazement. “How can you be so damn calm?”
“How can you not see how exciting this is?”
For a moment, Caleb didn’t know how to respond. Then, he gave the only response that seemed to fit. He started laughing. “So what took you so long in getting back, anyway?” he asked once he could catch his breath. “It’s been a few hours since those deputies came in here.”
“I paid a visit to Sheriff Hopper,” Doc replied. “It seems he didn’t have the first clue as to why men were getting tossed into his jailhouse. After taking down their names and giving them times to appear in that new courthouse everyone’s so excited about, he let them go.”
“But it wasn’t Hopper or any of his men that came to get you.”
“I went to him after I left Weeks. After all, it wouldn’t be too smart for me to walk back into Mays’s open arms, now would it?”
“I suppose not,” Caleb replied, still adjusting to the easy manner in which Doc talked about all of this. “So that means Ben Mays is the lawman in Weeks’s pocket.”
“Since Mays is the one who handed me over to my would-be executioners, I’d say that is a very sound conclusion. You see what I mean about things working out for the best?” Doc asked as he raised his glass.
“When did you mention that?”
“Somewhere along the line. The point is that we wanted to get that Wright fellow to help us figure out which lawman to trust, and that’s precisely what happened.”
Shrugging, Caleb said, “I guess you could say that.”
“We just need to hope that the lovely couple hasn’t left town just yet. There’s still some things Steve needs to do for us.”
Caleb shook his head. “It’s not we anymore, Doc. Just me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You nearly got killed today,” Caleb said as he poured himself another measure of whiskey. “Maybe this is all too much trouble to go through just to keep this place. I mean, Charlie and the other saloon owners seem to be doing well enough.”
“Charlie would smile through the Apocalypse,” Doc said. “That doesn’t mean he’s enjoying the show.”
“Then maybe I don’t like having others get hurt when I’m the one that should be in the thick of this mess.”
“If you’re still referring to me, then you can stop right there. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”
“Are you serious?” Even as he asked that question, however, Caleb could see his answer written across Doc’s face. Although the slender man never looked like the picture of health, he did have a bit more color in his cheeks than normal, and his breaths were coming and going without a scratch.
Doc lifted his glass and took another drink. The whiskey seemed to be spreading the smile even farther across his face. “This thing is so close to being over that you can’t even see it. Weeks has taken a beating from us both, and he’s ripe to be plucked from his spot. He’s practically begging for it.”
Caleb grinned at the excitement in Doc’s voice. “What haven’t you told me?”
“Just that you and our mutual friend Steve Wright are about to get yourselves into an exclusive, high-stakes game of poker with Mr. Bret Weeks.”
“What?”
Doc nodded. “I went to pay Weeks a visit after my little scuffle with those deputies.”
“And you got him to arrange a game of poker instead of taking another shot at you?”
“I can be very convincing.”
Rather than press for more details, Caleb asked, “How high of stakes are we talking?”
“As high as we want to drive them. Since I’m going to be in that same game, we could steer it any way we want.”
Caleb thought that over but wound up shaking his head. “I doubt Weeks will let us take more than a few breaths before turning his hired guns loose on us.”
“He’ll be more than happy to play if he already thinks I plan on stabbing you in the back to get this saloon out from under you.”
“You’re talking about betting the Flush in a game of poker?”
Shrugging, Doc said, “If you do that, he’d have to match your bet. That’s the beauty of the game.”
“I don’t know about that, Doc.”
“We’ve got an ace in the hole,” Doc said with a grin. “If we play our cards right, there’s no way for us to lose.”
“There’s always a way to lose,” Caleb said. “That’s the other side of the game you love so very much.”
“True. But you’ve got to admit, there’s plenty for us to gain in this.” Leaning forward, Doc added, “This game is just the thing we needed. We know Weeks has at least one Texas Ranger in his pocket, so it’s only a matter of time before he uses him again.”
“And what about Grissom? That burned-up killer surely hasn’t packed up and left town just yet.”
“He’s been around for a while and he’ll still be around whether this poker game happens or doesn’t. At least we know he’ll be kept on his leash if this game does happen. If we keep ourselves covered, we stand a better than average chance of getting away fairly unscathed. The only other way to avoid locking horns with Weeks sooner or later is by packing up and leaving Dallas for good. While I don’t intend on staying here forever, I surely don’t intend on leaving like that.”
As much as he wanted to, Caleb couldn’t fight that logic. “So you’d rather run headlong into the jaws of death instead of wait for it to sneak up on you?”
Doc’s face took on an expression of grim resolve. “Either way, it’ll sink its teeth into you. Might as well put up a fight.”
“For a man in your shape, you’re a hell of an optimist, Doc.”
The darkness in Doc’s eyes lifted, and he smiled at Caleb. “Considering the source of those words, I’ll take that as a compliment. Are we going to sit in on Weeks’s game?”
“I don’t like gambling with my saloon, but my luck’s held up this far. Why not push it a little more? I’ll go pay a visit to Steve’s hotel.”
“Once this plays itself out,” Doc said, “you’ll see that luck didn’t have a damn thing to do with it.”
The knock on the door marked 204 was so subtle that it was almost missed by the couple inside. It came a little louder the second time, which was enough to induce one of its occupants to answer the call. Steve Wright pulled the door open and almost slammed it right in Caleb’s face.
“Who is it?” Jennifer asked from inside the room.
Without turning to look over his shoulder, Steve replied, “It’s the desk clerk. I’ll go settle the bill.”