Hard Ride to Wichita

by Ralph Compton

  “I’m not bent out of shape. I’m thinking.”

  “There’s not much to think about. You made an offer and I’m here to take you up on it. What else is there?”

  “Why didn’t you come over here sooner?” Luke asked. “That commotion at the Trading Company was earlier this morning.”

  “If you need to know, I saddled up my horse and started riding on my own. I turned back around and headed here because I didn’t have money or anything else. It was just pride that made me want to make the ride alone. Also, I knew you’d still be headed to Wichita as well. Didn’t make sense to pass on that offer of yours for no good reason.”

  “You don’t like taking payment from a kid,” Luke pointed out.

  “I don’t like taking payment from much of anyone. Truth be told, you’re also right. A man with any sort of pride shouldn’t be quick to take money from someone as young as you. Now, if you still want to make the ride to Wichita together, say so. If you’ve changed your mind, then say that. Just don’t try to make me crawl for the payment you’re offering, because you’ll need my help a lot more than I need yours. There’s other ways for me to get my hands on money.”

  “And there are other gunmen for hire,” Luke replied.

  “All right,” Carlo said as he stood up. “If that’s the way it is, I guess I misjudged you. Riding to Wichita with a couple moody kids will only get the three of us killed.”

  “The offer still stands.”

  Having made it halfway to the door, Carlo stopped and turned around. “The deal is . . . we’re partners. All three of us.”

  “I’m the one putting up the money,” Luke said.

  “But you’re not buying me. We work together, and when lead starts to fly, you take orders from me. I can see that makes you bristle, but that’s just the way it is. You want me along for my experience with a gun? You’ll have to let me put that experience to good use. Questioning me not only makes you look like a kid, but it wastes time and puts us at a disadvantage.”

  “All right. We’ll be partners.”

  “First things first. Partners don’t point guns at each other for no good reason.”

  Luke put the Colt in his lap where it was no longer pointed at Carlo.

  “Second,” Carlo said, “I need to see the money.”

  “I’ve got it. Don’t you worry about that.”

  Carlo shook his head. “That ain’t good enough. If you were in my position, you’d say the same thing.”

  Luke’s eyes darted more than once toward the bed. That was all Carlo needed to see to figure that if the money was anywhere at all, it would be tucked under the mattress or the bed itself. Even so, he stayed put and let the younger man arrive at his own conclusion.

  “I can prove I’ve got the money,” Luke said before too much longer. “Come back in a few minutes.”

  “I’ve wasted enough time. Just get it now. I’m sure you wouldn’t let it too far out of your sight.” Seeing the hesitance in Luke’s eyes, Carlo added, “If we’re going to be trusting each other with our lives, this is hardly anything.”

  “We haven’t earned that kind of trust yet.”

  “True, but if we’ll be riding together, that money will be with us anyway. If I aimed to steal it, I could do that at any time.”

  “And I can gun you down at any time.”

  “Yep. So let’s cut through all the dancing around and get to business. There’re better ways for a man to spend his time in this place than talking.”

  For the first time, Luke grinned at Carlo. “You’ve got that right.” He stood up and carried the Colt with him to the bed. Reaching down while holding the gun at hip level, he dragged a dusty valise from under the bed and got back to his feet. “Here,” he said while tossing the bag across the room. “See it for yourself.”

  Carlo was almost surprised enough to let the bag hit him in the chest and drop to the floor. Managing to wrap one arm around it before it fell, he took it by the handle and opened it. Inside, there was more money than he’d ever seen in one place. “I’ve got to admit, this is a whole lot more than I thought. Where’d you come by this much cash?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Oh, I disagree. If this came from where I think it came from, then it matters a whole lot.”

  “Where do you think it came from?” Luke asked.

  “Was your family wealthy?”

  “No.”

  “Then I think this is the money Emory Scott was after,” Carlo said. “Granger liked sending him out to make collections because he never came back empty-handed. From what you told me before about what happened with your family, I’d say your stepfather was sitting on a whole mess of money. And this,” he said while angling the valise so Luke could see its contents, “is what I call a mess of money.”

  Luke weighed his options in a short amount of time. “You’re right,” he said. “That’s the money Scott was after. Does that change things?”

  “Depends on how much is in here. Have you counted it?”

  “No,” Luke said. “I’ve just been taking from it as we need it. Considering where it came from . . .”

  “I understand. Considering what this money did to your kin, I wouldn’t want to get my hands dirty with it if I was in your place. I still need to know if there’s enough to cover my debt. Looks like it to me, but let’s make sure.” Carlo turned the bag over and dumped the money onto the bed. It formed a pile on the rumpled blanket before spilling onto the floor.

  Luke stood there with his mouth agape. Finally he whispered, “I knew it was a lot of money, but. . . .that’s a lot of money!”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Carlo was able to count out the money he needed to settle his debt and there was still some left over. He didn’t bother counting the remainder, but his three thousand wasn’t even half of it. Looking down at all of that cash, he shook his head and started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Luke asked.

  “Between the money I owe and what you kept from getting to him, Captain Granger’s pockets are mighty light. I’ve never known him to be a forgiving man, but he must be spitting nails right about now. You sure you want to cross paths with him now?”

  “The sooner, the better. He’s got a lot to answer for.”

  “It might not be a bad idea to wait a spell,” Carlo suggested. “I wouldn’t ask you to forget about what happened to your family, but men like Granger value their money more than they do anyone’s life. Taking this much away from him is like walking up and kicking him right in the . . . well . . . where it hurts a man the most.”

  “Yeah, well, I feel real bad about that,” Luke sneered.

  “If the three of us were experienced gunmen, I might say we could put something together to give us the element of surprise. A man in Granger’s spot doesn’t exactly fear much from a few solitary souls like us. From what I’ve seen of you and Red . . . it might serve you well to get some more experience under your belts and let this particular storm pass.”

  “This is how it was meant to be.”

  Finally taking his eyes away from the pile of money on the bed, Carlo said, “You’ve got a peculiar notion of destiny, kid.”

  “Destiny? Seems more like luck to me. Me and Red on our way to Wichita and we find you, who needs to go that way too. Pretty lucky that both of us have business with Captain Granger.”

  “I wouldn’t say that much,” Carlo told him. “Granger’s got his hand in all the dirty business in this state as well as a few others. Just about every third or fourth trail leads back to him somehow. What I’m saying is that we might not want to be anywhere near him until he comes to terms with missing so much of his money.”

  Luke studied him carefully. “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”

  “Just one? You truly are sharper than most.”

  “If y
ou want to pay Granger for . . . whatever you were buying from him . . . why do you also want to come along with me and Red? We’re not exactly gonna leave him in any condition to do much of anything for anyone.”

  “What I’m getting from Granger is use of certain resources that are at his disposal,” Carlo explained. “If I can get my hands on those resources, I don’t exactly need him. The money is just the grease that will make the wheels turn.”

  “Well, there’s what you owe,” Luke said while waving at the stacks that Carlo had separated from the rest. “I suppose it doesn’t matter if you tell me about your business or not. I’m paying you for a job and you’ll be getting something out of it as well. Just tell me one more thing.” Luke tightened his grip on the Colt. “Now that you have your money, why should I believe you’ll come with us all the way to Wichita?”

  “Let’s just say my days of having a bunch of gunmen riding along with me are over. Granger moves around too much for me to sit idly by and wait for another chance. If you know where to find him, we need to hit him now. If he’s not in Wichita when we get there, I’ll be on my way. If he is, you and your friend are the best partners I’m likely to cobble together under the circumstances. You want some advice where that partner is concerned? Keep a close eye on your money. I’m not the one you should be worried about where spending it is concerned.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I suppose Red just now decided to take up playing poker? I sure hope so because he ain’t very good at it.”

  Luke shrugged. “At least he’s learning a trade.”

  “Poker’s a trade? Blacksmithing is a trade. Being a tailor . . . that’s a trade too. Poker is tossing your money away, hoping your luck holds, and being able to lie when it doesn’t. And that’s the good days when you don’t need to shoot or stab some drunk accusing you of being a cheat.”

  “Sounds better than being a tailor.”

  Carlo started putting the money back into the bag. “Guess you might as well live it up. We all should, I suppose. Since we’re riding to spit in the face of a man like Captain Granger and using his money to pay for everything along the way, we shouldn’t count on having many days left to enjoy.”

  “You think we have a chance of pulling this off?” Luke asked.

  “By my calculations, I should’ve been dead a few times already, so what do I know? Between all three of us, we may have just enough crazy to get the job done.”

  Chapter 18

  The sun was just a shimmering promise in the early-morning sky when Carlo buckled his saddle once more onto his horse. He’d only just taken it off the animal’s back the day before, but he went through the familiar motions without the slightest hint of impatience or anxiousness. On the contrary, every move was as precise as ever as he took a moment to brush a few tangled spots on its gray coat.

  “Today we’re really going to get you some exercise, Old Man,” he said. “I know you got anxious to stretch your legs yesterday, but it didn’t quite work out the way I thought it would. Come to think of it, I was partway convinced that I might be dragged in by the sheriff before last night was through. I guess that shopkeeper must have done some fast talking in our favor, huh? Imagine that.”

  “When’s the last time we’ve been to Wichita?” he asked while putting the saddlebags in place. Although the horse only seemed interested in lapping up a few more sips of water, Carlo said, “Well, we’re headed back that way again. Should be eventful.”

  “You always talk to your horse?” Luke asked as he walked into the stable.

  “Mostly when I don’t think anyone’s around,” Carlo replied. “But since we’ll be riding together, I imagine you’ll be hearing it plenty.”

  “Red’s waiting outside.”

  “He’s probably not too happy about leaving town.”

  “He’s not happy about leaving Stormy’s,” Luke corrected. “Probably wouldn’t matter what town it’s in.”

  “Makes sense. A place like that is right close to heaven when you’ve got a bag full of money. That girl you were favoring. Emma, was it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you tell her about that money?”

  Luke bristled as he said, “What does that matter?”

  “It matters because the fewer people that know about it, the better.”

  “She didn’t steal anything, if that’s what you mean.”

  “You don’t know that,” Carlo said as he calmly prepared his horse for the day’s ride. “You told me you never even counted it.”

  “You got your money just like I promised. The rest isn’t your concern.”

  Carlo turned to face the younger man. “I’m not questioning her loyalty, but you just met her. You don’t have any notion of where her loyalties lie. She may be sweet and all, but you’ve got to keep your eyes open. She’s a whore, and whores—”

  Without hesitation, Luke pounced at Carlo. His right fist flew straight at Carlo’s head and slapped against a callused palm before strong fingers closed to trap him. Luke tried to pull his hand free but couldn’t break the other man’s grip. The moment he moved his other hand to take a swing, Carlo warned, “Don’t do it, kid.”

  “Don’t call her a whore!”

  “It’s not meant as an insult. That’s just the job she picked. If you intend to ride this path you’re on, you’ve got to start seeing things simpler. A woman in her line of work, call it whatever you like, steals from the men she entertains. That’s just the nature of the beast. And stealing wasn’t even what I was concerned about. Just telling her about that money did enough damage.”

  “Yeah?” Luke grunted as he kept trying to reclaim his trapped fist.

  Carlo relaxed his grip to let Luke yank his hand away. “That much money coming from a known killer . . . do you really think nobody else will come looking for it?”

  “I . . . meant to keep moving.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Carlo said. “But all someone has to do is keep asking around before they eventually find someone who talked to some girl who talked to your Emma to find out where that money was headed.”

  Luke shrugged. “I bet Emma or any of those girls could get a man to believe anything they want. They could send a man off to New York City looking for me, just to get them away from here.”

  Where Carlo had been calm and near tranquil before, he suddenly became something else. His expression darkened and his eyes turned cold as he knocked Luke back with a quick shove. “Right there is why you’ve got no business making the ride into Wichita! You don’t know anything about how this world works.”

  “I’ve seen plenty of this world!”

  “You’ve seen some blood and felt some pain, but I’m talking about the world where killers live. Killers who don’t forget when they’re slighted and they don’t get sweet-talked by some little thing with a pretty face. They have no qualms with taking a knife to those pretty faces or a hammer to their soft little hands just to make them talk. And no matter how good their intentions are, even if that girl you fancy truly thinks highly of you, there ain’t no one who will stand up under that kind of misery. That’s the world I’m talking about and that’s where you’re fixing to go!”

  “Maybe I know about that too,” Luke said. “I didn’t just take that money away from the man that killed my family. I killed him to get it. I shot him dead and left him to rot on the floor.”

  Without so much as a flinch, Carlo shook his head and said, “That doesn’t mean a damn thing. Getting lucky and firing a few scared shots into someone isn’t the same as being the one who walks into a quiet place on a quiet day knowing full well that he’ll be spilling blood before he leaves. It takes a certain kind of man to do a thing like that, and that man ain’t you. Not yet.”

  “I can do what needs to be done where Granger or his men are concerned.”

  “That might be true
,” Carlo replied. “And that’s why I keep trying to talk sense into you. I’ve seen plenty of men who’ve done their share of killing. I’ve waded through more blood than you can imagine, and the ones who ride into hell of their own accord aren’t the same as normal folk. They got no spark in their eyes. Your friend may have a big mouth and is quick to anger, but his spark is still there. Yours is dwindling, kid. That’s what worries me.”

  “You don’t even know me.”

  “I know enough.” Slowly, the darkness in Carlo’s features receded and he appeared to be more human than he’d been a second ago. “It may not be my place to change you or even to try. At least I can help you stay alive.”

  Doing his best to salvage some of the dignity he’d lost by being so easily stopped when he’d tried to punch Carlo, Luke turned his back to him and waved him off. “Eh, what do you even care? You’ll be getting what you want out of this.”

  Carlo reached out to place his hand on his horse’s neck and kept it there. “When a man has been broken down to a certain point, he tends to grab on to any chance at all to do some good. For some of us, those chances don’t come along too often. I don’t expect you to understand, but you probably will before too much longer.”

  “You did your part and preached to me about being a good person,” Luke spat. “Are you coming with us to Wichita or not?”

  “I suppose I am. I still need what Granger has.”

  “Yeah,” Luke grunted. “That’s what I thought. Get your horse ready and meet us outside.”

  Waiting until Luke was almost out the door, Carlo said, “One more thing.”

  Luke stopped and turned toward Carlo without looking directly at him. “What now?”

  “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. You talk to me again like I’m some dog you’re telling to sit or fetch, and I’ll hit you so hard you’ll forget your own name. Got that?”

  This time, Luke was so rattled he didn’t think to hide it. When he turned away, it wasn’t out of disrespect or youthful smugness. It was to keep his face from being seen directly. “I got it.” He then went outside where Red was waiting.