CHAPTER NINETEEN

   Leonard looked at Clayton and thought back to when the two of them first got together. It was right before they had run into Sergio escaping from the prison camp. Leonard remembered hearing a very drunk Clayton Blood boast about his brother Jackson and how he shot four lawmen with only two bullets. How that was possible, Leonard wasn’t sure. Still, he listened to the man in the donkey mask go on and on about the infamous Jackson Blood.

   After most of the crowd around Clayton left, Leonard had approached him.

   “So that true? Your Jackson Blood’s brother?”

   Clayton slammed down his shot glass. “Damn right!”

   “You in the same business?”

   “You asking if I’m a thief?”

   Leonard smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I’m asking.”

   From then on, the two men were like father and son though the relationship was often shaken up by Clayton’s short temper and Leonard’s stubbornness. The addition of Sergio to their group added a certain foundation and focus. It also helped that the new man had a plan.

   Sergio had said, “There’s a town in Nevada. Has a lot of gold. I know where it is and how to get it.”

   The prospect of a big score was enough to get Leonard and Clayton on board. Besides, the two of them had never planted any roots anywhere so traveling to the west was just as good as any other plan.

   So now they were in the town of Screwhorse. Leonard was waiting on Sergio to get done with his whore so they could start preparing for the job. Clayton was smoking a cigar through his mask.

   Leonard said, “You enjoy those two whores?”

   “The Brady sisters? Yeah, they were fine.”

   “What do you think of the one Sergio picked?”

   Clayton laughed. “One with the four feet? That’s something new. I bet she knows a lot of little tricks.”

   Leonard took a sip of whiskey. “She probably spends a fortune on shoes, too.”

   A snort came out of Clayton’s nose. “Damn right.”

   They sat in silence for a minute and then Leonard said, “You think Sergio’s acting a little different since we came into town?”

   “Different how?” Clayton said.

   “I don’t know. More angry. Like he’s going to burst any minute.”

   “Didn’t notice it but the man never really was a cheerful son of a bitch, you know?”

   Leonard nodded. “Guess a prison camp will do that to a man.”

   “Sometimes it seems like he wants to talk about it and then he shuts up. I have a feeling he won’t be right until he tells someone everything about his time there.”

   “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen,” Leonard said. “The shit that happens in one of those camps is the kind of shit men keep locked in their hearts until they’re dead and buried.”

   “So I probably shouldn’t ask him about it, then?”

   Leonard widened his eyes. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

* * *

   Sergio had never been with a girl who had four feet before and to be honest, he never thought they existed. It wasn’t bad, though. She fucked like any other whore except she used her toes as if they were fingers, massaging his whole body especially his scrotum which got a lot of attention from all four of her pinky toes.

   When they were done, he stood up and looked out the window. June asked him what he was looking at.

   He said, “Nothing.”

   “You looking at the Indians?”

   Sergio ignored the question.

   June said, “Fine. They’re plenty of windows downstairs. Why don’t you go look through those, then?”

   Sergio let out a heavy sigh and got dressed. He took an extra dollar out of his pocket and gave it to her. “Something extra.”

   June didn’t respond. She just looked at him and wondered why he looked just as tense as he was before the fuck.

   As he was leaving the room, Sergio said, “Be seeing you.” He went downstairs and saw his two partners playing poker with a group of cowboys. Sergio stood behind Leonard and said, “Let’s go.”

   As they got up, Clay took the money he had won. Black Boned Keith was one of the cowboys at the table and he didn’t like that Clayton was leaving without giving him the chance to win his money back.

   Keith said, “You best stay here and play a few more hands. I didn’t come back into town just to give my money to some asshole in a jackass costume.”

   Clayton tilted his head. “What’d you say?”

   “You heard me. Sit back down and play.”

   Leonard shook his head. It was a shame that young men were always so hot-headed. It always got them into trouble.

   Clayton slammed his fist on the table. “Fuck you.”

   Black Boned Keith smiled and then drew his gun, pointing the barrel at Clayton’s crotch.

   As Clayton tensed up, Sergio put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Give him his money back, Clay.”

   “What? Now wait a minute…”

   Sergio said, “Do it.”

   Keith lowered his gun. He watched in delight as Clayton put the money down on the table and stormed away.

   “Mighty kind of you,” Keith said, smiling at Sergio.

   “I wasn’t being kind. Just smart. I didn’t want my friend to splatter your brains on the wall. That’d cause trouble for me and I don’t have time for that. You have your money now so shut the fuck up.” Sergio stared Keith down, not worrying about the gun being lifted again.

   Leonard tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go, Sergio.” They walked out.

   Outside, Clayton was standing on the porch of the brothel, the cigar still hanging out of the mouth-hole of his mask. “Shit, Sergio. Should’ve let me have at that bastard. You know I could’ve taken him, no problem.”

   “I know. Then the sheriff comes and locks you up. What then? Me and Leonard have to finish the job by ourselves that is if the sheriff didn’t lock us up, too.”

   Clayton groaned. “Shit.”

   “You really needed that cowboy’s money? After this, you’ll have more gold than you know what to do with,” Sergio said. “Just think of the gold.”

   Clayton took the cigar out of his mouth and flicked it into the street. “You’re right. All that gold. I can almost taste it.”

   The sound of drumming echoed through the street. Sergio said, “Those Indians are making a lot of noise.”

   Leonard said, “Yeah and it’s making me nervous. Let’s go.”

   Before they had come to town, the three of them had decided that staying in the hotel was not a good idea. Instead, they’d set camp out behind the church alongside the small graveyard. Small town pastors usually didn’t mind strangers staying near church. It provided the congregation with more souls to save. Sergio, however, had no intention of getting religion. He had a plan and God had no part of it.

* * *

   Maybe it was because Sergio had been emotionally distant or perhaps because she was still recovering from her sickness, but June had the urge to see the creature again.

   As she was walking out of her room, her friend and fellow whore Lady Troy walked by.

   “June, you feeling better?”

   “Yes, guess so. I feel sick then I feel better. Then sick again,” June said, slowly walking to the starfish room.

   “So, I saw that man you had. He looked like an interesting one. Was he?”

   “Eh, just your typical son of a bitch but he did give me some extra, though, so I guess he wasn’t all bad. How’s your business going?”

   “I’ll tell you something, June. When I first started, Betty wasn’t sure about hiring someone like me. But I rarely have a free moment. You know how many cowboys are itching to see a girl with a dick? And even the men who think I’m all lady, they’re pleasantly surprised when they see I’m packing a pistol, if you catch my meaning.”

   June laughed. “Your mouth is as dirty as a bedpan.”

   “And that’s the way I like it!”

   June shook her head and smiled. Then she slowly walked forward. “I have things to do, Troy. We’ll have a drink later.”

   “Okay, sweetie,” Lady Troy said, walking away.

   As June entered the room, she saw the starfish on the ceiling. It was covered in pink webbing.

   “Don’t worry, baby, mommy’s here,” June said, climbing onto the bed to reach the starfish. As her fingers touched it, she felt the nausea strike, causing her to collapse on the floor.

   “Why would you want to hurt your mommy? Why…..”