One of the men pushed Chris forward, Pilar after her, and the two women headed down the stairs.
• • •
“How do you even know which way to go?” Asher was shouting to Tynan as the men rode at full speed.
Tynan didn’t bother to answer as he led them southeast, not stopping until they came to a dirty little patch of ground covered with tents. The place didn’t deserve the name of “town.” The streets were deep in half a foot of mud from the recent rain and, as they rode past a tent with a big sign outside that read simply “women,” there were two men fighting, wrestling about in the mud. Asher’s horse jumped sideways as the fighting men, locked together, lurched toward him. He had to struggle a moment to control the animal and when he could get away, he saw Tynan disappearing into one of the larger tents. Asher dismounted into the mud and followed.
Tynan was at the bar, leaning against it as if he had all the time in the world. There were several tables set up with men gambling. Ty was watching a man who looked clean compared to the rest of the men in the tent, with his gold embroidered vest and two guns with pearl handles.
Asher ordered a beer and had just taken a long drink when the game broke up. Immediately, the gambling man looked up at Tynan.
“I thought you were in jail for some reason or other.”
“I got out for the same reason,” Ty said. “And now I’m coming to you to collect a debt.”
The man gave a curt nod, then walked to stand by Ty at the bar. “Two whiskeys,” he said, then lowered his voice. “What is it you want?”
“Information.”
“That comes high.”
“I’ve already paid,” Tynan said. “Have you ever heard of a man named Beynard Dysan?”
The gambling man choked on his whiskey. When he’d cleared his throat, he looked at Tynan. “Stay away from him. He’s bad, real bad.”
“He has something that belongs to me and I mean to have it back. Where can I find him?”
“Let him have it. Whatever it is, it isn’t
worth it. I all you had to lose to him was your life, you’d be all right, but that man can take more than your life. Stay away from him.”
Tynan didn’t say a word for a moment. “Are you going to answer me or pretend to be my mother?”
“It’s been real nice knowing you, Tynan. I’ll send flowers to your grave. I don’t know much about him at all except what I’ve heard in whispers. He has a place up north of here. There’s a town up there called Sequona, if anybody knows anything about him, someone there will. And you might ask a few questions about him on the way, but you risk a bullet in your head—probably in the back of your head. This man likes to stay private. He doesn’t like anybody looking into his business.”
The man finished his drink. “What’s he got of yours?”
“Del Mathison’s daughter.”
The man gave a low whistle. “Mathison’s power against Dysan’s. That may be a war to end all wars. Tynan, watch your back. Dysan has his hand in everything and he hires people to kill whoever interferes with what he wants. You ought to let Mathison get his own daughter back.”
“He’s hired me. Thanks a lot, Frank. Consider your debt to me cleared.” With that, Ty turned and left the tent, Asher taking a last swallow of his beer and following him.
Tynan paused a moment outside the tent, not looking at Asher. “You heard what Frank said and you can back out now. If you don’t lose your life in this you may not be the same afterward.”
“And lose out on Mathison’s daughter?” Asher said just before a bullet went whizzing past Tynan’s head. Ty fell to the mud, his arm coming out and pulling Asher down with him. Asher, not being prepared for the movement, hit the mud face down. He came up spitting. Another bullet came at them and his face went down again. Behind them was the sound of tables being overturned and men shouting as the two bullets had come into the tent.
Asher looked at Tynan, at the man’s clean face as he held it above the mud and at the pistol in his hand. Behind them came a voice.
“I’d be willing to bet it’s Dysan.”
Asher turned to see the gambler, Frank, crouched in the tent opening, a gun in his hand.
“Hang on and I’ll see if I can help.”
A minute later, Asher could hear the man shout, “They just brought in a load of whores across the street. All of them virgins.”
Tynan shouted at Asher to roll out of the way and Ash was glad he did because within seconds, a stampede of men came charging out of the tent. “Now!” Asher heard Tynan shout and Ash, fighting against the resistance of the mud, moved to the back of the tent. He was a little confused as to what he was to do next when Tynan appeared with the horses. “Let’s ride,” was all Ty said before mounting and leaving the muddy town and what sounded to be a riot behind them.