bring this all to an end that very night, and then they could be on their way back to England.
Pulling her hat down, she urged her horse forward, in the direction of Albuquerque.
FOURTEEN
"Well, ain't that strange? Seems we got us five aces on the table." Cora sized up each man in turn. "Which one of you all is funning around with my cards?"
The men didn't answer. Nervous glances flicked around the table like frenzied ants. From her seat near the batwing doors, Victoria couldn't see the hunter's face, but she could see the faces of the other gamblers. They were all playing the part of innocence accused well enough that she couldn't have picked out the guilty party. Whoever the cheater was, he'd done it enough times to make a convincing display of suspicion.
"Wilson, I've got a hankering to see what you got under that shirt of yours," Cora said. "Why don't you show the other fellers here."
Victoria's breath caught in her throat when she recognized the man who had threatened her before. His ears were crimson with anger again, but his gaze wasn't directed at her. He stared at the old hunter, as if he could make her take back her accusation through sheer force of will. Victoria lifted her hand to her mouth to hide her grin. Strong and quick to anger though he was, it seemed that Wilson was none too quick to realize when he was fighting a losing battle.
The other men at the table sat in silence, eyes darting between Cora and Wilson. Around them, other conversations carried on. Victoria caught snatches of them, tales of exploits and adventures too wild to be true. In the back of the room, the piano marched its way through an off-key melody.
Wilson slowly stood to his feet. "Reckon I'm done for the day," he said, his tone flat.
"Don't be a stranger, now," Cora said. "Go on and help yourself to a drink. Ain't on the house, mind you, but might help to settle you down some."
"Ain't so riled up as all that," Wilson replied. "Just need some air is all."
Wilson walked around the table, each step deliberate, his eyes never leaving the hunter's face. Cora shook her head and reached for an ace. "This one here's yours. Ain't got no need for two aces of hearts at my table."
She held it above her head, not turning to look at the man. Victoria watched his fingers curl into fists. At the table, one of the men looked up at Wilson and nodded.
The ace drifted to the floor. "I ain't going to hold it for you till sundown, Wilson. Pick it up if you like."
Wilson bent down to retrieve the card. As he straightened up, the man who nodded shoved the table toward Cora. The edge caught her in the chest, knocking her chair backward. She went with it, cards scattering like leaves. Her elbows hit the floor with a thud Victoria felt in her teeth. Before the hunter could recover, Wilson stepped over her and clamped a hand around her throat. The other man was standing now, too, his eyes watching the other two players, hand hovering near the butt of his gun.
"Call me a cheater, do you?" Wilson asked, lowering his face toward Cora. The hunter's fingers clutched at his hand, trying to pull it away and failing. "You ought to know by now that you never call a man on his word in a card game. Goes against agreement between gentlemen and all, but I guess a fool woman like you ain't got the sense for such things."
Around them, the room had fallen silent. Victoria could hear Cora's desperate, wheezing breaths and the scraping of her boots across the floor. She tried to bring her knees up into Wilson's back. He held up his other hand to block her blows, putting more of his weight on the hand around her throat.
"You ain't nothing but an old bitch past her prime," Wilson said, "and I reckon it's time somebody put you down for good."
His shoulder moving to block her flailing legs, he drew a revolver from his belt. The barrel pressed against the skin beneath Cora's chin.
"Hey, now," somebody said.
Wilson's accomplice whirled toward the voice, pulling his own gun. "Shut your trap, boy." The man put up his hands and backed up a step. Nobody else moved.
"Hear that, bitch?" Wilson asked, a sneer stretched across his sweating face. "Ain't a man here willing to help you out of