Slocum 420 Read Online Free Page A

ready, I can show you why it’s so much better in here than out at any poker table.”
    â€œCan I win a fistful of money here with you?” Slocum asked.
    Her hands froze in place and her smile dimmed.
    â€œDidn’t think so,” he said. Walking over to the bed, he said, “Tell you what. You can wait right here if you like. When I’m through with my game, I’ll come back and give you another ride. How’s that sound?”
    â€œGood. I suppose.”
    Someone knocked on the door.
    Slocum put his hand on the side of her breast before moving it down to her hip. Giving her rump a playful swat, he said, “That’s the spirit. This place has a kitchen that’s the best in town.” He reached into his pocket, removed some folded money, and tossed it onto the mattress beside her. “Take this and get whatever you like.”
    â€œI don’t want your money! What kind of a woman do you take me for?”
    Slocum shrugged as the person outside knocked again. “Then buy yourself something pretty. I should be back a little after midnight or so. If you wanna do it up right, be waiting in that bed wearing nothing but a smile. Sound good?”
    Eliza stared at him, unable to put the proper words together for what she was feeling. When Slocum reached for the door handle, he grinned at her. “Don’t fret now,” he said while cupping the bulge between his legs. “There’ll be plenty more where this came from.”
    â€œDon’t talk to me like that!” she said.
    Spitting out a laugh, Slocum started heading out. “You don’t like it, honey? Here’s the d—”
    The door had barely opened a crack before it was shoved open the rest of the way with the force of a hurricane. Slocum was clipped by the edge of the door, which spun him partially around and knocked him to one side. Eliza screamed and reached for the blanket to pull it up and cover herself with the thick, downy layers.
    â€œHello, Lester,” said a tall man who stormed in from the hall to grab Slocum by the front of his shirt.
    Despite his current predicament, Slocum glanced over to Eliza and grinned uncomfortably while saying, “Lester? I don’t know who that—”
    Once again, he was cut off. This time, it was by a fist that slammed directly into Slocum’s nose to unleash a torrent of blood flowing freely from both nostrils. A sickening crunch drifted through the air, followed by a wailing cry as Slocum twisted within the intruder’s grasp like a fish dangling from a hook.
    The intruder gripped Slocum’s shirt with both hands and lifted him to his tiptoes. Following Slocum’s line of sight, the other man spotted Eliza and said, “Get your clothes on and leave.”
    Eliza kept the blanket pressed against her chest as she scooted backward to climb down the side of the bed farthest from the door.
    Shifting his focus back to Slocum, the other man shook him roughly and snarled, “What the hell were you thinking? Using
my
money to pay for the most expensive hotel room in town along with a whore to join you in it?”
    â€œI’m not a whore!” Eliza said.
    â€œShut up!” Slocum barked.
    The intruder slammed Slocum’s back against a wall and then slapped his hand flat against the twisted, bloody wreck that was Slocum’s nose. “Don’t talk to a lady like that.”
    â€œThank you,” Eliza said.
    â€œEven if she is a whore.”
    â€œHey!”
    Whoever the other man was, he wasn’t at all concerned with Eliza’s protests. For the moment, Slocum seemed to have forgotten about her as well. “Explain yourself,” the intruder demanded. “And be quick about it.”
    Â â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢Â 
    Smiling through the bloody mask that was spreading to cover most of his face, Slocum said, “You know damn well what it’s about. Payback!”
    â€œPayback for