The Poker Payout

DESCRIPTION:

The classic American Western returns in this collection of brand-new stories by some of the top Western writers in the world today. Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, L.J. Washburn and many other members of Western Fictioneers, the only writers’ organization devoted solely to traditional Western fiction. These stories take readers from the dusty plains of Texas to the sweeping vistas of Montana and beyond, in the biggest original Western anthology ever published.

My story, “The Poker Payout,” is a Calvin Carter tale where the former actor infiltrates a poker game to outwit his target. But what happens when Carter’s luck runs out?

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Excerpt:

Carter saw movement and then the crowd parted. What Carter saw next floored him.

The woman was tall and elegant. Her raven hair was pinned up so that both of her ears peeked from behind flowing locks. She was dressed in a blowsy, white shirt, tight, crimson velvet corset, and a flowing red and gold skirt.

It was her eyes that caught Carter’s attention. He knew those eyes. And they didn’t belong here. Those eyes peered back at him, twinkling, but there was something else. Fear? Doubt? Resolve? Whatever the emotion, Carter knew that Evelyn Paige was in over her head.

They had first met a few weeks ago. She had taken it upon herself to find evidence to acquit her brother’s imprisonment for theft. Coincidentally, it was Carter’s assignment to discover how the recent train robberies had occurred and who was responsible. He had interviewed Simon Paige in jail and had come away with a hunch that the man was innocent. Carter had told her his thoughts over a scrumptious dinner in Austin, but the lady refused to stop.

Now, he wanted to stand and escort her out of the saloon, tell her that he’d found the men responsible for her brother’s false imprisonment. He was just looking for solid evidence. These thoughts flashed through his mind, but her beauty had startled him. Truth be told, she looked prettier now than she had two weeks ago when their paths first crossed and they realized they were after the same thing. But he could do nothing without compromising the both of them.

Tobias must have noticed Carter’s reaction to Evelyn. He frowned and turned. His startled look warned Carter that Tobias suspected something.

“Where’s Helen?” Tobias said. “I specifically told her to wait for my signal.”

Evelyn smiled demurely. “She was waiting for you, Mr. Tobias, sir, but another gentleman, um, insisted his time with her was more important. Madam Ruth told me all about the bonus.” She winked at Tobias and turned her attention to Johns. “And I know just what I’m going to do to him.”

Tobias’s frown deepened. He snapped at a man standing behind him. “Find Ruth.”

Evelyn put a hand on Tobias’s arm. “Please don’t trouble yourself, Mr. Tobias, sir. Madam Ruth told me everything.” She lowered her voice so that only the men around the table could hear her voice. She patted his arm.

He threw off her hand. “No one tells me what to do in my own saloon.” Tobias caught himself in an instant, realizing his voice had carried to the crowd surrounding the table. Visibly, he corrected himself and pursed his lips. He picked up his glass and threw back the whiskey. He grimaced and set the empty glass down. “Very well, Miss…”

“Evelyn.”

Tobias stretched out his arm as if presenting Johns for her. “Very well, Miss Evelyn, show our big winner just how much he has won.”

Trailing a finger across the shoulders of the men around the table, Evelyn slunk towards Johns, never breaking eye contact with her target. A couple of the onlookers stopped drinking their beers, their mouths hanging open. When she touched Carter’s back, she jabbed him just above his collar with her nail. Johns quickly gathered his chips and plunged them into the pockets of his coat. He stood pushing back his chair. In his haste, the chair toppled. He didn’t notice. The leer on his face showed his excitement.

He took Evelyn’s hand when she offered it. The crowd parted again with hoots and hollers and cheers from many of the men in the saloon. As the two began to ascend the stairs, Evelyn risked a peek at Carter.

He wished she hadn’t. Everyone in the hall saw it.

Well, no one said this job was easy.