A Promise of Thunder

command and they quickly joined him at a table in the far corner of the room. He motioned for a bottle and three glasses and, when they were delivered, quickly filled them to overflowing and tossed his down, hoping to settle his nerves enough to think clearly. Fork and Purdy drank theirs more slowly, waiting for Turner to speak. They could tell he was upset and figured he would spit it out in good time.
    “That’s it!” Turner finally blurted out. “I’m through playing good guy. From now on it’s all-out war. The first to feel the brunt of my anger is Storm Kennedy. Next is that half-breed bastard who seems to know what’s going on everyminute of every day. It’s uncanny, that’s what it is.”
    “What happened, boss?” Fork asked. He had a good idea what had sparked Turner’s anger, but wisely waited for Turner to tell him himself. Fork knew that somehow or other Turner’s plans had been foiled again by the renegade. The rich Texas client wanted grazing land in the Cherokee Strip, and Turner hadn’t succeeded in buying up one damn acre. Homesteaders were a stubborn lot, Fork thought glumly. They hung on to their land till the bitter end, even if it meant starving to death.
    “I was so close,” Turner hissed. “So damn close, she had already started to sign the bill of sale.”
    Purdy whistled softly. “How in the hell did you manage that?”
    “I got the woman drunk, that’s how. Everything was going according to plan until the breed showed up. Hell, a dance was the last place in the world I expected to see the Injun. When I took Storm to the hotel for the night I thought I’d seen the last of him, but he came bursting into the room scant seconds before Storm signed the bill of sale.”
    “Damn!” Fork spat disgustedly. “I told ya the man ain’t human. “What ya gonna do now?”
    “It’s not what I’m going to do but what you two are going to do,” Turner said, his eyes gleaming maliciously. “Listen carefully and do exactly as I tell you.”
    Turner spoke in low tones as both men leaned close in order to catch every word. After a few minutes, Purdy said, “Tonight?”
    “Hell, yes, tonight! The timing is perfect. Do as I say and you’ll be amply compensated.”
    “We’re on our way, boss,” Fork said as he surged to his feet, dragging Purdy with him.
    “Report to me when you get back.”
    Turner was still sitting in the saloon when Fork and Purdy returned shortly before dawn. The only thing that had changed was the level of whiskey in the bottle sitting on the table before him. It was empty.
    “Well?” Turner asked anxiously.
    “It’s done, boss,” Fork boasted as he plopped wearily into the chair across from Turner. Purdy slouched into the remaining seat at the table. “Everything went as smooth as silk.”
    “What about the breed?”
    “He wasn’t nowhere in sight. Neither was the woman.”
    Turner smiled with slow relish. “Good work, boys. There will be a generous bonus in your next paychecks. Now we just sit back and wait. It won’t be long before Storm Kennedy comes begging me to buy her land.”
    Drops of water bathed her face. Gently at first, then in a raging torrent. Storm sputtered and came awake. Grady was standing above her, pouring the contents of a glass of waterover her face. When mere sprinkles failed to awaken her, he upended the entire glass.
    “Damn you, what are you doing?” Storm struggled to sit up, then flopped back down when the grinding pain in her temples made even the slightest movement excruciating. But Grady showed no pity as he continued pouring until the glass was empty and her face drenched.
    “Wake up, Storm. It’s time to start for home.”
    “Home?” Storm said, trying to remember where she was and failing miserably. “Where am I?”
    “In a hotel room.”
    “What!” This time she managed to struggle to her feet. “With you?”
    Grady’s grating laughter made her stiffen with indignation. “I spent the entire night in a chair watching you sleep. Do you recall nothing of what happened last night?”
    “Of course I remember. I went to a barn dance with Nat Turner. But—how did I end up in a hotel room with you?”
    “I’ll leave you a few minutes so you can freshen up,” Grady said. “Then I’ll explain everything over breakfast.”
    “Damn it, Grady Stryker,” Storm said, stomping her foot, “don’t you dare leave this room until you tell me if we—if you and I—”
    “Relax, Storm, I didn’t touch you.