A Fistful of Trouble (Outlaws of the Galaxy Book 2) Paul Tomlinson (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

of me having signed the hotel register. “We’ve got a nice town here and I plan on keeping it that way.” I think sheriffs are obligated to use that line. It’s probably in the planet’s Constitution.

“I’ve only been here a few hours,” I said, “and so far I’ve seen a robot-bashing, been robbed, and had a gang of scronies pick a fight with me in the street. Seems to me it isn’t strangers that are coming in and spoiling your town. Maybe you should be having this conversation with Colonel Hodge.”

I could tell from his expression that I’d hit a nerve. This was a mistake on my part. It’s a bad idea to get on the wrong side of the local sheriff. Especially when his hired goons are standing behind you breathing their hot onion breath down your collar. Sheriff Galton pointed a gloved finger at me.

“Stay out of trouble and don’t stay in Cicada City long.”

I shrugged and held out my open palms. “I’ll be happy to stay out of trouble, sheriff. Could you just point out to me which is the rough end of town? Then I’ll stick to the part where the Colonel’s boys don’t have free reign.”

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed and I could see that he was grinding his teeth. I shouldn’t have provoked him, but a bully with a badge is still a bully. I don’t like bullies.

“No one likes a smart-mouth, son.” The sheriff turned his back on me and walked away. His deputies stayed close behind me for a few more seconds, then went trotting after their master. The only difference between the two brutes and the Colonel’s stooges was the tin stars on their chests. And the sheriff probably paid a better hourly rate.

Chapter Seven

All I was thinking about was the bath, but some choice words caught my attention as I passed the entrance to the hotel bar.

“You lousy scracking bitch!”

A tall young man dressed mostly in black denim was towering over a woman. He was holding her wrist tightly and she was struggling to get away from him. He had a handsome face and a good head of slicked-back dark wavy hair but there was a cold glint in his blue eyes. The woman was in trouble. I glanced around the room, but all the men were pretending not to see what was happening. I would have felt obligated to go to her aid even if I hadn’t recognised her. She was the pickpocket who had introduced herself to me earlier. Harmony. I was going to have to break Quincy’s third and fourth rules – ‘Never draw attention to yourself’ and ‘Never get involved in other people’s problems.’

I walked up behind Harmony and placed my hands on her hips, moving her aside so I could take her place in front of the man in black.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

“That little whore lifted my wallet,” he said, casting her a glance that would have made a dragon turn and flee. Harmony glared back at him.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked.

“Damn sure.” His eyes were still on her.

“You mean this wallet?” I bent down and made it look like I was lifting it off the floor behind him. “Perhaps you dropped it.”

“I didn’t drop anything.” He turned the full force of his gaze on me now.

I waved the wallet under his nose. “Either you dropped it or I stole it from you – and I wasn’t even in here when you lost it.”

The cowboy didn’t know what to make of this. He wanted to come up with a smart answer, but couldn’t. He snatched the wallet out of my fingers. He looked like he was going to say something – but he still had nothing. He glanced from me to Harmony and back, then he brushed past me and stomped out. I watched him go.

“Nice butt,” I said after he’d gone.

The tension in the room evaporated and people began chatting again.

“What are you doing?” Harmony demanded to know.

“Admiring the man’s ass,” I said. “Before that, I was saving yours.”

“Mine didn’t need saving, it was perfectly fine. How dare you?”

“How dare I save you?” I was confused now.

“You picked my pocket,” she said.

“I owed you that from earlier. And now you owe me two drinks.”

“I owe you nothing of the sort.”

“You offered to buy me a drink earlier. And now you owe me another one for scaring the nasty man away. I’ll have a whiskey and we can talk about how we’re going to spend the rest of the evening.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in girls?”

I placed my hand on her arm. “Sweetness, I’m interested in all types.”

“Take your hand off me.” She shook it off before I had a chance to move it. She marched towards the exit, shoulders stiff.

“A word of advice,” I called after her. “Don’t try and rip off the Colonel’s boys.”

She stopped and turned back. “How do you know Casey is Hodge’s man?”

“No one in here lifted a finger to help you,” I said. “Now, why don’t you let me buy you a drink.” I held up my own wallet, which I had also taken from her.

Harmony glared at me, turned and strode out. She was muttering something as she went. Definitely sassy. I went back out to the desk to pick up my key.

“Mr. Quigley, you really shouldn’t mess with people like that,” Horace said.

“Who, Harmony?”

“Colonel Hodge’s men. You’ll just buy yourself a whole heap of trouble.”

“I can handle a little trouble,” I said and took the key from him. “Goodnight, Horace.”

*

I had unbuttoned my shirt and was reaching to turn on the bath taps when there was a knock on the door to my room. I sighed. I opened the door and found the sheriff standing there. He looked about as happy to see me as I was to see him.

“What have I done now?” I asked him. “Was I undressing too loudly?”

The sheriff looked at my open