Blurb
"I'm gonna take that gold right from under them and disappear with what I have always deserved - the fortune we have always deserved...
It's the turn of the 20th century and times are getting harder for aging gunslinger John Arthur and his adopted daughter Bethany "The Blade" Mason. After reuniting with an old friend they are offered an opportunity promising the haul of a lifetime but the unexpected is waiting in the small, strange town of Haddington.
Heists turns to horror as a battle for survival blurs the lines between law and outlaw.
Excerpt
I am what some might call an outlaw. A profession that is dying with the times. Now I ain’t the type to mince words and really don’t know many of the finer persuasion, but I know what’s what in this world and one of the things I know best is this: you’d better listen to your instincts.
Mine started telling me something was up with this saloon in about the time it took to pull up a chair and knock back half a shot of whisky. The place had an odd atmosphere. Pretty much everyone around me seemed on edge, and I’ve been a newcomer in enough one-horse towns to figure that folks here were hiding something. Something bad.
Piano music flowed through the constant hum of chatter; a creepifying tune, if you could call it that. People were crammed in tight and a bad mood hung in the air along with the sour smell of spilled liquor on wood. I squinted through the tobacco haze towards the busy bar. A wheezy laugh from one of the card players at a nearby table briefly caught my interest, but my attention was on the situation that was starting to unfold at the bar. A sharp scrape and familiar metallic glint in the corner of my eye told me Bethany had seen it too.
“That sure is a pretty lookin’ blade, Beth, but aren’t we tryin’ to be civil here?” I asked, without taking my eyes from the band of undesirables. They began to surround the dark-skinned fellow with the white collar.
“I’m called Beth The Blade for a reason...” Her chair lurched back as she rose.
“Bethany-Anne Mason. I took a vow of protection long before you knew your way around a blade. Sit back down,” I commanded.
Using her full name along with the quick-fire frown usually did the trick, but as I returned my attention to the situation at the bar Beth was still on her feet, thinking about it.
“What’s the point of being in this deal if I can’t do anything?” she huffed and finally slumped back down.
“This ain’t the first time our Ken has found himself surrounded. He can handle it, even in that get up,” I grumbled.
“Every damn town we go, he gets shit for being who he is. When are these backward assholes gonna learn? That learning is a service I can provide,” she said with an attempt at reason.
“We ain’t getting paid to educate anyone in these parts, and where did a lady like you learn language like that?”
“The last time I checked we ain’t been paid for anything in a while, John Arthur.”
This time I faced her with that half-impressed smile while she crossed one leg over a knee and started to shine the blade against her brown slacks.
“You sure do have an answer for everything,” I said turning my attention back to our man Ken as the group of less-than-desirable folks began to stir.
“And where who do you think I got that from? It’s been ten years since my folks…”
“Quiet. Please, Bethany. I’m gonna get a closer look,” I said, standing.
“Is this another one of those premonitions? Even I can see shit’s gonna go south.” Beth began to get up too, but my gentle hand signal kept her in her chair.
“Those premonitions have cracked more safes than you’ve had hot meals, lady.”
With my half-filled shot of whisky, I moved by another table and propped up the other end of the bar. From there I could see the men taking turns to hurl insults at Ken. It was probably time I pulled him out of it so I knocked back the shot and placed the glass down heavily. The strong, oaky liquor trickled down my throat and I went to take a step forward, but as I did so a hand squeezed my arm through the sleeve of my duster.
“Let me handle this, Bethany…” I began, then turned to see a different face. Some woman stood there, biting her lip and giving me ‘that’ look.
“You feel awful strong, newcomer. I’m new in town also. All week I’ve been wating for a real man to come breezing in. What do you say we go upstairs-“
“No thanks, ma’am, though that is an awfully kind offer,” I interrupted, and in politeness tipped my hat to her.
“You know where to find me if you change your mind,” she said, sliding her hand down my sleeve. Something urged me to watch her weave her way to the nearby staircase. I could see her eyeing everyone else with what I could best describe as unease. Why the hell had she singled me out?
“You’re losing it, old timer. Guess I’ll put in the save,” Beth said as she went by.
I turned to see her course towards the full-on row starting just in front of me.
“After you ‘Pastor’, I’ll let you, have the first hit,” a rough-cut voice said from beyond my view. I rushed beside Beth as our man Ken held up his ‘good book’.
“Have you not read the Lord’s work? Sounds like you need to.” Ken pushed the book into Rough-Cut’s face and followed with a big-time punch. By the time the Bible hit the floor, our man had already thrown an elbow back into the midriff of another and I chuckled when Ken slammed his next victim’s head on the bar. Glasses rattled and the commotion grew closer to ugly.
“As I said kid, Ken can handle it.”
About the Author
Lee Hall is an Amazon Best Selling Indie Author who has spent many years reading, writing, blogging and performing. The fruits of such are multiple indie published books crossing several genres and of course a loyal following. From occult thrillers with monsters, witches and vampires that eventually became known as the ‘Order of the Following Series’ to paranormal romance and even the tale of a drunken superhero looking for justice. All of his works carry a deeper meaning that tribute the events from real life, because all good fiction is rooted in some level of truth. In recent years, Lee also released a guide book laying out his experiences with a hope of helping others.
Over time, thousands of readers have downloaded Lee’s works which you’ll find being promoted through an active social media presence but he prefers to talk about fellow authors works through reviews on this Hall of Information blog and more recently YouTube via his Talking Indie Books Series.
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