California Girl by Sandra Edwards Read Free Book Online

him. With good reason.
    He hadn’t gotten his ruthless reputation by being a pushover. He’d risen to power early in his career and quickly gained a name for being the most brutal gangster Vegas had seen in over fifty years.
    “So…” Rio’s voice dragged Turner back to the here and now. “What exactly is it that you want with me?” she asked, cool as a cucumber.
    He found her unruffled demeanor amusing. “I have a job for you,” he said. “One that’s going to pay you a whole lot more than those two-bit con jobs you got going on all over town.”
    “I’m listening.” She gave him a little waving gesture with the one hand that was hanging off the back of the empty chair beside her. Anybody but Turner would have missed the necessity in her tone. She wanted to get straight to it and she didn’t like waiting.
    Tough. She’d have to know the history to get the job. “When I was a little kid we used to visit my grandmother a lot. I can remember hearing stories about buried treasures in the hills between Carson and Virginia City.”
    Oh, those glorious stories. When Turner was a kid, he loved listening to his grandmother spin her tales. She made it sound so fascinating. After a lazy afternoon of listening to her weave her yarns of mystery, robbery and romance…Turner would spend the next few days with his head in the clouds, dreaming about growing up and becoming a treasure hunter.
    “And your family history has what to do with anything?” Rio asked.
    Turner ignored her snarky attitude. He had to. Without her this thing would never work. “Ever since the first time I heard her tell one of her stories,” he said as if he hadn’t heard her rant, “my whole life…all I ever wanted was to find me one of them treasures.” He paused, as if deep in thought. “I never put much stock in actually finding one, though. Not until a few years ago when I met this woman named Audrey Tajan. She told me this fascinating story about an Indian warrior called Tajan and a beautiful white woman named Maggie Fuller. They were her great-great grandparents,” he said. “It seems that Audrey’s great-great grandma and her sisters had a keenness for robbing banks,” he announced with pride. “During the height of Virginia City’s glory, they went up there and stole a bunch of gold and silver.”
    Rio fidgeted in her seat. Frustration tended to do that to her. It bothered her that she had worked so hard and for so long, trying to create the best opportunity to build a connection with Turner Atkins. And now that she’d finally done that, hearing folklore tales was what she was left with.
    Turner seemed oblivious to her impatience. “They buried it up there somewhere,” he continued on as if she shared his enthusiasm for the story. “But they never got the chance to go back and get it.”
    Well now , Rio thought, we’re finally getting down to the heart of the matter . Granted, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she’d take what she could to get on his good side.
    Rio Laraquette, treasure hunter extraordinaire. She had to admit, it did have a certain kind of charm about it, although she’d never let Turner know. She had to let him keep thinking she was the dumb redhead he’d pegged her for. “I suppose there’s a point hidden in your story somewhere?”
    Turner nodded. “There’s a point.”
    “Mind sharing?”
    He had to wonder how she’d ever managed to pull off a single con. But it was much too late to start having doubts about her now. Rio was irreplaceable. And since that was the case, it was time to spell it out clearly and see how far this little firecracker was willing to go for a buck. “My point,” he said, “is that Audrey told me her brother has half a map. It’s supposed to lead to the sisters’ treasure.”
    “Okay,” she said. “So what do you want from me?”
    “I want you to go up to Carson City and tell those Indians that you’re Audrey Tajan’s daughter.” He cleared his