Sweet Silken Bondage by Bobbi Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

as he turned his thoughts once again to his
daughter. "If I can just find Reina, everything will be all
right."
    They were both lost in thought for a moment, Luis
imagining himself locating Reina and dragging her
home and Rafael wondering how he could help him in
his search. Silence stretched heavily between them until
the lawyer remembered the man he'd encountered at
the jail earlier that afternoon.
    "I have an idea..." Rafael offered tentatively, not
sure how his friend would react to what he was about to
suggest.
    "What?"
    "I'm not sure you'll like it..."
    "Rafael, I'm desperate. I'll listen to anything that might help."

    "Clay Cordell's in town. I saw him at the jail today
while I was there meeting with the sheriff."
    "Clay Cordell? Who is he? I've never heard of him."
    "He's one of the best bounty hunters in the state. He
and his partner, a big Irishman named O'Keefe,
brought in Ace Denton today," Rafael supplied.
    "Ace Denton, the gunfighter?"
    "Yes. They tracked him down and brought him back
alive to stand trial."
    "You think I should hire this bounty hunter to find
Reina?" Luis was doubtful. He knew what kind of men
bounty hunters were.
    "You need help, Luis. Reina's very clever, but Cordell could find her. I'm familiar with his reputation.
He's good at what he does."
    "But I must keep this quiet!"
    "The man makes his living tracking people down. I'm
sure for a price you could hire him to find Reina and
keep his mouth shut while he's doing it." When Luis still
looked unconvinced, he went on. "What have you got to
lose? You won't be able to keep her disappearance a
secret forever. What will happen if Marlow finds out
that she's gone?"
    "I know, I know," he agonized. "All right. I'll do it.
Where can I find this gringo?"
    "He and O'Keefe are probably in one of the saloons
celebrating their good fortune. Cordell's a tall man with
dark brown hair and a beard. He was wearing all black
when I saw him earlier. O'Keefe's almost as tall as
Cordell, but he's brawnier. He's clean-shaven and
black-haired."
    Luis got slowly to his feet, his reluctance obvious. He
knew he had to do it, for Reina had left him no other
choice. If hiring this stranger to find her was the only
way he could get her back in time to avoid a scandal, he
would do it.
    "I'll be waiting to hear from you," Rafael said as he walked him to the door.

    "I'll come back after I speak with him."
    "Good, by the way..." He put a hand on his arm to
stop him from leaving. "I almost forgot to tell you.
While I was speaking with the sheriff, someone came in
with the news that Pedro Santana is dead."
    "Pedro?" Luis was startled by the news. Santana had
not been a close friend, but they were acquaintances.
    Rafael nodded. "He was found out at his ranch north
of town. He'd been shot in the back."
    "Pedro was a good man, well liked and respected in
the community," Luis mourned. "Why would anyone
want to kill him?"
    "Robbery, I guess. No one knows for sure. No witnesses have come forward yet. I'll let you know if
anything develops."
    "Please do. I liked Santana, and I want to see his
murderer brought to justice."
    With that, the two men said good-bye, and Luis
headed off to find the man he hoped would be able to
track down his. wayward daughter.
    "You boys ready for anything else?" Josie, the blonde,
buxom saloon girl, asked as she sidled up to the table
where the two strangers sat in the crowded, noisy bar.
Though both men were covered with trail dust, they
were the handsomest things to grace the Perdition Saloon in a long time. She knew from experience that men
who'd been on the trail as long as they obviously had
were ready for a little feminine company, and she was
more than ready to supply what they needed.
    "What have you got to offer, sweetheart?" Devlin
O'Keefe asked in his deep, booming voice, his blueeyed gaze hot upon the lowcut bodice of her scarlet silk
and black lace dress.
    "What d'ya want?" she returned