Respite
He strutted into the saloon like he owned the place. The creak of swinging doors and that certain something called presence caught the crowd's attention. The assemblage parted like the Red Sea, but no Moses he. Focused on the bar ahead, his stride sure and true, an eye glance to one side caught only one face of the assembly but a moment. He winked, smiled. She heeded the silent summons, arriving by his side as the sea of humanity parted once again. He did not flinch at being the center of attention; indeed, his swagger courted it. One boot heel on the rail and he had a whiskey in front of him without uttering a sound.
The tied-down sidearm commanded respect. The gaudy rig worn low on one hip smacked of cockiness. But, truth be told, he had yet to meet someone faster than himself, although a recent acquaintance might fill the bill if not for the unlikely proposition that gent were still alive. His recent good fortune a secret only to himself, he had arrived in town but a month before, buying this showplace of a saloon and gambling hall with but a flash of gold dust and smiling demand of the owner to name his selling price. After all, his charisma immediately had him on a first-name basis with the president of the bank: Gold spoke volumes.
Proverbial storm clouds could not dampen his sunny outlook. Indeed, a sinister side hidden beneath the outward charm had taken care of any challenge. That last alcohol-fueled celebration caught his partners unaware, and he wished he might have been a fly on the wall the next morning as they emerged from their drunken stupors. But, no worries there; he had executed well. Once again, he laughed out loud at the recollection of stealing away in the parched desert night with all provisions and four-legged beasts, his plan having come to full, unsuspected fruition. Why share a good thing? Their collective efforts not forgotten, though, he would toast their memories.
So, here he was. Clinking his glass with hers, he threw back his drink in one smooth motion. A second one appeared. He grabbed it, motioned with his head to the back of the room, and steered the young woman through another parting of the crowd to a table in the rear. Seated, he nursed the whiskey and pulled the barmaid close, the observant eyes and ever present smile overseeing the beginnings of the empire he envisioned – no one ever the wiser.