Sooner Dead (Gamma World) - Mel Odom [33]
When Stampede opened the door, the gorilloid stood in the hallway.
“Thought I’d come up and invite you to lunch, maybe wash some of the trail dust out of your throat.”
Hella relaxed her hand. “You two can go ahead. I want to take a bath and get cleaned up.”
“I figured that, imp, but I may need you to help keep Stampede in check. Trazall’s downstairs trying to poach your expedition.”
CHAPTER 9
Stampede’s hooves clicked harshly against the wooden stairs as he went down. He opened first one revolver to check the loads then the other. Hella had to hurry to keep up.
“You gotta go easy with this.” Faust walked beside Hella and tried to calm Stampede. “I can’t have you shooting up the place. Carnegie wouldn’t like it, and anything he doesn’t like, I’m supposed to deal with.”
“How many guys does Trazall have?” Stampede swung the pistol cylinder closed with a snap.
“Counting Trazall? Eight. All of ’em mercenaries.” Faust loosened his weapons in their holsters.
“Anybody I know?” Stampede reached the first-floor landing and turned to plunge down the final length of stairs into the common room.
“Silence is with him. So is Jack Hart.”
A chill ghosted through Hella when she heard the names. Both the men were hired guns and didn’t mind stand-up fights.
“Silence has got that fire thing going.” Faust followed Stampede as he stepped onto the main floor and looked around. “You know about that, right?”
“Ever since the brigand group burned his tongue out a couple years ago. Set off his mutation. They say sometimes stress will do that.” Stampede swiveled his head and looked around the room.
With dusk coming on and everyone in the area aware of the murderous Sheldons on the rampage, Blossom Heat had swelled with travelers. No one who could reach the camp had bedded down anywhere else. Most of them would sleep outside the walls, but they’d be under the sniper guns and within range of the defense sensors.
“You’ve met Silence?” Faust pointed to the left. “Back of the room. Pardot commandeered a table for dinner. I guess he didn’t invite you guys.”
“We’re the hired help. Not exactly people Pardot would have asked to the table even if we hadn’t gotten sideways with him on a couple things.”
“Glad to know you’ve got that worked out. Trazall’s hitting your guy pretty hard. Silence is sitting at his right hand.”
Stampede cut across the floor. “I’ve crossed trails with Silence and that greedy roach before.”
Faust pulled a revolver and held it in his right hand behind his thigh so it was out of sight. “Jack Hart can play with gravity.”
“He’s new to me, but I’ve been around people that could do that before.” Stampede focused on the big table at the back. “Split wide, Red.”
Silently Hella went to Stampede’s left, flanking his progress on the table. The move was a familiar one. They never stayed together when things started to turn dangerous. Separated, they both had to be considered, and they split an enemy’s attention.
“When this goes down, Faust, I need to know which way you’re going to bounce.”
The gorilloid smiled and showed his huge fangs. “I covered your butt way too long to change that habit now. But if you break the peace in Blossom Heat, I’m gonna have to kick you out right after we deal with this.”
“Good thing I haven’t unpacked all the way.”
“The imp’s not gonna be happy. She didn’t get her bath.”
Hella ignored most of the snappy patter. That was how Stampede and Faust were with each other. She could function around it, but she didn’t join in. She knew how Stampede would handle the situation as well and that he’d go for the throat. No one poached one of their clients. A guide couldn’t stay in business with a reputation as a pushover.
Evidently people in the room sensed the presence of danger, or maybe it was because Stampede and Faust were big together. The crowd broke in front of the two like waves around a boat.
Pardot sat at the back of the table. Riley sat immediately to his right. Another guard sat to Pardot’s left. Colleen Trammell sat between two guards as well and had a heavy,