In his hand he held a wad of money. But all the money in the world couldn’t gloss over the fact that he was very drunk. “Here you are with two of the most beautiful women in the world….” The man’s slurred words were loud enough to cause everyone in the room to turn toward him in stunned surprise. “And here I am all alone. You should be willing to share.” He held out the money and pointed at Jade. “I’ll take the younger one off your hands and—”
Onyx stood so quickly he sent his chair toppling backward. His hand fisted in the man’s shirtfront, cutting off his words, cutting off his very breath. His face a mask of fury, his words choked with anger, Onyx growled, “You’ve just insulted my family. The young lady is my daughter. Now get out of here. And don’t ever set foot in the Golden Dragon again.”
The man brought up his hand, revealing something shiny that reflected the glint of candlelight. He jammed it tightly against Onyx’s chest.
“Onyx,” Ahn Lin cried. “He has a gun.”
Reflexively Onyx shoved Jade and Ahn Lin behind him and drew his own weapon, though he knew it was too late. Before he could fire, the sound of a gunshot thundered through the room. For long moments there was an eerie silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Then, with a strangled cry, the man facing Onyx crumpled to the floor.
Across the room the man in black had upended the table, scattering cards and money everywhere. In his hand was a smoking gun.
For the space of several heartbeats Onyx and the gunman faced each other across the room, and the crowd seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what was to come. But instead of the expected gunfight, the man facing Onyx calmly returned his pistol to his holster, signaling an end to the incident.
Pandemonium broke out. While almost everyone in the room gathered around the fallen man, the one who had shot him watched without emotion. With the grace of a mountain cat he strolled to a side table, where he lifted a tumbler of whiskey to his lips and drained it in one long swallow.
Onyx dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse, then shook his head. “He’s dead. Otherwise…” He left the words unspoken. But everyone knew that he would have been the one lying dead had it not been for the quick thinking of the mysterious gunman.
Jade, pale and shaken, heard only snatches of the excited words being spoken.
“…been in here before. Name’s Nub Harkness.”
“Always causing trouble…”
“Can’t hold his liquor…”
“You can be thankful Nevada was here tonight,” someone said to Onyx, “or you’d be the one lying there dead.”
With a thoughtful look Onyx crossed the room and spoke to the man whose quick action had saved his life. He offered his hand, and the gunman accepted.
A few minutes later the authorities arrived, and Onyx and Ahn Lin drew a little away to answer their questions.
Taking advantage of the confusion, the gunman made his way to where Jade, pale and shaken, continued to stand alone in the little alcove.
“I’m sorry your birthday party was spoiled.” His voice, little more than a whisper, was low and deep, for her ears alone.
Jade’s pulse was still pounding in her temples. In her befuddled state she couldn’t put into words all that was whirling through her mind.
“Thank you.” She felt tears spring to her eyes and blinked them away. “Thank you for saving my father.”
He studied her, seeing the confusion, the numbness that signaled shock. Hoping to put her at ease he said lightly, “How old are you today?”
“Sixteen.”
“Sixteen.” His gaze slowly trailed over her and she saw a strange look come into his eyes. If any other man had looked at her like that, she would have felt sullied. But this man had a way about him. Some strange charm that held her in its thrall. Despite the fact that he had just killed a man, he seemed relaxed, almost casual.
“It’s traditional to kiss a young lady on her sixteenth birthday. For luck.”
Without warning he leaned close and touched his lips to hers. It was the merest brushing of mouth to mouth. But she felt the tremors ripple through her body, leaving her shaking. She was so overcome with feeling she couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. All she could do was stand very still and absorb the shock of his lips on hers, and pray her legs wouldn’t fail her.
When he took a step back, she strained to see his face, to memorize his handsome features. But all she could see were his eyes, hooded and mysterious, and his lips, curved into a dangerous, enigmatic smile.
“The drunk was right about one thing. You are the most beautiful woman in this room.”
Woman. She was startled by the term. No one had ever before called her a woman.
Then he did something so unexpected she could do nothing but stand, as still as a statue, too stunned to even react. He traced his index finger around the outline of her lips, then dipped it inside the moistness of her mouth. As she blinked, he lifted his finger to his own mouth, as if tasting her. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Without another word he turned, then melted into the milling crowd.
Jade felt suddenly bereft. He was gone. The man who had saved her father’s life. The most fascinating man she’d ever met had evaporated like the mist over the bay.
His bold kiss had stunned her. And his quick action had saved the life of the one who meant more to her than anyone in this world.
All she knew about him was his name. Nevada.
And the fact that he was capable of killing without emotion.
Hanging Tree, Texas1870
“I bring greetings, honorable Father.”
Jade Jewel bowed before the rough pile of stones that marked her parents’ graves. She often rode alone to the windswept site after the heat of the day had ended, finding solace in this primitive place that her father had so loved. How strange, she thought, that it was death that had finally joined them like a proper family.
When she had read of her father’s murder by an unknown assassin, she had left the Golden Dragon in the hands of Aunt Lily and a well-trained staff and had hurried to Texas. What she had discovered when she arrived, cloaked in shock and grief, were three half sisters who, though vastly different, found themselves bound by a common thread.
She had grown to love those three strangers. Diamond, as rough as this land that nurtured her, always dressed like her wranglers, in buckskins and boots, a gun belt perpetually at her hips. Pearl, educated in Boston, was the perfect lady, in prim, but-toned-up gowns and a parasol to shield her delicate skin from the harsh Texas sun. And Ruby, an earthy beauty from New Orleans, shocked the sensibilities of everyone with her revealing gowns and casual indifference to propriety.
Despite
