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“Alright, Mr. McBain. What are your terms?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw the tip of his cigarette glow orange, followed by an exhalation of smoke. She didn’t dare look at the man directly for fear of the effect it might have on her.
“First of all, if I do this, Logan comes too.”
“Your brother? You said he was a better shooter than you. Maybe I should just hire him instead.”
The alpha growled softly in the darkness, and Shannon felt goosebumps break out across her skin. What the hell was she thinking, needling an alpha like that? It was the last thing she ought to be doing. Yet there was something inside her that made her want to test the man’s temper, even though she knew it was a bad idea.
“I said Logan’s a better shot, Miss Duffy. That don’t mean I’m a bad one. Besides, two guns are always better than one. Anyway, Logan would tell you the same thing. We’re a package deal, ma’am. We work together, or we don’t work at all.”
Shannon had to admit, having two men for protection would certainly increase her chances of success. But this Logan fellow was Tanner’s brother, which meant he was an alpha too, and the prospect of spending several days in the company of two alphas was making her start to sweat.
“What about compensation?” she asked. “I hadn’t planned on hiring more than one man.”
The alpha took one last drag from his cigarette, then he flicked the butt into a brass spittoon on the floor in the corner of the box.
“In a minute, Miss Duffy. The show’s starting.”
The same mechanical pianist from the saloon had taken a seat at a keyboard to the side of the stage, and the theater filled with the rich, upbeat sound of a pipe organ. A spotlight painted a bright circle on the stage curtain, and a portly man with a pencil thin mustache appeared. He removed his tall top hat and bowed deeply.
“Ladies and gentlemen… and rascals and bandits, too… welcome to the world famous Full Moon Burlesque Revue! If it is entertainment you seek, you have come to the right place. We shall make you laugh. We shall make you weep. We shall arouse your curiosity…”
He arched one eyebrow so high it threatened to jump off his head.
“…among other things!”
Laughter rippled through the crowd, and the man had to shout to make his next words heard over the uproar.
“And now, without further ado, I present to you the Full Moon Dancing Girls!”
As the man marched off the stage, the curtains drew back to reveal a half dozen beautiful young women standing in a row with their arms around each other’s shoulders as they danced. Their frilly dresses were long in the back but short in the front, and when they kicked their stockinged legs high into the air, they must have given the men in the floor seats a glimpse between their legs. Based on the hoots and cheers that filled the air, the audience liked what they saw.
“I think you made a mistake purchasing a box seat,” Shannon said sarcastically. “You’d have gotten a better view from down below.”
The alpha let out a deep, growling chuckle.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’d say I’ve got the best view in the house.”
Shannon glanced toward him and discovered that he was watching her with a terrifying intensity, like he was undressing her with his eyes. The sign on her right arm tingled, and she quickly looked away.
“Nervous, Miss Duffy?”
“Not nervous,” Shannon said, trying to hide the trembling in her voice. “Just anxious to hear the rest of your terms.”
“You want to know how much it will cost. Alright, I’ll tell you. If we don’t find this treasure of yours, then you don’t owe us a cent. I’m not too keen on taking money from a woman who’s in dire financial straits. But if we do find it, whatever we bring back with us, we divvy it up fifty-fifty. Half for you, half for me and Logan. And no matter what, we’ll make sure you’re able to cover your debt to Ned Flarity.”
Shannon turned and looked at him again, her eyes wide.
“Really?”
“Is there a problem, Miss Duffy?”
Shannon shook her head. “No. On the contrary, I…”
She quickly shut her mouth, but she feared Mr. McBain had already guessed what she was going to say.
“You were expecting a higher price for my services,” he said.
