Lex drew himself up to his full height? which still wasn’t really all that impressive? and said, ‘I am Lex Trent, sir, and as you no doubt know, Lady Luck is my patron. This man was supposed to be my companion and your idiot henchman has fair near bashed his head in! If he’s not fit to play I will be very unhappy indeed and, what’s more, Her Ladyship will be extremely upset with all of you! And you’d be simply amazed at just how unpleasant your life can become when Lady Luck is upset with you! I hope the reward money turns out to be worth it!’ And then, because these were policeman who couldn’t be counted upon to understand sarcasm, he added bitingly, ‘But I doubt it very much!’
Lex was pleased to see that they were now all looking rather worried.
‘I had no idea,’ the officer with the truncheon said, dropping the thing as if it had suddenly burnt him. ‘None at all. I’m ever so sorry, Mr Trent, truly I am. Please give my apologies to Her Ladyship, too. We’ll take your friend to the hospital straight away-’
‘Hospital?’ Lex interrupted. ‘Don’t be silly. It was only a little knock on the head; I’m sure he’ll be fine. Take him to a prison cell.’
The policemen exchanged uncertain looks.
‘But… sir… you said-’
‘Look, I’m not going to ask you again. Put him in a cell and send for me as soon as he wakes up. And don’t say anything to him in the meantime.’
The officers still looked rather confused but they readily agreed to what Lex had said. No one wants to be plagued with bad fortune for the rest of their days and everyone knew that Lady Luck was one to hold a grudge.
Lex wanted Jesse Layton as his companion for the Game and he was certainly not averse to forcing him into it using the Binding Bracelets, but he would much rather that the cowboy came willingly. He knew from experience that unwilling companions tended to complain an awful lot, and if there was any complaining to be done then Lex liked to be the one to do it. Besides which, Jesse teaching Lex how to be an outlaw was probably going to work much better if the cowboy didn’t hate his guts for dragging him along on the Game against his will. So the trick was to make Jesse believe that going with Lex was a good thing? something that was most definitely in his own interests. And that was likely to work better if he believed the alternative was getting shipped back to Cactus Valley in handcuffs, ready to face the noose. So Lex had him packed off to the police station and didn’t even feel the tiniest bit guilty about doing so.
When word was sent to his ship about an hour later that Jesse Layton had woken up, Lex did not rush down there straightaway but left it several hours until the evening. Better to let the cowboy stew a while, thinking about the fact that he’d been caught and was going to be sent back home for the reward money and then hanged by his neck until he was dead. A few hours spent dwelling on that was bound to make any alternative that didn’t involve getting strung up seem extremely attractive.
When Lex turned up at the police station at about six o’clock that evening he was slightly disappointed to find that Jesse Layton did not appear to be as distraught as he’d hoped. Lying on his narrow bed in the cell, his hands were clasped behind his head, his hat was pulled down over his eyes, his long legs were stretched out with his ankles crossed and he was singing a rather cheerful little song about a bandit who killed an awful lot of people before setting fire to a village and riding off into the sunset.
‘He’s been singing like that for the last hour,’ the policeman whispered.
Lex gave him a cold look. ‘Perhaps that whack on the head from earlier has left him brain damaged. Go away. I want to talk to him in private.’
The policeman hurried off and Lex stopped outside the cell. ‘Hey,’ he said, looking through the bars. ‘You in there. Remember me?’
Jesse stopped singing and tipped back his hat. ‘ Why, if it isn’t the kid from the bar come to visit me.’
‘I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen. My name’s Lex Trent.’
‘Jesse Layton,’ the outlaw replied pleasantly.
‘Haven’t you heard of me?’ Lex demanded.
‘Should I have?’
‘You do follow the Games in the Wild West, don’t you?’
‘Oh, sure. If it’s anything to do with gambling, we’ve got it.’
‘Well, I played in the last Game and won it.’
Jesse raised his eyebrows. ‘And you still have both arms and legs. Good for you.’
‘I’m about to play in another one. I’d like you to be my companion.’
That got the outlaw’s attention. He sat up, swung his legs on to the floor, leaned forwards with his elbows on his knees and said, ‘And why’s that, friend?’
‘Well, it’s a Game. Obviously I need someone who can take care of themselves. But, more importantly, I need to learn how to pass myself off as a cowboy within the next few weeks.’
‘You?’ Jesse said, looking Lex’s skinny frame up and down. ‘That won’t be easy.’
‘I’m a good mimic,’ Lex said. ‘And a quick learner.’
‘Why do you want to learn, anyway?’
‘I have it on good authority that the final lap of this Game will take us to Dry Gulch. I want to get into the house.’
‘Oh, you’re a treasure hunter,’ Jesse replied with a grin. ‘I have to say you don’t look like one. Take it from me, kid? Dry Gulch House ain’t your kind of place.’
‘Have you ever been there?’ Lex asked, hopefully, for it was always better to have a guide with first-hand experience.
‘Sure,’ Jesse replied. ‘Once or twice. But you heard what I said to the police back there. I ain’t never going back to Cactus Valley.’
‘I don’t want you to go back to Cactus Valley, you simpleton. I want you to come to Dry Gulch. Besides, I hate to break it to you, but you are going back. You’re sitting here in a prison cell! So either you return to Cactus Valley in handcuffs with the authorities or you go back to Dry Gulch a free man with me. You’ll have to play the Game and teach me everything you know whenever we get a spare minute. If you don’t think you’re up to it, say so now and I’ll find someone else.’
‘Hey, I never said I wasn’t up to it,’ Jesse said. ‘And I guess Dry Gulch is a fair few miles away from Cactus Valley.’
‘You understand that once you start the Game you’re in it for good? These bracelets will keep us tied to each other.’ Lex held up his wrist to emphasise the point. ‘So don’t think about trying to run away because it won’t work. And I’ll be in charge, understand? You’ll have to do as I say, not just because I’m saving your neck by getting you out of prison here today, but because I’m the player and you’re the companion, and companions must always do as they’re told.’
‘You’ve got an awful lot of arrogance and self-confidence for such a youngster, don’t you?’ Jesse said mildly. ‘Still, anything’s better than getting sent back to hang.’ He folded his arms and looked at Lex through the bars. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to ask me what I did to make ’em send out those reward posters?’
‘I don’t care about what you’ve done,’ Lex replied. ‘All I care about is how you’re going to help me.’
Jesse grinned and then shrugged. ‘Well, all right then. I can tell already that you and I are going to get along just fine.’
Lex had to agree. He may not have trusted Jesse? for he could recognise another scoundrel when he saw one? but he did like him.
‘I do have one condition though,’ Jesse said.
Lex stared at him. ‘You’re hardly in a position to be making conditions.’
‘I dare say not, but I’m making one just the same. My horse, Rusty: he’ll have to come with us.’
‘I’m not sure that’s a terribly good idea,’ Lex replied. ‘You see, I have three griffins and they try to eat just about anything that moves.’
‘I don’t go anywhere without him,’ Jesse replied firmly. ‘I even brought him with me when I fled from the West. I sure as hell ain’t leaving him behind now.’
Lex sighed. ‘All right; I suppose we can keep him separate from the griffins. He was picked up on the road and taken to the city stables earlier today. I’ll pay the release fee to get him out.’ He pulled off his glove, extended his hand through the bars and said, ‘Now, if that’s all, I’d like to make this official. This is your last chance to back
