"The Gamblers: Ghost Town"

[Chet Duke]

"You point her out and shes yours, since your new, just once." He gripped the other mans hand. "We'll need a name to call you by." The leader snuffed out his cig.

(Cue Konrad)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

He looked though the growing croud and spotted a Daisy walking through the doors, arriving at work. The tall brown haired woman smiled to the customers as she walked in and went behind the bar to start her work.

"Her." He said and turned back to the others.

(cue Chet)

[Chet Duke]

The leader looked at the beautiful women watching her as she went to work behind the bar. He pressed his lips alittle disappointed, he'd seen her once before and had really hoped he'd save her for himself. He looked at his new comrad and nodded. After all he could smoke the guy and take his share when the time came.

"Shes yours."

(Cue Konrad.)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

"good" He nodded approvingly. He looked at Daisy a few minutes more before turning to the ugly mug of the outlaw. He swallowed a shot of whiskey in one gulp and went to get up, seeing as he thought business was over.

(cue Chet)

[Cowboy]

Upstairs in the salloon the painted lady craddled the young Duke boys head in the crook of her arm as she spooned the broth into his mouth. Chet swallowed it because he knew if he didn't he'd choke on it, and she was damn pursistant in getting it in his belly.

"If only people knew what trouble this towns gonna be in if ya savior out there don't come through." The soiled dove shoveled more of the broth down his throat. "Aint it funny how loosing this towns enemy would be like loosing a friend. Atleast they always knew you, these fellas... there strangers." Chet swallowed the brother his eyes narrow in pain from his wounds as he listened to her. Giving it all he had to hold onto his life.

(Cue the one and only Konrad Duke)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

He stood, rather surprised that he made it out with his winnings in tack. In went up to the bar to get a bottle of whiskey and sat down at the bar to enjoy it, also keeping an eye on Daisy. He didn't trust his new 'partners' to keep their grubby little paws of her. He also watched them, studying their movements. Eventually they'd take him to their camp, if his plan goes right.

He was still in a rather bad mood, maybe one of the other painted ladies would bed him tonight. Which brought him to the matter of checking them out and picking the one for later. He'd occupy himself for the rest of the day and check on the hothead tomorrow sometime.

(Cue Chet)

[Cowboy]

The gang loomed around the town, feeling and acting as if they owned it. Taking what they wanted, who they wanted and when they wanted it. The leader however kept his promise and didn't allow any of his gents to lay a hand on Daisy. They gorged themselves on the towns weak treasures for three days, they were in no hurry.

After three day Chet could sit up in bed and shovel down a good size bowl of stew that the painted lady had bright him.

"Thank you Allison, I will owe you greatly after this." Chet replied as he handed her the empty bowl.

She smiled at him. "You wont owe me anything, just as long as you live to keep the scum outta my bed."

He chuckled and nodded. "Deal."

(Cue Konrad)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

He kept a close eye on the gang for the past few days, defending what he could without getting their suspicions, neither did he help them on their raids but he watched them. Still no luck on them taking him to their camp out of town as they spent their nights in the town.

He had checked on the young cowboy every know and then, but every time he'd been asleep.

(Cue Chet)

[Cowboy]

On the evening of the fourth night, the gang settled into the salloon for a card game, a hearty watered down drink and some female company. Chet lay awake listening to them whooping and hollering up a storm.

"Boy we really dusted that kids ass. He screamed like a comachee when I shot him off his horse. That mismtached eyed green horn never knew what hit him." The sharp shooter of the gang bragged as he guzzled his beer, he'd shot Chet in the back with his rifle.

Ears perked up at the mention of the attack on Chet, bringing the newest addition to the gang out of his own stressing thoughts. He knew they probably expected him to lay his claim to the beauty he had marked as his, and they would be right there watching. He knew it would be wrong as she was his sister but it was turning out the only way to keep her safe. Turning his attention to the one who spoke.

"Really? A fine shooter like yourself, last i heard he was still alive...i though you would've killed him in one shot." Konrad said. Even though he was rather relaxed around them didn't mean his guard of them were held high.

Chet straitened his back, he could here what the guy who'd saved him said. It dawned on him suddenly that quite possibly and most likely he'd saved him only so he could kill him himself. He gritted his teeth and scooted to the edge of the bed.

Down stairs the gangs leader answered Konrad. "Alive? Impossible, we went back and finished him off. Laid him wide open, he was nothing but shreds for the coyotes."

He nodded respectively and threw his head back to swallow the shot of whiskey. "Musta been the wind tellin' tales then" He shrugged. "Pitty i wanted him for myself. As you quiet possibly saw he tried to lay me out last week." He put down one card he didn't need, as he had a pretty good hand. He had told the painted lady to come and get him later so he could see the boy. The gang knew of her services so they would think he was just going up for some company.

"Where are you going?" The painted lady watching over Chet asked when he got up and tried to get dressed. "Outta here. He only dragged me back here so he could kill me himself. Well if he thinks its gonna be that easy hes got something coming to him!"

Chet growled out his answer and she shook her head and pressed him back down on the bed. It was hard, even with him weakened from his wounds he weighed nearly 200lbs and was solid muscle. "No please its not like that." She begged him. "Please stay, talk to him." Chet pressed his lips annoyed.

She hurried out the door closing it behind her and went down rearraging herself quickly. Alittle hurriedly she wrapped herself around Konrad and whispered in his ear. "Hurry, hes tryin to leave, he thinks your betraying him." Allison whispered and giggled putting on a show.

"Well hey there..." He smiled and looked as he felt arms around him. He looked at his cards then back up at her. Damn he was about to win too. Sighing he laid down his cards. "Gentlemen, i must take my leave."

Each man in the gang nodded and continued without him. The painted lady lead him up the stairs like she was in a hurry to get down to business. Chet had managed to get his denims on and leaned against the window sill in the room weakly. His upper body still heavily bandaged.

He let himself get pulled from the chair. At the stairs he grabbed her and pressed her up against the wall and kissed her, putting on a little show for the boys. Then let her lead him the rest of the way to the room.

She kissed him back surprised, he was a damn good kisser. "Mmmm" She led him into the room relieved that Chet had not left. Chet exhaled a breath of smoke from his cigarrett. "I heard what you said down there."

"Well look at that, sunshines awake." He grinned, then turned serious. "And hey im only sayin' what they wanna hear, i got double standards down there. they could turn on me faster then a rattlesnake."

Chet snorted at the comment, he wasn't born with much of a sense of humor, it wasn't his fault just genetics. "Why did you save me?"

Should he tell him? He frowned, concidering his options. "Because as the lady said, if ya die all the crap from keepin' this town safe would fall on me, and i don't plan ta be sickin' around here fer that long..."

The younger mans head tilted curiously. "But isnt that what you came here for? To take my place as the top outlaw in this town?" Chet paused, considering. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I came here for some rest, YOU are the one that dragged me into this crap. If ya woulda left me alone i woulda been long gone by now." He didn't answer the last question.

Chet couldnt help but growl alittle, everything always seemed like his fault. "I never leave anyone alone, I make it my business to know what every drifter that comes in here keeps on drifting." He pressed his lips. "How'd you find me out there? How'd you know?"

"Considering that i saw head off in the direction and 4 of the gang rode outta town like the devil were on their tails i followed." He answered. "Plus i ain't totally blind when it comes to outlaws as i am one myself i know how they act."

The younger outlaw watched the older one, analizing him from head to toe. "Who are you?" He gazed now not intending to let the guy off the hook.

"Whats it to you? I already told ya my name." He asked narrowing his eyes.

"Im an outlaw too, and I know when I have a run in with someone... who's too damn much like myself. Someone like you."

"There's nothing else to it, thats it." He persisited, if he told the younger his real last name and the Millitary caught wind of it, they'd be down here faster then bee's to honey.

Chet gritted his teeth, he just couldnt get the guy to come clean with his true name. "The hell there aint. Thanks for your help, Ive got business to take care of." He grimaced pulling his shirt on and buckling on his guns. "Wheres my horse? And my rifle?"

He moved and grabbed the younger and pressed him back into the bed. "Don't be stupid, in the condition you're in you'll be dead before you stepped outta the door, and so will i for that matter, like i said im critisied under double standards so if they find me in here with you and you're not dead, well goodbye to me too...courtesy of my new gang...." He saw the look on Chet's face. "And yes i had no choice but to join them and no i ain't gonna sell ya out to them."

Chet didnt have any choice but to back up and lay back down on the bed. He was still too weak to argue or fight back against the older outlaw. "You always have a choice." He sighed, he trusted the other guy wouldn't sell him out.

(Cue Konrad.)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

(That last one was a joint post btw between me and Cowboy)

"Not if i wanted to find out what their game is. Plus where they're holding camp" He replied and let him go and settled in the chair by the window, he wasn't going anywhere for awhile. So he undressed a little to get more comfortable, by taking off his jacket and holsters.

(Cue Chet)

[Cowboy]

"Your gonna get your hash cooked by them if you aint careful. This bunch is bad news, they'll burn this town down after they've toyed with it." Chet grumbled scooting back to sit up against the pillows.

"And what exactly do you plan to do when you find there camp? What good is it gonna do us?" Chet raised his brow curiously at Konrad.

(Cue Konrad.)

[Konrad Lee Duke]

"I know i seen it before, I ain't totally naive when it comes to outlaws boy, i've been one long before you were a twinkle in ya daddy's eye." He replied, looking back at Chet from the window. "And whats this 'us' business?"