She said it quietly, without any build-up. Maybe she figured fifteen thousand didn't need one.
I sat there for a minute, not saying anything, but thinking hard. What kind of a setup was she offering me? Was this the big job that was floating around? There's usually a sure way to find out. When someone offers you a blind deal, argue. Maybe they'll get mad, or scared you won't take it, and spill something.
"No, thanks," I said.
She frowned. "Don't try haggling with me, Ash. I can get somebody just as good for less."
"I don't doubt it. You could probably get three. That's why I don't want any part of it. It's sucker bait."
She looked at me for the first time, mouth twisted.
"Since when does a hired gun like you turn down that kind of money? The job's worth it, believe me."
That hit me. But I couldn't afford to get touchy.
"Probably is. But with standard pay at three thousand a month, plus bounties and commissions, this little errand of yours, whatever it may be, must break so many laws it could land me in a death house," I said, watching her eyes.
It didn't add up. Nothing added up. Why had she picked me, in the first place? I had a reputation as one of the better gunnies, sure, but there were at least twenty guys I'd never draw against, if I could help it, and four or five of them were available. Because she'd known me? And this job—what kind of hanky-panky was going on at these prices?