The Scalp Hunters Read Online Free PDF Page A

what you do. How’d you ever get started, anyhow?”
    â€œIt was back when I was hunting Apaches, before I formed my own company,” Venom explained. “Kirker and me and some others were in the desert, tracking Chiricahuas. Little did we guess at the time but the red bastards led us out there on purpose, thinking we’d die of thirst. And we damn near did. We ran out of water and separated to hunt for a tank or a spring, anything.” He chuckled at the memory. “Do you know what saved me?”
    No one hazarded a guess.
    â€œI’ll tell you. It was a Chiricahua buck. He’d hid behind a cactus and didn’t think I’d spotted him, but he made the mistake of blinking. I scalped him and it started to bleed, and the blood set me to thinking how thirsty I was, and the next thing I knew, I stuck a finger in my mouth and sucked the blood off.”
    â€œInjun blood,” said Calvert. He was typically the quietest of the bunch.
    â€œWet is wet,” Venom retorted. “Just the little I sucked made me feel better so I smeared more on my finger and sucked that off.” He bent over the Arapaho and peeled off the scalp as he might peel an orange. Then, holding it up for them to see,he smacked his lips. “I reckon you know what I did next.”
    Potter turned away. “I can’t watch. It makes me sick to my stomach every single time.”
    â€œYou damned weak sister.” Venom held the scalp in both hands so the blood-soaked skin side faced him. Then, slowly, methodically, he commenced to suck on the skin and to swallow with relish.
    â€œYou couldn’t pay me to do that,” Tibbet remarked.
    â€œI’d die of thirst first,” the man they called Ryson said.
    Venom stopped sucking and grinned, his mouth and chin smeared bright scarlet. “Potter’s not the only weak sister. But that’s all right. It leaves more of the sauce for me.”
    â€œThe sauce?” Tibbet repeated.
    â€œThe blood, stupid.” Venom sucked, and beamed, his teeth gleaming bright red. “It’s too bad they don’t sell blood in bottles. I’d drink that before I’d drink whiskey.”
    â€œDon’t take this the wrong way, boss,” Potter said, “but you’re loco.”
    Nadine Venom laughed.

Chapter Four
    Evelyn King froze every muscle in her body. One bite from the rattler and its deadly poison would course through her veins. Even if her friends sucked out the poison there was no guarantee she would live. She stared into the vertical slits of the angry serpent’s eyes, and a chill ran down her spine. It was poised to sink its fangs into her flesh.
    There was the twang of a bowstring. An arrow cored the rattler’s head and imbedded itself in the ground, pinning the rattlesnake to the earth, and the snake, although dead, went into a paroxysm of thrashing and coiling and rattling its tail.
    Evelyn swallowed and let out the breath she had been holding. Strong hands gripped her and pulled her to her feet. Her eyes met those of the archer and what she saw in them sent a different kind of tingle down her spine.
    Dega thought his heart would burst when the snake went to strike. He had notched a shaft and let fly almost before his brain realized what his body was doing. Half fearful Evelyn had already been bitten, he vaulted from his horse and helped her up. “You be all right?” he anxiously asked.
    â€œA little bruised, is all.” Evelyn’s arms were warmwhere he touched them. “Thank you for saving me. You’re awful quick with that bow.”
    â€œI worry—” Dega said, and stopped. His voice sounded husky and his throat was oddly tight. Letting go, he stepped back and slung his bow over his shoulder. “I glad you no hurt.”
    The others brought their mounts in close. Waku leaned down and put a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.
    â€œAre you sure you are not hurt, Evelyn