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services at Madame Rose’s fancy house in Hangtown.”
    â€œLet me get this straight,” Rafe said with an insufferable chuckle. “You’re telling me this is 1850. You think I’m this dangerous Mexican desperado, the Angel. And you think Helen here, the prissiest prude in the West, is a prostitute with a specialty for corkscrewing? Helen the Hooker?”
    â€œSí.” They all nodded with silly smiles spreading across their filthy, whisker-stubbled faces. One of them even rubbed his groin in anticipation.
    And Rafe, the brute, began to laugh uproariously.

Chapter Three
    T hey were the Three Amigos, but worse . . .
    â€œN ot on your life!” Rafe asserted as he took one gander at the two huge horses being led toward them from a string that followed behind the bandits.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Helen asked.
    â€œI’m not in the mood for riding. I think I’ll just walk.”
    She looked at him kind of funny, but he didn’t care. One of the horses—a big black beast baring its yellow teeth—was sizing him up with eyes the size of bloodshot eggs. A regular Mr. Ed with an attitude. It was probably a stallion, he decided. Or a gelding. Oh, yeah, it must be a gelding, just waiting for some yahoo to pay for its lost manhood.
    The animal threw up its head, made a loud neighing sound and stared him right in the eye as if to say, “Wait till I get you on my back, sucker.”
    â€œUh uh,” Rafe protested, starting to back away. “I don’t think so.” He’d been playing along with this funny businessthus far, just to see how it would unfold. Time to bow out of the senseless charade now.
    â€œRafe, look out!” Helen shouted in warning, but it was too late. He bumped into Sancho, one of the bandits who’d snuck up behind him when his attention had shifted to the horses. “Ah ha!” Having the advantage of surprise, the short, older man wrestled Rafe to the ground, grunting and wheezing the whole time. “Stop yer damn squirmin’. Ow! Bastante mierda! You bit me, you cabrón .”
    Meanwhile, Pablo, the younger outlaw, stopped Helen from rushing forth by pulling her arms behind her back. “You are in big trouble,” Helen threatened, squirming unsuccessfully against Pablo’s tight hold on her.
    Rafe tried to resist being restrained, using every street trick he could, but he was severely impaired because he was trying to watch out for Helen. But Rafe did get in one good punch to the dude’s nose, causing a spurt of blood.
    Even though he lacked agility and superior strength, Sancho finally won out by pressing Rafe onto his stomach in the dirt and sitting his 300 pounds heavily on Rafe’s buttocks. Then he proceeded to tie Rafe’s hands behind his back.
    After the lardo stood up, Rafe struggled to a kneeling position.
    Ignacio, the leader, chuckled, “Some bandido you are, Señor Ángel ! Perhaps your reputation far exceeds your talent.”
    â€œOh, damn! That hurts,” Rafe groaned, climbing awkwardly to his feet, his wrists firmly secured behind him.
    â€œEnough of thees!” Ignacio roared, waving one of his guns in the air. “We mus’ get thees horses to Sacramento City and sell them before someone recognizes the brand.”
    â€œ Sí . If not, we weel be the ones dangling from the lynch man’s rope, not Señor Ángel ,” Pablo added.
    Glancing to the side, Rafe saw Sancho grinning with self-satisfaction, despite the blood that continued to stream downto his chin. He must feel real good about having bested a much younger, more athletically fit man. Me!
    Rafe used that opportunity to rush forward, head first, and butt the jerk in his flabby stomach. Sancho sank to the ground on his tail with a loud “Oomph!”
    Rafe started to smile, but his pleasure was short-lived. Ignacio kicked him in the back, forcing him to the ground, face first in the dust,