“So, you know Luna but you’re not working with him. You don’t know Savage and you’re not working for him. So all the people around town saying neither of those things are true, they’re all just pulling my chain.”
“Red, you know how it is in small towns. A stranger comes in and he’s suspected of all manner of things. Rumors start flying and before you know it, an innocent man is Jack the Ripper.”
“Or… a not so innocent man has trouble keeping his secrets and word gets around.”
“Touché. But what has that got to do with me?”
“I’ll ask you a better question, Mr. Sloan. Would you rather sit here for the rest of the day and play this cat and mouse game with me, or would you just give me what I’m looking for so I can be on my way?”
“You still haven’t said what you’re looking for. But I think I’m pretty sure I know what it is.”
“Do you now?”
He stood up from his chair and loosened the towel, letting it drop to the floor.
“As you can see, Red, I’m in the mood. I hope you are too, because I’ve always been attracted to redheads.”
Red was speechless, but only for a moment.
“I think you’ve misread me, Mr. Sloan. I haven’t come here to play, and whether you’re in the mood or not is not relevant. I’ve come here for information.”
He walked closer to her.
She removed a Bowie knife from a sheathe on her belt and began cleaning her fingernails with it.
“I wouldn’t bring that thing any closer unless you want to lose it today.”
He backed away, sat back in his chair, and laughed.
“Pity, Red. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I suspect I do, and it doesn’t bother me.”
“What kind of information are you looking for?”
“Jesse Luna left town yesterday. I want to know where he went.”
“He said he was going to the far side of town to do business with some prepper. That’s all I know.”
“Mr. Sloan, you are a terrible liar.”
“I always thought I was an excellent liar.”
“Maybe to the gullible or the stupid. I’m neither.”
“Why do you think I’m lying to you?”
“Because you and Luna both work for Mr. Savage. You know it and I know it and half the town knows it. And since you two are associates, it stands to reason you know where he was headed after he left the prepper’s cabin.”
“You say we both work for this Mr. Savage, whoever he is. What are we supposed to do for him, exactly?”
“So we’re back to playing games?”
“I like playing games, Red. By the way, am I the cat or the mouse?”
“You’re the mouse, Mr. Sloan. I’m the cat. And I assure you, I can knock you dead with one swipe of my claws.”
“Funny. I never pictured myself as a helpless little mouse. I prefer to think of myself as a dog. A pit bull, perhaps.”
“I’ve shot many a mad dog in my lifetime. Just so you know.”
“Actually, this game is quite fun.”
“Would it still be fun if I told you I know why you left Austin?”
He panicked, but just for a moment. She might just be fishing, or maybe it was just a lucky guess.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Then let me enlighten you. You have some drug people after you for beating up one of their own. An innocent, from what I hear. I’m not surprised. I hear they’re very bad people, who are looking for you to do you great harm.”
“How did you get that information?”
“Let’s just say I have a lot of friends in this town, Mr. Sloan. And Austin’s not so far away that word doesn’t get around.”
She smiled and added, “I see you’re very rapidly getting out of the mood, Mr. Sloan. It’s funny what fear does to a man, isn’t it?”
Sloan picked up his towel and laid it across his lap.
Red couldn’t say for sure, but she could have sworn his face was a couple of shades paler than it had been a minute before.
“What, exactly, do you plan to do with that information?”
“Absolutely nothing. I don’t relish the idea of doing drug kingpins’ work for them. And I asked my friends to keep the information to themselves as well.”
“Thank you, Red. Perhaps I’ve misjudged you.”
“No, Mr. Sloan, I don’t think you’ve misjudged me at all. I am still your worst nightmare. And I still reserve the right to use that information to my advantage at a later date. But not if you give me the information I’m looking for.”
“Luna said things were getting too hot here. He lit out for a place called Lubbock. I’ve never been there. It’s up north somewhere, in the Texas panhandle, I think.”
“I’ve been there. It’s a nice city. Good people. Why was he going there?”
“He said he had business with somebody there.”
“Meaning he was going to kill someone for money?”
“He didn’t say that specifically, but I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant.”
“Did he kill my father?”
He hesitated.
“I can ride to Austin and be there within five days. Your drug lord’s men can be here in ten.”
“Yes. He did. He used some kind of drug to make it look like a heart attack. But I swear, I didn’t know about it until after he did it. I would have stopped him.”
She knew he was lying. But she let it pass for now. She needed more information from him, and she might need his help later to get Savage.
“Did you know he was going to kill Eddie Simms?”
She could tell by the look on his face he was genuinely surprised.
“No. He said the man had a quad runner. He said he was going there to try to buy it, or to steal it at gunpoint if the man wouldn’t sell it. I didn’t know he was going to kill him for it.”
“He didn’t. Not actually. The quad runner was broken. He killed Eddie and stole two horses instead.”
“It’s not the first time he’s killed. Won’t be the last, either.”
“I’ll be headed out for Lubbock in a couple of days or so, as soon as I get some things in order. If you’re lying about where he went, now would be a good time to tell me. Because if I ride all the way to Lubbock to find out you lied, I’ll be back. But I’ll take a side trip to Austin first.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Good. For some reason I believe you. Now, one last question before I go. Was Savage involved in the murders of my father, or of my husband and son?”
“I don’t know.”
She looked hard at him. She thought he was telling a lie, but she couldn’t say for sure.
She got up from her chair, but before she headed to the door, she focused her eyes on the towel in his lap. She wanted to make sure he knew what she was referring to.
“And by the way, Mr. Sloan. I wasn’t impressed.”
Chapter 16
Red met with Lilly that night after the five o’clock meeting and told her about Crazy Eddie, and her conversation with Sloan.
And about her plans to go after Luna.
“Red, don’t do it. It would be a suicide mission.”
Red turned and looked at her.
“Well, thanks a lot. I thought you had more faith in my abilities.”
“I do. You’re the meanest and orneriest woman I’ve ever met. And I’m proud to call you my best friend. But this time is different.”
“How so?”
“This time you’ll be going through hostile country just to get there. You’ll be in a strange city, and it’s likely he’ll have friends there to back him up. You won’t.”
Red smiled and said, “So come with me then. Then I’ll have friends to back me up too.”
“Back you up how? By shooting myself in the foot? You know guns terrify me, and I’ve never been in a fight in my life. You always say I’m the biggest girly girl you ever met.”
> “Yeah. Kinda makes you wonder why we became friends so many years ago. With all your flaws and all.”
“My flaws and all?”
Red smiled.
“Yep. And according to Sloan, Luna doesn’t know anybody in Lubbock. He’s just going there to meet a client and do some hired killing.”
“Is this the same Sloan who told you he didn’t know whether Savage had anything to do with the murders?”
“Yep.”
“Well, there’s a model of honesty.”
“Yeah. You have a point. And for a change it’s not the top of your pointy little head.”
“Seriously, Red. What happens if you get there and you’re outnumbered?”
“Lilly, the odds have been stacked against me my whole life. You know that…”
She grew sad before going on.
“With Dad gone now, you’ve known me longer than anyone in this God-forsaken town. You know I can handle my own.”
“Yes. With three or four against you. But what if there are ten? Fifteen? Red, we’ve lost enough people I loved and cared about. The killing needs to stop. I don’t want to lose my best friend too.”
“You won’t.”
“But how do you know?”
“Because I promise you won’t. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“No.”
“Well, then. There you go.”
“Red, honey, you know I’ll worry about you every minute you’re gone.”
“I didn’t know you were sweet on me.”
“Damn it, I love you. That’s what best friends do. And they also tell their friends when they’re being morons.”
“You tell me you love me, and in the same sentence say I’m morons?”
“Not morons, you dumb twerp. Moron. Singular.”
“I knew that. I’m not dumb, you know.”
“Well, let’s see. You’re going to a city where you have no backup to confront a man who is heavily armed, and might have a large army which is also heavily armed. I’m fairly certain that meets the clinical definition of dumb.”
Lilly looked Red dead in the eyes and drove her point home.
“D… U… M… B… Dumb.”
“Hey, you learned how to spell. Good for you.”
“Red, consider one more thing for me and then I’ll shut up, okay?”
“Deal.”
“I just think you’re being incredibly selfish.”
Red didn’t see that coming.
“Selfish? How?”
“You’re not the only one who has lost everyone they love. I have too, remember? Everyone except my best friend. And I’m afraid if you go to Lubbock I’ll lose you too.”
Red’s heart melted and she took her friend into her arms.
“That’s why I’ll be careful, Lilly. I promise. I’ll come back home when I’m done. My word is gold. You know that.”
“It damn well better be. Because if you come back dead, I’ll… I’ll… I’ll pee on your grave.”
“Would you really?”
“No. But it’s the toughest thing I could think of to say.”
Chapter 17
The next morning Red put new shoes on Bonnie. The two had been together for more years than she cared to remember, and she was as close a friend to Bonnie as she was to Lilly or anyone else.
It was Butch who taught Red to take good care of their horses.
“A horse will be a great companion and a valuable tool. They’ll always be there for you, but you have to treat them right. You cannot abuse them or neglect them and expect them to put out their best effort. But if you treat them with kindness and respect and show them some love, they’ll march through the fiery pits of hell to take you where you need to go.”
Before she set out on a three hundred mile journey, Red needed to make sure Bonnie’s shoes fit perfectly. She needed to take Bonnie on a fast ride. And she needed to stay close to home, in case she had to remove and adjust them or replace them with a different shoe.
She was quite attuned to Bonnie’s mannerisms. Lilly use to joke that Red and Bonnie were like an old married couple, able to read each other’s minds and emotions. And she was right.
Red could look into Bonnie’s big brown eyes and tell instantly whether she was sick or riled or hurting. And Bonnie could do the same with Red. When something was bothering Red there wasn’t much the big Morgan could do. But she’d use her head to nuzzle her friend to let her know she cared.
“Come on, girl,” Red declared as she threw a saddlebag full of food and water over the horse’s back. “Let’s go spend a day away from this crazy place. Let’s ride like the wind and chase some butterflies and find some peace and quiet.”
Every mile or so Red would dismount and raise each of Bonnie’s hooves, watching her and listening to her for any signs of discomfort.
Red was an expert blacksmith. One of the best in the area. It had come from years of experience. She didn’t anticipate or expect any problems with the new shoes.
But she owed it to her big friend to make sure.
When darkness fell, they were four miles from home. Bonnie loved to graze on the tall swamp grass near Upper Blanco creek. Red loved hearing the bullfrogs croak and the crickets chirp while watching the fireflies flit about.
She built a small campfire, and only let it burn long enough to cook the day’s catch. It was a comfortable night, and she certainly didn’t need it to keep warm.
Before she lay down to catch some sleep, she fed and watered Bonnie, then took the quartered red apple from the saddlebag and gave it to her.
“Do you want this, girl?”
Bonnie huffed and nodded her big head up and down.
Sometimes Bonnie wasn’t much different than a big dog, and also a lot like Red. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say so.
For Bonnie, the best part of her nightly apple was that Red usually scratched her behind the ears while she was eating it.
It was the least Red could do. Loyal and faithful friends were hard to find and therefore to be cherished. Even when they had four legs and hooves.
Red took off her saddle, blanket and bridle. She brought a lead, but wouldn’t use it. Bonnie loved to free graze, and never wandered far. Wherever she was, she’d come scampering back the instant Red called her.
Red took off her boots and sprawled out atop her bedroll thinking what a good team they made, and wondering what adventures the coming weeks would bring them.
She awoke an hour before sunrise, refreshed and ready to go. She stood and stretched, and used the moonlight coming through the trees to find her boots, shake them, and put them back on her feet. She rolled up her bedroll and tied the ends, then took out a bag of venison jerky and a granola bar for breakfast.
She loved watching the sun rise. The dawns in central Texas were the prettiest in the world, and she’d argue vehemently with anyone who had a differing opinion.
In order to see it, though, she’d have to make her way to a clearing. The heavy forest would block the rising sun and she’d only be able to catch glimpses of it between the trees.
She made a clicking sound to call Bonnie, then picked up the big horse’s blanket to make sure it was free of stickers, burrs or critters. She ran her fingers across every inch of the underside of the saddle. It wouldn’t be fair for Bonnie to allow even a tiny burr to get past her inspection and make its way onto Bonnie’s back. She wouldn’t complain, but it would cause her discomfort. And Red would move heaven and earth to keep her friend comfortable.
Within a minute she could hear the clop, clop, clop of Bonnie’s hooves on the hard ground of the forest floor. Bonnie moved slower in the dark than in daylight. She seemed to sense there were dangers in the darkness she couldn’t see. And as she sensed she was getting close to Red, she slowed even more.
Bonnie knew she was so much bigger than Red and could knock her down without intending to. She, like Red, would move heaven and earth to keep from hurting her friend.
�
��Hello, girl. How was your night?”
Bonnie snorted in response.
“Good. Let’s get you saddled and ride up to the highway. We can get a good glimpse of the sun coming up and get this day started on the right foot. Then we’ll go back home and get you another apple.”
One by one, she lifted Bonnie’s hooves and felt each one of them for signs of swelling, blisters or pebbles. She couldn’t see Bonnie’s face in the dark, but she listened for any signs she’d touched a tender spot.
Half an hour later they were in the tree line adjacent to State Highway 281. It was the only highway that ran past Blanco, the only roadway in and out of town. It would be their route north to Lubbock on her quest to find Jesse Luna and bring him to justice. Or to kill him on the spot if he resisted.
Red had pretty much given up on the justice system. It allowed a man like John Savage to take over a town and run it by his rules, using hired guns to do his dirty work. The world was quickly returning to an age of vigilantism. And in Red’s mind, that just might be a faster and more efficient way of administering justice.
There they stood, on horseback in the dark just prior to the dawn. It was overcast and Red thought she smelled rain in the air. Probably just passing showers that would miss Blanco as they’d usually done in recent months.
That was a pity. Bonnie loved riding in the rain, and so did Red. It made a mess of both of them, and there were only a few months of the year when the rains were warm enough to do so, but it was one of their favorite things to do.
Red sat atop her horse peering out at the eastern skies when something caught her attention.
She wasn’t sure what it was, exactly. Something moving on the highway before her. She couldn’t make out its features. Something black, moving against a background just a couple of shades lighter.
“What the heck is that? Is that really some kind of vehicle?”
She was a hundred and fifty yards away. Far too far to hear the vehicle noise from an SUV moving only twenty miles an hour.
It stopped moving on the highway almost directly in front of them. They were still too far away to make out details, but the sky was starting to lighten now. Bonnie watched as the door opened on a black Ford Explorer and a shadowy figure emerged.
Too Tough To Tame: Red: Book 2 Page 6