“Return the gold.”
Those were the last words Jack heard before he was swept away by the flood waters…
“Jack.”
There was pressure on his cheek.
“Jack.”
It came again. A tapping on his face.
Slowly he blinked open his eyes. The sun nearly blinded him. He put up an arm to shield himself from the brightness.
“You can’t sleep here. It’s a public place.”
It took a few moments for him to get his bearings and to remember where he was. When he was. He looked up into the tanned face of Deputy Medicine Crow.
“I can drive you home, if you want.”
Jack pushed up with his hands so he was sitting on the park bench instead of lying on it. He was in the town part and it was January. His breath came out in plumes of steam. He was definitely feeling the frigid temperature.
The deputy took his arm. “Do you want that ride?”
Jack shook his head. “Don’t need it. I got two legs, don’t I?”
The deputy took a step away. “No problem.”
Jack got to his feet. He wobbled a bit, put his hand out for balance. The deputy helped him. And Jack hated him for it.
“I got it.” He pulled his arm away, then adjusted his wool hat to cover his ears better. They were nearly frozen. He wondered how long he’d been asleep on the bench. By the numbness in his extremities, it had obviously been hours. The last thing he truly remembered was getting a coffee at Cora’s.
Slapping a gloved hand to his face, he tried to get straight. He had work to do now. His dream had told him what he needed to do. It was so obvious he didn’t know why he didn’t think of it before now. The whiskey was clouding his mind, making him stupid.
And still he craved it. It was like a million ants crawling over his skin. He was sure he had another half bottle hidden away near his tent, which he’d pitched somewhere near the lake. He just had to remember where that was. Then he could get busy, and do what he needed to do.
He looked around trying to remember his surroundings. He couldn’t even remember which way was north. The deputy had already turned and was making his way back to his squad car on the street.
“Hey. Hey deputy.”
He stopped and looked at Jack. “What is it? Did you change your mind about that ride?”
“Which way is the lake?”
The deputy frowned but pointed north. “What are you going to do at the lake, Jack? It’s not really a safe place for you to be.”
“I’m going to find my gold. So I can finally die.”
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Praise for Family Ties
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
Excerpt from Jack by Vivi Anna
www.BanditCreekbooks.com
Christmas on the Run (Bandit Creek Book 32) Page 11