Page 21 of Operation: Chosen

Big E slowly shook his head. “Not me.”

Jayzon took Big E’s lead. “Not interested.”

Terrell glanced from Eric to Sam, his eyes darting nervously. He said nothing, but Eric was sure he was interested. If only he could save Terrell. The other two didn’t seem to care about their own lives and where they would end up in the future. They’d already made their decision. Terrell still showed signs of hope.

“Perhaps Terrell would like that job. For the rest, I’d be happy to take you riding, as would Junior.” Eric made the offer and left it at that. This was all up to the boys. If they didn’t take what was offered to them, then they would lose the chance.

“I don’t care about horses.” Big E frowned. “Except maybe selling them and seeing what I could buy with the money. That’s all the good they are. Not like selling them would get me a Bugatti or nothing.”

Eric glanced at Junior, hoping he had read too much into what the boy had said. Could Big E have coordinated the attempted horse theft? That seemed like a big job for a kid of seventeen, but maybe he wasn’t giving the boys enough credit. All three of them were facing a life of crime in a gang. Stealing a few horses was probably a game to them.

“I heard shooting going on a few days ago. Maybe you could teach us something worthwhile, like shooting practice.” Jayzon’s eyes gleamed, and he glanced at Big E. Both nodded slowly, excitement rising.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. We’ve never offered our guests access to guns, and we only keep them to provide safety for the people who stay here and the animals we care for.” Junior rattled off the answer that Connor had given them long before the boys had ever come.

While teaching people who had been trafficked how to shoot seemed like a good idea, it also put most of them in a terrible place mentally. They weren’t ready for it when they came to Wayside. So, Wayside didn’t offer that service.

“Then what good is staying here? That’s the only life skill we’ll need that we could learn out here.” Big E stood.

A black car pulled up the drive and parked in front of the lodge, immediately drawing Eric, Junior, and Sam’s attention. All three boys stood quickly and headed for the car like they knew the people inside. Eric moved toward the car, his apprehension rising. Who could this be? They didn’t get random guests at Wayside. Four young men a little older than the boys got out of the car and looked around. The driver finally turned his focus on Eric and lifted his chin slightly in greeting.

“We’re here to see Big E.” The boy didn’t look Eric in the eyes.

“Did you make an appointment?” Eric had heard from Connor that the boys had been talking about members of the gang they hoped to join coming to Wayside. Who else could this be?

“I don’t need an appointment. We’re family. Family doesn’t need to.”

“Bones, I’m right here.” Big E stepped away from Sam and headed for the man who’d spoken for the group.

Eric hated to push the issue, but this didn’t seem like a family visit. “That’s news to me. I’ve worked here for years, and we’ve always required an appointment to see our guests.” He stood his ground and crossed his arms, putting himself between the car and the boys.

“Well, we drove all the way from California. I would think you could make an exception.” The boy thrust out his hand to Big E, then yanked him into a back slapping hug. “Big E, how’s it going?”

Big E backed off a step, puffed his chest and held his head high. “Ready to get out of here as soon as I can.”

Sam and Junior joined Eric. Sam lowered his voice and said, “I don’t like this. I feel like a powder keg is about to go off. We’re supposed to be protecting these boys, but how can we if no one pulls a weapon and the boys walk right over to the enemy?”

“I don’t know,” Eric said. “But I’m staying right here, and they are not going back to the cabins. That’s for security. If they hadn’t come here, they would still be in juvenile detention, meaning they wouldn’t have the freedom to do as they pleased. So, they can’t here either.”

Junior nodded his agreement. He wasn’t one to develop a plan, but he was always good with following one. “Then let’s stay right here and keep an eye on the situation.”

Eric tipped his head toward the ranch house. “Sam, why don’t you go let Connor know what’s going on. Teddy will want to know too. I know they turned down the gate security coming in, but after an attempted horse theft and now this, I think we need to turn it back up.”

“It was,” Junior mumbled. “I heard Teddy talking about it last night. He said that he wasn’t losing a single horse, so the perimeter fence is turned on and so is the gate. I don’t know how these guys got through.”

“Unless they tricked whoever is running gate security today?” Eric wasn’t sure how that worked. He wasn’t asked to do it. Teddy was the head of security and worked with Connor and Edwyn most often. The wranglers took turns when extra security was needed, but that wasn’t usually the case. No one manned the cameras after dark because anyone trying to enter wouldn’t be allowed in.

One of the new arrivals shoved Jayzon over a chair, breaking the back off and sending Jayzon sprawling. Big E laughed, and Jayzon leapt to his feet, landing a punch to Big E’s stomach. One of the newcomers pulled a gun from the back waistband of his pants and all three of the others followed suit.

“Hit the ground! He’s armed!” Junior yelled and ran to protect the boys.

Terrell jumped behind one of the wooden chairs, and Eric’s heart lurched to a sudden stop as a gun went off. He searched for anyone injured even as he raced in to join Junior. Sam took off to get help from the lodge.

Eric drew his gun and leveled it at the boy aiming his pistol at Jayzon. Terrell, wide-eyed and frantic, jumped from his hiding place and tackled the nearest kid with a gun. The boy raised his arm and slammed the gun over Terrell’s head. Terrell fell like a puppet to the ground.

Ali came out the front door of her cabin just a few yards off and glanced around. One of the boys aimed his gun at her. “Get back in your cabin right now.” The boy made a show of racking the slide on his pistol.

Eric stopped, conflicted. He had to help the boys and Ali. In the next instant, Connor, Sam, and Teddy rushed from the nearby lodge. Eric didn’t want to lose what was left of the time he could have with Terrell over this, and that’s what calling the police would do. Terrell would, just like he’d predicted, be lumped together with Big E and Jayzon and have to go back.

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