Page 134 of Westin

That doesn’t mean anything to me, but it would look pretty on Diane, so I get a few yards of it. Deacon and I take our tickets and head up to the front register. There’s a short line. I glance back at him, but he’s checked out, staring up at the ceiling.

“Long night?”

He nods, blinking. “I need to figure this shit out. I had people from the gas company on my porch yesterday.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I said they’re either getting hit with a shotgun now or with a lawyer later,” he says. “I don’t have time for this. The summer is shaping up to be as hot and dry as last year. I need to work on my ranch, not fuck around in a courtroom this year.”

“I get it.” I put my things down.

The Lemon Chews stare at me from their bucket. I take a handful and add it to the pile, even though my stomach is queasy.

“She’s got you whipped,” Deacon says.

“Maybe they’re for me.”

“You don’t like candy.”

“Shut up.”

I pay for my things and wait while he does the same, smirking. Then, we head across the street to drop them off in our trucks. The cafe is a block down, and it’s empty. I sink into the corner with a cup of black coffee. Deacon sits opposite me in the booth.

“Alright, what’s your plan, gunslinger?” Deacon says.

“I don’t have a plan,” I say. “At least, not a full one. But if I can figure out how to get David Carter, Vince Cassidy, and Corbin Buchanan out to Sovereign Mountain, I can take care of them all in one go.”

“I’m all ears,” he says.

I lean forward. “The bridge over the river is very high. If you forced a vehicle off there, it’d be hard to get evidence.”

His eyes narrow as he thinks. “You’re going to force three cars off a bridge? I don’t know.”

“No, we need to get both men in the car.”

“You mean all three.”

I shake my head. “David Carter gets something else. I don’t know what, but if we can get him up to Sovereign Mountain, I’ll take him out before that.”

He cocks his head. “You really hate him.”

I nod. “I really do.”

He leans back, crossing one leg. “So what you need is an event, one big enough that you could invite friends and business associates, one people feel like they can’t say no to. Sovereign Mountain isn’t well liked, but you have half the town in your pockets.”

We sit in silence for a while. He shrugs.

“Maybe a funeral.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Would you like to volunteer to play the role of dead body?”

“Alright, no funeral. A wedding.”

We both look at each other.

“You’re the one with a girl,” he says.

“So are you. I’m not getting engaged just so I can invite people over and murder them.”

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