Page 62 of High Density

“And I won’t need you anymore.”

I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable, when a bright flash outside lights up the windows. Lightning?

But a moment later, instead of the rumble of thunder, I hear the crunch of tires driving up to the barn.

Chapter Nineteen

JD

Fucking rain.

Working outdoors most of the time, I’m used to all kinds of weather, but I like rain least.

It started when I was backing up the trailer to the pinto’s holding pen at the rodeo grounds. The place was quiet, the only people I encountered were security at the gate, and one of Mackey’s hands walking through the stockyard. Whoever else is staying on the grounds must’ve retreated to the trailers in the back.

At first it was just a few drops as I was getting out of the truck, but that soon turned into a fucking monsoon.

Lowering the tailgate of the trailer, I rushed to get the horse out of the pen. Water was sluicing down the ramp and the first bolt of lightning struck, as I was trying to lead the horse into the back. She spooked and one of her hooves slipped on the slick surface. When she reared back, she almost ripped the lead from my hand.

After that, she hadn’t been too keen on repeating the experience, and it took me forever to get her into the trailer. I ended up soaked; not a dry fucking stitch left on my body. Everything is stuck to my skin, and I can’t wait to get out of these clothes and into the shower.

It’s still raining when I get to Janey’s place, but at least it’s no longer coming down in sheets. The sky doesn’t appear quite as black anymore as the thunderstorm slowly moves out of the region. Driving past, I notice there are no lights on in the house and I wonder if Janey is sleeping. If so, she must be dead to the world to be able to sleep through a storm like this. I should check on her, but first I’m going to unload this horse.

“Almost done, girl.” I reach out and scratch Ginger’s head. She’s been patiently waiting in my truck. “I’ll feed you as soon as we get inside.”

She has no trouble understanding those words, her tail tapping out a happy rhythm on the old leather seat.

I’m surprised Jackson hasn’t shown up yet either, but when I pull around the front of the barn, his truck is parked outside.

What the hell is he doing over here?

I stop when the back of the trailer is lined up with the barn door. I’m about to get out when my phone rings in my pocket.

“Move your fucking truck,” Jackson hisses when I answer his call.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“There’s trouble,” he whispers. “Keep coming this way, toward me. Park it here, right in front.”

My eyes scan the building toward the clinic, where I finally catch a glimpse of Jackson. He’s no more than a dark shadow pressed to the right side of the clinic’s front entrance. I have no trouble recognizing the shape of the rifle in his hand though, and it feels like a punch in the stomach.

I shove my phone back in my pocket and immediately put the truck in drive, moving slowly forward until the trailer is directly in front of the clinic. I’m not sure what the fuck is going on, or what Jackson is up to, but I’m not about to question the urgency in his voice.

Turning off the engine, I slip out of the truck, reaching for my gun the moment my boots hit the ground.

“What the fuck is going on?” I whisper as I sidle up beside Jackson, my back pressed against the wall.

“Drove up, knocked and rang the bell at the house. No answer. Then I saw a faint light coming from the barn so I figured someone was up here,” he explains. “I drove up and got out of the truck when I heard Doc start yelling inside. Something about a gun. Next thing I know a fucking bullet rips through the barn door. Retreated to the truck, grabbed my rifle, and took shelter here. That’s when I saw you coming up the driveway.”

“Janey is in there?”

“Sounds like it. And clearly, she’s not alone.”

The urge to barge through those doors, guns blazing, is great, but I resist. It’s a sure way to get Janey hurt, if she isn’t already. We need to know what we’re dealing with first.

“Any sign of the FBI agents?”

At least one of them should be here manning their command center.

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