Page 51 of Stormy Ride

“Marine. Special ops. Billy is army.”

Harlan nodded.

Billy made it to the kitchen on his own with the help of his crutches. He plopped down on a chair and handed off his crutches to Harlan.

I got him a mug of coffee. “You’re doing better.”

“I don’t intend to let this shit-show last too much longer.”

“You mean you’re gonna jump up and take my part-time job away?”

Billy laughed. “Something like that. The big comeback.”

I sat a coffee in front of Harlan and started cooking breakfast. “We got us a prisoner. She has to be fed breakfast, so I guess we’d better roll it.”

“Am I going with you or staying with Billy?” asked Harlan.

“You can go, Harlan,” said Billy. “My mom is coming over again around noon, and I’ll be okay until she gets here.”

“Tammy will be here tonight, and she’ll take care of you tomorrow.”

“She don’t go with you, Travis?” asked Harlan.

“Nope. She’s a home-sticker. Spends a lot of time in the barn. Just the way she is. She’s an organizer.”

“She bossy?”

I shrugged. “If she is, I never noticed it.”

“She ain’t bossy,” said Billy. “Hard worker. Not too bad at cooking. She works her ass off.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly had provided breakfast for Mrs. Hubbard by the time Harlan and I got to the station, and I was grateful to have that out of the way. Saved me time. One less job I had to do.

I unlocked the run and leaned on the wall outside of her cell and asked her a few questions.

“I ain’t telling you shit, Sheriff, so you can shove your questions right up your tight ass.”

Ignoring her, I kept going. “Chris got a boss or is he running this ring of thieves on his own?”

“Nobody tells Chris Hubbard what to do. Not even me.”

“Who does he sell the horses to? Where’s his market?”

“No idea.”

“Who are the two guys he runs with?”

“No idea.”

“You help me out and I could get you consideration from the court when you go to trial, Mrs. Hubbard.”

“I won’t go to trial. You can take that to the bank. Chris will never let that happen.”

“How’s he going to prevent it? Break you out of this jail? I hope to hell he tries that.”

“Piss off and leave me alone. When’s my lawyer gonna show up?”

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