Page 79 of Midnight Ride

Travis ran over with his Sig and put a bullet in his head. He was done.

Billy trained his shotgun on the guy who leaned on the back door of the truck. He dropped to his knees because he wasn’t strong enough to do much else.

Travis cuffed his hands behind his back. “You took my daughter, and the rest of your life is gonna be hell. Just letting you know.”

He pulled out his cell and called Harlan.

“Yeah, Dad. We shouldn’t have gone without telling you.”

“You and Virgil get your butts home and I meannow. I’ve got the kidnap fuckers and I want you here.”

“Copy, Dad. Coming now.”

“You bet your ass you are.”

“Sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t be sorry, son. You did what you thought you had to do. Just come home. I need you and Virge here with me.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Travis locked Franko Garrison up in an empty cell and left him there for the night.

“He should be in a hospital, Travis.”

“Yeah, he ain’t doing so good, but Tammy wanted him to bleed out and I have to respect her wishes.”

“Okay, I can see that,” said Billy. “We’re gonna let him suffer.”

“How much did she suffer?” asked Travis. “We can’t even imagine that.”

“Yeah, I get it,” said Billy. “I’m with you.”

Dry Run Roadhouse. Coyote Creek.

Travis and Billy sat at the bar and Jack brought them each a pitcher. “Anything on Tammy?”

“We got the guys,” said Travis.

“But not her?”

Travis shook his head. “Not a clue where she is, Jack. It’s fuckin killing me.”

“Won’t the guys tell you where she is?”

“I don’t think they know. She took off after she shot them, and they don’t seem to have a clue. They drove down here thinking she might have come home, and they were wrong. That’s why we caught them. So, I have to think they don’t know any more than we do.”

“Huh. She’ll call you,” said Jack. “Then you can go get her.”

Travis shrugged. “That’s my only hope, Jack.”

Wild Stallion Ranch.

The boys were home when Travis and Billy got back from the roadhouse. The dogs were crunching kibbles in the kitchen and the boys were in the barn doing chores.

Travis went out the back door and crossed the parking area into the barn. “Hey, my boys are home. Come here to me.”

Harlan and Virge ran to Travis, and he hugged both of them at once and couldn’t hold back the tears. “I can’t find her.”

---