Page 62 of Stilettos and Outlaws

“You… run,” I rasped, “Cochise Cowboys.”

He released me. “You are a clever girl, just like your mother.”

Billie Bob hurried up with a pail of oats and handed it to me.

Bodacious bellowed in fury and slammed into the gate.

“Put her in the hauler,” Bass ordered.

His goons carried me up to the feed trough and handcuffed me to a metal slot. My eyes widened in surprise. Edgar and Miss Kitty were hiding in the loose hay. I stepped in front of them.

“If the bull isn’t in the hauler in sixty seconds, I will shoot him.” Bass racked his shotgun. “Open the gate.”

Bodacious charged out.

I held up the pail of oats and squeaked, “Bodacious. Oats.”

With a snort, he came straight to me and sniffed my face.

The goons quickly raised the ramp and locked it in place.

Bodacious stomped his feet and bellowed.

I scratched his ears. “I know, buddy. We’re in big trouble.”

One of the Cochise Cowboys pointed at the sky. “There’s a drone, boss.”

“I see it.” Bass picked up a rifle and shot it down.

I caught a flash of movement by the barn. Had the cavalry arrived in time?

Bass studied the area around the barn for a long moment, then shouted, “I’ve booby trapped the place with bombs, Reynolds. Do you think you can disarm all of them in time?”

Grandpa yelled back, “I do. Let Gemma go. This is between you and me.”

Kaboom!Grandpa’s RV blew into a million pieces. The flaming debris caught the barn on fire.

“Grandpa,” I cried.

Laughing like a madman, Bass walked over to me and yanked on the handcuffs. I slammed against the metal wall.

“We are going to get to know each other really well.” Bass jabbed a needle into my arm. “Soon you will be screaming my name.”

I pulled on the handcuffs. “You are a dead man. Do you hear me? A dead man.”

Bass kept laughing and climbed into the semi-truck’s cab.

“Bastard!” I pulled my body camera off and slid it through one of the slots. It was my only hope of rescue. A wave of weariness rolled over me.

The semi-truck rammed my patrol car, knocking it out of the way. I saw Billie Bob toss something through the window.

What the hell?

Kaboom!My patrol car erupted into a ball of flames and my stash of chocolate was gone forever.

Edgar jumped on my lap.

“Armageddon is gonna rain down on your ass,” I whispered and everything faded to black.

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