Page 26 of The Earl's Wrangler
“I don’t owe you anything.My father does, and you can collect from that deadbeat yourself.I don’t have what he owes you, and I’m not paying his debts.So you can go barking up another tree.There’s no blood in this turnip.”He was already so angry at his father that he wanted to beat the shit out of him.
“He’s disappeared, but we know where you are, and there are plenty of things we can do to make you want to pay us.”He sneered.
Sawyer rolled his eyes.“Do you really think that’s going to work?What are you, some character in a bad mob movie?”He stepped forward, pulling out his phone.He dialed 911, and it connected.“Send the sheriff to the Justice ranch right away,” he said as soon as the call connected.“Did you hear me?”
“Yes,” the operator said before Sawyer’s phone flew from his hand and landed on one of the bales of straw nearby, his hand aching from the slap.
“You’re going to regret that.”
“Why don’t you pick on someone else?”Randall said from behind him.The bruiser turned as a truck pulled into the yard, followed by a second one.“It seems you’re outnumbered.”
With Randall now in front of him and Sawyer behind, the bruiser looked back at him and then returned his attention to Randall.He must have figured he stood a better chance with him.The bruiser took a swing at Randall and missed as he dodged.Randall countered and got the guy square in the nose.Sawyer heard the crunch as it broke.Maybe if they set it right this time, it would improve his looks.
“Jesus,” the bruiser groaned as he covered his face, blood streaking through his fingers.
Randall attacked again, this time catching the guy in the gut.He doubled over, gasping for breath, but Randall wasn’t done.He used both hands together to snap him in the back, bringing him flat on the ground.“Don’t move or I’ll break your bloody neck.”Randall stepped back, probably in case the guy decided to try anything.
“You broke my nose,” he mumbled.
“It’s an improvement.Now stay down,” Randall snapped.“Don’t make me kick you in the head until you pass out, because I will.”
“What happened?”Alan asked as he and George hurried into the barn.They came to a stop near the prone man, looking at Randall with a touch of awe.
“Where were all of you?”
“A huge section of fence was down.We had to get it back up before the herd spread halfway across the county.”He put his hands on his hips.“The fences were damaged, and I’m willing to bet this idiot was the one who did it.”
“That’s cattle rustling and destruction of property,” George said with a smile.“You know, they kill people around here for less than that.String them up from the nearest tree and let the birds peck at them.”Sawyer bit his lower lip to keep from laughing as the guy on the ground began to shake.“I saw it last year.It wasn’t pretty.After the coyotes and wolves were through, there was nothing left.”The guy shook harder as a siren drew closer.
The bruiser tried again to get up as more of the men joined them in the barn, forming a ring around him that parted as the sheriff and a deputy strode in.“Please don’t let these people get to me,” the bruiser begged.The sheriff turned to Alan, who did his best to look innocent.
“All right.We’ll take you back to town and put you in a nice, safe jail cell.”He smirked as he cuffed the man and got him to his feet.“Don’t bleed all over my car,” he added before getting him into the back seat.He left the deputy to watch over the suspect and returned.“What did you tell him?”he demanded of Alan.
“It wasn’t me.George told him a whopper that scared the crap out of him.I thought he was going to mess himself.”He tugged George to his side.
“He threatened me for payment,” Sawyer said.
“And I believe he ran down a section of fence that we had to replace,” Alan added.“So add attempted rustling and destruction of property to the charges.He’s probably from out of state, so make sure the judge knows this guy will run if he gets out on bail.”
The sheriff narrowed his gaze at Alan.“I’m well aware of how to do my job.”
“We only want to make sure you have all the facts,” George said.“He threatened Sawyer.”
The sheriff approached Sawyer, and he explained everything that he said.He also told him how the bruiser threw the first punch and that Randall had done nothing more than make sure he was down and didn’t hurt anyone.
“It seemed as though he might have gone a little overboard,” the sheriff said.“He looks beaten to hell, and you don’t have a scratch on you.”
“I caught him in the nose and then the belly.It seemed to me that he was going to try to attack again, so I made sure he ended up on the ground.Other than his nose, I didn’t break any bones, and I certainly could have.As it is, if he gets it set correctly, he’ll come out of it better off than he went in.”Randall shrugged.“Either way, it was self-defense.He was the one making threats.We simply neutralized him.”
The sheriff made notes.
“Also, where is his vehicle?It has to be around here.He cut the fence to get everyone away, so what was he planning?We had been gone and just got home, so he had no idea if we were here or not.”
“Sheriff, do you want me to run the suspect into town?I can return to pick you up,” the deputy said.
“You book him and get him in a cell.Call Doc Harper and have him give him a look over once he’s secure.I’ll call in and request backup.I can ride in with them.”
“Will do,” the deputy said and got back in the car, taking off with the sirens blaring.The sheriff called in with his request for backup and then took a walk down the drive.Sawyer went along with him.
