Page 164 of My Cowboy Freedom
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Whoo-boy. You could sure tell the boss was used to hearing, “How high?” when he said jump. And I loved him for trying to straighten things out. I really did. But whatever Sterling Chandler said, I’d hit Lefty Wheeler and I was going back to prison.
It hurt too much to think about that just then.
I kept my eyes on Rock, who sat on the ground, heartbroken, while Maisy and Elena tried to comfort him.
“Listen.” Chandler’s expression was thunderous as he hammered dents into Elena’s car.“Listen!”
Boss pointed at Rock, at Elena, and at Maisy and me, and he said—clear as anything,“Family.”
Elena covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
“Family.” Chandler repeated, thumping the car’s roof with his clenched fist. “My. My... Mine. Mine. Family.Family.”
“All right, sir.” One of the deputies came forward and took Sterling’s arm in a gentle grip. “All right, Mr. Chandler, sir.”
He held steady as the boss carefully lowered himself back into Elena’s passenger seat.
“We’ll look after your family, Mr. Chandler. I promise.”
“Mine,” Boss said, over and over, as he sat there. “Mine. Mine.”
“Please stay seated here. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Chandler shook his head.
He thumped his chest like a half-paralyzed gorilla, just to remind everyone he was the biggest sumbitch in the Hill Country, and then he pointed right back at me.
“Protect.” He spat the word happily, nodded with satisfaction, and then he narrowed his eyes before turning back to scowl at Lefty Wheeler.“Asshole.”
Despite the pain, I snorted a laugh.
“Yessir. That’s what I’m talking about.” Rock gave a little fist pump, even though his cheeks still glistened, damp and red.
The boss did look mighty pleased with himself. He’d spoken up. He wasn’t going to put Rock’s pastor out of the talking business, but he’d gotten his point across.
And apparently people would still jump to do his bidding.
He must have been so relieved.
Elena muttered more curses in Spanish, but she looked relieved too.
Didn’t they understand?Hitting anyone, even a filthy bigot like Lefty Wheeler, even in self-defense, was a one-way ticket back to prison.
But they were so happy.
When the sheriff’s deputies put me into the back of a squad car, cupping my head like they weren’t trying to bang it on the door framethis time, Elena and Rock still looked like they’d won.
I didn’t have the heart to tell Rock there wasn’t going to be any celebration.
I was a coward, but... I’d let him find that out for himself.
