Pierce Read online

  She leaned against the stove, crossing her arms over her chest, and watched him. “Do you think they’ll have a problem with you leaving?”

  “If they can get me to be on their side, that’s what they’d ideally like,” he said. “But I don’t want anything to do with them. This will go down badly. Jed is likely to come back and to just start firing through the doors. He won’t give a shit who he kills.”

  “I’m more worried about his wife and kids.”

  He shook his head. “I heard her girlfriends went to the house and basically kidnapped her and the kids. They headed into town for some big special event, and they were staying overnight.”

  Relief swept through her. “I’m glad to hear that.” She turned to stare toward the living room, her focus on the front door. “We don’t want them all injured because Jed is in such an ugly mood.”

  “He just got his hand shot apart,” Ross said sarcastically. “I hardly imagine he’s feeling too good.”

  “He should have gone to the hospital and gotten it taken care of,” she said quietly.

  “You know he won’t. He’ll just shoot himself up with some painkillers and booze and come back to get his revenge.”

  “And then he won’t need to worry about a hospital tomorrow,” she stated firmly. “If he comes out firing, I’ll be firing back, and he’ll go to the morgue.”

  Ross sank back in the chair. “How can the world always be so black-and-white for you?”

  “The world isn’t always black-and-white,” she said, “but you have to watch how much you let that gray line move.”

  “Mine just never seemed to stay anywhere,” he said. “I go to bed thinking this is the right thing to do, and I wake up in the morning feeling like I made the wrong choice, and I need to change it to something else.” He looked at the table where one more portion of the sub remained. “Can I have that?”

  “That’s mine for later,” she said. “I’ll need it too.” She wrapped it back in the original wrapping and cleared off the rest of the garbage. Then she offered Ross an apple.

  He looked at it and frowned. “Don’t know when I last had an apple,” he said.

  “You should try it,” she said quietly. “It’s better for you than more sandwich.”

  “And yet, the sandwich is for you, so how is that fair?”

  “I bought it,” she said, “so that’s fair.” She didn’t bother telling Ross how Pierce had paid for it. She also didn’t think Ross would like to hear she thought jail time was in his future. He’d done a terrible thing to his brother.

  He sagged back in the chair and took a bite of the apple. “It’ll be a long night,” he said.

  “It probably will be.” Her tone was cool and even. “It doesn’t matter much. The night will come whether we’re here or not.”

  He hopped to his feet and paced. “I don’t want to be here when night falls.”

  “Too late,” she said. “It’s already dark out there.”

  He turned to look out the kitchen window. “Where do you think he went?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Probably to walk the perimeter and to see what kind of danger we’re up against.”

  “As long as he’s not stupid enough to go to Jed’s on his own,” he said. “Jed will shoot him as soon as he sees him.”

  “What makes you think he’ll see him?” She highly suspected Pierce’s skills were top-notch, and, if he wanted to go after Jed, then he would go after Jed. And maybe it would be better if he did. Jed was coming back after all of them tonight. This needed to end, and it needed to end tonight.

  “I haven’t seen him in at least thirty minutes.” He shifted, walked to the other window and looked out. “Maybe he left.”

  “Is his truck gone?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked at her in exasperation. “You’re the deputy. You should know this stuff.”

  She gave a half laugh. “What is it you want from me now that you put the sheriff in power?”

  He shrugged. “The sheriff caught me when I was broke,” he said. “That’s really no biggie.”

  “It is for everybody in this town.”

  “Well, it wasn’t just me who voted him in. Otherwise he wouldn’t have made it in,” he snapped. “And that’s obvious.”

  “Maybe.” She was tired of the conversation and him. “But you need to decide soon if you’re leaving.”

  “You trying to get rid of me?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “You’re a liability here. You’ll mess things up, and we’ve already got enough problems without you.”

  “That’s not fair,” he blasted. He stood up. “I can go now and hopefully make it into town, and nobody will be the wiser.”

  She nodded, walked toward the front door and opened it. “Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

  He glared at her. “You’re really not very friendly.”

  “Nope, I’m probably not,” she said. “But it is what it is.”

  He grabbed the bag from the living room and walked out.

  With relief she watched as he got into his truck. He started it up, turned around and headed down to the highway toward town instead of heading toward Jed’s.

  With any luck he’d stay away, but, with him, you never knew. He could take a back road and circle around. If he was smart, he’d stay a long way away from Jed. What she needed was reinforcements. She needed Jed picked up, along with the Billy boys, but it didn’t look like anybody would be around to give her a hand. It figured.

  Just then her phone rang. It was her father. “How are you doing, Dad? Are you coming over here?”

  “We’re taking up stations all around, keeping an eye on the place. I want you to stay inside that house. We’ll let you know if we see anybody coming.”

  “That’s nice,” she said, “but just remember. You’re not the sheriff anymore, and I’m not your deputy.”

  His voice sharpened. “I get that. You’re the one in charge, but we need to make sure these guys don’t sneak over your way and catch you unaware.”

  “Appreciate the extra set of eyes,” she said.

  “Another thing. Pete called me again.” Her father had a note of humor in his voice. “And damn it was good to hear from him. He wants to take a look at what’s going on.”

  “Wow,” she said in astonishment. “That’s probably a grand idea.”

  “I think he can. I don’t imagine he’ll be in great shape, but, if he sees what he’s coming back to, it might help him heal faster.”

  “True enough,” she said. “Is somebody going to get him?”

  “We’re discussing it now. It depends on what happens tonight.”

  “Anybody talk to the sheriff?”

  “That would be a waste of time, as you know,” he said. “But I should give him a shout and see what he has to say for himself.”

  “You do that,” she said. “See how the old sheriff meets up with the new sheriff.”

  “It hasn’t done any good up until now.”

  “There is one thing we accomplished. Ross said they were all paid to vote for him.”

  Nothing but silence came through the phone for a few moments. “Are you serious?” her father exploded in outrage.

  “Yes. Pierce said something about putting it on the news. I don’t know if he meant it or not. He’s also got a recording of the deputy saying the sheriff said he wouldn’t be bothered coming to help out, and Stephen said he was going home to his wife and kids rather than giving me backup, and Roy had gone to the other side of town so he didn’t have to come this direction.” She listened as her father swore and cussed up one side and down the other.

  “I can’t believe they’re in power,” he said. “That’s just too unbelievable.”

  They talked for a few more minutes. Only as she walked back into the kitchen did she realize Ross had stolen her sandwich as he walked out the door. She snorted and turned to stare at the highway. “Good riddance,” she snapped.

  She turned toward
the countertop and put on a pot of coffee. She didn’t know when Pierce would return, but she figured the coffee would be ready when he got here.

  Pierce worked the back forty with the tractor, building a large firebreak. The tractor was old and clunky, but, if nothing else, it was something they could get away in if the other exits were closed off. It would travel across country that many other machines couldn’t.

  He parked it along the back of the yard, pocketed the keys and jumped the fence. He walked to where he’d last seen Salem, calling out to her. Almost instantly she approached. She stayed just off to the side, but she was close enough she could see him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another treat and tossed it at her. She didn’t miss it. Her jaws clamped shut, and she kept walking beside him as he headed toward the house.

  It was pitch-black outside, and there were no signs of anybody approaching. He’d be on sentry duty all night. He needed coffee to keep himself awake. He knew this would come to a major climax, and he wanted to make sure it came to a favorable one. If Jed was stupid, he’d gone home and wrapped up his hand and was now planning his next visit.

  A part of Pierce wanted to go to Jed’s house and take him out. But he couldn’t handle Jed and the Billy boys if they were all together, and, if they were apart, he couldn’t take out one either because he wouldn’t know that the other two hadn’t come back to Pete’s house. Pierce had no problem shooting the Billy boys, but he couldn’t do it without provocation.

  He could see Hedi moving around in the kitchen. There was just something so welcoming seeing her like that. He respected that she’d come back. Maybe to her it was the job pushing her, and maybe it was because she was worried. It didn’t matter; he appreciated the thought. But she was somebody he had to watch out for, somebody he had to make sure didn’t get shot. He didn’t know if the media had gotten the message about what was going on here yet or about the lousy sheriff, but Pierce’s hands were full right where he was, with no time to check whether others were doing their jobs or not.

  He looked at Salem and smiled. “You’re the reason I’m here,” he said gently.

  Her ears twitched at the sound of his voice.

  He stopped and crouched down. They were only about twenty feet from the porch, and she walked closer. He reached out a hand, and gently she stretched out her head. He stroked the underside of her chin and neck, gently scratching around her ears. “It’s been a tough couple months, hasn’t it, baby? That’s okay. We’ll get through this.” And he walked up to the house.

  Salem stayed just behind him, her eyes ever-watchful, her body ever-ready.

  He hadn’t had a chance to check her to see what the blood on her flank was from. He wasn’t sure if Jed had given her a parting gift or if it was just an accident while she was out roaming around. She was still favoring one leg, but she appeared to be using it, not letting it slow her down.

  He stepped into the kitchen, smelling the coffee. “Perfect timing,” he said, his nose in the air.

  “Maybe,” she said from the shadows by the table. “Ross left.”

  “Good riddance,” he said.

  She laughed. “That’s exactly what I said.”

  He grinned at her. “Great minds and all that.” He walked to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. He turned to look at her. “Do you want a cup?”

  “Yes, please.” She got up and walked toward him.

  Now that it was just the two of them and no other distractions except for Salem who stood at the open doorway, he realized Hedi was at least five feet, nine or ten inches, slim, maybe a hundred twenty or twenty-five pounds. She had brown hair that hung down her back. Earlier it had been in a braid and tucked up on the back of her head.

  “It’s a shame to tie all that hair up in back,” he said.

  “My father always warned me that it was a weapon for the bad guys, and, when I’m at work, I should make sure it wasn’t something that could be used against me.”

  “He’s right,” Pierce said. “And how sad that we have to think about things like that.”

  “Right? I went into law enforcement because I believed in it,” she said. “I was raised in it with my father, and I figured for sure I would follow in his footsteps. But I don’t know. This last year has been pretty shitty. The first year I was here working with the sheriff wasn’t so bad, but he’s only gotten worse over time.”

  “Again it’s tough to follow a leader when you have no respect for him.” Pierce leaned against the sink, staring out at the darkness beyond the window. “But, when you let guys like that get too big, it’s like the rotten core of an apple. You don’t really see it until you dig in a little deeper, and then you see how much damage it caused. If nothing else, I want to make sure we get rid of him. Pete needs somebody to stand by him, not somebody who’ll throw him to the wolves. And that seems like what your current sheriff would be like.”

  “I know,” she said. “And that’s just sad. But I couldn’t have worked as a deputy if my dad was sheriff, and I don’t think he wants to resume his old job. We need somebody capable. There isn’t really anybody around.”

  “It’s not just this town though either, is it?”

  “No, we have a collection of towns here, and basically it’s the entire county that the sheriff looks after. Only he doesn’t travel. Honestly, he goes from home to the coffee shop to the sheriff’s office, and that’s it.”

  “Damn shame,” Pierce said. “He’s got an opportunity to do something really good here, and instead he does absolutely nothing.”

  She started to open her mouth when a shot was fired through the living room window.

  A gas canister.

  He shoved her toward the door. “Go out the back door,” he said, and he dove for the canister, a kitchen towel over his nose and mouth as he picked up the canister, opened the front door, and chucked it back out. When it landed the second time, it made a small explosion. But he was already back inside with his revolver in his hand, peering through the window. “That had to be a handmade canister,” he muttered to himself.

  “Yeah. That’ll be a Billy boy deal,” she said from across the window.

  He glared at her. “I told you to go outside.”

  “Yep, you might have,” she said, “but I don’t listen to you. As a matter of fact, you’re supposed to listen to me.”

  “Considering I probably have way more experience in this than you do, how about we just not argue about it.” He studied the outside intently. “Somebody’s behind my truck.”

  “They’ll probably steal the gas from it just for a start,” she said. “They do that no matter who’s here.”

  He stared at her a moment. “Wow, this is just a lovely group of people you guys have.”

  “Not me,” she said cheerfully. “The deputy cars are generally safe just because of the sheriff.”

  He snorted and turned his head. “I’ll go out and make sure they don’t steal any of my gas.”

  “And why is that? Are you really prepared to get shot over it?”

  “Not at all, but I hope they are.” And, just like that, he was outside.

  He hoped she’d stayed inside, but he couldn’t count on it. She had a mind of her own and figured that she was doing her duty. Maybe she was. He couldn’t really hold her back from it. Something he admitted he admired.

  He crept around the side of his vehicle, saw another shadow and waited. Then he slipped alongside the fence, keeping his body still at every chance. Finally seeing one of the Billy boys up against his truck, doing something with the gas tank, he stepped up, threw an arm around his neck, choking off his air, and pulled him to the ground.

  Against his ear he whispered, “Are you stealing gas or are you pouring sugar in my gas tank?”

  The trouble was, he wasn’t about to release his arm around his neck to let the asshole answer. He was just way too busy keeping him down. With him flat on the ground and groaning, Pierce closed his gas tank and tied the man’s hands with a zip tie he’d s
tuffed in his pockets earlier. He grabbed a part of the man’s T-shirt, ripped it off and stuffed it in his mouth. And then, just for good measure, he gave him a hard clip on the jaw, knocking him out cold.

  He had to weigh at least two-forty, if not two-eighty, and Pierce thought about the pros and cons. Then he realized the only way to make sure he would not come back after them was if he was kept inside, tied up, under guard.

  Taking a chance, groaning lightly under the heavy weight, he picked up the unconscious man, threw him over his shoulder and raced around to the back.

  Once he was inside, the lights all off, Hedi whispered, “Who did you bring with you?”

  “One of the twins,” Pierce said. “He’s tied up at the moment. I’ll lock him up somewhere.”

  “Is that wise?”

  “It’s wiser than leaving him out there to come back after us,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but, once I put these guys down, I don’t want to have to do it again.”

  “Good point,” she said. “Find me some more rope, will ya? He’s not tied secure enough for my peace of mind.”

  Pierce dropped him on the living room floor, and, with the rope, they hogtied him with his feet up to his hands, placing a bandanna around his jaws to keep the cotton stuffed in his mouth. Pierce faced her and said, “If he wakes up, knock him out again.” And he took off back out into the darkness.

  Chapter 10

  Hedi watched Pierce disappear into the shadows and shook her head. “What the hell am I doing here?”

  Well, trying to uphold the law for one and to help out somebody in trouble. But Pierce was a bit of a lone ranger and appeared capable enough to handle this all on his own. So again—why was she here?

  She walked back to the prisoner and bent down. “Well, Billy, this is a hell of a pickle.”

  She checked his bonds to make sure he wasn’t going anywhere, then emptied his pockets. She wanted to make sure nothing in them could free himself. With him out cold, she took a picture of his face and sent it to the sheriff.