Cowboy In The Crossfire(26)

"If you don't want to get trampled, help me chase him into the corral. I don't know why he came back." Johnson cautiously moved toward the stallion's stall and shot Farraday an irritated glare. "I'm not going into that monster's den while he's there. That's suicide."

"Hang tough, coward." Farraday smiled at Johnson as he searched one of the adjoining stalls and let out a sharp curse. "Damn Blake and this cowtown. Just stepped in it. No file. No disk. No nothing." He slammed his hand against the wood. "We don't even know what we're looking for. Let's just torch the whole place. House, barn, everything." He scraped his fine leather shoe against the hay. "Sh--"

"Boss doesn't want to call attention. And he wants to be sure."

"He's gone soft."

"You tell him that."

Farraday exited the stall and limped across the barn. He slammed his fist on the tackbox. "Where the hell is it? The bitch must have met up with Blake because of the evidence." He rubbed his knee, then his bandaged left arm. "She's gonna pay. I can't wait to get at her."

The horse whinnied and darted toward Farraday. "But not before I kill that animal."

Farraday pulled out his Glock and aimed it at the horse's head. It snorted and slammed against the side of the barn, eyes wild. Johnson's heart pounded as he ducked out of the way of the crazed animal.

"Are you out of your mind? A bullet hole in a horse's brain will set off alarm bells."

"Tough. Locals will probably think Blake finally killed the horse for taking out his dad." The beast charged Farraday. "We're gonna kill them all anyway. I think that'll get noticed."

"Boss wants it done smart."

A rumbling sound broke through the argument. Johnson stilled. When the engine's purr grew louder, he cursed inside. Just what he needed when Farraday had the red eye. Maybe the vehicle had taken a wrong turn.

The car stopped. Figured. This entire situation had cratered. He should've taken his family and run when he had the chance. "Quiet. Someone's outside."

"Sheriff? You here?" A voice called out.

Johnson peeked around the doorway. Deputy's car. A young man climbed out of the vehicle and studied the area. Of all the luck. The damn horse pranced and rammed into the side of the barn.

The deputy snapped his head toward the building.

"Thanks a lot," Johnson muttered at the horse. He shot a sidelong glance at Farraday. He recognized the frenzied excitement. The deputy was toast, and he didn't even know it.

"Don't," Johnson protested, hoping to drag common sense back into his partner. "We should hide behind the barn until he leaves and finish the search.

Farraday smiled and pulled a batch of firecrackers out of his pocket. "We have a perfect weapon." He glanced at the stallion. "He did it for us once."

The deputy pushed open the barn door. "Sheriff Redmond? You here? Parris asked me to check the place out."

He walked in just enough, and Farraday shoved him toward the horse. The deputy stumbled to the center of the barn and whirled around.

"What the hell--" His voice trailed off as his eyes cleared in recognition. "The Austin cops."

"Sorry, kid," Farraday said.

He wasn't sorry, though. His eyes gleamed as he set off the firecrackers.

The horse raised up, wild-eyed. The deputy turned around and raised his hands. "No, Sugar. Calm down."

The horse stomped down on the deputy, slamming hooves against the man's head. He fell to the ground, unmoving.

Farraday opened the barn door and waved the panicked horse out. He picked up the pieces of the firecracker and shoved them in his pocket. "Worked like a charm the second time, too. Blake'll put the horse down this time for sure. He'll blame himself. Like it should be."

Johnson watched with shock as Farraday stepped over the kid's unmoving body, without a care or a hint of regret.

"Why do you hate Blake so much?"

Farraday looked up from the demon horse's stall, his gaze so ice-cold that Johnson shivered. "He put my name in front of IA. The investigation nearly cost me my pension. Did cost me my wife and kid. He's going to pay, and I'm gonna pull the trigger."

*

AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT of dreams in which Amanda had her way with every inch of Blake's body and a suitably cold shower the next morning, he bundled Amanda, Ethan and Leo into the SUV from the Maddoxes' garage. In some ways Blake hated to leave. They were safe here; Amanda would have a chance to heal. Problem was, he had no telling how long it would last.

He could run, take them into hiding, but his gut churned at the idea of letting these guys get away with murder. He couldn't let that happen. For Joey. And for Ethan.

The Austin cops were still in his town. Everyone was at risk as long as they were here. No telling what they'd do. Parris could handle most anything, but he shouldn't have to. The perps hadn't just come to Carder because of Amanda. This showdown became inevitable the moment Blake had refused to go in with Vince. The moment Kathy and Joey had died.

The more Blake thought about it, the more he believed Amanda. His ex-wife and son had probably been murdered. His gut burned. The cops had blamed Kathy for losing control, but if she'd been anything it was overly cautious. He'd been too devastated at the time to question the investigators. Now, he wanted another look at those reports.