Texas Outlaw (Rory Yates #2)(48)

When the sky starts to turn blue and the sun is on the verge of rising, I’m already up, dressed, and staring out the window at the arroyo and the hills behind Tom and Jessica’s property.

I’m taken for a moment by how beautiful the country here is. This land is different from my hometown—browner, drier, more desolate—but it’s all Texas.

I love this state and the people in it. I don’t want to betray this land I’ve sworn to protect.

I’ve stepped over the line before, not doing things by the book, but I’ve never so blatantly or egregiously broken the law. A Texas Ranger helping a suspected murderer escape from justice—any judge in the state would toss me behind bars and throw away the key.

I consider myself a lawman.

If I go through with this, I’ll be an outlaw.

I walk down the stairs, past Jessica’s berry bushes, and stand at the back gate of their property. Outside, in the peaceful morning air, I watch the sun peeking up from the horizon and igniting the hills in a brilliant gold light.

I pull out my cell phone.

In the last twenty-four hours, I’ve missed several calls from Willow. I know I should call her back, but I don’t want to talk to her right now. I don’t want to lie to her and tell her nothing’s going on. But I don’t want to worry her, either, so I justify silence as the best strategy.

But there is someone I do want to talk to.

“Hey, Dad,” I say when my father picks up. “Did I wake you?”

“Hell no,” he says. “Somebody’s gotta get up and feed the horses.”

He’s delighted to hear from me and wants to know when I’m coming home.

“Not any time soon,” I say, and I tell him I’m having trouble on the case in Rio Lobo.

I don’t get too much into specifics—that might take all day—but I tell him I’m at a crossroads, split between doing what I feel is right and doing what I’m bound to by the law.

My father is quiet for a minute and then he speaks.

“Rory, a Texas Ranger is more than just a government official. More than just a badge and a fancy title. A Texas Ranger is an idea. A higher standard. A Ranger swears an allegiance to Texas. Not just the state government but Texas itself.”

My heart pounds as he puts into words my own thoughts and feelings about the job. It is more than an honor to be a Texas Ranger.

It’s a duty.

“A Texas Ranger isn’t above the law,” Dad adds, “but when the system is broken, when the law isn’t working, you have a duty to do what’s right. You have a duty to this state and its people. You can’t stand idly by and watch a miscarriage of justice. A Texas Ranger is justice.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say, my voice choked. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

“I’ll be praying for you, Rory. I love you, Son.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

My throat feels thick. His words inspire me, but they also make me realize the depth of the trouble I’m about to wade into. I’ve never been this far over my head. As I say good-bye to my father, I realize I might never see him again.

Or if I do, it might be through three inches of bulletproof glass in the visiting area of a Texas prison.





Chapter 62



BEFORE HEADING TO the police station for the day, I stop over at Tom and Jessica’s. Tom is drinking coffee in the kitchen, scrolling through the latest news from the El Paso Times on his laptop. Jessica has gone to work already.

He offers me a cup of coffee, but I don’t take it. I don’t even sit down.

“I’ve got a favor to ask,” I say.

“Sure,” he says. “Anything.”

“No,” I say. “A real favor.”

When I explain what it is, he looks as pale as paste.

“That could be dangerous,” he says.

I nod.

“And illegal.”

“You’d have plausible deniability,” I say. “I doubt they could get any charges to stick.”

“That may be,” he says, “but I happen to believe in this.” He points to the decorative sign on the wall. His finger is aimed specifically at the life lesson ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. “I’m in the business of uncovering the truth, not lying about it. And I’m certainly not in the business of lying to police. Or a jury.”

I think about letting it go, telling him to forget I asked. But I need him. This won’t work without him.

I point to the two messages HAVE COURAGE and HELP OTHERS.

“Ariana needs your help, Tom. You said you wanted to get to the bottom of the trouble in Rio Lobo. This is the way. I need you to be brave here.”

He runs his hands through his hair, thinking hard about what I’m asking him to do. Finally, he nods and says, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“This is the right thing to do,” I say. “Even if it isn’t legal.”

He tries to force a grin. “Tell that to Jessica when she’s bringing me pecan pies in prison.”





Chapter 63



WHEN I GET to the station, the chief and I eye each other suspiciously. Both of us try to look busy—him in his office, me in the makeshift investigation room—but no further work can be done until we get word from the crime lab. I kill time until late morning and then tell the chief I’m heading out to eat some lunch.