Page 81 of Kian

“We didn’t,” one man named Jerry replied.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. “So, the agent is lying?”

“Yep,” Barney, the other man, chimed in.

Kian couldn’t contain his grin as Sam laughed and stood up. He placed his hands on the table as he leaned forward.

“Do you honestly expect me to believe the word of two poachers over that of a dedicated law enforcement officer? Why would he lie?”

“He saw us with some pelts. What does that prove?” Jerry shrugged.

“I believe it proves that you were hunting out of season.”

“We’ve had those—”

“Holy hell, just shut the fuck up. Those pelts were fresh and there were wolf carcasses nearby. Do you expect me to believe that the wolves just shed their own pelts?” Sam’s sarcasm was intense.

When both men remained silent, Sam slammed his hand down on the table. “I may not have jurisdiction to arrest you for poaching; that will be up to FWP; Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, but I can charge you with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. You’ll be facing a long prison sentence for that alone, and if FWP decides to press charges as well, you’ll never see the light of day again.”

“What if we cooperate and give up who we were getting thesepelts for?” The men looked between Kian and Sam, hoping for leniency.

“That’s not my call. You can speak with them about it. But as far as I’m concerned, I am charging you both with attempted murder. And since the agent sustained bodily injury, you could be facing twenty to forty years in prison. It all depends on whether the bodily injuries are considered serious or not.”

“Forty years?” Jerry turned pale at the thought.

Kian bit back a smile as he stepped out of the way for Dave to enter the room. He watched as Dave placed two bags containing the spent shells on the table.

“We ran these, and guess whose fingerprints are on them?” Dave asked, addressing Barney. “Yours. We’re still searching for the other one, but I’m willing to bet when we find it, it will lead back to you, Jones.” He turned to look at Jerry.

“How do you even know if I fired a shot?”

“If I go down for this, so do you, Jerry,” Barney threatened.

Shaking his head, Kian watched as Sam grinned and stood up. “I’m finished here,” he announced to the FWP game wardens in the room. “You can take them for now.”

“Get up,” one of the wardens commanded. He then shook both Sam’s and Kian’s hands before leading the men out of the room.

“I have a feeling they’ll be locked up for a while,” Dave commented as he shook Sam’s hand.

“I’ll make sure of it, after FWP gets done with them,” Sam replied, turning to leave and shaking Kian’s hand in farewell. “I’m glad you were able to make that call this time. If you need anything, you know how to reach me.” With a nod, Sam walked out of the room.

Kian let out a sigh of relief. “Damn, I’m glad that’s over.”

“You’ll probably have to go to court, but I wouldn’t worry about it. The evidence is stacked against those two.”

“That’s what I think too.”

“Go home and get some rest, Kian. You haven’t had a good night’s sleep since all of this started.”

“Dave, I’m not going to argue with you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Dave left the room, Kian following behind him. He stopped beside his brother.

“Dave is sending me home.”

“Good idea. You need some rest.”

“Thanks for being there for me.”

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