Page 67 of Rough Stock

‘Do I look like a cowboy to you?’

‘Cut them off. Don’t let ‘em get outside.’ Dane waved his arms in the air as if waving down a plane.‘Ee-yah, back. Git back, ya mob.’

The skittish calves scattered in various directions. It was like they were playing a game of tag, trying to skip around Dane and then Renzo.

BANG!

Wraith headbutted the pen’s gate again, backing up for another shot.

‘Will that gate hold?’Renzo called to Dane over the moos, grunts, and rising dust.

With Renzo distracted, Craig limped around to the driver’s side of the truck, then pressed a finger to his lips to keep Izzy quiet. ‘Hang tight. I’ll drive us out.’

With a wince, while holding his ribs, he opened the truck door. It creaked. Izzy and Craig froze.

BANG. Again, Wraith rammed against the pen door.

‘Get that far side, Renzo. We can’t let ‘em out.’Dane and Renzo were busy trying to corral the calves back into their pen.

Craig climbed into the cab and released the handbrake, allowing the truck to roll silently down the slight incline.

‘What is going on with the cattle?’ Renzo paused, to peer around for a solution.

Izzy held her breath as the truck quietly inched out of the shed, the tyres crunching on the gravel.

‘Oi!’ Renzo pointed at the truck. ‘It’s a distraction.’

Renzo rushed for the truck, just as the flatbed’s cab cleared the shed doors, but not quick enough for Izzy to be free.

‘Hurry, Craig. Renzo’s coming.’ She had no way of escape, and nowhere to run. It was finally time to fight, to take that stand, even if she was on her knees, dragging out the cattle prod, ready to face the demon racing for her cage.

Renzo’s hands wrapped around the bars. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

‘Leave me alone.’ Izzy poked the cattle prod through the cage and into Renzo’s side. She pulled the trigger, sending a powerful jolt of electricity, and did not stop.

But the truck stopped.

And so did Renzo, who’d yelped in pain, stumbling backwards to fall to the ground. His eyes wide and disoriented, as if in shock at what she’d done. But it didn’t last long, where his filthy look was positively murderous. ‘I’ll kill you for that!’

But then Wraith charged hard—BANG! The gate flung open, and one enormous, agitated bull stared them down, fuming with fury.

‘RUN!’ Dane made a dash for it but tripped over the calves.

Wraith swung around with his wide horns catching the sunlight, and locked eyes on Renzo.

‘Oh, Mother Mary…’ Renzo scrambled to get to his feet, but his fancy town shoes struggled to gain traction on the dusty concrete floor covered with spilled straw.

Finally getting to his feet, Renzo rushed for the table to get his gun. But the bull charged, cutting him off with a powerful snort, forcing Renzo to stumble backwards. With the whites of his wild eyes, Renzo searched for an escape.

‘Dane’s getting away.’Izzy pointed at Dane running out the door.

But big bad Finn was there, swinging a rope like a proper cowboy. His roping skills were impressive, the lasso flying at Dane to capture him by an ankle, tripping him to land face down in the dirt with a thud.

‘Ugh!’ Dane’s sweaty face was covered in red dirt, his hat knocked off as he struggled to get rid of the rope around his boot.

Finn shoved his knee into Dane’s back, then swiftly bound Dane’s hands and feet with the rope, like a steer, leaving Dane to spit and snort out the dirt that covered his face.

‘Sir, I have handcuffs.’ Amara ran over, holding out her handcuffs.

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