Page 25 of Rocky Ride

“Appreciate it,” said Travis.

The nurse smiled. “The freezing hasn’t come out yet.”

Before they left town, Travis sent Sunday into the market with his credit card, and she stocked up on everything they needed for a couple more days.

Travis wanted to go home but he had to stay off the leg for twenty-four hours. He’d go home tomorrow.

Shiner’s. Louisiana Bayou.

Mason left Tammy tied to the bunk in the cabin while he ate breakfast in the restaurant. He had the waitress bring him abreakfast container for Tammy when he left. She could eat in the boat where she didn’t have to be tied up.

It was a struggle getting her from the cabin to the boat, but once they were speeding down the river, there weren’t too many places she could go.

Mason gave her the food container and watched her eat. She kept looking over the side of the boat like she was going to jump into the river.

“The river is full of gators, Tammy. Don’t you be jumping into the water unless you want to be gator food.”

She gave him that blank look and Mason wasn’t sure Tammy had all of her faculties. It would be up to a court to decide her status. She may not be well enough to go to trial. Insufficient mental capacity.

Not up to him.

“My job is to bring her back and hand her over. I get paid and everybody is happy as pigs in mud.”

Bonaventure Boat Rentals. Louisiana Bayou.

Swift tied up his Jon boat at Pierre Bonaventure’s dock. He moved Tammy from the boat to his truck and secured her in the back seat, her ankle bracelet attached to the D-ring welded to the floor.

“You stay there for a minute, Tammy. I have a couple of things to say to Pierre before I take you to your mama.”

“I love mama.”

“I know you do.”

Mason strolled into the wooden shack Pierre used for his boat rentals and the Frenchie glanced up in surprise.

“Didn’t think you’d be coming back alive from dat outlaw camp, Swifty.”

Mason smiled. “Surprised you, didn’t I?”

“Guess you did. You want something?”

“Yep. I want you to stop selling innocent young girls down the river, Pierre.”

Pierre laughed. “I don’t do dat.”

Bang.

Mason shot Pierre in the neck and smiled while he watched the sex trafficker die. He took the money out of Pierre’s wallet and most of the thousand dollars the outlaw camp paid for Tammy was still intact.

With the money secure in his own wallet, Mason dragged Pierre to the dock and tossed him into the river. Wasn’t long before the gators discovered him floating by and made short work of Pierre Bonaventure.

“That’s two of the sex traffickers dead and in the river. Who wants to be next?”

Mason backed his truck down to the boat launch and hooked up his boat for the trip to the Texas line.

He slid into the driver’s seat thinking that a thousand-dollar bonus would help pay a few of his bills.

As he pulled into the road heading north, he looked at Tammy in the rearview. “I’m taking you to your mama now, little girl. You’ll be safe with her.”

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