Page 98 of Legacy of Lies
Son of a bitch. “Did Hank hurt Ms. Lopez?”
“He yelled at her and hit her and made her cry.”
Garrison’s hearing faded as his vision blurred. He needed to get to her. Now. He would make sure Hank couldn’t threaten anyone else ever again. As a bonus, he’d love to make certain Hank couldn’t walk or talk again, either.
But Zach needed him, too. His son wasn’t out of the woods yet. He might still need medical help.
Damn it all to hell. Too many plates spinning. He stood up, clutching his son in his arms.
“Garrison.” Shelby startled him out of his black thoughts. “We’ll take Zach back to the ranch and then on to the hospital.”
“What about your saddle?”
“Not the first time I’ve ridden bareback. It’ll be fine.”
Eric holstered the gun. “We’ll take good care of him. But we have to go now.” He darted another glance into the woods. “I don’t like any of this weird situation.”
“Shel, can you get a direction for Sara?”
“Geezus, man, she’s done enough.” Eric glared at him, gesturing toward Shelby’s slumped shoulders. “This ... radar shit ... isn’t good for her.”
When Eric held out his hand, she took it this time, a testament to how bad she felt. Squaring her shoulders, she turned toward Zach, who rested in Garrison’s arms.
“All right, Zach Attack, one more question, then we’re going home and getting you warmed up. Did you walk in a straight line?”
“Tried to.”
Dropping her forehead into the palm of her hand, his sister sighed. When she looked up at him, tight lines around her mouth and eyes spoke to the extraordinary stress Garrison had placed on her. And he wasn’t done being a shitty brother.
“Okay. That makes it easier.” Shelby fished a compass and flashlight out of her pocket. She mumbled, “Sara,” and held out an arm as she turned in a quarter arc in the general direction Zach indicated. With a whimper, she stopped when her body snapped to a fixed position, and she held still while she spun the compass direction arrow into position. “Got it. That way.” She handed it to Garrison. “Oh man.” A whimper escaped her lips.
“What?” he yelled.
“Oh, God. Pain. So much pain and fear. Cold, numb ... please, no. Ahh.” She dropped to the snow, limp.
“Shelby?” Eric knelt and pulled her boneless body up to his chest. “Dude, she’s out. When is enough, enough?”
Another minute of Eric chafing her arms, and Shelby woke up, grabbing her head. “Ow. Damn it all to hell.”
“Sorry, Shel,” Garrison said.
“You couldn’t ... help it,” she gasped, staggering to her feet with Eric’s help.
“You two okay to get back home?” Garrison asked, shifting Zach’s weight in his arms.
“Possibly. No thanks to you.” Eric glared as he held on to Shelby’s upper arm.
Her face turned eerie in shadow, like a ghost. “Go find Sara. She needs you.”
“Will do.”
Eric’s grim smile stretched his face too thin. “Try not to do anything stupid.”
“No promises.” Second order of business after finding Sara involved committing a felony, and Garrison cared exactly zilch about any repercussions.
“Call when you’ve got a location. We’ll send the police.” Eric said.
Thumbing his phone on and off, Garrison shrugged. “No signal out here.”
