Page 10 of A Cowboy's Claim

The voices cut out as a fight began. Grunting, the smack of fist on flesh, wood creaking, and gasps of pain. Declan’s gut clenched.

Not just fear—certainty.Trouble had come through their doors.

He rushed around the corner and spotted Russ with Brian in a headlock as the man clawed desperately at the forearm wrapped around his throat.

“You’ll get me what I want,” Russ snarled.

Words weren’t necessary, surprise was. Declan barreled into Russ, fingers on his right hand held in a tight beak-like shape as he aimed hard and low into the man’s gut.

With his left hand, he pushed at Russ’s face, and the arm trapping Brian in place loosened enough the man dropped out of the hold and scrambled away.

A second later Russ was on the ground, arms pinned behind his back as Declan sat on top of him to keep him down. “Seems as if we have a problem.”

Brian stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I should’ve come to you, but last night he told me if I didn’t meet him, he’d hurt the kid. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Bullshit,” Russ snapped, writhing under Declan. “He’s lying. He knows my name, and he was trying to?—”

“I saw enough to know which one of you is lying,” Declan said quietly, increasing the pressure on the arm twisted behind Russ’s back.

Russ stilled instantly.

Yeah, that position hurt like a motherfucker, and Declan knew it from training with Jake. “Brian, you okay?”

The man stretched his neck from side to side then nodded. “Yeah.”

Keeping a firm grip on Russ, Declan slipped his phone from his back pocket, thumbed it open and hit the emergency call for Jake. He kept most of his attention on the man on the ground, just to be safe.

“Yeah?” Jake muttered sleepily.

“We need a Bluejay, stat.”

Sleep vanished and Jake’s response came sharp and clear. “Shit. Coming. Where are you?”

“Barn.”

“Safe?”

“Yeah. Two minutes,” Declan offered, thanking every one of the stars in the heavens that between Jake and Aiden, they’d prepared for a moment like this. They had codes, not many, but specific for certain circumstances.

Red Robin—a fight with blood involved.

Black Bird—a dangerous situation to be dealt with stealthily.

Bluejay—anything that would need to involve Jake’s contacts with the police force to help get a troublemaker as far away from High Water as possible.

Less than two minutes later, and he had to have dressed while running, Jake arrived. Aiden showed up a minute later, and between them, they got Russ restrained and situated in Jake’s locked truck, fury on his face.

Jake stepped to the side, phone to his ear as he spoke rapidly to one of his contacts.

Aiden laid a hand on Brian’s arm. “You’re not in trouble, but can you tell us more? Anything will help.”

The man stared at the ground then sighed. “I thought I recognized him, but it seemed impossible. All the way up until he shoved his way into my face. Said he knew who I was, and if I didn’t do what he said, the kid was toast.”

The white hot anger that flared got pushed aside for now. “Who is he?”

Brian hesitated and spoke softly. “He’s an enforcer for Trident. One of the ones who does the dirty work when deals fall through.”

Shit. That was way above the level of dangerous persons they’d intended to help at High Water.