Page 31 of Battle Mountain

“This is Gardiner,” Reese said sheepishly. “We kind of do our own thing here.”

Nate narrowed his eyes. “How many of the guns you sold were left with you on consignment?”

Reese’s face turned red. “Most of them,” he said in a near-whisper. “The guys who consigned them to me are really putting the pressure on. They want their guns back or they want the money that was paid for them. Obviously, I don’t have either, so I’m really in a jam.”

Geronimo said with scorn, “You sound like a hell of a businessman.”

“I’m not a businessman,” Reese said. “I’m a falconer. You know how it is. We do what we can so we can take our birds out.”

“Back to something you said,” Nate pressed. “You said you wanted to go after Soledad because he is misrepresenting the cause. What do you mean by that?”

Reese became solemn. “There are a lot of us disaffected military veterans out here. We feel like we got played and that the people in charge used us to advance their own careers or because they had their own agendas. They sold us a line of bullshit about serving our country and then threw us under the bus. None of them have been accountable for it. I thought Axel understood. But I think he’s using some of us, just like we got used before.

“I don’t know what his game is, or what his target is. I just know he needs to be stopped. So can I come with you boys?”

Geronimo and Nate again exchanged a look. Then Nate said, “No.”

“Come on,” Reese pleaded. “I can hold my own.”

“You’re a loose cannon,” Nate said. “You don’t deserve to be a master falconer and you hurt the reputation of falconers in general. You defrauded your business partners, you’re impulsive, and you talk too much.”

“I have to agree,” Geronimo said, standing up. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“Oh, come on,” Reese said. “I can follow orders. You’ll see.”

“We can’t take that chance,” Nate said, turning his back on the man. Then: “Get some help. You need it.”

As Nate and Geronimo were leaving the house through thefront door, Reese followed a few steps behind. He seemed desperate.

He said, “Did I mention I have the business card the Giantess gave me?”

Nate paused on the pathway and turned around. “You do?”

“I’ll share it with you if you’ll take me along,” Reese said. “Here, let me go get it.”

While he disappeared into his back bedroom or office, Nate said. “I don’t trust him.”

“We might need some bodies to take on Axel,” Geronimo said. “But this guy seems like trouble.”

“He just wants his money or his guns back,” Nate said. “I don’t blame him, but that’s not a good reason to bring him in. And I don’t think he’s mentally stable.”

“You mean like you?” Geronimo said with a grin.

Reese returned and handed Nate a semi-battered gold card inscribed with black lettering. The card read:

Cheryl Tuck-Smith

Attorney-at-Law

314 N. Reed Ave.

Cheyenne, WY 82001

To Reese, Nate said, “We’ll call you if we need you.”

They left him disappointed, but hopeful.

B-Lazy-U Ranch Interlude