Page 18 of Cowboy’s Last Stand (His to Protect #1)

W ade Hendricks dropped off his date at the front curb.

He didn’t lean in for a goodnight kiss or tell her he’d call again.

He hadn’t been interested in anyone but Natalie since their night together six months ago.

He also had his hands full with other responsibilities.

Between family troubles and his challenging job, he never got a moment’s rest. Billy’s latest antics were inexcusable.

Wade had to stop his brother before he hurt someone.

He drove to Last Chance Sheriff’s Station, where he traded his truck for a squad car, though he didn’t bother donning his uniform.

He wasn’t on the clock. It was more of an extra duty.

Billy hadn’t returned any of Wade’s calls for several days, and he’d turned off the location signal on his phone.

Wade circumvented this problem by tracking Gabe Luna, Billy’s best friend and frequent wingman.

Wade followed the signal to Temple Heights, a winding road on the outskirts of town.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at the infamous hilltop parking lot known as the Lookout.

Teenagers had been gathering there to “star-gaze” for decades.

Sure enough, Billy’s black pickup was poised at the edge, with its front end facing the view of the town.

Wade counted four occupants, two in the front seat and two in the back.

He flashed his lights, parked the squad car, and exited the vehicle.

Gabe Luna was snuggled up on Billy’s tailgate next to a girl with hair that looked like white dreadlocks.

When he spotted Wade, Gabe tossed an open container into the bushes and tried to cover the remains of a six-pack with his jacket.

The girl peered at Wade through thick fake eyelashes.

“Hey there, Wade,” Gabe said.

“Gabe,” Wade replied.

Billy stumbled out of the cab with a young woman in bohemian-style clothes. He was slack-jawed with surprise. His face bore the bruises from his latest brawl, which he’d clearly lost. Wade suspected both girls were in high school or maybe recent graduates.

“Evening, ladies,” Wade said.

Billy crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want? I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re not drinking alcohol and smoking weed with minors?”

“They aren’t minors.”

“How old are you girls?”

“Twenty-one,” Billy said.

“Nineteen,” the girl next to him said at the same time.

Billy threw up his arms and shot the young woman a hostile glare.

“And you?” Wade asked the other girl.

“Eighteen,” she whispered.

“Get in the back of my car,” Wade said. “I’ll take you both home.”

Billy sputtered a series of protests as the girls complied.

He claimed that Wade had no right to shake him down, marijuana was medicine, and they weren’t even drinking.

The girl who’d been sitting with Gabe gave him a sideways glance, biting her lower lip in regret.

Then she climbed into the back seat of the squad car.

“You’re lucky they aren’t under eighteen,” Wade said. “I would have arrested you both.”

Gabe didn’t say anything. He knew when to keep his mouth shut. Billy didn’t. He kept blabbing about unfairness until Wade grabbed him by the front of the shirt and shoved him against the side of his truck.

“If you’d returned my calls, I wouldn’t have to do this,” Wade said.

“What calls? My phone’s busted.”

“I talked to Natalie last night.”

Billy flinched in response. Gabe made a strangled sound.

Wade felt a wave of fury wash over him at their obvious guilt, but he forced his voice to stay calm. “Someone drove by her house and terrorized her with M-16s. Smashed her mailbox. She thinks it was you.”

“She’s a liar,” Billy said. “And a whore.”

Wade slapped Billy’s belligerent face. The sharp sound rang out in the still night. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

Billy’s eyes narrowed with hatred, but he didn’t retaliate. He was afraid to strike back.

Despite his lack of response, Wade wanted to hit him again. Wade wanted to keep hitting him until he learned his lesson. Billy had targeted Natalie for a reason. He’d done it because of Wade and the bad blood between them.

The crunch of gravel under shoes alerted Wade to the fact that Gabe was attempting to sneak away into the dark. He was a reluctant witness this brotherly conflict. Two years ago, he’d been an ideal student with a bright future. Under Billy’s tutelage, he’d become a hard-drinking, hollow-eyed ghost.

“Stay right there, Gabe,” Wade said. “Did you participate in the destruction of property at Natalie’s house?”

Gabe looked sick. He shook his head jerkily and shrugged at the same time.

“Yes or no, Gabe.”

“Leave him alone,” Billy said. “He has the right to remain silent.”

Gabe took the cue from Billy and didn’t answer.

Wade released Billy’s shirtfront and stepped back, his mouth curled in derision. “Natalie said you and the Stoddard brothers attacked her friend the other night. She considered reporting you for assault.”

“Assault? Give me a break. That guy had it coming.”

“You told him you were going to show her a good time when you were done with him. What did you mean by that?”

Billy let out his braying laugh. It sounded nervous.

“What did you mean?” Wade repeated.

“I didn’t mean nothin’,” Billy said and spat on the ground between them. “She gets around, doesn’t she?”

Wade wanted to throttle him again.

“I know you’ve been sniffing around her,” Billy added.

“You will stay away from her,” Wade ordered in a low voice. “You will stay away from her house and her workplace. If you go near her, I’ll arrest you.”

“For what?”

“Whatever I can make stick.”

Billy clenched and unclenched his fists in agitation.

“Stay away from these girls too,” Wade added. “You know they’re not old enough to drink.”

“Anything else, boss?”

“Should I give you a breathalyzer?”

“I’ve had two beers. Try it and I’ll call Dad.”

“I thought your phone was busted.”

“It was. Now it’s fixed.”

Wade turned his attention to Gabe. “I expect this kind of behavior from Billy, but you? Mike would be disappointed.”

Gabe stiffened at the mention of his cousin. It didn’t have the effect Wade intended, of shaming him into stammering an apology. Instead, it nudged him in the opposite direction. Gabe’s eyes turned cold and hard. “Mike’s dead.”

Wade couldn’t argue with this sad fact, coldly stated.

Gabe was a troubled kid, but he wasn’t a lost cause like Billy.

Wade doubted his brother would ever turn his life around.

He’d been born bad, plain and simple. Gabe hadn’t.

Wade sensed there was a better man inside him.

Mike had been a good man, a hero who’d fought for his country.

His death had devastated the entire community.

“Let’s not do this again,” Wade said.

Then he got in his squad car, turned on the engine, and drove away with the two girls. One of them was Natalie’s neighbor, London. He dropped both girls off at the curb outside London’s house. When London asked for Wade’s phone number, her friend giggled, and he declined.

“Natalie’s moved on,” London said. “So should you.”

“Thanks for the tip,” he said.

She batted her eyelashes. “You sure you’re not interested?”

“I’m sure.”