"Well, that was interesting," Paul said after opening the door and he walked in the room.
"What happened?" Sibeal asked.
"Where do you want me to start?" he asked, walking to the desk the he sat down.
"Well… When we went to th'prison, you an' yer squad ran off."
"That was because I had to find out from the warden where he had put the Saints and turn off the security cameras."
"An' you wanted t'find out if that asshole who was sent there yesterday was with them."
"Right."
"Was he dealt with?"
"Yeah."
"Then what happened?"
"We went to free the Saints, but they weren't there."
"They weren't there!?"
"Which means either the warden lied to me or they somehow escaped."
"Which is highly unlikely."
"Right. They were under guard. So, unless they killed their guards and found a way to get out of there, they have to be somewhere in the prison."
"What happened next?"
"I was about to leave when the FBI showed up."
"Th'FBI showed up?!"
"Yep. Turns out Bloom ratted me out. She had me arrested and said I was the one who killed the Saints."
"She really said that?!"
"Yeah, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I had nice chat and I was able to convince them to let me go."
"So, my nephews are free."
"Looks like. The question now is where the fuck are they and who the hell let them out?"
He looked at Sibeal when Smecker sat back in the chair and he arched his eyebrows up.
"Are you thinkin' I had somethin' t'do with their escape?" Sibeal asked.
"Did you?" Paul asked.
"No," Sibeal said.
Smecker nodded his head, but something set off alarm bells in his head and he crossed his arms over his chest. Looking at the door, he tried to figure out where Connor and Murphy were and he made a deep sigh.
Two weeks later. Houston, Texas – The Golden Cactus Ranch
Sunlight brightened the room as country music started playing on the clock radio and the bedding moved. A hand slid from under the bedding then the hand moved toward the clock radio and the hand tapped the off button. The bedding moved back as Diego Walker went to sit on the edge of the bed and he yawned. He wiped his face with his hands then moved his fingers through his dark hair and he shook his head. He was wearing a pair of white cotton briefs and the tight muscles of his arms, stomach and chest flexed as he stretched his arms over his head.
"Hmmmm," he grumbled. Getting up, he leaned down to pat the head of the gray wolf lying on the floor then he headed for the bathroom. Turning back to the bed, he looked back at his fiancé and he smiled. She was curled up on her left side with some of her long dark hair covering her face and she reached back for the bedding. He watched her cover herself with the bedding as he turned and he went into the bathroom.
A short time later, his fiancé heard the sound of the shower running when she opened her blue eyes, blinked, got out of bed and her gray nightshirt rose slightly up her thighs. She moved the nightshirt down when she headed for the bathroom, opened the door and she went inside the bathroom.
The Yellow Rose Motel
Murphy slept on his left side as he sighed and he moved slightly under the bedding. He barely shook his head as he frowned and he flexed the fingers of his left hand over the pillow.
He opened his eyes when he blinked then he sat up.
He didn't recognize the bedroom.
He pulled his legs up when he placed his wrists on his knees and he scanned the room with his eyes.
He could see the bathroom from the open door and he noticed his black Navy pea coat was hanging on a peg on the back of the bedroom door.
Moving the bedding back, he sat on the edge of the bed and he slid his feet into the bunny slippers. He walked to the bathroom when he turned the light on and he noticed the bathroom had a sink, a mirror over the sink, a toilet, a shower with a glass door and panels, a blue bathmat, and a white metal cabinet with towels, wash cloths, toilet paper, and cleaning products on the shelves.
"What th'hell?" he whispered. He walked to the sink when he opened the medicine cabinet and he saw his favorite shampoo, toothpaste and shaving cream, nail scissors and a razor sitting on the shelves. A blue toothbrush was in the cup on the sink and he closed the medicine cabinet. He looked at his reflection when he expected to see Connor standing behind him, but only his face was in the mirror.
"Connor?!" he called out. He walked out of the bathroom when he headed for the bedroom door and he opened the door. He headed out into the hallway as he took in his surroundings and he headed down the hallway. "Connor!"
He noticed the framed photographs on the walls and the children's toys in the bathroom to his left and he leaned on the doorframe. The soft mewing made him turn when he saw the black cat and he knelt down. He carefully held his right hand out as the black cat sniffed his fingers then the black cat walked away.
"Same t'you," he said, standing up. He headed for the stairs when he went downstairs and he surveyed his surroundings. He headed for the kitchen as he frowned and he saw the coffee maker on the counter. He saw the coffee mugs behind the glass of the cabinet doors when he opened the cabinet door to his right and he looked at the red coffee mug. He was about to reach for the coffee mug when he felt someone pulling on the fingers of his left hand and he frowned.
Before he could look down, he snorted awake and he sat up. He shook his head as he placed his wrists on his knees and he looked over Connor sleeping on the bed to his left.
Connor was lying on his stomach with his forearms under the pillow to support his head and his head faced Murphy's bed. He made a small snort as his legs moved under the bedding, but he didn't wake.
Normally when he had a dream, Murphy was with him or he was in Murphy's dreams.
This time, he was alone.
He was walking by some buildings while he looked around, but he had no idea where he was. He noticed he was wearing snake skin cowboy boots, jeans, a white, sleeves shirt, blue lens sunglasses and a white straw cowboy hat was on his head. He arched the white straw cowboy hat back as he headed for a high, white cement wall and he could just hear something snorting behind the wall. He cautiously walked to the gate when the gate opened and he headed by the gate.
"Where th'hell am I?" he grumbled and the gate closed behind him. He spun around to see the gate was closed and he tried to get the gate open.
"Murphy!" he called out, but the gate stayed shut. The sudden snorting sound caused him to turn back around and his eyes widened when he saw a black hide bull was standing behind him.
"Fuck," he whispered. He watched the bull heading for him when he snorted awake and he leaned up on his forearms.
"You alright?" Murphy asked and he looked at Murphy kneeling next to his bed.
"Aye. Why?" Connor asked.
"I've been callin' yer name fer th'last few minutes."
"Sorry," Connor said as he lowered his head and he sighed. "Must have been havin' a bad dream."
"You sure?"
Connor nodded his head.
"I had a bad dream, too," Murphy said as he stood then Murphy walked to the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed as he placed his hands on his knees and Connor turned to sit up.
"Murphy?" he asked with concern in his voice. Murphy looked toward the windows as the sunlight flickered behind the curtains and he frowned.
"We better get goin'," Murphy said as he headed for the bathroom and Connor watched the door close. Connor sat against the headboard as he heard the sound of the shower and he frowned.
The Golden Cactus Ranch
Diego and the gray wolf walked down the stairs as he headed for the kitchen and he heard the sound of country music. He headed inside the kitchen when a black cat raced pass him and Diego softly laughed.
"Morning," he said, walking to the kitchen island.
"Morning," Lisa Baker said with a small grin. She had her black hair pulled back into a pony tail and she slid the banana into the paper bag.
"Morning," made him look over at the stove at the woman with long blonde hair and she was placing some scrambled eggs onto a plate. "Boys!? Breakfast!"
Diego heard the sound of running footsteps as three boys ran into the kitchen and they headed for the kitchen table.
"Who's turn is it to feed Devil?" Diego asked.
"I think it's Chandler's turn," Lisa said, looking at her oldest son.
Chandler Baker was eleven and he had blue eyes and light brown hair. He looked at his mother when he headed for the pantry and he got out a can of dogfood. He walked to the dog bowl while Devil followed him and the gray wolf sat near the dog bowl. Chandler placed the dogfood in the dog bowl as Devil wagged its tail and he smiled at the gray wolf.
"There you go," Chandler said. He went to place the can of dogfood in the recycle bin after he washed the can out then he went to wash his hands. He went to sit next to his brother, Peter, and Peter was reading one of his comic books. Peter was nine and had light brown hair and blue eyes. He looked at his older brother when he slid over one of his comic books and Chandler nodded.
Diego went to sit down when his fiancé walked in the room and she headed for him. She slid her arms around his shoulders as she hugged him and Diego smiled.
"Morning," she said, sitting on the chair to his left.
"Morning." Lisa said. Lisa started serving breakfast as Darcy Turner sat next to her two children and Diego nodded after Lisa poured some coffee in his coffee mug. Darcy's son, Mark, was seven and had dark hair and blue eyes. Her daughter, Nichole, was four and she had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was holding onto a plush teddy bear in her arms and she had her left thumb in her mouth.
"Having any luck finding those new ranch hands?" Diego asked.
"Nope. It's like everyone the job place sent are either assholes or idiots," Darcy said, cutting the pancakes into little bites on Nichole's plate.
"The last guy was afraid of Ebony," Peter said as he looked at the black cat sitting on the chair next to him.
"Some people are afraid of cats, Honey," Lisa said, sitting down at the table.
"He was screamin' and wavin' is arms around like a baby," Chandler said with a grin and Peter snorted a laugh.
"Boys," Lisa warned and they nodded.
"Well, I'm sure we'll find someone soon," Darcy said.
"Yeah," Lisa said and they started eating breakfast.
Daisy's Diner
The door opened while Connor and Murphy entered the diner and they headed for the counter. They sat on the diner stools and Connor noticed the people in the diner were staring at them.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Murphy whispered.
"Jus' let me do th'talkin'," Connor whispered.
The waitress walked to them as she scanned them with her eyes and Connor smiled, leaning his forearms on the counter.
"Hey," he said with a surfer accent.
"Hey. Haven't seen you two around here," Daisy Madison said.
"We just got into town."
"Well, what can I get you?"
"Some coffee to start."
"Same with you, Honey?" she asked, looking at Murphy. Murphy nodded. She walked away as Murphy looked in the mirror which showed some of the diner and he felt a growing sense of uneasiness moving through him.
"Easy," Connor whispered.
Murphy nodded. Daisy placed the mugs of coffee and the menus in front of them as Connor smiled and she headed off toward three men sitting at the end of the counter. Murphy looked at the menu while Connor noticed her talking to the men at the end of the counter and the men glared at him.
"I think we've been made," Connor whispered and Murphy looked over at the men.
"Then let's get outta here," Murphy whispered.
"No. Not yet," Connor whispered.
They watched the men as Daisy walked to Connor and he looked at her.
"Have you decided?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah. Two Morning Slam Breakfasts," Connor said with a grin and she wrote the order on the notepad.
"Two Mornings!"
"Right!" the cook said from the kitchen.
Daisy walked off while Murphy sipped on the coffee and Connor looked at the three men walking to stand next to him.
"Hey," Connor said as he looked at the men.
"Ain't seen you 'round here before," Hank Mills said, glaring at him.
"Just got into town."
"Where are you from?" Jeff Lincoln asked.
"Out west."
"Out west where?" Kenny Lake asked when the door opened and Diego and Devil entered the room. He knew Hank, Jeff and Kenny went into town for breakfast, but something about what they were doing sent out warning signs.
"Not causin' trouble, are you, Boys?" Diego asked.
"Shit," Jeff said.
"No. We're just talkin'," Hank said, moving back.
"Then get in the truck and haul ass. You got work to do," Diego said. He heard the soft growling coming from Devil when Diego made a soft whistle and the gray wolf sat.
"Is that a wolf?" Murphy whispered and Connor shrugged his shoulders.
Diego watched the men head for the door when he walked to the counter and he looked at Connor and Murphy.
"Howdy," Diego said.
"Hey," Connor said while Devil sniffed Connor's snakeskin boots and Connor looked at the gray wolf. "Nice dog."
"He's a wolf."
Murphy gave Connor a "I told you." look and Connor smiled. Daisy placed the plates of scrambled eggs, sausage links, two pancakes and some toast in front of Connor and Murphy then Murphy lightly licked his lips. She glanced at Diego then she walked away and Connor and Murphy started eating.
"Just passing through?" Diego asked.
"Nope. We're looking for work," Connor said, biting into a piece of toast.
"Ain't no work around here."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, mind telling us why you're so interested in why we're here or what we're doing? Are you the sheriff?"
"Nope. Just someone who thinks it would be better for you if you got back in your truck and leave town."
"Ah," Connor said with a nod.
Diego whistled as Devil stood and they headed for the door. Connor looked in the mirror as he watched Diego leave then Connor took a long sip of coffee.
"Asshole," Murphy whispered.
Nodding, Connor started eating as he watched the rest of the people in the diner and he placed a piece of sausage in his mouth.
"Want another cup?" Daisy asked, holding the coffee pot in her right hand.
"No thanks," Connor said. She placed the bill for their order on the counter as he slid the piece of paper to him and she walked away. He looked at the piece of paper when he saw Meal's on me. If you're looking for work, go check out the Golden Cactus Ranch written on the back of the piece of paper.
"Check this out," he whispered, showing Murphy the note.
"Think it's a trap?" Murphy whispered as he looked at Daisy.
"No."
"How do we get there?"
Connor noticed there were directions written under the note as he frowned then he placed the piece of paper in the pocket of his denim shirt.
"Let's go," Connor whispered. They got up as he smiled at Daisy and he and Murphy headed for the door. They had traded in Maggie's car for a white pickup truck and they opened the doors, getting in the truck. Connor handed Murphy the piece of paper then he started the engine and he put the truck in gear. Murphy looked out the window as Connor steered the truck toward the exit and the truck headed down the road.
The Golden Cactus Ranch
"Damn," Darcy sighed after she placed the receiver back on the phone cradle and she rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.
"Just got a call from Daisy."
"What did she want?"
"She said two strangers just came into her diner."
"Were they hot?!" Lisa teased and Darcy laughed.
"She didn't say. She did tell me they were looking for work."
"And she sent them here."
"Yeah."
"Great."
"What's great?" Annie, Diego's fiancé, asked as she walked in the kitchen. She was wearing jeans, snakeskin cowgirl boots and a white denim shirt.
"Daisy called. Some guys were at the diner and they were looking for work," Lisa explained.
"Let me guess. She sent them here."
"Yep."
Annie pressed her lips into a thin line as she shook her head and she leaned against the counter.
A short time later, the white truck pulled up to the driveway as Murphy looked at the landscape He felt on edge as he sighed and Connor glanced at him. He knew when his brother was troubled and what he was sensing wasn't good.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked.
"Not sure. Just feel… Just feel off," Murphy said.
"You're not sick, are you?"
"I would tell you if I was."
"Aye, you would. Look. If this is a trap, we'll bolt. Ok?"
Nodding, Murphy watched the scenery going by when they arrived at the farmhouse and he noticed the wraparound porch and the neatly trimmed bushes.
"Looks like summat outta an old western," Connor said as he parked the white truck and turned off the engine.
"Aye," Murphy said with a nod. He noticed the screen door opening while Darcy and Lisa walked outside and they stood at the top of the stairs.
"All that's missin' is a shotgun," Connor said.
"They could be th'owner's daughters."
"Let's find out."
On the porch, Darcy and Lisa watched as the doors opened and Murphy and Connor got out of the white truck.
"Damn," Lisa said, looking Connor over. He was wearing jeans, a black leather belt, his snakeskin boots and a white denim shirt and a white straw cowboy hat was on his head. He had on a pair of blue lens sunglasses and he placed his hands on his hips.
"Yeah," Darcy said, looking Murphy over. He was wearing jeans, a black leather belt, brown work boots and a black linen shirt. He wore dark sunglasses and he folded his arms over his chest.
"Hey," Connor said as he used the surfer accent while he walked to the bottom of the stairs and he looked at them. "Is your dad around?"
"No," Lisa said.
"Then who's in charge?"
"We are."
"It's our ranch," Darcy explained, looking at Murphy. There was something about him which made her feel curious. He titled his head to one side as he gave her a puzzled look and she looked away.
"Are you the guys that Daisy told us about?" Lisa asked.
"Who?" Connor asked.
"The owner of Daisy's Diner."
"Oh. The waitress. Yeah, we are."
"Have you ever worked on a ranch before?"
"We spent eight years raising sheep."
"Sheep?"
Connor nodded. Darcy and Lisa looked at each other when Lisa walked down the stairs and she stood in front of him. He had taken off the sunglasses as she noticed the light shining in his eyes and she felt a warm shiver move through her.
"What's your name?" Lisa asked.
"Connor," he said then he looked at Murphy. "This is my brother, Murphy."
Murphy felt Darcy's eyes on him as he looked down at his feet and she walked down the stairs. He heard her walking closer when he saw her feet and he lightly sucked on his bottom lip.
"Are you alright?" Darcy asked and he nodded, but didn't raise his head.
"Where are you guys from?" Lisa asked when Diego and Devil walked closer when he stopped next to her.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Diego asked and Connor turned to look at him.
"Told you we were looking for work," Connor explained.
Devil sniffed Connor's snakeskin cowboy boots then the gray wolf walked to Murphy and sniffed his work boots. Devil looked up at Murphy when Murphy reached out the fingers of his left hand and Devil sniffed his fingers. The gray wolf rubbed its head against his fingers as Murphy scratched Devi's right ear and the gray wolf wagged its tail.
"Well, that's a good sign," Darcy said with a small grin. "Devil isn't usually friendly around strangers."
Murphy shyly smiled and Devil sat next to him.
"Do you talk?"
Murphy just looked at her and she sighed.
"Are you going to hire them?" Diego asked.
"We are thinking about it," Lisa said.
"Do they have any experience working on a ranch?"
"We did work for eight years on a farm," Connor said.
"Doing what?"
"Raising sheep."
"Raising cows is a hell of a lot harder than raising sheep."
"I bet."
"Do you even know how to ride a horse?"
"Yep."
"What about him?" Diego asked, looking at Murphy.
"Yeah, he does."
Diego glanced from Connor to Murphy as something felt wrong and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Diego said.
"It's not your decision," Darcy said.
"Yeah, it's ours," Lisa said.
"Have you asked Annie?" Diego asked.
"No, we haven't."
"Who's Annie?" Connor asked.
"She is our friend and the third owner of this ranch."
"Well, let's go talk to her."
Lisa was starting to like his grin as she nodded and they headed for the stairs. Diego noticed Devil walking next to Murphy as Diego frowned then his face changed as the screen door opened.
"Oh crap," Connor whispered while Annie walked outside. She stopped at the top of the stairs and they both saw the anger in her eyes.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" she asked, walking down the stairs and she stood in front of Connor and Murphy.