Chapter Twenty
Dusk pressed heavily on the trees. Raylan tilted his head back to look at the sky. Storm clouds gathered on the far horizon, dark against the rich blue sky. He turned his eyes away from them, scanning the tree line. A bat swooped after its next meal, wheeling in the air. Some small animal scuttled in the undergrowth.
The chief tossed a bit of stone from the road in the direction of the noise. A twig snapped as the animal bolted in the other direction. The stocky man picked up another stone, rolling it between his fingers.
"Did you mean it?" he asked. He caught his lip between his teeth and sucked in a breath.
Raylan turned his head towards the chief. "Did I mean what?"
The chief kept his eyes focused on the stone in his hands. "The stuff you said about good people doing bad things because they have no other choice."
Raylan turned his eyes back to the sky. "What do you think?"
The chief let out a long breath. "I think that you did." He tossed the stone into the undergrowth. "I'm not the one running this. I just provide the security."
Raylan raised his eyebrows. "Who is running it then?"
The chief shook his head. "Oh, no." He shot Raylan a desperate, panicked look. "I tell you that, he'll kill me."
Fabric rustled as Raylan settled a little more comfortably against the car, stifling a pained groan then he moves his injured shoulder. He sighed, focusing his attention on the chief to keep his mind off the pain.
"If I was you, I'd be bargaining with everything I had." He tapped his finger against his knee. "It's not like you're gonna be any safer in jail." He paused thoughtfully. "In fact, I'd say you're gonna be worse off. Jail cell doesn't have many places to hide."
The chief stared at Raylan. "Are you threatening me?"
Raylan laughed darkly. "Would I do that to you, Nick?" He stressed the K, making it sound hard and brittle. "I'm just trying to get you to consider your options, that's all."
"'Cause you've got my best interests at heart, right?" The chief asked sarcastically.
"Oh, I don't give a shit about you." Raylan shrugged. "It's the girls you have stashed in a piece of shit cabin somewhere that I'm interested in."
The chief laughed. "Well, at least you're honest."
A pair of bats swooped overhead, filling the sky with motion for a few brief seconds. Raylan watched them.
"Seems the best way."
The sound of a distant car engine rumbled through the night. It sent the small animals in the undergrowth scurrying for cover, leaving the patch of wilderness quiet and still.
"Someone's coming." The chief muttered.
"Yup." Raylan checked the gun and eased to his feet. "Better hope it's my buddies and not yours."
The chief looked at the gun. "You gonna shoot them if it's my men?"
Raylan shrugged stiffly. "If I have to."
He stepped into the shadows behind the car, watching the road with alert eyes. Adrenaline sang through his body, chasing away the pain for a few blessed minutes.
Headlights crested the rise. Raylan lifted the gun halfway, straining to see past the car's lights. The car slowed and pulled into the side of the road, stopping a little way from the wrecked car. A dark figure stepped out.
"Raylan?" Art called, hand resting on his gun.
Another car pulled up behind the first. A man and a woman got out.
The sight of them brought a genuine smile to Raylan's lips. He clicked the safety on the gun and slid it back through his belt.
"I'm here!" he called, walking towards Art's car. Dull throbs of pain arced through his body with every step. He ignored it, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other until he reached the pool of light.
Art stole a glance at his deputy's face, sucking in a shocked breath. Even in the sickly light from the car, Raylan looked pale and a little grey. A sheen of sweat covered his brow and upper lip.
"Good to see you, Art." Raylan murmured. "Been a damn long few days."
"I bet," Art agreed and nodded towards the car. "Go and sit down."
Raylan opened his mouth to protest. Art cut him off with a sharp look. "That wasn't a suggestion."
"Chief's down by the car. He's cuffed." Raylan opened the door to Art's car. "Says he's not the one running this."
Art snorted. "The doesn't surprise me. Never struck me as bright enough to plan this and get away with it for so long."
Raylan nodded. "That's what I thought."
"You gonna get in there, or just stand all night holding the door?" Art asked.
A little unsteadily, Raylan slipped into the car, slumping against the seat. He could hear Art's voice as the older man gave orders, but the glass muffled the sound, and he didn't have the energy to figure out what was being said.
The soft comfort of the seat and the warmth of the car lulled him into a quiet doze. He let himself drift, trusting his co-workers not to let anything happen to him.
A noise startled him. His eyes flew open, hand automatically reaching for his gun. The motion jarred his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and got his hand on the gun just as he realised the noise was no threat to him.
Art watched as Raylan relaxed the death grip he'd had on the gun.
"I'm sorry." Art slid into the car and turned the key to start the engine. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Raylan blinked sleep from his eyes. "Where's the chief?"
"Tim and Rachel are taking him to holding. We'll question him in the morning."
Raylan nodded. "Okay. Where are we going?"
Art glanced at Raylan. "We are going straight to the hospital."
Raylan couldn't find the energy or motivation to protest. He slumped against the seat. "Well, okay."
Art glanced at him again, then pressed his foot a little harder on the gas pedal, knowing that Raylan had to be feeling bad to give in without even a token fight. The car sliced cleanly through the night, heading back to civilisation. Neither man could wait to see it again.