Chapter 14 Jesse #2
“Fuck,” I breathe, my hands tightening on the steering wheel.
“Stay calm,” Truett says, but I can hear the panic in his voice. “We’re just two ranchers heading home after checking our property in the storm.”
The patrol car follows us for another mile before hitting the sirens. I pull over on a wide spot next to a pasture gate, my mind racing.
“The gun,” Truett whispers urgently.
Shit. The .38 we keep for protection is tucked under my seat. Having it while committing a felony turns this from simple rustling into armed robbery.
I reach down and grab the weapon, looking around frantically for somewhere to hide it. Finally, I shove it deep into the space between the seat and the door, praying it won’t fall out.
The officer approaches through the rain, flashlight beam dancing ahead of him. Even before he gets close enough for me to see his face, I know who it is. The way he walks, the set of his shoulders.
Noah Sanchez.
“Shit,” Truett mutters under his breath. “It’s Noah.”
Deputy Sanchez taps on my window with his flashlight. I roll it down, trying to look casual despite the fact that my heart is trying to beat its way out of my chest.
“Evening, Jesse. Truett.” Noah’s voice is carefully neutral, professional. “You boys are out late in this weather.”
“Hey, Noah,” I manage. “Just heading home after checking on some cattle. This storm’s got them spooked.”
His flashlight beam sweeps the interior of the truck, taking in our mud-caked boots, our soaked jackets. “Checking cattle where?”
“Our north pasture,” Truett lies smoothly. “Had some fence that needed repair after that wind earlier.”
Noah nods, but his eyes are sharp, suspicious. He’s known us both since we were kids, played football with us in high school, and dated some of the same girls. He knows when we’re lying.
“Mind if I take a look at your trailer?”
My blood turns to ice. “What for?”
“Routine check. You know how it is.”
He knows. Somehow, he knows what we’ve been up to. Maybe he’s been watching us, maybe someone tipped him off, but the way he’s looking at us tells me this isn’t a random traffic stop.
“Sure thing,” Truett says before I can object. “Nothing back there but some fence repair supplies.”
Noah walks around to the back of the trailer, and I catch Truett’s eye in the mirror. We both know we’re fucked. There’s evidence of what we’ve done back there if he looks hard enough.
But when Noah shines his light through the slats of the trailer, he stops. Frowns. Walks around to the other side.
He studies the trailer for another long moment, then walks back to my window. “Jesse, I’ve known you since we were kids. Your dad was a good man, and I know you’ve been struggling since he died.”
I don’t say anything. There’s nothing to say.
“I also know that desperate men sometimes make bad choices.” His voice drops lower, more personal. “Whatever you boys are mixed up in, it’s not too late to get out.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Truett says.
Noah looks at him, then back at me. “There’s been cattle going missing from ranches all over this part of the state. Someone who knows what they’re doing, someone who understands ranching.”
The rain drums on the roof of the truck, filling the silence.
“I’d hate to see either of you throw your lives away,” Noah continues. “Your parents were good people. They wouldn’t want this for you.”
“Are we free to go?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
Noah studies my face for a long moment, then steps back from the truck. “Drive careful. This storm’s not letting up anytime soon.”
I roll up the window and put the truck in gear, my hands shaking. In the rearview mirror, I watch Noah walk back to his patrol car, but he doesn’t follow us when we pull away.
“Jesus Christ,” Truett breathes once we’re out of sight. “I thought we were done for.”
“We might still be. He knows, Truett. He fucking knows.”
“But he let us go.”
“This time. What about next time?”
We drive the rest of the way home in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. When we reach the ranch, we unload the cattle quickly, getting them into a holding pen where they’ll stay until we can transport them to the sale barn tomorrow.
It’s nearly three in the morning by the time we’re finished. The storm is finally starting to let up, though rain still patters against the barn roof.
“We need to be more careful,” I say as we put away our gear.
“Or we need to stop.”
I look at him in surprise. “You want to quit?”
“I want a lot of things, Jesse. I want my parents back. I want to be able to pay my bills without stealing. I want my sister to be safe.” He runs a hand through his wet hair. “But wanting something and getting it are two different things.”
“If we stop now, we lose everything.”
“If we don’t stop, we might lose more than everything. We might lose our freedom. Our lives.”
I think about Noah’s warning, about the suspicion in his eyes. He gave us a pass tonight, but he won’t do it again. Next time, we won’t be so lucky.
“One more job,” I say finally. “We do this Morrison job, and that’s it. That’ll give us enough to make it through the winter, and then we reassess.”
Truett nods reluctantly. “One more job.”
As we walk back toward the house, I catch a glimpse of movement in an upstairs window. A curtain falling back into place, a shadow disappearing.
Aubree was watching. Waiting for us to come home.
I wonder how much she saw. How much she suspects.
And I wonder how much longer we can keep lying to the people we love.