“Our equipment.”Darren walked over and unlocked the first one.The best way to get the new sheriff off his back was to cooperate fully and not do anything to raise suspicion.
Torres stepped inside, looked around in silence for a few seconds.“Not much in here.”He inspected the shelving units containing plate carriers, boxes of ammo and gun parts.“Where are the weapons you use?”
“Next door.”He left to open up that trailer.
Torres did another, more thorough inspection of the firepower inside.“Not much in here either.”He took down a rifle to check it with expert movements.“How many members do you have currently?”
“Seventy-three.”
Torres turned to him.“Really.That’s strange, I heard it was double that at least.”
“Who’d you hear that from?”
“A reliable source.”He put the rifle back in place.“So where are the rest of the weapons, Darren?”
“Most members use their private weapons.”
“They’re all acquired legally, too, with the paperwork to prove it?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll need to see all that.”
“As long as you have a warrant.”
Torres inclined his head.“I’ll take care of that.”
Oh, I bet you will.Darren gave him a tight smile that didn’t quite hide his resentment.“I’ll get it all to you as soon as I can.”
“I appreciate that.”
They stepped back outside into the sunshine.It was hot on Darren’s back, but inside he was cold.
He left the trailer unlocked, silently fuming and trying not to panic.This was slipping out of control fast.He had to do something.If the people he answered to found out the sheriff had been sniffing around and knew about the ammo cache...
“Did you hide ammo and weapons across the island, Darren?”
The question made him blanch.“What?No, of course not.Why would I do that?”
“You tell me.”Torres stood there with his hands on his hips, the uniformed deputy positioned behind him within earshot.Watching them and listening to every word.
“I don’t know.”He barely kept from growling it.
Torres stared at him.Cool and composed as he assessed him.“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”He could feel beads of sweat starting to break out along his spine.
“All right, that’s all I need for now.I’ll be in touch if I have any further questions.”He started for his vehicle.Stopped partway there, putting an end to Darren’s short-lived relief that he might still be in the clear.“Oh, one more thing.”
“Yes?”
Torres turned around to face him.“What would you say if I told you I’ve got a map with all the cache locations marked on it?”
Fuuuuuuck.“I’d say I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”
They stared each other down for a long, tense moment.Torres inclined his chin slightly.“Well, if anything comes to mind about that, you let me know.”
Darren’s hands balled into fists in his pockets as he watched the sheriff and deputy drive off.As soon as the vehicle was out of view, he went into the second trailer and took out a rifle.Loaded a fresh mag into it and stalked over to the first lane of the range.
