The man I'd spent years keeping under control.
Hank saw it happen.
I knew because he immediately pointed a finger at me.
"No."
I blinked.
"What?"
"No."
The old rancher stepped off the porch.
Coffee forgotten.
Expression hard.
"I know that look."
I didn't say anything.
"You're not killing him."
I still didn't say anything.
Hank sighed.
"That's exactly what worries me."
I looked toward the road.
Toward town.
Toward wherever Gerald had gone.
A strange calm settled over me.
The kind that came before trouble.
Big trouble.
Because one thought kept repeating itself.
Over and over.
Three years.
For three years, Sadie had carried a gun.
For three years, she'd looked over her shoulder.
For three years, she'd dealt with this alone.
And I'd never known.
I saw her around town, and I never knew.
