The Lawman Returns - Lynette Eason Wrangler's Corner

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stepped around him. “Tony? Maria? What are you guys doing here?” Her voice was soft and low. Clay decided if he was a kid, he would have trusted her instantly. “Where’s Jordan?”

      “He left,” Tony said.

      “Why would he leave you here?”

      The boy shrugged, trying to be brave and failing miserably. “He looked out the window and said for us to sneak away as soon as he was out of sight. He said to be careful ’cause there was a bad man outside. He said he’d make sure the bad man followed him while we got away and hid in the woods. Then he’d come back and take us home.”

      “Bad man?” Clay asked.

      “I saw you when I opened the door. I thought you might be the bad man.”

      “He’s a deputy, hon,” Sabrina said. “Didn’t you see his uniform?”

      Tony’s lower lip trembled, but he managed a manly shrug. “I don’t know. But we weren’t scared or nothin’.”

      Sabrina moved forward to gather the little girl in her arms and whisper in her ear.

      While Sabrina talked to the children, Clay took in the surroundings. Everything around him shouted meth lab. The smell, the hose through the window, the Pyrex bowls on the stove, the blankets and plastic on the windows. He turned and spoke into his radio. “Got a possible meth lab here. We’re going to need someone to clean it up.”

      He wondered who the sheriff would call. Federal law mandated only DEA-certified individuals could dismantle a meth lab. Clay seriously doubted there was anyone qualified in Wrangler’s Corner.

      He checked the window again. So Jordan had seen a “bad man” and left to draw him away from the trailer so the little ones could sneak out.

      Clay touched her arm. “Come on, Sabrina, get them and let’s go There’s no telling what we’re breathing.”

      Sabrina held out her hand to Tony. “Please, come with me, sweetheart.”

      Tony reached for her hand and then froze. His eyes widened, and fear flashed across his face.

      Clay spun to find himself staring down the barrel of a Winchester .45.

       TWO

      Sabrina gave a small cry and threw herself in front of the children. Stan Prescott stood in the open door with his rifle leveled at Clay’s head. “Stan, what are you doing?”

      “You’re trespassing.”

      “And you’re going to jail,” Clay said. “Unless you put that gun away. Last time I checked, shooting at people was a crime.”

      Stan snorted. “My whole life is a crime. What are you doing on my property? What are those kids doing here?”

      “Why were you shooting at me? Where’s Jordan?” Sabrina asked.

      “Shooting at you? I wasn’t shooting at nobody, but I’m a-fixin’ to.”

      “Put the gun down,” Clay ordered. His sharp tone bounced off Stan, who kept the weapon level and mostly steady. “Who’s Jordan?”

      Sabrina noted the missing teeth, the sores on his face. He and Clay were the same age, she remembered Steven saying, but Stan looked a good twenty years older. She curled her fingers into fists. She sent up silent prayers as Clay held his hands where Stan could see them.

      “Why are you even arguing about this, man?” Clay asked. “Where’s Lacey?”

      Fury flashed. “She left me. Now, why are you in my home?” Gravel crunched outside under the wheels of the cruisers as the police arrived, completely unaware of what was going on inside the little trailer.

      Stan heard it, too, and he flinched, moved inside and shut the door behind him.

      Her stomach twisted. What would he do? How would they get past him?

      She realized this might very well become a hostage situation. “Stan? The cops are outside. You don’t want any trouble, do you?” She kept her voice low.

      Stan swallowed, and the gun wavered.

      Clay moved and tackled the man to the trailer floor.

      Sabrina wrapped her arms around the children’s shoulders and hurried them to the back bedroom. Away from the possibility of being shot if the gun went off. “Stay here,” she whispered.

      A small hand gripped hers. “Don’t leave me,” Maria begged.

      Sabrina’s heart slammed against her chest. What to do? Clay might need her help. But Maria had a firm grip, and the terror in her eyes said she wasn’t going to let Sabrina out of her sight.

      Sabrina heard the thumps and grunts of the fight going on in the front room. Her eyes jumped from the unmade bed to the end table to the dresser as she fought to figure out what she should do to help Clay. Tony wiggled away from her, and when he did, a small black object dropped to the floor. Her eyes zoomed in on the wallet, and she drew in a deep breath. And coughed. First things first. She knelt. “I’ve got to, for just a minute. I need to help Mr. Clay, okay?”

      Tony pulled his sister from Sabrina. “Okay. Go help him.”

      Sabrina shot him a grateful look and raced down the short hall to find Clay and Stan locked together, Stan’s fingers wrapped around the rifle, Clay’s grip around Stan’s wrist. Sabrina grabbed the nearest lamp, hefted it and brought it down across the back of Stan’s shoulders.

      He gave a harsh cry and went limp. The brief moment was enough for Clay to yank the rifle away. Stan staggered to his feet, lunged for the back door and crashed through it.

      Sabrina bolted to the window as Clay scrambled after the man. The officers, caught by surprise, weren’t ready for the wild man who’d burst from the trailer, and soon Stan disappeared into the trees.

      Deputies gave chase. Clay stumbled after them but tripped and fell down the steps to land with a thud at the bottom. He turned, his face red, a welt on his cheek, puckered and sore looking. Sabrina met him at the bottom of the back porch steps, which seemed to be in much better condition than the front. “Are you all right?”

      “Yes.”

      She whirled. “I’m going to get the kids.”

      “I’m going after Stan.” He grunted and hauled himself to his feet.

      She heard his pounding footsteps as she hurried back into the trailer to find Tony and Maria clutching one another while an officer knelt in front of them. Officer Donnie Kingston. She’d worked with him before.

      Maria spotted Sabrina and broke away from her brother to hurl herself into Sabrina’s arms. Stunned, Sabrina hesitated only a fraction of a second before pulling the little girl’s undernourished body up against her.

      Donnie turned. “Come on, Sabrina, this place is toxic. We need to get out of here and let the guys with the suits take over.” She knew he meant the team that would come in to clean up the meth lab. Since they came from out of town, it would take them a while to get there. Sabrina reached for Tony’s hand, but he knelt and snagged the wallet on the floor. Donnie sighed with exasperation. “Come on, kid, it’s dangerous in here. You can’t take that with you. It’s not yours.”

      Tony’s jaw jutted. “Is too. Jordan said I’m ’posed to watch over it and make sure nothing happened to it.”

      Sabrina coughed. She needed fresh air. She nodded to Donnie, who took a step toward Tony just as the door opened and Clay stepped inside. The welt on his cheek looked as if it hurt. He looked at the foursome. “He got away, but officers are looking for him.” Clay dropped in front of Tony. “Where are your mom and dad?”

      Tony shrugged. “Don’t got a dad. My mom’s got a new boyfriend. I think she went

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