Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three Read Free Page B

the side. Emma scratched at the ear’s base and Lily leaned her head into the rub.
    “Very. Nice too.” She handed Brink the envelope. “From Ann,” she said. Brink paused. Emma watched as a series of thoughts marched across his features. She had little doubt what they were. A fly buzzed past and Lily twitched her tail. “I’m pretty sure no one saw her give it to me. She hid it in the check folder.”
    Brink glanced at her, took the envelope and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans before continuing to tack up Lily.
    “I assumed that you needed some saddlebags,” he said, “and I’ve got a pommel holster. You want it?”
    “Not unless you have a pistol you can lend me as well. Sheriff Tarnell confiscated mine.”
    Brink snorted. “He’s evil. Does anything Shaw tells him to do. A true acolyte. He threaten you?”
    “Not in so many words. But when I suggested that Shaw was gone, he seemed truly confused.”
    Brink looked at her from Lily’s other side. “What do you mean, Shaw’s gone?”
    Emma told him about the two Supreme Sons who claimed that Shaw had been kidnapped and their demand that Ryan pay up under the policy.
    “But Tarnell insisted that Shaw was still around,” she said, “and it must have been cast-offs that attacked Ryan.”
    Brink tightened the girth and threaded the end through a retaining loop. “I’m not surprised. Cast-offs get blamed for everything around here.”
    “He said they were cast off because they were drinking and drugging. Any cast-offs like that?”
    Brink nodded. “Lots. They’re young kids when they’re thrown out, and they dive straight into every forbidden zone. Most don’t have the education to make it outside, and some eventually start acting as mules for drug dealers. Anything to make a buck.”
    “So you didn’t hear anything either about Shaw being missing?”
    “If he was, I’d be the last to know. You can check out his house. He lives on a four acre compound on the north side of town. It’s guarded and you won’t get near it, but if you’re taking the main trail up the mountain, you’ll be able to see down into it when you get about halfway there.” He finished with Lily and rubbed her neck. “I’ll go get you a gun.”
    “Think I’ll need it?” Emma asked.
    Brink looked grim. “I do.”
    He returned to the small ranch house, and Emma went to the Jeep to retrieve her gear. She was transferring her clothes and other items from her small duffel into the two large saddlebags when Brink appeared with Calvin in tow. She pulled out the bag containing her clothes and Brink leaned in closer.
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    Emma showed him and Calvin the compressed container, which was the size of a large manila envelope.
    “It’s vacuum-sealed. Removes the air and flattens the contents. I can fit twice the amount of clothes into a container that’s less than half the size I would need normally, and the plastic keeps them dry and repels bugs. I use them a lot for camping.” She slid the package into the saddlebag and tightened the flaps, then pulled out her CamelBak water holder.
    “Calvin, can you fill that for her?” Brink said. Calvin took it and jogged to the house, slamming the screen door behind him.
    Brink held up the pommel holster. It was split into two small square sections with a center hole that slid over the pommel. The pieces then lay on either side of the horse’s withers. One side had a pistol pocket and the other a small bag. Brink patted the bag.
    “I put some extra ammunition in here.”
    “And do you have a regular holster that I can put on my waistband when I’m not riding? As it is, I’m a bit nervous attaching the gun to the horse. She gets spooked, throws me, and the gun and I part company.”
    Brink patted the bag again. “Also in here. I agree with you about the spooking, but it’s too uncomfortable to ride with a gun muzzle digging into your thigh.”
    The screen door emitted another sharp sound and