“Perhaps you did pick some good folks as a family.”
“I sure did.”
And as quickly as Scotty’s relaxed demeanor had come, it was gone. “The matter still stands that this here woman knew more than she should have and now so does the boy.”
Kyle gritted his teeth and said, “If that’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours! Everything was fine before now.”
“Maybe it was my fault to put you on the spot,” Scotty admitted. “But we’re in something of a bind here. It’s got to be set straight. You want to do it or should I?”
Shaking his head, Kyle said, “You’re mistaken. Nothing needs to be set straight.”
Luke’s pulse sped up and he suddenly regained control of his legs. When he tried to get his mother moving with a gentle tug on her arm, he found she was now the one frozen in fear. He tugged a bit harder, which was enough to snap her out of the spell that had come over her.
“This ain’t the first time you’ve put us all at risk,” Scotty said. “But I can tell you it’ll be the last.”
“Don’t do this!” Kyle yelled.
“Too late,” the stranger said. “It’s already done.”
When Scotty drew a pistol from his holster, it was in a motion so fast that Luke barely saw it. The thunder that followed would follow him for the rest of his life.