Chapter 2

“Okay, gal. We’ll be back in town in about thirty minutes and get us some coffee, maybe some chow, and a treat for you. It ain’t pretty out, but I’ll get us there. I know this road like our backyard.”

As he straightened the wheel and eased down on the gas again, something loomed ahead, right on the edge of his lane. What the fuck? A man, walking? He hadn’t seen a car or any sign of life for the past twenty miles or more. Who would be out in this weather? Probably some poor sap who’d been sneaked across the border and dumped to fend for himself. Perry despised the coyoterosas much as he hated the drug dealers. Both abused the people they doubly victimized. Knowing that, he could not pass a fellow human, one for whom death could come almost any moment out here on a night like this.

Feathering the brakes, he slowed, stopped, and then shifted the SUV into reverse. He’d gone maybe twenty yards past the walker. The person had stopped, raised his—or her—head and waited, as if numb and dumb. Perry put the car in park and got out.

“Hey, man, do you need a lift? Where you heading?” He spoke first in Spanish and then, when the other person did not respond, repeated it in English.

The reply came muffled, slurred, and hoarse. “Yeah, I s’pose I do. I was going home—to Esperanza—but I think I took the wrong shortcut. Things look different now.”

The man staggered, as if disoriented or exhausted. Maybe both. Perry grabbed his arm. Through thin, worn garments, he could feel bone with very little flesh over it. The guy was not in good shape. He stumbled as Perry tugged.

“Come on, I’ll get you to town—that’s Riata, about twenty miles down this highway. Esperanza doesn’t exist anymore. Didn’t you know? You stay out in this much longer, and they’ll find your carcass after the storm blows out. No hope out here for now.”

The stranger nodded. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right, but I’m not leaving my dog.”

Looking around, Perry did not see an animal. He was about to ask when he noticed the lumpy shape under the front of the man’s jacket. “You can bring it. Come on, get in. We’re both just getting colder.”

Badger gave the stranger a sniff, but then with only a faint grumble, heaved herself across into the back seat. There should have been a barrier, but it was being repaired. Tonight that made things more convenient.

Perry noted his dog’s reaction. No bristle, no suspicion. That was good. He trusted her judgment. Not that the chilled man posed much of a threat. Oh, he could have a knife or a gun, but somehow Perry didn’t think he did. He’d seen newly released prisoners before. He knew the cheap, flimsy clothes, the haunted, near-broken look. He’d bet the guy was recently out. Not all cons were dangerous. Many were in for things they had not done, or had done in desperation. Alert but not anxious, Perry turned the heater up to the max and headed on down the highway.

“You’re a cop,” the man said suddenly, as if he’d just awakened. “I didn’t notice at first. Eyes were half-frozen shut.”

“Yeah, deputy sheriff. That’s okay. We’re out here to protect, to support, not just to bust bad guys.”

“Something you need to know, though. I’m a con. Been out—a week? About that. The days have kinda run together, but it was November 13. Down in Texas, way down. I won’t try and hide it. No use in that.”

“I guessed.” Perry slid a quick glance toward the other man, only to return almost at once to watching the road. It posed a hell of a lot bigger threat than this poor abused piece of humanity. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man’s jacket give a violent wiggle. With a large-knuckled hand, the guy loosened the buttons and took out a furry little mite. It looked around with shoe-button eyes and then settled on the man’s thin thighs with a soft sigh.

Perry made it to Riata without any further delays. He pulled up in his usual spot outside Dot’s Diner, the only twenty-four hour café in town. It crouched at the junction of two state highways. There wasn’t much traffic or business, but for some reason, Dot stayed and, with a couple of assistants, kept the place open twenty-four/seven. He knew his rider needed some food and a chance to warm up, even better than he had in the SUV.

“Come on.” He pulled the key from the ignition and stepped out. It wasn’t quite as windy here, but still cold and spitting a mixture of snow and sleet. Badger hesitated, until Perry nodded. “You, too, Badger.”

The dog bounded over the back of the seat and hit the ground before he could even begin to close the door. The strange man and his tiny pooch took more time, but the guy managed to stand unaided, clutching the dog, and followed Perry to the door.