Page 19 of Rangers Off Limits

At the disappearing truck.

And for the first time all day...

I saw fear.

Only a flash.

Gone almost instantly.

But it was there.

That was all I needed.

Because if a man could make Sadie Walker afraid...

Then I needed to know exactly who he was.

And why he'd come looking for her.

4

BEAST

By the time I got back to the Last Stand Tavern, I was already in a bad mood.

Which wasn't unusual.

What was unusual was the reason.

Normally I was irritated by tourists.

Broken equipment.

Paperwork.

Trigger.

Today?

I was irritated because I couldn't stop thinking about Sadie Walker.

Or Gerald.

Mostly Gerald.

Definitely Gerald.

Probably.

I shoved open the tavern door.

The room went silent.

That should have been my first warning.

The second warning came when Mrs. Jenkins smiled.

Nobody should ever trust that smile.