McBride opened the door, followed Jason and Chaska inside.
Thomas Paul Graham lay on his back, a morphine pump attached to an IV in one arm, a special pillow beneath his hips. He grinned when he saw them.
Then he recognized Jason, and his grin vanished. “Now, look, I wasn’t tryin’ to shoot you in the face. I was tryin’ to scare you off.”
McBride did the talking. “You’re facing charges for firing on a federal agent—and a few other felonies besides. Poaching. Use of illegal traps. And now assault with a deadly weapon. A woman stepped into one of your old-time bear traps this afternoon and might lose her leg. We want the location of every trap and snare you’ve placed on Forest Service land—now.”
“Not ’til you tell me what you did with my wolves.”
“They’re fine—all six of them. The Forest Service placed the female with her pups in a sanctuary. The male will join them soon.”
“I want proof.”
Did this son of a bitch think he was in charge?
Jason walked to the head of the bed, bent down until his face was almost touching Graham’s, and let the full force of his rage show. “The woman who was injured means a lot to me. Give the nice marshal the information that he needs, or there won’t be a prison cell on earth that can keep you safe from me.”
McBride cleared his throat. “Chiago.”
Graham’s face paled, and he broke. “They’re all in a line up to the ridge heading west. There should be four more.”
Then Chaska stepped forward, contempt on his face. “The woman you hurt is my sister. Do you know what we Lakota used to do to our enemies?”
He let the question hang in the air for a moment, let Graham squirm.
“We used to ride up and touch them to show our bravery. But you’re pathetic. There’s no honor in counting coup on a sick son of a dog like you.”
Then he turned and walked away, Jason following him out of the room.
Chapter 21
Jason and Chaska waited,the minutes like hours. Megs and Ahearn came with sandwiches and the keys to Chaska’s truck.
Megs gave them an update. “Everyone in town is praying for her. Joe has already put a donation jar on the bar at Knockers to help cover her medical expenses. We got the wolf safely down. Dr. Keene examined it, fed it, and it’s now safely in Shota’s pen. The sanctuary folks are coming to get him tomorrow. I know Win will ask.”
Chaska hugged Megs. “Thank you.”
Megs stepped back, wiped her eyes. “We all love Win. Damned onions.”
Finally, four hours and twenty-two minutes after Winona went into surgery, the screen said she had been moved into recovery.
Several minutes later, the surgeon walked into the waiting area, his gaze moving over the room, settling on Jason and Chaska. “Belcourt family?”
As they were the only brown-skinned people present, it was a good guess.
Jason and Chaska stood.
He motioned them toward a private conference room. “Let’s talk in here.”
Jason’s stomach sank. He followed Chaska into the small room, closed the door behind them, and sat at the small table.
Chaska spoke first. “How is my sister?”
The doctor leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “She’s groggy from the anesthesia. We’ve given her a nerve block, so she’s not in pain. Whoever put that tourniquet on her leg saved her life. One of the teeth on that trap severed her fibular artery. She would have bled out in five minutes. As it was, we had to give her two units of blood.”
Jason had to ask. “Is she going to keep her leg?”
“I think so.”