Read Warrior (Freelancer Book 2) for Free Online Page B

anger, and he started to say something, but Talltrees cut him off. "Vernon, if you open your mouth, you're going to lie. I really have a problem when people lie to me. It pisses me off and then I'll have to shoot you, and it'll bother me for the rest of the night."
    He leaned back from his firing position, and the muzzle pulled away from Flick’s forehead. A circle appeared, first white and then filling with red. "Now, take your buddies or leave them to wake up and proceed on their own, but get the hell out of here. I really, sincerely, do not want to see you again."
    Flick looked at Talltrees for a second and then stepped to the side so he could see the two men lying on the worn dirt path. Neither looked interested in going anywhere.
    He bent down, picked up his hat, and backed away. A dozen feet later, he turned, put the tall hat back on, and stalked off angrily. It looked impressive, but Rick could hear his booted footsteps break into a run after a few steps.
    Talltrees lowered the rifle and rested it on his hip.
    Rick noticed that he didn't engage the safety.
    "Well, I think this could be the first time that the Indians have saved the cavalry," Eve said as she walked up from behind Rick and poked a cautious toe into both men on the ground.
    Rick laughed. "Hardly. I'd say that his little trick with the Skyraider definitely counted as a 'save.' This is just a well-timed repeat performance."
    He turned back to Talltrees and stuck out his hand. "Not that I'm not grateful, you understand." The men shook hands and grinned at each other.
    Then Talltrees' face turned serious. "This isn't the best time of the night to start, but I think we should get out of here. No one thinks much of Vernon Crane—well, except for himself and I'll add in his mother, since I'm in a generous mood—but he hangs with some dudes who are damn near as dumb as he is, and they'll be back."
    "Vernon?" Rick asked.
    "Yeah, with a name like that he named himself 'Flick' a long time ago." Talltrees bent over and threw a pack over his left shoulder, keeping the rifle free. "Or so I've heard. I asked around about him a couple of days ago. Don't quite know why."
    He shrugged and gazed off into the orange glow of the setting sun. "Guess I just felt something wrong about him. Anyway, what I heard was that he grew up here and went to Dakota State but took off one day leaving all his stuff in the dorm. No one saw him until he showed up here a few weeks after Wounded Knee’s 'liberation'."
    "Where was he?" Rick asked.
    "The guy I talked to said Vernon got religion one day and took off with a couple of other people to join up with the…" he paused, "the Radical Labor Party Committee or the Unified Committee of Radical Workers or some damn thing. Anyway, uncles ran most of the others down and brought them home, but no one cared enough to worry about Vernon."
    He turned and used the rifle to point down a path almost invisible in the dim light. "Enough history. I think it's time for us to split the scene and leave it clean, so let's exit stage left."
    Eve bent down over the man Rick had knocked out. Shifting his body slightly, she pulled out a small pack. Opening it, she rummaged through the contents. "Well, we're in luck. Food, matches, compass, and first aid kit—this guy was clearly ready to take off."
    She stepped over the motionless body and said to Pete, "Listen, Snagglepuss, give me a minute to clean and wrap up that scratch on Rick's arm before it goes septic. I can't imagine that Vernon owned anything that wasn't filthy."
    She pushed Rick back against a tree trunk and began to pull off his jacket. "Then big strong guy will be in great shape to carry this bag of supplies."
    Rick smiled, "What are you going to contribute?" "You mean, besides my natural beauty and
    enough common sense to know when it was time to find a guy with a nice big rifle?" She patted Rick's cheek before she set to work on his arm.
    "Not a damn thing."

CHAPTER 7
April 26, 1973, Wounded