Charles Ingrid - marked man 02 The Last Recall Read Online Free PDF

beckoned with his right. He'd not changed his suit, but his shirt was open at the neck. His wife sat next to him, a younger woman, ash-silver hair arranged in naturally curly ringlets. Her face was vibrant, blue eyes fixed on Thomas. She didn't miss much and said something briefly to Teal before she got up, vacating the chair for Thomas. She followed Lady under the arbor and out of sight before he could greet her.
    Teal fished a beer out of a bucket of cold water and handed it to him. Thomas pulled the top off as he sat down. The beer went down cool, setting off taste buds as it went. "That side of beef is about ready. You've got good timing."
    "And you've got excellent taste in back washers." Thomas took another long pull. There was a very slight nick in the lip of the bottle. He worried his tongue around it. The bottles were used over and over again, each one a scarred warrior of a long life. He sat back in the wooden chair. The patio and sloping backyard was thick with people. "A side of beef, eh? Boyd send it down?"
    At the mention of the Santa Barbara cattleman, Teal motioned downslope. "He's here, somewhere."
    Even in the summer evening, Boyd would be wearing a jacket, cut both to hide and accommodate his tail. Thomas glanced about, but the cattleman did not immediately come to view. "He's running more beef down here now than he is in Santa Barbara. Trying to talk him into relocating?"
    "Could be. He's got a son left to take over the ranch."
    Blade's mouth tightened. He'd executed the elder boy. Neither Boyd nor his bald wife Delia had either castigated or forgiven him for doing it. That was years ago, he barely remembered the younger boy. Santa Barbara was not officially one of the Seven Counties although they had sent a candidate in for Protector training. It struck him that he didn't want to be here, he wanted to be there, home, working with the candidates. At one time, there had been seven Protectors for the Seven Counties. Now, five struggled to fill the posts. If their old enemy Denethan had wanted to attack, there could not be a better time.
    But the reptilian mutant from the Mojave was now their uneasy ally. Perhaps Protectors were an endangered species.
    Thomas drained the last of the foamy beer from the bottle. Maybe that's what made him edgy. He didn't like being obsolete. He set the empty headfirst in the cooling bucket.
    "Well, Thomas! You've been doin' some thirsty work!"
    Blade looked up. Two-handed Delgado grinned down at him, range dust still embedded in his shirt and dusting the chaps over his jeans. He reached forward and they grappled briefly, each testing the weary strength left in his acquaintance's grip. Delgado was, of necessity, right-handed, his left wrist showing the seamy scar where a second, weaker left hand had been sheared off when he was a teen. He'd lost a hand and gained a nickname. The primary left hand would never have the strength of a normal hand, but Delgado more than made up for it. He flashed strong yellow-ivory teeth at Thomas now.
    "Left your garrote in your packs, eh?"
    Thomas dropped the handshake. "No, actually, I've always got one on me." They'd drawn a crowd during their boisterous welcome and now Blade heard a woman gasp. There was a rustle of skirts as she turned abruptly away.
    Into the abrupt silence, Teal said, "Pull up a stump and sit down."
    TVvo-handed never stopped smiling. "No, thanks. Got saddle sores as it is. Thought I might borrow Thomas for a minute."
    "Borrow away, as long as you return him." Teal narrowed his gaze at Thomas. "We've things to discuss."
    Two-handed drew him away from the bustling crowd on the patio, and into the deep purple shadows at the far side of the manor house. "Ah, Thomas. In trouble with the judge, eh?"
    "Never you mind. You're the one that's going to be in front of him one of these days, for throwing too wide a loop."
    The cowboy shrugged. "Those days are over, my friend. I'm running the herd for Boyd Kelley now."
    "Are you?" Sheer