“Good. That’s how I mean it. You remind me more of your mother.”
Forrester eyed him. “What happened between you and her?”
The sheriff sighed. He pointed to a wedding ring on his finger. “I’m long married, son. That’s all ancient history.”
“But what was it? What was the story there?”
“What do you think? We were in love. Both of us. Not just me.”
“So how did she end up with my daddy and not you?”
“Good question,” the sheriff said, the regret in his voice palpable. “I guess I let him get the better of me. I knew your mother wanted to be with me. I knew I could have given her a good life. We’d have been happy, her and me.”
“But my father.”
“Your father put an end to all of it. I never found out what exactly he did, but he blackmailed your mother and her parents. Basically forced them to make her marry him. She didn’t want to do it, and for good reason. Everyone knew your daddy was going to put her through hell.”
“But they let it happen?”
“That they did.”
“They should have stopped it. You should have stopped it.”
“Don’t think I don’t think about that every day that goes by, son.”
“There are men in the world who try to take women against their will,” Forrester said.
“Like the men who took Elle when she was a baby?”
Forrester looked up. “How do you know about that?”
“Her friend, Gris, he told us the whole story.”
“And what else did he say?”
“He said you were working for them. He said you’re the last living member of Los Lobo.”
“Oh, shit,” Forrester said. “And you believed him?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Los Lobo is history. Everyone knows that. They’re all dead.”
“Gris said you slipped through.”
“I didn’t slip through shit. I know for a fact Los Lobo is dead. Gris is lying.”
“Well, Gris can be pretty persuasive,” the sheriff said.
“I bet he can. You know he’s the one who’s going to take Elle against her will, don’t you?”
“And what if I did? What could I do about it?”
“You could let me out of this cage. I’ll stop him. I swear to God you’d be doing the right thing. I love Elle, and she loves me. Gris is going to take her against her will, just like my father took my mother. I know it.”
“Son, even if I believed you, I couldn’t let you out of that cell. Gris would string me up like a pig.”
“Don’t make the same mistake with Elle that you made with my mother,” Forrester said. “Stand up for a woman for once in your life.”
“I’m afraid,” the sheriff said helplessly.
“You’re the sheriff of this town. You can’t let Gris tell you what to do. Can you?”
As if to answer the question, some men came into the police station. They came down the short corridor toward Forrester’s cell. It was Gris, with the sheriff’s son and his friends.
Gris did the talking.
“What have we got here, sheriff?”
“Nothing, Gris. I was just talking to the prisoner.”
“I thought I told you to stay away from him.”
“Yes, sir,” the sheriff said, uncertainly.
Forrester looked at each man in turn. He read the situation perfectly. Gris had come into town and intimidated the sheriff into doing what he wanted. Forrester wasn’t sure why Phil and his buddies were helping, but he guessed it wasn’t because they were too loyal to him. No. Either Gris had paid them, or he’d threatened them, and either way, they’d be easy to turn against him if the tables were turned.
“Sheriff,” Forrester said. “You don’t have to be afraid of this guy. I’ll take care of him for you.”
The sheriff looked terrified at the sound of Forrester’s words. The last thing he had in mind was standing up to Gris.
“You’ll take care of me?” Gris said. “I don’t think so, fucko.”
“Everyone knows the kind of creep you are, Gris. I know it, the sheriff knows it, and your friends here know it too.”
“They don’t know shit,” Gris said.
Forrester watched all the men at once. He couldn’t tell if the younger guys would turn on Gris now that he was standing up to him. He had to find out.
“Hey, Gris,” he said, trying to provoke him. “When I get out of here, I’m going to make you wish you’d never been born.”
Gris laughed. “Is that so, fucko? And when are you getting out of here?”
“Sooner than you think.”
Gris laughed again. He walked up to the sheriff and took a key from him. He put the key into a control panel on the wall and hit a green unlock button. Forrester heard the cell door clank open.
“Oh, look,” Gris said, tauntingly. “You’re free, fucko.”
Forrester forced himself to sit up on the bed. The pain in his ribs was excruciating but he pushed through it, refusing to allow himself to wince.
“Oh, you’re feeling better?” Gris said.