Free Warrior (Freelancer Book 2) by Terry Irving Page A

burst through the back door and dodged the fresh wash hanging on the line in Iron Crow’s back yard. She was holding a shotgun as if it were a second child and scanning in all directions. Without looking at them, she said, "Hurry up and get inside!" As soon as they were in the kitchen, she slammed the heavy wooden door and shot the bolt.
    "Trouble?" asked Eve.
    "The Goon Squad has been here three times already." The young woman set the safety and laid the shotgun on the kitchen table. "That's to be expected. You heard about Wounded Knee?"
    Rick and Eve shook their heads.
    "Oh, shit." She turned to pull down the heavy cups and checked to see that the percolator was hot.
    "I hate to be the one to tell you. AIM decided to surrender. One of the nicest kids in the entire Pine Ridge reservation died in that big firefight and it just took the heart out of them."
    She started pouring coffee so strong it looked like diesel fuel. "Of course, only those who aren’t guilty of anything are going to stay behind to surrender. Everyone else will walk out like you did. We should be seeing them over the next few days."
    "Come on, have some coffee." She gave Eve a critical look. "Damn, girl, you look like you slept under a bush. Did this white boy try to take advantage of you?"
    Eve sat in one of the arrow back chairs and took a grateful sip. "No, he was a complete gentleman."
    "What the hell's the matter with you, boy?" Larissa asked as she handed Rick a cup. "Out in the prairie night with the prettiest girl in two states not enough for you?"
    Rick sagged into a chair across from Eve and smiled weakly. "There was a chaperone."
    Larissa raised an eyebrow at Eve who said, "Nothing will put a chill on desire more than the appearance of a one-ton spirit guide with bad breath. Father Buffalo was very clear that we should be up and moving."
    "Well, that I can understand." Larissa headed out of the kitchen. "So we should get you two on your way. Your bus is in the barn under a pile of hay bales. I'll get Robbie started on clearing it out."
    Larissa stopped as she became aware of the silence that filled the kitchen. She turned slowly, her face already hardened, braced for unpleasant news as if she were facing into a winter storm.
    Rick said, "We came out with Pete Talltrees. He gave me a message for your father."
    "He's not coming?"
    "Pretty sure he's dead."
    Larissa slumped against the kitchen counter, all the energy gone from her body. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit."
    Eve nodded agreement. "A brave man and a good one."
    Larissa looked at Rick. "Who did it? Goon Squad?"
    "I don't think so." Rick shook his head slowly. "I think they were outsiders, not from the reservation. In fact, I doubt they came from the West at all. I think they flew in from the East. Except for Flick."
    Larissa burst out, "Flick Crane? That asshole has the nerve to show his goddamn face around here? After what he did to little Ann Marie, the whole Swift Bird family is ready to rip him apart, and I think they'd be going easy on him. Personally, I'd like to bring back 'burning at the stake' just for him. But Flick wouldn't be man enough to take on Pete Talltrees."
    "No, he sure wasn't," said Rick. "Flick was working with that bunch of strangers I was talking about. The other night these outsiders were firing at both sides, Indians and marshals. That's what really caused the firefight. Then they came after us, and Pete split us up and led the hunting party off in another direction. If Flick was there at all, he had plenty of help."
    He took a deep breath. "There were a lot of them out last night on bikes and trucks. When they caught up to Pete, we could hear his rifle fire for a while. But there were a lot more of them, and eventually Pete’s rifle stopped. I don't think Pete had a chance."
    Larissa bowed her head and was silent for a time. Then she looked up and said slowly, "Well, that might explain the guys who came by twice yesterday. I thought they were agents or marshals except