“Why is Twitch learning how to shoot?”
“Mandatory firearms training,” Tox explained, but Finn noticed he rubbed the flat of his hand back and forth over the short stubble on his head. It was his tell.
“What’s that?” Tox jerked his chin toward the small out-building at the edge of the property, effectively ending Finn’s line of questioning.
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
Finn led Tox over to the woodworking shed and pushed open the unlocked door. The smell of sawdust and machine oil was pleasant and reassuring. Tox filled the space with his big body. Finn was no featherweight, but his best friend was a beast.
“The old man was a carpenter. He made some amazing stuff,” Finn said.
“Looks like you’ve been trying your hand at it too.” Tox pointed to the project on the workbench.
Finn shrugged. “My granddad.”
Tox nodded. “Oh, right. The pacifist hippie carpenter.” He brushed the loose sawdust from the tabletop. “I bet he’s smiling down seeing this.”
“He was proud of the other stuff too. Didn’t understand it, but he was proud of it.”
“Yeah.”
Tox picked up another work in progress just as the door burst open, and Auggie came tearing into the room. “Finn! Elvis is in a tangle with a mountain lion. We gotta help him! Come on!” The boy turned and fled as quickly as he arrived.
Finn checked his Sig and followed Auggie, with Tox at his heels. Twigs snapped, and branches flew as the men followed the boy to a clearing by a rocky ledge. As they cleared the bushes, the growls and snarls of an animal fight met Finn’s ears. Before he even assessed the situation, Finn grabbed Auggie by the fabric of his worn coat and plunked the kid down behind him.
The cat had cornered Elvis in a craggy outcropping and was hunched to pounce. The wolf had a nasty gash on his haunch. The explosion of a bullet hitting the rocks above the mountain lion had animals and humans looking up. Tox aimed his weapon at the fray and fired again just over the head of the small but ferocious cat. Sensing a shift in the power dynamic, the mountain lion fled up the rocks and disappeared into a crevasse.
When Finn raised a questioning glance to his friend, Tox simply holstered his weapon. “Didn’t want to kill the wrong animal. I wasn’t sure who we were rooting for in that fight.”
The question was answered when Auggie darted around Finn and slid to his knees by Elvis. The wolf stumbled to the dirt. “We gotta help him.”
Finn bit into the T-shirt he had already removed and tore a makeshift field dressing. Elvis was strangely complacent as Finn bandaged the injury on his haunch. Tox kept watch, and Auggie stroked the animal’s head, murmuring reassurances.
“Is there a vet in town?” Finn asked.
Auggie answered with his face in Elvis’s fur. “Doc Abrams. His office is around the corner from the diner.”
“Diner?” Tox cast a hopeful glance at his best friend.
Finn chuckled. “Help me get the fucking animal to the vet, and then you can eat.”
Finn entered the diner and found his best friend taking up the entire side of a booth, plates of food nearly covering the table. “Good to see your concern hasn’t dampened your appetite.”
Tox forked half a pancake. “I never understood that. I have yet to encounter a situation that wasn’t improved by food. Damn, this is delicious. How’s the… dog?”
“He’s a dog.” Finn slid into the opposite bench seat. “The doc’s pretty sure. He stitched him up and is keeping him overnight for observation. Should be good as new.”
Tox groaned in pleasure. “What do they put in these eggs? God, it’s like I’ve never eaten an omelet before.”
Finn sat back and waited. The waitress came and filled Finn’s mug. He nodded his thanks and explained that he wasn’t eating. When he returned his attention to Tox, the big man was watching him.
“What?” Finn asked.
Tox reached for his juice, a smile blooming. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, but I know you didn’t come to Purgatory for the waffles.”
“I might’ve if I’d known.” Tox returned to his meal.