Heart of an Outlaw *First in the Crane Gang series*

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Gill paced the small tent he shared with Pete and buried his hands in the wiry strands of his black hair. Shit fire and save the matches, what the hell had he done?! His body was still humming and tingling from the pleasure that Jeb had shown him but it had been wrong--all wrong. 

Jeb was the enemy. Gill was going to turn him in. Gill couldn’t let himself lose sight of that! Not only that but Gill couldn’t allow Pete to know what he was.. Pete couldn’t know what he was because Gill would lose his best friend and he knew for a fact that would be a loss he couldn’t handle. Pete had been his best friend since they’d been boys….

“Gill?” Pete’s voice was cautious as he poked his head in through the tent flap. “Is it safe to walk in or will I get hurt? Should I throw my hat in first and see if it comes back chewed up?”

Gill rolled his eyes and stopped pacing, letting his arms fall to his sides. “It’s safe.” 

Pete stepped inside, his brown eyes still cautious. “What’s the matter? I’ve known you long enough to know you’re upset about something…” 

“It’s nothing, Pete,” Gill insisted. 

Pete feigned hurt and covered his chest with his hands. “Gill, don’t shut me out,” he implored, batting his lashes. “We share a heart beat, best friend. When you hurt, I hurt, so why are we hurting?” 

Gill sighed and flopped down on his bedroll, lying on his back and throwing his arm over his face. “I don’t want to do this.” 

He heard Pete’s movements as the other man took a seat on his own blankets. “It’s our job, Gill. Ain’t that what you were just telling me last night? We do what the Captain tells us.” 

“If J.T wants this shit done then he needs to come do it himself,” Gill snapped, rolling onto his side and looking at his best friend. “It just doesn’t feel right, Pete.” 

Pete shifted in his cross-legged position and picked at a ball of lint on his wool blanket. “I know. That Jane is something else, Gill….” 

“No, Pete. No getting involved,” Gill warned, feeling a million times a hypocrite as he did so when memories of the woods flashed through his mind. 

Pete raised a red brow. “If you don’t want to get involved, why did you beat the hell out of those men for picking on Wyatt?” 

“Just keeping our cover and trying to gain trust,” Gill lied. 

Pete laughed. “You never could lie to me. Admit it, Gill, you like these people and I’m not the only one getting attached.” 

Gill shoved himself to his feet and grabbed his black hat off the floor. “It won’t do any good to dwell on it, Pete. Now, dammit, we have a job to do and we’re goddamn Texas Rangers and gonna do it right. No attachments, no friendships. We gain trust, figure out where they’ll be bunkered down awhile and bring the Calvary in on their asses. These are thieves, bandits and wanted outlaws and it’s our duty to see justice done.”