Ride for Rule Cordell

Chapter Twenty-three

Eight well-armed men burst into Ranger headquarters. Captain Poe jumped in his seat.

“Mornin’, Captain. We need to see you.” The gray-haired man’s mouth was loaded with licorice “Got any coffee, boy?”

Without waiting, Spake Jamison walked over to the stove, grabbed a cup from the shelf and poured a cupful.

“What can I do for you men?” Captain Poe asked, sitting down again, glad he had worn a dark suit today as it hid the wetness around his groin.

“We’re headed for Caisson.” Spake poured sugar into his coffee.

The other seven men spread out in the room. One was also eating licorice. The shortest Ranger walked over to the stove and helped himself to coffee as well.

“Caisson? Oh, going to work for Lady Holt, huh?” Captain Poe asked. “I’m a little surprised, but I’m sure she pays well.” He pointed to his desk. “Been working on getting jobs for all of you Special Forces men. You know, with ranches along the border. It’ll take a few days, but you’ll like the pay, I’m certain. Better than Texas pays, that’s for sure.”

Spake walked over to the desk, swallowing the licorice before washing it down with coffee. “Wrong. Again, Poe. We’re headed to Caisson to help A.J. and those little ranchers. Gonna stop that damn woman.”

Captain Poe wasn’t sure how to react. He looked over at the other former Rangers; each man stared at him. None smiled. The shortest man stirred his coffee with his finger.

“Reckon you didn’t have much of a meetin’ with Citale.” Spake reached inside his shirt with his free hand and pulled out a wrinkled sack of candy. “Licorice, boy?”

The Ranger captain shook his head. “No…ah, no, thank you.” He rubbed his cheek. “I thought my meeting with the governor went quite well.”

Spake grinned; his single eye glared at the lawman. “So you got our jobs back—and Temple’s our boss again.”

“What?”

“You know. Our jobs? As Rangers? You just said the meeting went well,” the older Ranger said. “Maybe you define ‘well’ different than we do.” He cocked his head to the side. “That’s how I’d describe getting our captain out of jail—and his and all of our jobs back. How would you define it?”

The other Rangers supported his comment with strong grunted agreement. Another walked over to the stove for coffee. Captain Poe didn’t like where this was going at all. He didn’t like Spake’s insubordination. Spake didn’t understand how difficult it was to stay on top in Austin. He remembered the old warrior mentioning he was headed for Houston the last time they talked.

“Thought you were headed for Houston, Spake?”

He hadn’t answered Spake’s question, but this might get him off the subject.

“Changed my mind.” Spake took a piece of licorice from the sack and tossed it toward the bearded Ranger. “I asked you a question, boy. I don’t like folks not answering my questions. I always have the feeling they’ve got something to hide.”

“Is that a threat, Jamison?”

Scratching his chest through his shirt, the old Ranger thought a moment. “That was a statement of fact, Poe.” He adjusted the shotgun quiver strap on his shoulder.

Trying to deflect the intensity of the older man, Captain Poe turned in his chair toward the other former Rangers. “Well, how’d you men like the idea of getting good pay?”

“Poe, let’s quit dancing here. We came for one reason. So you could make us Rangers. Again,” Spake said. “Like I told you, we’re heading for Caisson. So let’s do it. We’ve got some hard riding to do.”

Frowning, Poe threw up his arms. “Make you Rangers? I can’t do that. I’ve already got my full battalion. You know that.”

“No. We don’t.”

“I—I don’t have that kind of bud get. The state of Texas isn’t very generous, I’m afraid.”

“You aren’t listening, boy. We want our badges, not money.”

Captain Poe stood, pushing back his chair. His hands trembled so much he held them behind his back. This was idiocy. Didn’t these men realize how things worked? Didn’t they realize no one could just do what they wanted when they wanted? A grim smile reached his mouth and vanished. Maybe someone like Lady Holt could. But not ordinary men and women.

“Look, men. If I did what you ask, I would be directly insulting the governor.” Captain Poe reinforced the statement with a wave of his right hand and quickly returned it to his back to rejoin the other.

“Harrison Temple refused a direct order from the governor. He was insubordinate and had to be removed,” he continued. “That was before all this money fraud stuff surfaced. Understand?”

Without thinking about it, he brought both hands forward and waved them wildly. “I am not about to be removed by the governor. You and I don’t know that Jaudon might be a fine Ranger captain with an excellent force of men. We don’t know that.”

He stopped and took a deep breath; most of his fear left with the following exhalation. “I am sorry Jaudon didn’t see fit to ask you to stay on. But that happens. Men are hired—and fired every day. Please. I am trying to find jobs for you on ranches that need protection. It’s the best I can do.”

With another deep breath, he sat in his chair and looked down at his desk. He didn’t look up again until he heard the door slam. They were gone.