Eye of the Storm by Renee Simons Page A

Something obviously disturbed the young woman.
    "I saw Stormwalker with Billy Winter and two of his friends, and from the way they acted, I think there's gonna be trouble," she said.
    "Which way were they headed?"
    "Toward the parking area," Katti replied.
    "Let's find the reservation police and get them on it."
    "They're handling a multi-vehicle accident on one of the service roads."
    "All of them?"
    " There's only two guys. The rez can't support any more."
    "Then I'll have to handle this."
    "I'm going with you."
    "I appreciate your wanting to help, but as a civilian you can't do anything."
    "If Billy sees me, maybe he'll back off."
    "Maybe. Stay here anyway."
    Zan made her way through the streams of people and between rows of parked vehicles. The wind blew in from the prairie and dried the perspiration that ran down her cheek and between her breasts. She strained to hear something that would tell her the men were out here. Finally, she heard what she hoped she wouldn't: a dull thud, followed by a grunt of pain; the two repeated in rhythmic counterpoint to each other with a regularity that sent a chill through her.
    She cleared a new row and leaned into the aisle. To her right she could see that two men held a third pinned against the back of a van, while another pummeled him about the face and midsection.
    Without giving herself time to think she palmed the .38 and moved down the line until she was directly behind the group. "Gentlemen."
    At her quietly commanding tone, the men holding Stormwalker turned. Billy Winter stopped in mid blow and faced her. All bore enough bruises to prove Stormwalker had put up a fight before they subdued him.
    "Stand away from that man, please."
    "You're out of your jurisdiction, Officer McLaren."
    "Maybe so, but I can still report this."
    Winter made no response but his gaze traveled from the weapon at Zan's side to somewhere over her left shoulder. His eyes held a strange expression combining anger and embarrassment.
    "Why are you doing this, Billy?" Katti had followed Zan and now moved to stand beside her.
    "He was told to stay away from these proceedings. He needed a lesson in obeying orders, is all. "
    "It wasn't your place to administer it," Zan said.
    "Please stop," Katti whispered from behind her. "You're better than this."
    After a long pause, he held up two hands in a placating gesture, then turned to his friends. "Let him go."
    They moved away from Stormwalker, who slid to the ground. Zan looked down at his limp body, then back at Winter . "Where's your vehicle?"
    He jerked his head to the right, where she saw a tan Jeep with official plates.
    "Suppose you and your friends mount up and move out of here. If you cause this man any more grief, I'll see that you're busted and thrown into your own jail."
    "I don't believe you have the clout to do that," he said, "but we'll call it quits. For now."
    When the men had sped off, she turned to the young woman. "Thanks for your help. I'll take it from here."
    "Are you sure you can manage?" Katti asked. "He's pretty big."
    "My car's close by. We'll do okay."
    Katti nodded and left. Zan knelt beside the injured man. "Geez, Stormwalker," she crooned softly. She tried, and failed, to ignore an unwelcome stirring. "You look like hell."
    His face and knuckles were battered and covered with blood and his denim shirt hung in tatters. She lifted one eyelid to check his reflexes. Iron fingers gripped her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face.
    "What are you doing?" he asked hoarsely through swollen lips. "I'm not dead yet."
    Relieved that he was conscious and coherent enough to be annoyed, she sighed. "You look like a train ran over you."
    "I feel like it, Red."
    "Don't call me that. I hate it." She slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Think you can sit up?"
    He nodded and together they got him upright and braced against the door of the van. He glared at her through the slits that were his eyes. "Will you quit looking at me like that! "
    She took