Eye of the Storm by Renee Simons Read Free Book Online

door. As the level of sound rose, Zan turned to watch a man in uniform make his way between the tables, greeting and being greeted by diners. She recognized the deputy who'd pulled her over.
    "That's Billy Winter heading over here," Katti said. "There's no way to avoid his company. I hope you don't mind."
    "Well, Officer McLaren. Didn't realize you knew our Katti ." The deputy slid into a chair. "Mind if I join you ladies?" The waitress came over and Billy looked up at her with a smile. "My usual, Sherri, if you please."
    "Did it ever occur to you that we might have wanted some privacy?"
      Billy looked at Katti and nodded with exaggerated understanding. "Girl talk , huh?"
    "Oh, give us a break, puh -lease."
    "It's all right, Katti ," Zan said. She, too, found Billy's condescending tone annoying, but his connection to Kenny intrigued her. "We have room for one more."
    "So how's your vacation going, McLaren?"
    "Fine, thanks."
    "Do much sightseeing?"
    "Some."
    " Gonna go to the powwow this weekend?"
    "You really should attend and see our people at their best," Katti said. "The dancing, the color and the fun are as much a part of us as anything you may have seen so far."
    "Yeah," Billy said. "You gotta watch the rodeo and shop at the craft booths. There'll be plenty of the jewelry and pottery you eastern folks seem to love so much."
    Lord, Zan thought, this guy needs an attitude adjustment.
    "Billy, don't be such a jerk," Katti said. "Easterners aren't the only folks who like native jewelry and pottery. And that's not the only reason people come. They want to see the culture, too."
    "What the hell's eatin ' you, Katti ? I can't seem to say anything that pleases you."
    "Maybe if you weren't so damned patronizing. . . ."
    The waitress brought Billy's lunch. He glanced at Katti . "What can I do to get back in your good graces?"
    Katti watched him steadily for a moment, then gave him an almost challenging look. "Zan and I've been talking about Michael Stormwalker. You know him pretty well don't you?"
    Billy gave her a jaundiced look. "Yeah, I know him."
    "I mean, didn't you hang out with him when you were kids?"
    "How would you know that? You were just a baby."
    "I've heard stories."
    "Then you also must've heard we stopped 'hanging out' in middle school."
    "I was just telling Zan that's he's something of a hero around here, but you don't like him much do you?"
    "He's something all right, but hero ain't it."
    Eager to hear an opinion that reinforced her own negative view of the major, Zan leaned forward. "Why do you say that?"
    "Isn't it obvious?" He stabbed his spoon into a bowl of chili. "The guy's a traitor. An officer and a traitor. While the rest of us grunts just did our duty the best way we knew how, he was lookin ' to make a buck by selling out to the enemy. Nothin ' heroic about that. Not in my book."
    "Anything else?"
    Suddenly wary, Winter watched Zan through narrowed eyes. "Why should there be anything else?"
    Zan shrugged. "I don't know. Instinct, I guess."
    " You been talking to that sonofabitch Stormwalker? He set you on my trail?"
    "I had no idea you'd be here. If you remember, we didn't invite you over. You invited yourself."
    "Yeah, well, I just uninvited myself." He pushed away from the table and carried his lunch to the counter.
    Katti stared at Billy's back, then glanced at Zan. "He's almost irrational when it comes to Stormwalker."
    "Why?"
    "The way I heard the story, it started when they were kids. Billy was the leader of the boys until Stormwalker challenged him and beat him. The boys began to look to him instead of Billy, who's hated him ever since."
    "Competition between two kids doesn't seem strong enough motivation for a lifelong hatred, does it?" Zan asked. "I'm curious, though. If you knew all that, why did you set him up?"
    "I wanted to see his reaction." Katti shrugged. "I know that sounds terrible, but I just want him to get over his anger against the man and get on with his life. The way things