Outlaw Vices (third in The Crane Gang Series)manxman

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Ezekiel worked Craig hard that week. He knew he was probably overdoing it but he had to prove to Craig who was boss—and that was proving a difficult task.

Craig was childish, stubborn and tended to speak when keeping quiet was the better option.

He was also easy on the eyes and had a vulnerable side that had gotten under Ezekiel's skin in a hurry—something he wasn't at all proud of.

Ezekiel lay in the bunkhouse and listened to the sound of men snoring around him. Craig was sound asleep in the next cot over—had fallen into slumber before his head had even hit the pillow.

Ezekiel wasn't so lucky. He wasn't able to sleep well at night; hadn't been in a long while. When you'd spent a good ten years of your life running with bad men, doing bad things and leaving a wake of death and destruction behind you.... It tended to eat away at you.

Deciding he needed a bit of air, Ezekiel stood silently and slipped out of the bunk house in his bare feet. The air was still warm but a gentle breeze blew, cooling his dark skin.

Staring up at the star-filled night sky, Ezekiel studied the constellations and thought about all that had led him here.

It wasn't too often he let his past get the better of him but tonight was one of those nights. Guilt ate at his gut as he thought about the things he'd been a part of—the things he'd done.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that he failed to notice the sound of foot steps behind him until Craig's voice broke the silence. "Are you okay?" he asked. Then he shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not that I care or anything."

Ezekiel smiled. "I reckon I'll be okay. What about you? Your back still hurting?"

Craig glared up at him. "You're working me to death. You know that, right? Can't you lighten up at least a little?"

With a shake of his head, Ezekiel turned to face Craig. "No. No, if I lighten up, you won't be so tired at night and you'll start thinking about slipping off to town again."

"You're a hard-headed jackass. You know that?" Craig demanded, glancing at him through the corner of his dark green eyes.

Ezekiel couldn't help but chuckle. "And you're an immature drunkard. We all have our faults."

"I'm not a drunkard," Craig countered, his gaze going up to the stars above them. "At least, not all the time."

Ezekiel took a moment to study the way the moonlight illuminated Craig's handsome face. He had boyish good looks, which were even more breathtaking when the man smiled and you could see the mischievous glint in his green eyes. "What makes you be one some of the time?" he found himself asking.

Ezekiel could all but see the walls rise up around Craig. "Jackasses asking me personal question that have answers that are certainly none of their business."

Biting his tongue and taking a deep breath, Ezekiel somehow managed to hold on to his temper. "You'll never defeat those demons if you don't talk about what caused them to get so strong in the first place."

Craig scratched at his jaw. "What is it with folks here talking like they're some kind of philosopher? Mind your own damn business, Ezekiel."

"If you're so unhappy here, why don't you leave?" Ezekiel snapped, his patience fading. "No one is making you stay. We're trying to help you."

"Maybe I will leave. I'll get one more paycheck out of this place and get the hell out of here."

Ezekiel shook his head sadly. If only Craig could see that life didn't have to be as hard as he was making it. He let out a deep breath and shrugged. "You do whatever you have to, Craig. But you're still planning on being here in the morning, you and I are going to the grazing pasture in the far west to bring in some cattle. It'll be an overnight trip so pack you up what supplies you want to take along."

With that Ezekiel turned and strode back into the bunkhouse to once again attempt sleep—something that was going to be a bit harder now that he was thinking about being all alone in that field shack with Craig.

A/N: I know it's a short chapter but some of the probably will be so i can get them to you quicker! Just means faster updates and more chapters in the long run! Thanks for reading! Love y'all! 

~Nicole