The sky was darkening, even though it wasn’t that late yet. From the clouds building, a storm must be coming. The prisoner had tried to escape a few more times until William had finally seen through on his promise to tie him over the saddle. It added about half a day to their time on the trail. He rode through the gates where a uniformed man waited for him. He didn’t care for the smirk on the man’s face. “Give you some trouble, did he?” He gestured to a couple men, and they came forward to take the man’s horse from William. The commander turned back to him. “Thank you for getting him here.” He stopped, and his eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re Patrick Bailey’s boy, aren’t you?” William didn’t know why those words always gave a slight twist to his insides. Patrick considered him a son, and William thought of him as his father. It still felt like a betrayal to a man William had never known. “Yes, I am.” “He hasn’t brought any horses up this way this year.”
