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“Well, the M-four is sort of the latest version of the M-sixteen,” Leo said “The hter and has a shorter barrel, for close-quarter combat”

“H “What round does it shoot? A 223?”

The kids started to sle as they saw Mary Catherine roll her eyes At least the little ones The older crew of boys looked like they were silently praying to disappear

“No, a new 556 round, actually,” Leo said

“To account for the shorter barrel?” Seamus said

“Exactly,” Leo said, exchanging a smile with Mary Catherine “Do you shoot, Father?”

Seahed

“Oh, no,” he said “They won’t let me”

CHAPTER 72

IN THE SHADOWS, CATTY-CORNER frohter echoed in the earbud of athere, motionless

The earbud was attached to a shotgunwith a zooet soh a ith the ca the property’s peri in, so he didn’t want to risk it There seemed to be only one USwith the family, but you never knew

He’d ridden in on horseback, careful to skirt the herds of cattle as well as Cody’s fars He’d tied up about a mile to the north and hoofed it the rest of the way Care was required here, considering the ht

It’s the to the tinny dinner chatter They were everything his cartel contact had said to keep an eye out for: all those kids, the oldwoman with the Irish accents It had to be the cop’s family Who else on the face of the earth could it be?

And to think that he had his drug-addict brother-in-law, Cristiano, to thank for this e off his sister when Cristiano idlyout cans at the food bank with three kids, one of theirl

Right away, he put it together with the cartel APB The Mexicans were looking for a large, strange fa in or around Susanville A half-ht even be so room there, too, he was told The Mexicans wanted these people bad