Leroy Watches Jr. & the Badass Bull (Bloodsong Series) by Sandy Nathan

you’re the right man for the job, Austin,” Bill said. “The most important thing to do is keep the panic about mad cow down until we’ve got some scientific evidence proving the bull was infected. This is very serious to the cattle industry nationwide, as I’m sure you know.”
    “The ATF is pushing the mad cow angle. I don’t think it was mad cow.”
    Bill’s jaw relaxed. “You don’t?”
    “No, I don’t. I think that cowboy is a terrorist pure and simple. He’s a threat to the United States. He came in through the Middle East, the ATF told me that. He has powers that no one has ever seen. You saw the blue beams. He’s deadly.”
    The sheriff and the others nodded. “He’s plenty dangerous. And I sure would like it if you could put him where the sun don’t shine. Forever. You FBI folks can do that, can’t you?” Bill said, smiling hopefully.
    “He’s sure a good bulldogger … Seems a shame,” the Cattleman’s Association’s treasurer tried to say. Bill elbowed him.
    “Bill, what you asked is classified.” Austin jumped up. “Enough of this sitting around, I’m going to arrest him.” Austin turned to the five agents working on computers. “Where’s Watches?”
    They looked back. “We thought you knew, sir.”
    “I don’t know. I’ve been running this investigation.”
    “We don’t know, sir. We weren't here when the crime was committed.”
    “What do you mean, you don’t know?” Austin’s voice rose. “You let a gigantic cowboy covered with crap get away? What’s the matter with you idiots?” Austin stood with his feet spread, knees bent. He looked like he might detonate. “I’ll say it again: where is Leroy Watches?”
    Everyone looked down, including the cattlemen.
    Austin ran his hands through his hair, acting as if he might pull it out.
    “Where could Watches be?” Austin whispered. “If we could find him, we could solve this thing.”
    “How about the hospital?” the querulous voice of Wilbur Crockett rasped. Wilbur was the oldest member of the Cattleman’s Board, 97-years-young and counting. “If my daddy was hurt, I’d take him to the hospital.”
    The brows of the men rose as one. That’s where Leroy Watches was. They headed for their vehicles.
    Sheriff Rodriquez hopped in the car with Austin. He would have fifteen minutes to convince the FBI man to put the cowboy in one of those secret FBI facilities that everyone had heard about.
     

 

    12
    BLUE BEAMS
     
     
    Leroy vaulted over the gate. His eyes were locked on the bull mauling his dad. His pop’s body half-sat up and then flopped back as that red motherfucker rammed him. When Leroy got in range, he grabbed the bull’s tail and pulled.
    Just when he thought he was winning, the end of the damned tail broke off. The bull lunged at his father. Leroy could feel that his dad was alive, but he wouldn’t be if that bull got him again. He didn’t think about his powers or what to do next or who he was.
    Leroy glared at the bull’s ugly red head, rage wiping out every thought and feeling. The thing was a couple of feet away from his pop, sawed off horns lowered to kill him. But it didn’t. The head exploded, raining blood and brains and slivers of tongue and bone everywhere. The rest of the bull was falling forward. Two thousand pounds of dead meat landing on his father would kill him as surely as a raging live bull.
    Leroy aimed his fury at the animal’s body. The headless hulk rose three feet from the ground, and then detonated.  Since he was closest to the bull, he got the biggest share of the muck. Leroy was covered with bull slime from his hair down. His father lay there, covered the same way.
    And he was dying. Leroy could heal him, if he could find someplace private to do it. He looked around, not registering the stands or the screaming people in them. He saw a smaller gate on the other side of the arena.
    “Hold on, daddy. I’m gonna fix you.”  He lifted his father from the ground, cradling him