Vin stalked into the jail and over to the desk.
The young man behind the desk looked up. “Hey, Vin!” he grinned, Boston accent clean and clear. “What’s going on?”
He probably never saw the punch that dropped him out of the chair. But he clambered right back up onto his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “What the hell did you do that for?” he roared.
“Who are you?” Vin snarled out.
“JD Dunne, you know that!” “
That’s who you’ve been pretending to be for five years! Who are you really?”
His shoulders slumped slightly. “Let me guess – you heard us out on the street.”
“Are you leaving with Daltrey?”
Slowly, he nodded. “Our other friends are out there somewhere. We need to find them.”
“So you’re just leaving the Seven.”
“Vin—“
“Who are you? Who are you really?”
He leaned on the desk, and the voice suddenly held a foreign accent. “My name is Keith John Moon. I’m 27 years old – well, I was when the accident happened. I guess I’m …. 33, 34 now.”
“Accident. What accident?”
“Me and my friends – there are four of us – we were separated by a blast that threw us…. Here. In the West. I figured a greenhorn from Boston would be easier to believe than a drummer from Wembley – so I became JD Dunne.”
Vin sat down. “A drummer. You play drums…” He stared at the man’s hands. “No wonder you’re so damn fast on the draw….”
“Chris and Ezra still have me beat,” JD – Keith – grinned. “Those two’d score a double kill if they ever went against each other.”
“We’re not talking about them. We’re talking about you. Look – why don’t you stay here? You and Daltrey?”
“Our friends—“
“You’ve six other friends -- brothers – who’ll help find them. We’ll move heaven and earth until we find them and bring them here.” He leaned forward and tapped his finger on the desk. “You’re one of us now. We can’t lose you.”
Keith turned his head away, his eyes closing and his lips pressing together. “You don’t understand. They’re my brothers more than you six ever will be. We—“
“We’ll stay,” Roger said from the doorway. “You’ve got a good thing here, Keith. You’re healthier than I think we’ve ever seen you.”
“It’s all the fresh air and hard riding,” Keith quipped.
“No…it’s the friends.” Roger walked into the jail. “Tanner’s got a good plan. I think we should listen to him.”
Keith worried his lower lip for a moment. “One condition.”
“What’s that?” Roger asked.
“To the town at large – I stay JD Dunne.”
“Works for me,” Vin said, standing up. “By the way – where did you come up with that?”
Keith grinned. “John is my middle name and my best friend’s name. Daniel was supposed to be Dennis, after my other friend’s name, but I misspoke. And Dunne – because I was done traveling. Figured if I stayed in one place, they’d come to me.” He grinned at Roger.
“And sure enough – you did. If we wait long enough—“
Roger grinned back at him. “Pete and John should show up eventually.”
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