Hi-lo
"You can't threaten me," I countered, my knees quivering with fear. "I'll tell whoever I want about this and you can't stop me."
"Oh, can't I? Your Grandpa's having a hard time scraping money to keep that ranch running, isn't he? How would it be if things got just a little bit harder? You wouldn't want ole' Granddad to lose the farm, now would you?"
"You couldn't do that," I whispered.
"Try me," Bellamy said, his eyes glittering like a snake's.
One of the private-school boys grabs hold of his buddy's arm. "Let's get outta here," he says. "See the fangs on that monster? And the way his ears are sticking up?"
I don't like him calling Smokey a monster. If Smokey's baring his fangs, it's because he's on the alert.
I head for the cash. I feel like Smokey needs me. Like I understand him in a way no one else does.
