Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Jack
Time slows as the sharp crack of the shot punches through the night, sending terror slamming through my chest. My instincts take over before my mind catches up.
I lunge without hesitation, my body acting on pure adrenaline as I tackle Lane to the ground.
My hands shake as I wrestle for control, my heart hammering wildly.
Nick is right beside me, and both of us are trying to keep Lane down. I hear Brynn scream, a raw, gut-wrenching sound that makes my stomach drop.
Who got hit?
My fury burns hot, but I force myself to stay focused.
I grip Lane with all my strength, using every ounce of control to keep him pinned.
I want to punch this man until he’s no longer breathing for all the stress and bullshit he’s caused, but I can’t.
I don’t have that luxury. My breath is ragged as Nick and I wrestle the gun away from him.
The gun is loose. I dive, grabbing it as Nick keeps Lane pinned to the ground. I stand up, holding the nine millimeter in my hand.
I turn—and my world tilts. Brynn is on her knees, screaming.
Is she hit?
Panic grips me as I rush toward her. Clay is on the ground.
Blood pools beneath him. Olivia is sobbing.
Lane, the bastard, is screaming his brother’s name in denial.
Brynn grabs her daughter in her arms before I get to them and races toward the porch just as John comes barreling through the front door.
“What in the hell is happening? I heard a gunshot!”
His eyes go wide as he sees Clay motionless on the ground. Lane is wailing now as the reality of what he’s done comes crashing down on him. It’s like I’m watching from afar, seeing everything unfold on a movie screen.
Paulo and the other ranch hands are skidding to a stop in front of Clay.
“Go help Nick get Lane restrained until the police get here!” Paulo shouts as he rips his shirt off and tries to stop Clay’s bleeding.
“Did someone call the police?” Nick calls out as he and the other ranch hands pick Lane off the ground.
He’s fighting them, straining to get free. He’s not even trying to run to his brother.
He’s trying to run so he doesn’t go to jail.
“I did. They’re on their way. The only officer was on the other side of the county.”
“I’ll call again and tell them we need an ambulance,” Nick says as he pulls his phone out.
The other ranch hands have a tight rein on Lane; he’s not going anywhere. He’s fighting them as Nick calls 9-1-1. He quickly hangs up the phone and turns back around.
“All you had to do was give me my job back!” Lane slurs as he screams into the night. “It’s your fault that the barn burned down, Brynn. It’s your fault that the cows are sick! All the money that your ranch is losing is on you! When you go bankrupt, it’s all your fault!”
“Shut the fuck up,” Nick hisses.
“Let him talk,” John calls out. “He’s just admitted to us and the security cameras about the felonies he committed.”
“What an idiot,” Nick snorts.
Thank goodness we installed all the security cameras. All of this should have been captured by the cameras. We have proof of everything now.
I feel a moment of relief at that thought, but it’s quickly gone when I look around for Brynn and Olivia again.
I watch Brynn clutch Olivia, her hands trembling as she checks her over.
I want to go to them, I want to fix this, but there’s too much happening at once. My mind is spinning, trying to keep up.
Barney is lying on the ground next to Clay, struggling for breath. My chest tightens. I kneel, my hands hovering over the dog, afraid to find a bullet wound. The thought of losing Barney, of Olivia witnessing that kind of loss, is unbearable.
“He wasn’t shot,” Paulo tells me as he holds pressure on Clay’s wound. “Clay was strangling him when he got hit, though, and punching him.”
Clay is breathing, and he’s in and out of consciousness. I let out a low growl, fighting every urge I have to push Paulo away and let this bastard bleed out.
Barney makes a strangled noise as he struggles to sit up. He gets all the way up as I sit back on my heels. He gives me a chuff before he trots over to where Brynn and Olivia are.
That is one tough ass dog.
“Barney!” Olivia shrieks as she drops to her knees and the dog rushes into her arms.
Brynn follows her, the two of them hugging and crying at the same time. John takes it all in as he moves to stand in front of his daughter and granddaughter so he can somewhat block the disturbing scene from them.
I’m in full crisis mode now. Every muscle in my body is tense, ready to protect, to act. I want to go to Olivia and Brynn. I need to make sure they’re okay.
“Clay!” Lane shouts as he fights to get away from the others.
He throws an elbow and is able to break free from the guys. He starts running toward his brother, but when he gets close enough to see all the blood, he stops in his tracks.
“Shit. Clay. Shit.”
He looks around the ranch, his eyes wild as he takes it all in and sees the amount of trouble he’s in.
“This is all your fault, you dumb bitch!” he screams at Brynn.
She gasps as he starts sprinting toward her. I take off running at him, forgetting about the burning in my lungs and the pain in my entire body. I lunge, diving at him before he can get close enough and tackling him to the ground for a second time.
This time, though, I don’t hold back. I get on top of him and straddle him as he bucks and swings, trying to get away from me. I reel back and punch him in the face so hard that he’s knocked out instantly.
I feel for a pulse and when I find it, I realize he’s out cold. I fall to the ground beside him. Nick runs up beside me.
“You okay, boss?” he asks.
He pulls wire ties out of his back pocket and rolls Lane over. He zip ties his hands together and then his ankles.
Damn, that’s smart.
Brynn comes sprinting down the steps. “Jack!”
“I’m okay. Just winded. Fuck.”
She drops to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face as she grips my shirt.
“Are you okay?” she gasps.
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” I say dismissively as I try to stand up.
“Don’t,” she starts as she looks me over. “Stay there for a bit. There’s no need to get up.”
John has his arm around Olivia, and she has her face buried in Barney’s fur. Sirens are wailing in the distance.
“I’ve got the bleeding slowed down,” Paulo says. “It looks like the bullet went straight through. It was a clean shot.”
“Imagine shooting your own brother,” Nick huffs as he shakes his head in disbelief. “What a fucking shit show of a night.”
“That’s an understatement,” I say.
Brynn reaches down, as does Nick, and pulls me up off the ground. She wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my shirt.
So much for keeping this from Olivia.
The wail of sirens cuts through the heavy silence, flashing red and blue lights flooding the ranch yard as two patrol vehicles and an ambulance come barreling down the drive.
The paramedics are out first, rushing straight to Clay, their equipment bags slamming against their legs as they kneel beside him.
One of them barks out vitals while the other preps an IV.
Clay groans, his face twisted in pain, but he’s still conscious. That’s more than I expected.
Sheriff Clark steps out of his SUV, his hat in place, a look of resigned irritation on his weathered face.
The on-duty deputy, a younger guy named Harris, wastes no time making his way to Lane, who’s groaning but awake, still restrained on the ground.
Without a word, Harris hauls him up, barely giving him time to catch his footing before shoving him into the back of the squad car.
Lane lets out a string of curses, but it doesn’t matter. He’s done.
Clark surveys the scene, his gaze settling on me. “Well, Jack,” he drawls, “mind telling me what in the hell happened here?”
I exhale, rubbing the back of my neck, trying to get my thoughts in order.
“Lane showed up high and agitated. Started kicking the dog, screaming at Olivia. Then Clay walked up. He grabbed Olivia and tried to take her. Barney lunged for him, and Lane pulled a gun. There was a struggle. A shot went off.” I glance toward the barn where the security cameras are mounted. “We’ve got it all on tape.”
Clark lets out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “Hell, I’ve been in law enforcement a long time, but I’ve never had a shooting where the culprit was already pinned down by the time I showed up. Real considerate of you.” His expression sobers as he scans the ranch yard. “Everyone okay?”
I nod. “Physically, yeah. But Olivia—”
A sudden commotion from the stretcher draws our attention. Clay thrashes weakly against the paramedics as they strap him down, his voice hoarse but loud. “Olivia!” He jerks his head around, searching for her. “Olivia, you get over here right now!”
She doesn’t move. She stays where she is, small and trembling, tucked against John’s side. Her grandpa’s big hand rests protectively on her shoulder, keeping her grounded.
Clay’s face twists with fury when she doesn’t obey. “You ungrateful little brat!” His gaze swings wildly until it lands on Brynn. “This is your fault, you—”
He doesn’t get to finish.
Both John and I step forward at the same time, rage burning through the shock, but before we can get to him, Clark blocks our path, holding up a steadying hand. “Not worth it, boys.” His tone is firm and unbothered, but there’s a flicker of warning in his eyes. “Let the medics do their job.”
Clay wheezes out something else, another insult, but Brynn—she doesn’t even flinch.
She doesn’t even look at him. Instead, she scoops Olivia up in her arms, balancing her daughter’s weight with ease, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“Come on, Livy.” Her voice is calm and steady, like nothing in the world could shake her. “Let’s go inside.”
Barney, limping but still alert, falls in step beside them, his eyes locked on Clay until they disappear into the house.
I stare after them, my chest tight. She’s stronger than I ever realized. To turn her back on a man screaming his worst at her and not let it break her… that takes a kind of strength I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand.
Clark lets out a long breath and turns back to Clay. “You might wanna shut your damn mouth,” he says flatly. “If you’re lucky, those paramedics are gonna keep your sorry ass alive.”
Clay glares at him, but his face is pale, sweat beading along his brow. He knows he’s fading. The fight is leaving him, whether he wants it to or not.
“Lane admitted to the barn fire and poisoning our cattle,” I tell Clark.
“Just handed it to me with a neat little bow, didn’t ya?” he asks with a dry laugh.
It’s not long before the ambulance is pulling away, sirens wailing into the night. The deputy starts processing the scene, taking statements, and collecting the security footage while Clark stands in the middle of it all, hands on his hips, surveying the damage.
The whole place is eerily quiet.
John has gone inside with Brynn and Olivia, and the rest of us just stand there in the empty yard, looking at each other, the weight of the night settling over us like a thick, suffocating fog.
I stand there, focusing on inhaling and exhaling slowly as the weight of everything settles on me.
I could have lost Brynn and Olivia tonight.