26. The Bravest Person I Know – Roman
Chapter 26
The Bravest Person I Know
PLAYLIST: “ENDS OF THE EARTH” BY LORD HURON
ROMAN
The barn felt colder than it should, even with the night air creeping in through the cracks in the old wood. My fingers trembled as I adjusted Rick’s jacket over Zoe’s shoulders, trying to shield her from the chill seeping into her skin. She was so still, her breathing shallow, and every second felt like it dragged an hour behind it.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what to do. Zoe needed help—real help—and we couldn’t afford to wait for an ambulance to navigate the back roads out here.
Then it hit me.
“Rick,” I said, my voice sharp enough to snap him out of whatever storm was brewing in his head. He looked up from where he’d been pacing near the door, his hands flexing into fists like he needed something to punch. “Mr. Brandt—he’s got that live-in nurse, Miss Smith. Go get her. Now.”
Rick blinked, then nodded, already moving toward the door. “On it.”
I didn’t waste time watching him leave. My focus stayed on Zoe, my hand resting lightly against her cheek. Her skin was cold, but there was still a faint trace of warmth. That small mercy was the only thing keeping my panic at bay.
“C’mon, sweetheart,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’ve gotta wake up. You hear me?”
Her eyelids didn’t even flutter.
I clenched my jaw, my throat tight as I shifted to cradle her closer. She’d been fine earlier. Tired, sure, but she was always trying to push herself too hard. Now, seeing her like this, so pale and fragile, it was like the world had flipped upside down, and I was scrambling for a way to set it right.
The barn door creaked behind me, and I turned, half-expecting Rick back already. But it was just the wind, the faint sound of Landon shouting at Cody carrying in from outside.
“Hold on, Zoe,” I whispered. “Rick’s getting help. Just hold on.”
The seconds felt like hours, each one dragging painfully by as I kept checking her breathing, whispering words I wasn’t sure she could hear. Then, in the distance, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed, and Rick’s voice rang out.
“I’ve got her!” he called, breathless.
Miss Smith followed close behind him, her bag slung over her shoulder and her expression calm but focused.
“Move,” she said briskly, kneeling beside us. “Tell me what happened.”
Zoe was too still, her breathing too shallow. I felt like I was running out of air right along with her.
Miss Smith worked over Zoe with focused precision, her movements calm and deliberate, but the tight line of her lips betrayed her worry. My chest felt like it was in a vice, every shallow rise of Zoe’s chest barely enough to keep the panic at bay.
“What happened?” Miss Smith asked again, her voice sharper and more urgent, glancing up briefly before returning her attention to Zoe.
“I don’t know.” I ran a hand over my face, the events rushing out in a breathless jumble. “We split up to search for clues. She texted me to grab Landon and meet her here in the barn, but when I got here, she was already like this. And her phone—it wasn’t anywhere near her.”
Miss Smith’s brow furrowed. “Her phone?”
“She always has it on her,” I said, the words spilling out fast. “But it’s gone. Or… I thought it was.”
Her tone sharpened. “Call it. Now.”
I didn’t hesitate, pulling out my phone and dialing her number. The soft buzz of her phone vibrating echoed faintly in the barn, muffled but close. My heart pounded as I followed the sound, weaving through the hay bales until a faint glow caught my eye. Her phone was face down on a bale of hay and tucked away in the shadows like it had been hidden there deliberately, but got knocked over.
“She set this up,” I muttered, mostly to myself as I picked up the phone and saw that it had been recording video, but it got cut off. My thumb hovered over the screen before I pulled up the most recent recording and tapped play.
The screen showed Zoe standing tall, her voice steady and unrelenting. “You can stop lying, Cody. I know about you and Missy.”
Cody’s voice came through, defensive and panicked. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know everything,” Zoe said, her tone sharp and cutting. “She trusted you, and you strangled her to keep her quiet when she wanted to go public. You killed her, Cody.”
The camera shifted as Cody stepped into view, his face twisted with desperation and fury.
“You don’t know what it was like!” he shouted. “She was going to ruin everything—my friendships, my family, my whole future. I didn’t mean for it to go that far, but she wouldn’t stop!”
“Wouldn’t stay quiet, you mean,” Zoe shot back, continuing to press him.
That’s when Cody lunged, his hands closing around my wife’s neck. The phone jostled, the view tilting wildly before the camera landed facedown against the hay. The audio continued—Zoe’s sharp gasp, the sound of her struggling against him, and then Cody’s chilling words, raw with anger.
“She wouldn’t shut up!” he roared. “She didn’t give me a choice!”
The recording ended abruptly, and the barn seemed to close in on me.
I stood there, staring at the phone like it might burst into flames. The pieces clicked into place, and the knot in my chest pulled tighter. She’d planned this. She’d gone in knowing exactly what she was doing—and Cody had tried to kill her for it.
“Roman,” Miss Smith’s voice snapped me back to reality, sharp and insistent. “What did you find?”
I turned, crossing the barn with the phone still clutched tight.
“Cody attacked her,” I said, my voice trembling with anger. “He fucking strangled her, cut off her air supply. She recorded the whole thing—he confessed to killing Missy, and then he tried to kill Zoe.”
Miss Smith’s eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening. “She’s breathing now, but barely. Her airway might still be compromised. We need to get her stabilized.”
“She hid her phone,” I continued, my voice dropping as I crouched beside Zoe. “She knew he’d come after her, so she set it up beforehand. It’s all on here.”
Miss Smith nodded sharply. “Then keep it safe. We’ll need that.”
I turned toward the barn door. “Rick!”
Rick appeared, his expression darkening as I waved him over.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his tone already tense.
I held up the phone. “Zoe got it all on camera. Cody confessed to killing Missy—she pushed him into admitting it. He attacked her when she confronted him. Get this to Landon—now.”
Rick’s jaw tightened, and he nodded. “On it.”
As he disappeared into the night, I knelt beside Zoe again, brushing her hair back gently. Her breathing was shallow, her face still too pale, but she’d pulled off what she set out to do.
“You’re the bravest person I know,” I murmured. “Now you just have to wake up.”
Miss Smith was already moving before I could say anything, her hands steady as she worked over Zoe. She tilted Zoe’s head gently to open her airway, her voice calm but clipped as she muttered instructions to herself.
“Her breathing is shallow, but her pulse is holding,” she said, more to herself than to me. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small vial and an ammonia inhalant. “Stay back for a second. Let me handle this.”
I obeyed, stepping back but never taking my eyes off Zoe. The barn felt like it was holding its breath with me as Miss Smith passed the ammonia under Zoe’s nose.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Miss Smith coaxed, her tone softer now. “You’re not done here yet.”
Zoe’s body jerked faintly, her head shifting against the hay. Then her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a soft, raspy gasp. Relief hit me like a freight train, and I dropped to my knees beside her as Miss Smith helped prop her up slightly.
“Easy,” Miss Smith said, her hand on Zoe’s shoulder to steady her. “Breathe slowly, in and out. That’s it.”
Zoe’s gaze was unfocused at first, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Then her green eyes locked on me, wide with confusion and fear.
“Roman?” she rasped, her voice barely audible.
“I’m here,” I said, my voice breaking. “You’re okay.”
She tried to sit up, but Miss Smith pressed a firm hand to her shoulder. “Stay still for a minute. You need to catch your breath.”
Zoe nodded faintly, her eyes darting between us. “What… happened?”
“You don’t remember?” I asked gently.
She frowned, her hand moving instinctively to her neck, where faint red marks were visible. Her face paled as the memory seemed to rush back.
“Cody,” she whispered. “He… he tried to…”
“Shh,” I said quickly, taking her hand in mine. “We know. You got it all on video, Zoe. You were amazing. But—” My voice caught as I leaned closer, my grip on her hand tightening. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me? Ever.”
Her lips quirked in the faintest ghost of a smile, even as tears welled in her eyes. “You were scared?”
“Damn right I was fucking terrified,” I said, my voice rough. “You had me thinking—” I stopped, shaking my head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re okay now, that’s what matters.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice shaky.
“Don’t be sorry,” I said firmly. “Just… don’t do it again.”
Miss Smith cleared her throat, drawing both our attention. “She’ll be okay for now, but I want her checked out at the hospital,” she said, her tone all business again. “She’s lucky her airway wasn’t fully compromised. Any longer, and this could’ve gone another way.”
That hit harder than I wanted to admit, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “We’ll get her there,” I said.
Zoe squeezed my hand weakly, her gaze locking with mine. “Roman… I had to. He killed Missy and tried to frame us for it. I couldn’t just let him get away with it.”
My chest tightened, but I nodded. “I know. And you did it. You got him to confess, Zoe. You did good.” I paused, my voice softening. “But next time, we do this together. Got it?”
She nodded faintly, her eyelids fluttering like she was fighting to stay awake.
Zoe’s breathing had evened out, and the faintest hint of color was returning to her cheeks. She was still too pale, still too weak, but she was awake—and that was enough for now. I couldn’t stop holding her hand, couldn’t let go of the reassurance that she was still here with me.
Rick’s voice broke the moment.
“Glad to see you awake, troublemaker,” he said from behind me, his tone quieter than usual.
I turned to find him standing a few steps inside the barn, looking like he’d been through hell and back. He wasn’t even trying to hide how relieved he was, though. His shoulders sagged, and his usual easy smirk was replaced with something softer.
“Thanks, Rick,” I said, my voice rough. “For everything tonight.”
He shrugged, but the weight in his eyes didn’t lift.
“Don’t mention it. Just glad she’s okay. I—” He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck like he wasn’t sure how to say what he was thinking. “I’m not cut out for this kind of thing, Roman. Nights like tonight… they make you think about life. About what you really want.”
I frowned, shifting slightly to keep one hand on Zoe’s. “What are you getting at?”
Rick let out a short, almost nervous laugh. “I’m saying I think my time here’s about done. It’s not the ranch or you guys—it’s me. Watching you almost lose Zoe tonight, seeing how much she means to you… it made me realize I’ve been running from something I shouldn’t be.”
He paused, his dark eyes distant, like he was seeing something far away.
“There’s this girl back home,” he said finally. “She was my everything in high school, even if she didn’t know it. She’s about to graduate college in a year, and I want to be there when she does. Hell, maybe I want to be there before that. I’ve been spinning my wheels out here, trying to figure out what’s next, but I think I know now.”
It took me a second to respond. Rick wasn’t usually the kind of guy to open up like this, and I could see it was costing him to say it out loud.
“You’re serious?” I asked, keeping my tone steady.
He nodded, a ghost of his usual grin tugging at his lips. “Yeah. Serious as hell. I don’t know if she’d even give me the time of day, but if there’s a chance—any chance—I don’t want to miss it. I’ve wasted enough time already.”
For a moment, the barn was quiet, the only sound the faint rustle of hay and Zoe’s soft breathing. Then I nodded.
“I get it,” I said. “You’ve done right by us, Rick. If this is what you need to do, I won’t stop you.”
Rick exhaled, like he’d been holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Thanks, man. Means a lot.”
He glanced at Zoe one more time, his expression softening again. “Take care of her, Roman. You’ve got something special there.”
I looked back at Zoe, my chest tightening. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “I know.”
Rick turned toward the door, his boots loud on the wood floor as he started to walk out.
As Rick reached the barn door, Zoe’s faint voice called after him. “Rick?”
He stopped and turned, his hand resting on the doorframe. “Yeah, troublemaker?”
She managed a weak smile, her voice still hoarse but steady. “At least stay for our wedding. The official one. At the ranch.”
Rick hesitated, then chuckled softly, tipping his hat toward her. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, ma’am.”
I didn’t say anything else, just watched him go, the faint outline of his hat disappearing into the night. For all his usual bravado, Rick had a good heart—and if anyone deserved a chance to chase something real, it was him.
Miss Smith placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get her inside. She needs rest and warmth while we wait for Landon to take your statements before he takes Cody in to the station.”
I nodded, sliding one arm under Zoe’s shoulders and the other under her knees.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured as I lifted her.
And as I carried her out of the barn, I silently swore to myself that no one—no one in the world—was ever going to hurt her again.