Chapter 22 #2
I don’t even wait for my horse to fully stop before I’m jumping off, nearly stumbling as my boots hit the ground. I sprint into the barn, following the sound of Dylan’s anguished sobs.
“Dylan!” I shout, my voice echoing off the walls.
A whimper guides me to one of the back stalls. The sight that greets me stops me dead in my tracks. Dylan is huddled in the corner, his face streaked with tears, clutching his arm against his chest. Even from here, I can see the unnatural angle.
I drop to my knees beside him. “Jesus Christ, Dylan. What happened?” My hands hover over him, afraid to touch and cause more pain. “Where the hell is Della?”
His whole body shakes as he tries to speak through his sobs. “They—they took her.”
Everything in me ceases, and my brows pinch together as I try to process what he’s saying.
“What? Who took her?”
“Men.” He hiccups, wincing as the movement jostles his arm. “They were gonna take me, but Della—” His voice breaks. “She told them to take her instead. Said I was just a kid.”
Ice floods my veins. “Do you remember what they looked like?”
Dylan shakes his head, tears still streaming. “They had masks on. Black masks.”
I force myself to take a breath, to think clearly through the rage building inside me. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell him, though I’m not sure I believe it myself. “Can you stand, or do you need me to carry you?”
“I can stand,” he says, but his legs wobble as I help him up.
“Easy,” I murmur, supporting most of his weight. “We need to get you to the hospital for that arm.”
As we make our way slowly to my truck, I pull out my phone and dial Shadow. He picks up on the second ring.
“Someone took Della,” I say without preamble, my voice shaking with fury. “Don’t know if they were armed, but Dylan says they were wearing masks. Are you hearing me, man? They took my sister right from my fucking barn.”
“I’m hearing you,” Shadow says, his voice tight. “Who? When?
“Just now. They were going to take Dylan. He’s hurt.” I help Dylan into the passenger seat, careful of his arm. “Your fucking enemies are invading my fucking ranch, hurting my people. They were gonna take a goddamn child, Shadow.”
“I’m sending everyone I’ve got. We’ll find her.”
“You fucking better.” I end the call and slam the truck door shut.
“How you holding up?” I ask Dylan, careful not to jostle his injured arm.
“It hurts,” he admits, his voice small. “Is Della going to be okay?”
The question punches me in the gut. “We’re going to find her,” I say, hoping like hell I’m not lying to the kid.
The doctor approaches us with a tablet in hand. “The X-rays confirm a fracture to the radius,” she explains, showing us the images. “It’s a clean break, but I’ll need to consult with the orthopedic to determine if we need to reset—”
“Dylan!” Amelia’s voice cuts through the doctor’s explanation as she charges through the double doors, her face pale with fear. She rushes to her son, dropping to her knees in front of him, hands hovering over his arm. “Baby, are you okay? What happened?”
“Mom, it hurts,” Dylan whimpers, his brave facade crumbling at the sight of his mother.
The doctor steps back, giving them space. “I’ll give you a moment. I’ll be back with more information shortly.”
Amelia carefully inspects the temporary splint on Dylan’s arm, her fingers trembling. “The doctor thinks it’s broken?” she asks, looking first at Dylan, then at me for confirmation.
I nod. “Clean break. They’re still determining if they need to reset it.”
Her face transforms instantly, fear morphing into rage as she whips her attention to me. “Why weren’t you watching him? How the fuck did this happen?” Her voice rises, drawing glances from nearby staff.
“Mom—” Dylan starts, but Amelia cuts him off.
“No, I want to know why my son has a broken arm when he was supposed to be safe with you!”
“Mom, stop!” Dylan says more forcefully. “It’s not his fault. Someone broke the fence, and he had to fix it. These men came while he was gone.”
Amelia’s eyes widen. “What men? What are you talking about?”
The realization hits me like a freight train. The cut fence wasn’t random vandalism—it was a deliberate distraction. Those fuckers lured me away to get to the barn, to get to Dylan and Della. My stomach twists with guilt. How did I not see this coming?
“They took Della,” Dylan continues, his voice shaking. “They were gonna take me too, but she made them take her instead.”
Amelia turns back to me, her eyes blazing. “You said we’d be safe at the ranch. My son has a broken arm. Your sister is missing. What the fuck is going on, Maddox?”
The accusation in her voice cuts deep, but I can’t argue with her. I promised to protect them, and I failed spectacularly.
“I don’t know,” I admit, running a hand through my hair, “but I promise I’m going to get to the bottom of it.” I step closer, lowering my voice. “Shadow has everyone out looking for Della. We’re going to find her.”
Before Amelia can respond, a nurse approaches. “Mr. Meadows? There’s a Tyler Henderson here asking to see you. We can’t let him back here—there’s a two-person occupancy rule.”
“Tell him I’ll be right out,” I say, turning back to Amelia. Her eyes are still bright with anger, but there’s fear there too.
“Amelia, I need to talk to Tyler. He might have information about Della.”
She nods stiffly, pulling herself together for Dylan’s sake. “Go.”
I squeeze Dylan’s good shoulder gently. “I’ll be back soon, kid. Your mom’s here now.”
In the waiting area, Tyler paces like a caged animal. When he spots me, he rushes over, lowering his voice.
“I came as soon I got things squared away at the ranch,” Tyler says, his voice tight. “Wanted to check in on the kid and see if you needed anything.”
“Appreciate it. Dylan broke his arm. Waiting for the doctor to cast it—” I pause, studying his face. Something is off with him. His shoulders are too tense and his eyes are daring around the room like he’s expecting a ghost to jump at him. “What’s wrong?”
Tyler steps closer, lowering his voice. “Guess who I saw when I was parking the truck? Loitering in the parking lot.”
“Who?”
“The CEO of Landry Oil.”
I kept my dealings with Landry close to the vest, never spoke a word of it to Tyler or anyone on the ranch for that matter. I never wanted them to worry about their jobs. How he knows about Landry is a fucking mystery.
“How do you know about that?” I demand.
Tyler’s expression hardens with frustration.
“It’s my job to know what’s going on, man, and to take some of the stress off your shoulders.
I’ve known for a while. Been waiting for you to tell me yourself.
But after you went partners with the MC, I figured it was handled.
” He shakes his head. “You’re missing the point, Maddox.
Landry wasn’t alone. He was with Amelia’s ex-husband. ”
“What?”
“There’s more,” Tyler continues. “They were having a heated discussion. I specifically heard Russell go on a rant saying it wasn’t supposed to be Dylan.”
I have no fucking idea what that means, but if Russell is in cahoots with Landry Oil and helped plan the attack on my ranch—on Dylan and Della—he’s a dead man.
My vision narrows, a red haze settling over everything. I don’t realize I’ve grabbed Tyler’s shirt until I feel the fabric bunching in my fists.
“Where are they now?” I snarl.
He shakes his head. “I have no idea. One guy shoved Russell into the back seat of a car, and the CEO got in the front passenger seat. They drove away too quickly for me to get a license plate.”
Fuck.
The primal part of me wants to hunt Russell down, to make him tell me where Della is, and make him pay for putting Dylan in danger. But the thought of leaving Amelia and Dylan vulnerable makes my stomach twist.
“I need to call Shadow.”