Chapter 23 Colton
Colton
Folks by his Momma’s house? Shots fired? What the fuck was going on?
Instinctively, Colton glanced at Zach, which was the wrong thing to do. Fear and concern were written on his face. No doubt Zach thought it was his asshole bandmates coming for him. He might be right too, even if it was damn near impossible they could’ve found Momma’s house.
“Sheriff?” He tried not to call attention to himself. “My gear is back at the house. We walked here.”
“Go get a set from Greg and meet me out front,” Ted said.
Greg headed for the back door, and Colton followed him to the bunkhouse. “Something’s got Dad rattled.”
His cousin should’ve figured it out. Or maybe Colton was being too protective of Zach. “Bet it’s them roadkill assholes from the fair. They already killed one person; no reason to think they won’t try to get Zach.”
“Or us.” Greg pushed open the door and made for the small guest room that no one ever guested in. “The better question is how did they find us?”
Colton wondered the same thing, it didn’t add up. “Finding the ranch isn’t hard. It’s no secret where we live. But how did they know Zach was at Momma’s and not here?”
“Do they? Know he’s there I mean. Maybe they saw that first. They didn’t come this way, so they must have hiked around the pond. Dang fools should know better to try and sneak onto a ranch. We have a small army ready to defend what’s ours.”
There was truth in Greg’s words. They probably had found the house by mistake, but he didn’t like the coincidence. “I’m going to run out to Momma’s and see what’s what. You willing to stay back and watch Zach?”
“Fuck no. Let the old man do it. I’m bored. Let’s go now before Dad stops us.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Greg wasn’t a bit different now than when he’d convinced Colton to go truck surfing on the highway. It always ended up with him getting in trouble.
It was fun, though.
“Well, I—”
“Well you what?” Ted’s voice was all sheriff.
Oh shit. He peeked at Greg, who grinned.
“We’re heading down to check the house. Can you watch Zach and the kids?” Lord, butter wouldn’t melt in Greg’s mouth. Asshole man.
Uncle Ted’s eyebrow climbed up into his hat. “Little shit. You just want an excuse to shoot something, and I know it. Get the girls in the house. Zach too, I reckon.”
“Dad!”
“Shut up, boy. This isn’t a fucking game. A man died, and the killers might be on our land.” Ted’s voice brooked zero argument, and Greg’s eyes dropped.
“Yes, Sir.”
Ted nodded once. “Make sure you keep everyone safe here. I’m counting on you. Your grandfather is here to help.”
It took more self-control than Colton knew he had not to smirk at Greg’s grimace. That last bit wasn’t just an add-on. Uncle Ted knew the score. Grandpa hadn’t been sheriff in ten years, but he still barked orders like he was the main man.
It didn’t upend Colton’s world like it did Greg’s.
He was better at managing people, especially his grandfather, than his cousin.
All you had to do was show him the right amount of respect by asking if he thought it would be a good idea if you did something.
Telling him your opinion never worked, but Greg hadn’t caught on to the trick.
By the time they’d made it to the front of the house, half a dozen ranch hands were waiting for them. Ted separated them, keeping the ones who got on better with Jerry at the house and taking the other three with them.
The five climbed into the department SUV, and Ted lit it up out of habit as he tore off for Momma’s house.
Colton had wanted to go back and reassure Zach, but this wasn’t dick-thinking time.
Like his uncle said, it was possible the ones who killed Stephen Ulmstead were wandering nearby. Lack of focus got men killed.
“Tell Colton what you saw,” Ted said. “He got a better look at those boys when he rescued Zach.”
“Can’t say I got a great look at them,” Vernon said.
The old hand had been around since Ted was a teenager.
“There were at least four, but Radley said he thought he saw another around the wood line. They were about your age, Colt, maybe a bit younger. One was noticeably taller than the others when they ran off.”
If that didn’t sound like Ulmstead’s boys, Colton didn’t know what would. “What made them run?”
Vernon patted the barrel of his rifle. “I fired a warning shot, and them boys ran like chickens in a thunderstorm.”
“You see which way they rode off?” Uncle Ted asked.
“They headed out toward the north pasture of the Gonzales’ place, but there weren’t any engines or horses. They were running.”
That made sense only if they knew where Momma’s house was. Which meant it made no sense. You couldn’t see Momma’s house from the road. It wasn’t the kind of place you just ran up on.
The direction they took, however, was eerily on point.
It was the shortest way to the main road, but there wasn’t so much as a rabbit trail across those fields to lead the way.
Something didn’t work here, goddamn it, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
If they were after Zach, why not hit the main house?
“What are you thinking, boy?” Uncle Ted’s voice broke the silence. “You’re only quiet when you’re deep in thought.”
The sheriff asking for his opinion scared Colton.
He only asked when he wasn’t sure what he thought.
“The same thing as you, I bet. Something doesn’t add up.
They’d have needed a drone to find the house, but even if they used one, why there?
I suppose they could’ve realized the main house was too protected and wanted a hostage, but feels a bit too sophisticated for that lot. ”
He left out wondering how poor Zach had gotten trapped in this web of utter bullshit.
“Agreed.”
For once, the sheriff agreeing with his answer didn’t give Colton a sense of pride. Then Momma’s house loomed closer and he mentally shifted gears. Why wasn’t as important as figuring how to find these asshats and lock them up.
Ted had some of the ranch hands bring horses, and they tracked the flight path to the Gonzales’ spread.
His uncle had called Old Man G, who met them at the property line with his two sons and his daughter.
Two hours of searching didn’t turn up a single useful clue.
For being on foot, those boys moved like gazelles.
They’d had at most a forty-minute head start, but they’d made it to the road on the other side of the Gonzales’ land.
“Let’s ask if anyone saw the car or where it went,” Uncle Ted said with a frown. “I doubt we’ll find anyone, but it’s worth checking.”
It was almost certain that no one noticed the car, and even less likely they saw where it went. He didn’t voice that negative attitude because his uncle was being thorough. “I’ll get on it first thing tomorrow morning.”
Ted pulled his horse to Colton’s side and leaned in closer. “No. I need to protect Zach. Is that house of yours livable?”
“Mostly.” Colton said. He could see the wheels turning but didn’t know what his uncle was thinking. “Plumbing and septic are in, the roof is on, and the power’s connected. Why?”
“Tomorrow I want you to get Zach, pack up whatever you need, and go stay there for the next day or two.” Ted said.
“It’s out of the way and looks like it’s not finished, so no one should look for you there.
Jesus and his men will watch the road, and I’ll get a few auxiliary deputies to come watch your Momma’s house tonight. ”
For his uncle to do all that, he wasn’t taking chances. “Do you really think they’ll come back at night?”
“No,” he said like he meant it. “But I also didn’t expect they’d find Sue Ellen’s house either.”
Neither had Colton. He forced himself not to go where his little head was pushing him. “I’ll get started on packing what we need when we get back.”
“Hopefully, we’ll round up them boys soon.” His uncle shook his head. “I may call in the Highway Patrol if we don’t find them tomorrow. They love being asked to do more than hand out tickets. We’ll also need to come up with a more permanent housing situation.”
Any solution that required Zach to leave wasn’t high on his list, but if it kept him safe, Colton would be all over it. His mind ticked off everything they’d need to stay there.
“I don’t have much there. We’ll need a few air mattresses, and some folding chairs so we don’t have to sit on the floor, and some lights.
A few of the fixtures are in, but not enough, so we’ll need candles or torch lamps.
Not sure if we need paper plates and plastic cups—there’s no place to cook yet. ”
Colton would have kept going, but the sheriff raised his hand. “I get it. That’s why I said pack up and be ready to leave in the morning.”
He’d be prattling on, typical for when he was nervous. God love his uncle for not calling him out about what they could do together alone. “Copy. It’ll be comfortable enough for us, and we’ll just lie low a bit.”
Colton wouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth, but it wasn’t what he meant when he said he wanted alone time with Zach.
He’d wanted to show Zach his space, bring him on the land that belonged to him, point out the line of trees he’d planted to frame the driveway, and parade him around the house that he’d built.
His roots were deep here, and he needed to share that with Zach—from the stones that covered the house, to the tiled shower with the seat, to the wraparound porch that would one day have two rocking chairs, a dog, and a beer cooler.
Armed with a plan, there wasn’t any reason to beat it to death. He’d get Zach out, and Ted would get on the horn with the DCI and Highway Patrol. He nudged his horse into a trot and wrapped his mind around what came next.
His job was to keep his Zach safe.
He could do that. He had to. They had some courting to do. The kind Zach suggested. And maybe, just maybe, it would be enough for Zach to want to stay.
First, they had to catch a few killers.