Chapter 30 Zach
Zach
“Colton?” Zach’s voice hitched up a dozen octaves. “Colton!”
Blood covered the floor on Colton’s right side. Zach gagged, and if he’d eaten breakfast, he’d have lost it. His hand trembled uncontrollably as he pushed the hair from Colton’s ash-white face.
It should have been him, not Colton, who got shot. Zach’s family was responsible for this mess, and he should have paid the price, not his guardian angel.
“Let me get to him.” Greg pushed Zach out of the way. He ran his hand over the tactical vest, then down the side. Pressing his hand to the side, he clicked the mic. “Dad? The shot skimmed the side of the vest. It’s bleeding bad. I got pressure on it, but we need to get him out fast.”
“I’m here,” the sheriff said. “Where are you?”
“Stairs. Come in the back. Front’s locked.” Greg snuck a peek at Zach. “Be careful. It’s a war zone in here.”
A minute later, the house swarmed with people. The sheriff and a bunch of men who worked the ranch rushed in to help.
The sheriff barked orders, and everyone moved with a purpose except Greg. He held the cloth his father gave him against Colton’s side.
Zach watched as they worked to save Colton. It should have been Zach. Colton was this amazing, kind, selfless man, who risked everything for a nobody, who no one would mourn. He wanted to scream at Colton for letting this happen. Why hadn’t he let Zach help?
Three minutes after they arrived, two men brought a stretcher, and Zach had to inch up another step to keep out of the way.
“Get him in his truck,” the Sheriff said. “Ambulance will meet you on the main road. Greg, you stay and keep pressure on the wound.”
“Got it, Dad.”
Zach stood. He couldn’t help, and he had no right, but he knew if he let Colton out of his sight, he’d never see him again. “I want to go.”
“No.” The sheriff held out his hand, telling Zach to stay put. “There’s no room in the truck, and you and I need to talk. I’ll bring you with me when I go to the hospital.”
Talk? Zach couldn’t stay here. He needed to be with Colton. There was nothing he could do, but he wasn’t hiding anymore. “I need—”
“Stop! I raised that boy like my own, but there’s no room.” He exhaled. “I know you two have feelings, and I promise you’ll be able to see him. Just let me handle things so Colton gets through this, okay?”
It wasn’t okay, but what could he do? “Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
“We’re ready,” Greg said. “Can you get the door? I know where he hides the keys.”
“Danny?”
A middle-aged man with tanned skin and dark hair stepped up. “Yes, sir?”
“You drive. Have Vic ride shotgun.”
“I’m on it.”
Zach sat on the stair and tried to stay out of the way. Just like that another whirlwind upended his life. What did he do now? Where did he go if…? No, he wouldn’t go there. Except from the expression on everyone’s face, it wasn’t crazy.
“Hey, son.” Sheriff Ted stood tall over him. “I need you to tell me what happened.”
Zach did his best to explain, but he hadn’t seen much after Colton sent him to the bedroom to hide. Hiding in the bedroom made him a coward, and he could barely face the sheriff.
“I saw Barley run toward Kellan, and I came around the corner and shot him.” He demonstrated how he held the gun in both hands.
“How’d you learn to shoot like that?”
“Grandpa. Those were his guns the boys stole. Grandpa said the business was dangerous, and I needed to take care of myself.”
He’d never expected he’d need to use it, but at that moment he thanked his grandpa's spirit.
“Sheriff?” someone called. “The ambulance for the one who survived is on the way. Also….”
“What?” the sheriff growled. The man flinched and pointed out of the front window.
“Shitfire and save matches. See if you can stall her until I can get out there.”
“You’re going to owe me something fierce, sheriff.”
“Just get out there and keep her outside.” He shook his head. “I told him not to get shot.”
“That’s my fault, sir.” It was. No matter what anyone said, he might have killed Colton. “I’m sorry.” All the tears he’d tried to hold back came out at once. The sheriff came toward him, and Zach waved him off. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” In a move that shocked Zach, the sheriff sat on the stair and put his arm around him.
“If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Something Colton’s momma is going to hit me over the head with until my ears bleed.
He’s a sheriff’s deputy following orders.
You saved his life despite him telling you to stay put. ”
That was the last thing he should have done. Not just when Colton asked him, but from the start. “I should’ve left when Mr. Lee told me I had money.”
“As nice as that sounds, Zach, I didn’t give you permission to leave.
” He turned his head and didn’t say anything.
Finally, Zach glanced over. “You weren’t a prisoner, but I needed you to stay.
I’m old, but I’m not blind. My nephew has never taken to someone the way he did to you.
Colton’s had a rough go after his no-good, worthless daddy tried to rob a bank and killed the guard.
Despite that, he’s about the finest man I know his age.
He wouldn’t have let you go knowing they were after you.
It isn’t in his DNA. You didn’t get him shot; that was him choosing his job and his duty over himself. You hear me?”
Zach still blamed himself. If he hadn’t chosen Colton to help him, this wouldn’t have happened. He’d be dead or worse, but Colton wouldn't have gotten shot. “Yes, sir.”
“We’ll talk more later, but I see them wheels turning.
” He rotated a finger around Zach’s temple.
“You’re smart, son, so hear me. This badge isn’t just a shiny bit of metal we wear to impress folks.
It stands for something. We serve and protect.
Those are fancy words that people sometimes think don’t mean much, but to us it means everything.
Colton was going to protect you just like he would anyone else.
Yes, he has feelings for you, but that isn’t the only reason.
Remember that when you want to blame yourself.
” Ted sighed. “Now, I gotta go calm my sister and listen to her blame me for getting her baby shot.” He patted Zach on the back and stood.
“You get yourself together so we can go see him in the hospital, you hear?”
He got it. Colton didn’t need hysteria. Colton was going to need him to be solid as a rock, even if he didn’t want to be. “I do. I understand.”
He had to put on his big-boy pants and get with the goddamn program. Colton was going to be fine. He was a hero. A stud.
His stud.
When this was all over, Zach was going to start fresh,
And he intended to do it with Colton.