Chapter Twenty-Nine
They finished eating, tossed their trash, and headed back to the truck. The sun was starting to dip, painting the sky in soft oranges and pinks. It’d be a long drive back—two hours of open road and quiet stretches of farmland—but Carter didn’t mind. He liked the drive. Liked the company even more.
Ethan climbed in, still buzzing with leftover energy. “I can’t believe I won.”
“I can,” Carter said, starting the engine. “You’re damn good.”
Ethan beamed, and Carter had to look away before he stared too long.
They pulled out of the park and onto the main road. The music from the track faded behind them, replaced by the hum of the engine and the soft thump of tires on asphalt.
After a few minutes, Ethan asked, “What’s tomorrow look like? Work-wise?”
Carter rubbed his trimmed beard. “Gotta take my truck into town. Pick up supplies, hay, some feed. It’ll take a few hours.”
Ethan nodded. “You want me to come?”
Carter shook his head. “Nah. I need you on the ranch. Plenty to do. And…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “I’m trusting you to stay clear of trouble while I’m gone.”
Ethan’s brows lifted. “Trouble? Me?”
Carter shot him a look. “Don’t play innocent. You attract chaos like a damn magnet.”
Ethan laughed, leaning back in his seat. “I’ll behave. Promise.”
Carter hoped so. Because the truth was, leaving Ethan alone—even for a few hours—made something uneasy twist in his gut. Not because he didn’t trust the kid’s intentions. But because the world hadn’t exactly been kind to him. And Carter wasn’t used to caring this much about someone’s safety.
He glanced over at Ethan, who was watching the passing fields with a soft, content expression.
Yeah. He cared. More than he should.
The road stretched ahead of them, long and quiet, the sky fading into dusk. Carter didn’t mind the drive home. Not with Ethan beside him, humming along to the radio, dirt still smudged on his cheek, victory still glowing in his eyes.
The sun had dipped low by the time they pulled up to the cabin. Carter killed the engine, but something in his gut tightened the second he stepped out. The air felt… wrong. Too still. Too quiet. Like the woods were holding their breath.
Ethan hopped out beside him, still riding the high of the day, but Carter lifted a hand. “Hold up.”
Ethan froze instantly.
Carter scanned the tree line, the porch, the windows. Nothing obvious. No footprints he could see from here. But the feeling wouldn’t leave him.
He walked the perimeter, boots crunching over gravel. The back of the cabin looked untouched. The shed was locked. The fence was fine. Everything looked normal. Didn’t feel normal.
He came back around to Ethan, who was shifting nervously from foot to foot. “Perimeter’s clear,” Carter said. “But stay by the door. I’m checking inside first.”
Ethan nodded, swallowing hard.
Carter unlocked the front door and slowly stepped inside, hand hovering near the knife clipped to his belt. The living room was exactly how they’d left it. Blankets on the couch, boots by the wall, and the TV remote on the coffee table.
He exhaled once. Maybe he was imagining— A soft scuff behind him. He spun around. Ethan was inside, bent over, untying his boots.
“Ethan!” Carter barked. “Stop untying them. Stay by the damn door.”
Ethan jerked upright, startled. “Sorry—I just—”
“Door,” Carter repeated, voice low and sharp.
Ethan backed up fast.
Carter moved deeper into the cabin, checking corners, checking shadows. When he walked into the kitchen, he got a sinking feeling.
Everything from inside the refrigerator was on the floor. Milk, eggs, vegetables, containers, condiments. The door hung open like someone had ripped through it in a hurry.
“Son of a—” Carter muttered.
He checked the bedrooms next. Their room was untouched.
But when he opened the guest room door, a breeze hit him.
The window was shattered inward. The willow tree had hidden the window from his perimeter check.
Glass everywhere. Ethan’s clothes, every single item, lay in a messy heap on the floor, slick with heavy black transmission oil.
The smell hit hard, metallic and bitter.
A knot formed in Carter’s chest.
They targeted him. They wanted to hurt him.
A wave of nausea washed over him, making him near vomiting. He hurried back to the living room. Ethan was standing exactly where he’d been told, hands shaking, eyes wide.
“Carter?” Ethan said. “What happened?”
Carter put a steady hand on his shoulder. “Someone broke in. They trashed the kitchen. Broke the window in the guest room. That’s how they got in. And they… went through your clothes.”
Ethan’s face drained of color. “My clothes?”
“They poured transmission oil all over ’em,” Carter said.
Ethan swayed a little, and Carter tightened his grip. “Hey. I got you. But we gotta report this.”
Ethan nodded, trembling.
Carter pulled out his phone and dialed Officer Duarte first.
The line clicked. “Officer Duarte.”
“Officer, it’s Carter Higgins,” he said, voice steady even though his pulse was hammering. “We’ve had a break-in at my cabin. Forced entry through a window. Property damage. I need someone out here.”
Duarte’s tone sharpened. “Anyone hurt?”
“No. But the place was searched. And they targeted the kid’s belongings.”
“On my way,” Duarte said. “Twenty minutes. Don’t touch anything.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
He hung up and immediately dialed Mr. Evans.
The man answered on the second ring. “Carter? Everything alright?”
“No, sir,” Carter said. “Someone broke into the cabin. They trashed the kitchen and destroyed Ethan’s clothes. Looks like they came in through the guest room window.”
Silence. Then Mr. Evans’ voice, tight and furious. “They what?”
“You heard me,” Carter said. “I reported it. Officer Duarte’s on his way.”
“I’m coming over,” Mr. Evans said. “I want to see this myself.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’m coming,” he repeated, tone leaving no room for argument. “Ten minutes.” The call ended.
Carter slipped his phone into his pocket and turned back to Ethan, who was shaking so hard his teeth were almost chattering.
Carter stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Hey. Look at me.”
Ethan lifted his eyes, scared and small in a way that punched Carter right in the chest.
“Don’t worry,” Carter said. “I’m right here. No one’s getting near you again.”
Ethan nodded, but his breath hitched.
Carter pulled him in, one arm around his shoulders, grounding him. “We’ll handle this. Together.”
And as Ethan leaned into him, trembling, Carter felt something fierce settle in his gut. Whoever did this had crossed a line. And Carter wasn’t letting it happen again.