Chapter 35
“Do you honestly expect me to go out there and tell all those people they are in danger? On the word of Veronica Edwards?” Colton asked. “They would laugh me right off the podium. Now you said Nick was with you, right? Why didn’t he come with you if you claim he was there in the city?”
Veronica did her best not to lose her temper.
She had already explained to the man once that Nick was patrolling the main road into the village, but Colton refused to hear her out.
He interrupted her every few seconds as she tried to explain how much danger they were in it.
Though he had agreed to the meeting, he wasn’t taking her seriously.
The man still held a grudge against her.
Even her father, who had always acted as a neutral party, couldn’t make Colton believe what she was saying.
“You go get Nick, and then we will talk about it,” Colton said.
“You are being unreasonable and wasting time,” Veronica snapped. “We don’t know how much time we have before that militant group down in the city starts heading this way?—”
“A group you say was aggravated by you. So, if you have me believe this, you are the one putting the community in danger? Why am I not surprised?”
“They weren’t aggravated by anyone but themselves.
They had already overthrown the city by the time we got there.
They were holding me hostage. Nick and his friends were trying to save me.
We went down there to try to establish a trade route.
None of you are going to survive the winter if you don’t start taking this seriously. ”
Colton shook his head and rolled his eyes, still unwilling to believe what she was saying.
Her father, for the most part, had tried to work with the man but was quickly asked to leave the conversation with him.
It was only at Veronica’s acceptance of the private conversation, though, that Luka left to join the others on the front porch.
She hated that she was failing to make Colton see reason but doubted if anyone would be able to, including her brother.
It was infuriating that she had spent most of her adult life negotiating with stubborn men like Colton, yet none of her usual methods worked with him.
Short of threatening physical harm, she knew his reality wouldn’t change until Nick was there.
Turning, she headed for the front door without another word.
Veronica was done wasting her breath on the man.
As she reached for the knob, a sound in the distance made her jump, the blood draining from her cheeks instantly as she turned back to look at Colton.
One look at his terrified expression told her he had heard the noise as well.
It was a gunshot and not far from them at all.
Veronica bolted out the door to find her father already jumping on his horse’s back.
She followed suit as they galloped in the direction of the shot.
Colton and his men jogged after them on foot.
When she saw her brother holding a man’s arm at the gate, her blood ran cold.
Skidding to a stop, she jumped off her horse again and ran the last few feet to where Conner and the wounded man were on the main road leading into town.
“What the hell happened?” Veronica asked.
Nick shook his head. “The shot came out of nowhere. They have to be in the woods somewhere. If I go now, I can probably catch up to them?—”
“You aren’t going by yourself,” Luka growled. “Veronica, take over here. I’m going with your brother.”
“What?” she stammered. “I don’t know the first thing about gunshot wounds.”
The man who had been injured chuckled. “Don’t you folks worry about me. Go get that bastard. It’s just a flesh wound, through and through, by the looks of it.”
Her brother and father stood, racing for the forest on either side of the road.
They likely knew the woods better than anyone else in the area.
They had both spent most of their lives hunting and fishing in the thick groves.
Veronica knew she wouldn’t be of any use to them and quickly turned her attention back to the wounded man in front of her.
As he told her what to do, she listened and followed his instructions while the others gathered around.
The man quickly told the villagers what had happened, and she saw Colton’s expression shift at once.
Hopefully, now, he would believe what she had been trying to tell him.
They were all in danger and out of time.
Mauve burst through the crowd upon hearing her son and husband had followed the assailant.
She immediately took over for Veronica, snapping at the wounded man to let her look it over.
She was a skilled nurse, and Veronica would trust her mother’s instincts over most doctors any day of the week.
“Didn’t my husband and daughter come to warn you?” Mauve snapped at Colton.
Suddenly, the crowd went silent, all eyes turning to their mayor.
Instantly, a blush of embarrassment jumped to his cheeks as he glared back at Veronica’s mother.
Veronica was slightly taken aback by the woman’s outburst but knew Colton had made a mistake immediately.
Mauve was a woman who would defend her family to her dying breath. Even her wayward daughter.
“I didn’t think at the time that the danger was quite so pressing. I only ever have the community’s best interest in mind. Everyone here knows that. I’m sure anyone here would agree with me that Veronica hasn’t exactly been reliable in the past?—”
“Yeah, maybe half a decade ago!” someone in the crowd yelled. “She’s already saved a girl and has the only running vehicle within hundreds of miles! This should have been brought to us right away!”
There was a murmur of approval among the crowd, and Veronica felt her heart starting to race.
Never in a million years would she have expected the villagers to be taking her side on anything.
It was completely shocking, and hopefully not too late.
Knowing she had an audience, Veronica stood and looked around the group.
Her eyes landed on Colton. He looked like his head was about ready to explode, but she wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to steal the crowd’s attention again.
They needed to stop butting heads and work together instead.
“It doesn’t matter anymore that the mayor didn’t immediately act.
We can still turn the situation around,” Veronica said to the throng.
“We are under attack, though, and this was just the first shot. We need to be prepared to be on our own for the next six months, at least. We have to set up trading routes and a bartering system, as well as a volunteer security detail. We need to have centuries posted in the forest and at every entrance to town around the clock. Every man, woman, and child who has a skill or is capable of working will need to pull their weight. It’s going to take a lot to make it through the winter, but I’m confident if we work together, everyone will survive. ”
“That sounds like a bunch of fearmongering to me. It sure feels like we are jumping the gun on this. We don’t even know yet if he was shot by one of these so-called aggressors,” Colton snapped. “For all we know, it was just a hunter who got a little too close to town.”
“Would you rather it be the former and the town be unprepared?” Veronica bit back.
“Worst-case scenario, everyone is well prepared for nothing. I, for one, would prefer that over the alternative. Whether we like it or not, we are all in danger now. Even if the city doesn’t retaliate, there will be others.
It won’t be long before people realize we have an advantage over everyone else.
Our community alone makes us a target. We have more resources and knowledge in this group than most states have in their entirety. We shouldn’t squander those resources.”
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the forest behind her off to the right, and she spun around.
Her pounding heart flooded her body with adrenaline as she grabbed her shotgun and swung it around.
When her father burst through the thicket, relief coursed through her.
She lowered the weapon as her brother emerged behind him.
Jerking hard, Nick pulled a man from the woods who had zip ties on his wrists.
Veronica recognized the guy immediately as one of the guards who had been at Markwood’s house.
It confirmed her worst fears. A war was coming.