Chapter 43 Aspen
Aspen
The silence after gunfire is the worst part.
Worse than the noise.
Worse than the fear.
It means it’s over.
Or it means something worse is coming.
Rylie keeps her hand on my shoulder.
Steady.
Grounding.
Dylan clings to Buddy.
Grandpa is confused.
Shaken.
“Stay here,” Trigger says.
His voice is calm again.
Controlled.
But I see it in his eyes.
We were close.
Too close.
Sirens fill the air.
Relief crashes through me so hard my knees almost give out.
The Sheriff’s truck pulls in first.
Deputies right behind him.
Lights flashing.
Dust swirling.
Rylie’s dad is out of the truck as soon as he stops.
Trigger steps outside to meet them.
I follow before I can stop myself.
One of the men is still on the ground.
Not moving. I bend over and check if he’s dead.
I’m a nurse, I’ve seen dead people before. But never like this.
I look away.
The Sheriff looks at Trigger.
“What happened?”
“Attempted breach,” Trigger says. “We stopped it.”
Simple.
Clean.
No drama.
The Sheriff nods.
Like he understands exactly what that means.
“Is this what you were telling me about?”
“Yes.”
I wrap my arms around myself.
The house doesn’t feel safe anymore.
Not like it did before.
Trigger turns back toward us.
Decision already made.
“We’re relocating,” he says.
“Where?” I ask.
“The Last Stand Tavern.”
Dylan looks up.
“The Tavern?”
Trigger nods.
“More secure. Saint is there.
We have better security. Better position. If you want to grab a few things, we can leave.”
I hesitate.
Just for a second.
Because leaving feels like giving up.
Then I look at the broken window.
The bullet holes.
The men on the ground. That has already been covered up.
And I nod.
“Okay.”
Buddy presses against my leg.
Dylan takes my hand.
And just like that…
Everything changes.