Chapter 3 Carson
THREE
CARSON
As I pull away from the Law Offices of Shawn Cooper, I look back.
For most of my life, I’ve never looked back.
I’ve always kept my gaze forward. Since my parents died, there was no sense in looking back.
Nothing that we did after that life-changing situation would ever correct what had already happened to us.
There was no what-if that fixed what was broken.
Passing by the pharmacy sends a chill down my spine.
I’m not sure I’m ever going to be able to look at it without thinking of what happened inside with Noah.
As I turn out of the town and head down the road that eventually will take me to Grizzly River Ranch, my phone rings with Devlin’s name flashing across it.
I don’t want to answer the call, but he’ll just keep calling back until I do. “Hey.”
“Where are you at?”
It’s just like him to push into whatever it is he’s going to say. “Heading to the ranch. I just dropped Lennon off at work.”
He chuckles. “I thought I saw you bring her home last night. You know how hard it was to keep Atlee from knowing? What the hell is going on?” Just like he always does, he goes in for knowing exactly what’s happening, even if it doesn’t directly involve him.
“She had a flat tire on the way to Grizzly River last night, and I stopped to help.”
He blows out a breath. “And what? She couldn’t help but throw herself at you. Why was she at the house, Carson?”
Goddamn him. Gripping the steering wheel, I grit my teeth and push the words out of my mouth. “Because, Devlin, she got shot at while she was on the side of the road.”
He’s quiet, which I expected, then his dark voice comes over the line. “Were you there with her?”
“Yeah.”
“Which means you were shot at too?”
This is the last thing I want to admit to him, especially after he had to save me. “Yeah.”
I can hear the anger building. “So which one were they shooting at? You or her?”
Shrugging, even though he can’t see me, I try to make a joke. “Who knows? Maybe they didn’t care.”
“I do, and I’m interested in which one of you it actually was.”
“I’m leaning toward her, because she and Shawn are working on a case that’s apparently pretty dangerous.”
“What kind of case?” he asks again, probably because he thinks that he’s going to catch me off guard and I’ll be willing to let something slip.
“I told you, I have no damn idea,” I snap, my grip tightening on the wheel until it creaks.
“She’s a vault. She’s got that independent streak that’s a mile wide and twice as thick.
She thinks she can handle it on her own, but people don’t fire rounds into the dark just to scare you. They fire to kill.”
The line goes quiet for a beat. I can practically hear Devlin’s brain working, filing away anything he thinks he might be able to use later.
“Get to the ranch, Carson. Now. We need to discuss this before Atlee hears any of it. If she finds out her sister is being targeted, she’ll lose her fucking mind, and I’m not having that. ”
“I’m pulling in now,” I say, hanging up without a goodbye.
As I round the final bend toward the main house, the Grizzly River Ranch opens up before me. It’s a sight that usually brings me peace. But today, it just feels like we’re all wearing targets.
I pull the truck to a stop in front of the main barn, the engine ticking as I cut the heat.
I don’t even have my boots on the ground before I see them.
It’s a literal wall of every man I respect in the world.
Devlin is front and center, arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit the protector.
Beside him is Jesse, his face unusually grim, and Truett, the man who keeps this whole operation running and, technically, my boss.
I slam the door and walk toward them, trying to look a lot more casual than I feel. My body is stiff from how stressed I’ve been and from sleeping on the couch.
“Hell of a welcoming committee,” I mutter, stopping a few feet away.
Jesse is the first to speak. He steps forward, his eyes searching mine. “Carson, we’re your brothers. We’ve been through enough hell in this family to know when one of us is sinking. You got shot at? Are we sure this was just about a flat tire, little brother? We’re worried about you.”
I’m worried about myself too. I have been since what happened with Noah, but there’s no way I can say that to any of them. Once I admit it, they’re not going to let me live it down.
Devlin nods, his shadow falling over me. “He’s right. You’re playing it cool, but you brought a woman home who has a target on her back, which means you’ve got one too. We need to know who we’re fighting.”
I look at Truett. He’s been the steady voice for us for a long time, and right now, his gaze is piercing.
“Carson,” Truett says, his voice level but firm.
“As your boss and as someone who considers you a friend, I’m telling you right now, you need to be honest. If there’s a threat to you, there’s a threat to this ranch and every person on it.
If you keep us in the dark, we can’t help you.
We can’t watch your back if we don’t know which way to point the guns. ”
I feel the weight of their expectations, the collective pressure of the Nelson name. It’s a lot to carry, especially when I’m protecting a woman who doesn’t even want my protection.
“I am being honest,” I say, throwing my hands up in frustration.
“I know nothing. I don’t know who was behind the trigger.
I don’t know what Lennon and Shawn found in those files.
I asked, and she shut me out. She’s terrified, and she’s stubborn, and that is a lethal combination. ” I lick my lips in frustration.
“You’re sure she doesn’t know?” Jesse asks skeptically.
“I’m sure she knows something,” I clarify. “But she hasn’t shared any of it with me. All I know is that she’s scared, and someone wants her stopped. I’m telling you the truth. I’m as blind as you all are.”
Truett sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fine. But if she’s at that office, she’s vulnerable. We’ll keep a rotation on the perimeter of both ranches, and I want you staying close to her, Carson. If she won’t talk to us, maybe she’ll eventually talk to you.”
“She will,” I say, though I’m not sure if I’m convincing them or myself.
They eventually leave, heading back to the business of the ranch, but the air still feels heavy. I stand there for a moment, staring at the horizon. I told them the truth. I don’t know anything.
But as I head toward the stables to vent some of this restless energy into work, my mind is already racing. I think about the way Lennon looked at her phone this morning, the way she mentioned Shawn, and the secrets that seem to be running through her head.
I’m a Nelson. We don’t just wait for the storm to hit. We find out the exact time, and we prepare for it. Lennon might think she’s independent, and she might think she can keep me at arm’s length to protect me or whatever noble bullshit she’s fed herself. But she’s wrong.
I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I’m going to find out what case they’re working on, and I’m going to find out who thinks they can take a shot at what’s mine and live to tell the tale.
Because whether Lennon likes it or not, she’s under my protection.
And God help the man who tries to get to her.