Vernon patted the barrel of his rifle. “I fired a warning shot, and them boys ran like chickens in a thunderstorm.”
“You see which way they rode off?” Uncle Ted asked.
“They headed out toward the north pasture of the Gonzales’ place, but there weren’t any engines or horses. They were running.”
That made sense only if they knew where Momma’s house was. Which meant it made no sense. You couldn’t see Momma’s house from the road. It wasn’t the kind of place you just ran up on.
The direction they took, however, was eerily on point. It was the shortest way to the main road, but there wasn’t so much as a rabbit trail across those fields to lead the way. Something didn’t work here, goddamn it, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. If they were after Zach, why not hit the main house?
“What are you thinking, boy?” Uncle Ted’s voice broke the silence. “You’re only quiet when you’re deep in thought.”
The sheriff asking for his opinion scared Colton. He only asked when he wasn’t sure what he thought. “The same thing as you, I bet. Something doesn’t add up. They’d have needed a drone to find the house, but even if they used one, why there? I suppose they could’ve realized the main house was too protected and wanted a hostage, but feels a bit too sophisticated for that lot.”
He left out wondering how poor Zach had gotten trapped in this web of utter bullshit.
“Agreed.”
For once, the sheriff agreeing with his answer didn’t give Colton a sense of pride. Then Momma’s house loomed closer and he mentally shifted gears. Why wasn’t as important as figuring how to find these asshats and lock them up.
Ted had some of the ranch hands bring horses, and they tracked the flight path to the Gonzales’ spread. His uncle had called Old Man G, who met them at the property line with his two sons and his daughter. Two hours of searching didn’t turn up a single useful clue. For being on foot, those boys moved like gazelles. They’d had at most a forty-minute head start, but they’d made it to the road on the other side of the Gonzales’ land.
“Let’s ask if anyone saw the car or where it went,” Uncle Ted said with a frown. “I doubt we’ll find anyone, but it’s worth checking.”
It was almost certain that no one noticed the car, and even less likely they saw where it went. He didn’t voice that negative attitude because his uncle was being thorough. “I’ll get on it first thing tomorrow morning.”
Ted pulled his horse to Colton’s side and leaned in closer. “No. I need to protect Zach. Is that house of yours livable?”
“Mostly.” Colton said. He could see the wheels turning but didn’t know what his uncle was thinking. “Plumbing and septic are in, the roof is on, and the power’s connected. Why?”
“Tomorrow I want you to get Zach, pack up whatever you need, and go stay there for the next day or two.” Ted said. “It’s out of the way and looks like it’s not finished, so no one should look for you there. Jesus and his men will watch the road, and I’ll get a few auxiliary deputies to come watch your Momma’s house tonight.”
For his uncle to do all that, he wasn’t taking chances. “Do you really think they’ll come back at night?”
“No,” he said like he meant it. “But I also didn’t expect they’d find Sue Ellen’s house either.”
Neither had Colton. He forced himself not to go where his little head was pushing him. “I’ll get started on packing what we need when we get back.”
“Hopefully, we’ll round up them boys soon.” His uncle shook his head. “I may call in the Highway Patrol if we don’t find them tomorrow. They love being asked to do more than hand out tickets. We’ll also need to come up with a more permanent housing situation.”
Any solution that required Zach to leave wasn’t high on his list, but if it kept him safe, Colton would be all over it. His mind ticked off everything they’d need to stay there.
“I don’t have much there. We’ll need a few air mattresses, and some folding chairs so we don’t have to sit on the floor, and some lights. A few of the fixtures are in, but not enough, so we’ll need candles or torch lamps. Not sure if we need paper plates and plastic cups—there’s no place to cook yet.”
Colton would have kept going, but the sheriff raised his hand. “I get it. That’s why I said pack up and be ready to leave in the morning.”
He’d be prattling on, typical for when he was nervous. God love his uncle for not calling him out about what they could do together alone. “Copy. It’ll be comfortable enough for us, and we’ll just lie low a bit.”
Colton wouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth, but it wasn’t what he meant when he said he wanted alone time with Zach. He’d wanted to show Zach his space, bring him on the land that belonged to him, point out the line of trees he’d planted to frame the driveway, and parade him around the house that he’d built.
His roots were deep here, and he needed to share that with Zach—from the stones that covered the house, to the tiled shower with the seat, to the wraparound porch that would one day have two rocking chairs, a dog, and a beer cooler.
Armed with a plan, there wasn’t any reason to beat it to death. He’d get Zach out, and Ted would get on the horn withthe DCI and Highway Patrol. He nudged his horse into a trot and wrapped his mind around what came next.
His job was to keep his Zach safe.
He could do that. He had to. They had some courting to do. The kind Zach suggested. And maybe, just maybe, it would be enough for Zach to want to stay.
First, they had to catch a few killers.
