Today, it hadn't helped much.
After lunch, Tucker found him near the maintenance shop and filled him in on what was happening. Shane had accepted that Shylo was his sister—a DNA test would confirm it—but another problem had taken its place. Her other half-brother had followed her to Kansas, demanded a part of whatever she inherited, and threatened the Wilsons when she refused.
Now, he stood with Shane, Tucker, Lane, Chief Hughes, and the ranch hands as they discussed the situation. Inside, Paige, Mya, the kids, and Shylo remained safely out of the heat—and more importantly, out of the middle of the discussion.
Lane tucked his notebook into a back pocket. “I stopped by the Moody Moon before coming out here. Nobody's seen him since this morning. I checked the bars in town and circled a few other places he might've gone. No sign of him or his pickup.”
“He'll turn up,” Chief Hughes said. “He came all this way for money—I doubt he’ll leave town without it.”
“I've already sent a description of him and his truck to the sheriff's department and the surrounding towns. I also let them know he might be armed,” Lane added. “An informal APB since he technically hasn’t committed a crime yet. If he heads into another jurisdiction, maybe someone will spot him.”
According to Shane, Shylo had seen Troy with a gun a few times, though he'd always tried to keep it out of sight. More often than not, he left it in his truck.
Tucker folded his arms across his chest. “I had to tell Paige what was going on.”
Shane looked at him with an expression that landed somewhere between amusement and resignation. “Let me guess. You marched into the house, told everybody they were staying inside, and figured Paige wouldn't ask why.”
“I might've left out a few details.”
“You?” Shane snorted. “About as subtle as a bull strolling down Main Street.”
A few chuckles rippled through the group, including one from Lane.
“She's your wife,” the deputy said. “You really thought she'd let that slide?”
Tucker scratched the back of his neck. “Not my finest plan.”
“No,” Shane agreed. “But probably your only one.”
The brief laughter faded as quickly as it had come.
Hughes glanced around the circle. “Until we locate Troy, nobody goes looking for him alone. If you see him, call Lane or me. If he forces the issue, defend yourselves. Otherwise, let us handle it.”
Heads nodded all around.
“I’ve got someone watching the motel, and I let Dean know in case he shows up at the bar,” Lane said.
The conversation shifted to who would cover which parts of the ranch over the next few days and what else they could do to keep everyone and the animals safe.
Seth barely heard any of it. Hell, if someone asked him what they had discussed over the last thirty minutes, he'd come up blank. His attention kept drifting to the back of the house. He couldn't see Shylo, but he knew she was in there with Paige, Mya, and the kids.
He wondered how she was doing. He'd spent half the morning convincing himself that he was done with her. Now, all he could think about was the fact that some bastard had threatened her and everyone at the Triple-R.
Lane's phone rang, cutting through the conversation. As everyone fell quiet, he glanced at the screen before answering. “Lane Myers.”
The brief lull allowed Jamie to step closer and nudge Seth's arm. “You okay?”
He dragged his gaze away from the house, crossed his arms, and gave a distracted nod. “Yeah.”
His friend looked unconvinced but let it go as Lane continued the call.
“Yeah, thanks for calling me back. We're looking for a guy named Troy Kellerman. Possibly armed. No charges yet, but he's made verbal threats toward a family here in Hazard. He's thirty-eight, about six-two, one-seventy, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a one-inch scar on his right cheek. Tattoos on both arms and the side of his neck. He's driving a 2021 black Dodge Ram 1500.” He rattled off the license plate, then listened for a moment to whoever was on the other end. “Great. Thanks again.”
He disconnected the call. “That was Olsen Creek P.D. They’ll keep an eye out for Troy too.”
Something tugged at the edge of Seth's muddled mind.
Then everything slammed into place.
