Outside, the street has cleared, people taking cover in nearby stores or behind parked cars. Someone must have called in the situation because I can hear sirens in the distance. But will they arrive in time? And who will respond if not Noah and his deputies?
“Hear that?” I say, nodding toward the sound. “That’s backup coming. The sheriff, probably. You still have time to end this peacefully.”
Noah’s grip tightens again, the barrel of the gun pressing painfully into my side. “Shut. Up.”
I fall silent, catching Carson’s eye across the small space between us. There’s a silent communication there, a promise that we’ll get through this, that we’ll find a way out. I hold on to that promise as the minutes tick by, as the sirens draw closer, and as we wait for whatever comes next.
Because one thing is certain. Devlin is coming, and when he arrives, everything will change.
TWENTY-FOUR
DEVLIN
The call comesas I’m heading to pick up Atlee from work. Jesse’s voice on the phone is tight, controlled, and trying not to let panic take over.
“Noah’s got Carson and Atlee at the pharmacy. He’s armed.”
Everything inside me goes cold, a familiar stillness settling over me like a second skin. It’s the same feeling I had in combat, with time slowing down, senses sharpening, all emotion receding behind a wall that I had to keep closed off to everything.
“How do you know?” I ask, pressing the gas pedal down harder.
“Some kid was livestreaming it. Noah’s calling you out. He wants you and the rest of us to show up. He looks unhinged, Devlin. He’s got a gun on both of them.”
I press harder, the engine roaring in protest. “Where are you now?”
“About ten minutes out. Truett’s with me.”
“Don’t come in guns blazing,” I instruct, falling back into the role of commander without thinking. “Noah is unstable. He sees all of us charging in, he might do something stupid.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I go in alone,” I say, the decision already made. “Talk him down if I can.”
“And if you can’t?” he questions, voice terrified.
I don’t answer that. We both know what happens if I can’t talk him down.
“I’ll be there in five,” I tell Jesse instead. “Call the sheriff. Make sure he knows it’s one of his deputies in there.”
I end the call before he can argue, focusing on the road ahead. My mind is already running through scenarios, tactics, and contingency plans. The skills I honed in special ops come back like muscle memory.
By the time I reach town, the main street has been cordoned off. Sheriff’s deputies, the ones not loyal to Noah, have established a perimeter around Murphy’s General Store. An ambulance idles nearby, paramedics standing ready. A small crowd has gathered behind the barricades, faces tense with concern.
I spot Sheriff Taylor himself coordinating the response, his weathered face grim as he speaks into a radio. When he sees me, he waves me over.
“Nelson,” he greets me tersely. “Figured you’d show up.”
“What’s the situation?” I ask, scanning the storefront. From this angle, I can’t see inside the pharmacy section, but I know the layout by heart.
“Sanchez has your girl and Carson hostage in the pharmacy. He’s made it clear he wants you and the rest of your brothers to come in. Says he’ll shoot them both if you don’t show.”
“I’m going in,” I state, not a question.
Taylor studies me, weighing his options. “You have military training, right? Special ops?”
I nod.
“Thought so.” He gestures to one of his deputies. “Get Mr. Nelson a vest.”
