They Fuck’d Around& Found Out . . .
The crackle of the rifle sounded through the night. I didn’t have to wonder where or who it came from. It came from the east watchtower. There was only one person in this family who was sniper trained.
“One, left, neutralized near Pops. Vince, contact right, forty meters. Vic, left, twenty meters,” Minnow called out.
With my trained eye in my NVD, I saw a raised gun. There was no thought.Headshot!Screams were followed by instructions to get the fuck out of there.
“Hostile retreating. Hold all fire,” Minnow called over the radio. “They’ve moved past the property line.”
I pressed my PPT. “Vince, call Sheriff Crawford. Pop and I will assess. Minnow, break down rifle and place on kitchen island then head our way. Over.”
Vince led with his copy, then my Pop, then my baby. I moved first to the hostile that I laid down to remove the mask. When I did, my eyes closed tight. “Muthafucka!”
“Pops, who is it?” I asked over the radio. “Take the mask off.”
There was silence for a moment. “It’s Beverly’s stupid ass boy. That dumb fuck that Min froze up at the movies. Now why the hell would he come on here and do this? I think I hit one of them in the leg too. Who you got over there?”
“Looks like Conner’s boy was in on the bullshit. Fuck.” I was pissed. This shit was senseless.
I heard the engine of Min’s truck as well as the sirens in the air. I turned to watch her climb out. She rushed over to me. I opened my arms to receive her.
“Baby, are you alright? Oh my God.” She hugged me tight around my neck.
“I’m fine, love.” I pulled back from her and cupped her face. “Baby, are you okay?” After she told me that she was, I kissed her lips. “Good shot, Winters.”
She nodded her head. “Doing what I’m supposed to do, Dawson. Protecting my family.”
Moments later, Vince’s truck came down the road with the sheriff and deputy’s cars behind him. Vince and the Deputy didn’t get out. They continued on to our Pop’s location.
“What the fuck happened out here, Dawson?” Sheriff Crawford asked. He walked over to the dead boy on the ground. He looked at his face, then his head snapped back at me. “What the hell!”
I shook my head. “I don’t need to tell you anything. You know our land is fully covered with cameras. I’m sure you see the gun next to his ass.”
He pulled his hat off and wiped his hand from the back of his head down his face. “Why the fuck would Conner’s boy come here like this?”
“Beverly’s boy put a battery in his back. He’s out in the other pasture laid out too. They took out some of my livestock,” I told him. That shit had me pissed.
Sheriff Crawford’s eyes almost fell out of their socket. “Beverly’s boy! Let me get this under control.” He went to his car to radio in whatever he needed.
I wasn’t worried about getting arrested. Georgia had a stand your ground law. My dead livestock and the weapons near the boys were enough to prove that we did what we had to. Min and I headed back to the house when the coroner arrived.
Confusion filled me when I got to my house and saw the ambulance loading my father up. My brother was helping our mother in the ambulance. “What the fuck? What happened?”
My mother had a tear drenched face. “He had a heart attack. I’m gonna beat Beverly’s ass. Trust that shit.”
Min rubbed my back. “We’re on our way, Mama. We’re coming!”
The sheriff came to the front just as the ambulance left. I raised my hand. “Look, I can email you all the video feeds now. I don’t have time to stay here. My father had a heart attack. Minnow’s rifle is on the kitchen island. There are cameras all up and through my homes, so if you and ya boys get funny, I’ll know.”
He shook his head. “The coroner took the body, and the crime scene techs are on the scene. We can handle everything else when you get home. Go see about your dad.”
In small towns, things were done a little bit differently sometimes. I wouldn’t say it was outside of the law, but the law was bent as much as it could be without breaking. Within tenminutes, we were on our way to the hospital, which was a town over.
It was at times like this that I thanked God that our property was right on the county line. That made the trip from our farm to the hospital less than twenty minutes. When you do over one hundred the entire way there, you can get there in just over ten. My brother left right behind the ambulance.
When Min and I walked into the emergency room, my mama and brother were sitting there. “What’s going on? What are they saying?” My brother stood. “The doctor hasn’t come out yet. We’re just waiting. They stabilized him in the ambulance.”
I chuckled when I saw the county sheriff and a few of his deputies come through the door. I knew him from the Vet PTSD support group. This county was bigger thanPlasters, but not by much.
