Page 74 of Branded Betrayal

“It was Colt on the phone.”

My eyes widen.

Actual words. That was unexpected.

He stares straight ahead, his lips twisting. “Said Wyatt had an accident.”

“My God,” I mutter. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yep. Me too.” He fists the wheel and stomps on the gas, picking up speed as the winds howl around us.

He doesn’t say anything more the rest of the way to the hospital, not that I have much to offer by way of comfort. My mind trips back to my last conversation with Wyatt before he drove me home after our liquid lunch at Dolly’s, how he mentioned a big blowout with Blaze.

Maybe Blaze is remembering that, too, wondering if he’ll get a chance to make things right.

When we get to the hospital, he parks up near the emergency room entrance. We run toward the redbrick building and push through the glass doors. Colt jumps out of his seat when he sees us. Harlon sits in a chair next to him, his curious eyes flicking toward me.

“What happened?” Blaze says in a low voice.

Colt shakes his head. “It was a fucking mess. Bull threw him hard, then went after him when he was down. Trampled his chest and side. His spleen ruptured, and he has a couple of broken ribs. One punctured his lung. He was bleeding internally. They had to take him straight into surgery.”

“Fuck,” Blaze mutters, pounding a fist into the wall next to him.

Colt nods at me. “You here for moral support?”

“I was at the house when he got the call. I’d brought some dessert over for you guys. He was pretty shaken, and I didn’t think it was a good idea for him to drive by himself.” The words tumble quickly out of my mouth. Totally plausible, until I see Harlon’s eyes narrow.

Colt also doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t press. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” I say, feeling every bit like an intruder. Nash was Blaze’s best friend forever, and our families were close, but Colt never really warmed to me. He was always kind of a prick, and I’d only talk to him when I absolutely had to. I knew there was never any love lost between him and Blaze and that he was always trying to claw his way to the top of his family’s food chain. Anyone in his way was a problem, and anyone who couldn’t help him get there wasn’t worth his time.

I guess I fell into the latter category.

But looking at him now, he doesn’t seem like that dickhead guy anymore. He seems . . . almost lost. Maybe a little guilty.

Maybe he finally realizes there’s more to life than money and power. I’d imagine family trauma could open your eyes to that.

“What else do you know about the accident? Did anyone see anything?” Blaze asks.

Colt furrows his brow. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Just shit luck. The bull was overly aggressive from what they said. Came at Wyatt real hard. Coulda happened to anyone.”

“But it happened to our brother.” Blaze paces in front of a row of chairs, then turns to look at his father. No words are spoken, but there’s something accusatory in Blaze’s stony glare.

“You got something to say, son?” Harlon finally asks.

“I’ve got a lot to say.” Blaze seethes. “But I don’t think this is the right time or place.”

“If you’ve got something to say to Dad, you can say it to me too. I am his second-in-command, remember?” Colt says, pushing between Blaze and Harlon.

The heat of Blaze’s rage scorches me where I stand against a nearby column.

“You made choices, Blaze.” Colt faces off with Blaze, his voice shaking with anger. “You decided that fighting for your country was more important than fighting for your family. We made choices too. Dad decided that he wanted me to run shit because I’m loyal and because he knew he could always count on me.”

“Then why are you so threatened by me?” Blaze looks down at Colt, who’s a couple of inches shorter than him. “Why do you need to tell me you’re in charge every time you get the chance? You think I want your life? You think I want to live in that ignorant fucking bubble?”

“Blaze,” Harlon bites out. “Enough.”

Blaze turns his head toward his father. “Oh, so now I need to stop getting involved. Now it’s enough. But it wasn’t enough before, when you relied on me to fix everything any way possible, right?” He shakes his head. “You’ve really got your priorities messed up this time, Dad.”