Page 33 of Stone Cold Sinner

“This is unbelievable,” Nash said under his breath, pacing the kitchen floor more vigorously.

“Consequence of the job, kid.” Coy defended. “It’s how we keep the family safe.”

“Until today.” He fired back.

Coy dropped his head, “Until today.”

Dillon had other plans, and it was to dig for information her extensive background check couldn’t provide. She focused on both Nash and Charlotte, “Are you two really that serious?”

In unison, both answered, “Yes.”

“Then, let’s stop tiptoeing around this thing and break her in while we’re at it. Survival of the fittest, if you will.” Dillon took a chair, plopped it next to where Charlotte was working, and took a seat. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Well, I suppose so. My patients confide in me a great deal, some with shocking details in their lives, and I’m not only obligated professionally to keep those secrets but also by means of my personal character and strict moral compass. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a vault.” Charlotte went on, in a sugary sweet voice and sappy drawl, “That said, do not feel obligated to say another word. Like I said, I’m happy to leave while you discuss your business if it’ll make y’all a bit more comfortable. Your Mama shared a great deal with me about all of you, and to be frank, I was expecting this. I realize I am outside the circle if you will.”

“Well, you just landed right in the center of the circle.” Dillon smiled with amusement, “Buckle up, buttercup. This is going to be a doozy.”

“This is beginning to feel like a bad sitcom on TV,” Devyn said. “Or, maybe dark comedy, given the content.”

“It’s neither. This is our life at the moment,” Coy pointed out, “And we’re going to work through it together, as a family…”

“Which includes Charlotte.” Nash interrupted.

“By the end of this, she’ll be more than family.” Dillon chuckled. “May as well be pledging a blood oath hanging around us.”

“Our goal is to keep everyone safe and get to the bottom of whatever it is going on in this town, on this ranch, and how we stop it.” Coy continued. “Everyone here is impacted in some way. We have to trust each other, lean on each other, and be able to count on each other. I didn’t come home to watch anyone else die. You hear me?”

Everyone nodded.

“Well, then…” Charlotte said with a raised brow and nonchalant tone while setting her supplies aside and sitting back in her chair, “I suppose it wasn’t one of you that shot this fella I’m workin’ on, and that’s quite the relief. Since I’m stuck here and, you’re forced to trust me, for the time being, until I can prove it to you otherwise. I have to ask… Can I trust all of you? Or am I going to be sewing up my own wounds at some point?”

“Wow. You’re forward.” Dillon laughed. “She’s been sitting here the whole time, cool as a cucumber, wondering if she’s safe? She’s good. I like her.”

“I always say, don’t worry unless there’s something to worry about.” Charlotte winked at Dillon. “I also say, never let them see you sweat.”

11

“Who are you people?” Charlotte said, plopping in a nearby chair, wearing a stunned look and with a potato peeler in hand.

“I know it’s a lot,” Nash said as if attempting to comfort her. “We’re… a lot.”

The family filled the kitchen, where they worked on prepping for a meal together as if their day hadn’t been full of chaos. The large accordion-like doors were opening the indoor area to the outdoor living space, where they were set up to barbecue, as planned. A cool breeze drifted through on an unusually cool day and set the mood for what was turning out to be an eventful, albeit dramatic, day.

“We’ve told you all that we can.” Coy said matter-of-factly, “Our jobs require a certain amount of… anonymity and discretion, and it’s for your safety as much as ours.”

“We don’t even know, entirely, what they do.” Devyn said, “Just that it takes them all over the world, it’s dangerous, we worry all the time, and we don’t get to see them all that often.”

Coy whipped his head Devyn’s direction, surprised by his little sister’s words. They pained him, made clear by the lines etched in his expression. But… her words were true. Beyond military service, their family knew little about their occupations other than they were no longer active duty and were serving in the private sector as civilians, even if their duties seemed to far exceed the standard private sector jobs most people were aware of. They were elite operatives working for the most powerful private security firm in the world but couldn’t share that with their family. The work they did was dangerous, and one could argue that their work was among the most dangerous. For that reason, and the clients they served, it wasn’t safe to share details of their work with anyone. In Coy’s case, the point was proven by the murder of his wife.

“It’s not that we don’t want to be here more…” Coy didn’t know how to finish his thought truthfully. If he was being honest, there weren’t any words to do so. It didn’t matter how much more they’d like to be with their family, it simply wasn’t possible –– at least from his point of view. Family ties, mixed with work, already cost him his wife.

“We know. We’ve heard it since you and Dillon ventured off and started your military careers.” Cut said. “We’ve gotten used to it.”

The disappointment in Cut’s tone had Coy and Dillon locked in each other's stares, as if each was willing the other to say something to ease the tension their career paths as operatives bestowed on their family. Neither said a word. There was nothing to say that would change how any of them felt. Not without putting everyone in that room in imminent danger. The torment that twisted Coy’s gut as he glanced away from Dillon only intensified as he met Kenzie’s gaze. Like Dillon, Kenzie would likely understand all too well the feeling.

“Cut, their silence and distance is what’s protected you all this time,” Kenzie added. “What they do isn’t just dangerous for them, but to those closest to them.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Nash said while seated at the oversized farmhouse table where food prep for a massive feast was underway. “What happened today doesn’t happen here. Not for the rest of us, anyway. Though I’m sure, it’s nothing new for Dill and Coy. Something went wrong somewhere, and we don’t know what, why, or who. That’s why you can’t leave here, not until they get to the bottom of it all and know it’s safe. I understand why your work keeps you so far away if today was any indication.”

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