Page 14 of Truth is the Ultimate Weapon

“Maybe. It is certainly starting to look personal to me, but still a mystery at this point.” Rip volunteered.

Devyn snorted and sarcastically said, “A long-growing list of mysteries. It’s like a bad movie at this point. And to think, just a handful of weeks ago, this place was boring as hell.”

“Then we all came home, and all hell broke loose.” Coy shook his head, a defeated expression clouding his features.

“Why is that? Maybe you’re on to something, big brother, and there’s a clue in there. Coming home… hmm. Let’s think about that, shall we? In the meantime, we are going to fire up the grill and get lunch ready for Cut and Nora.”

As they all rose to head to the kitchen, they encountered Nash rushing in, clearly out of breath.

“There you are.” He panted. “We got to go. It’s bad…”

Coy grabbed his arm, “What? What’s bad, Nash? What happened?”

“Cut and Nora. There’s been an accident.” Nash’s eyes filled with emotion.

Kenzie's phone pinged once more, and she swiftly read the message, hoping it contained information about the accident.

“Oh God.” Her voice quaked, “The coroner’s been called to the scene. There’s… a casualty.”

5

“You’re still here,” Cut said when he entered the hospital waiting room.

Coy and Kenzie rose, and each met him with an embrace.

“It was getting late. I sent everyone home and promised to call with updates as soon as we had them. How are you, brother?” Coy looked his brother over, noting the blood stains on his dirty, torn clothing and bandages on his battered and bruised face.

“I’m fine. Just banged up pretty good and sore. Bruised ribs are the worst of it. The rest you can see for yourself,” Cut gestured towards his injured face as he spoke.

“And Nora?” Kenzie asked.

Cut shook his head, “She’s still in a coma. Baby’s good, though, in the NICU since it’s a few weeks too soon. Doc is pretty optimistic, though. Said we have a big healthy baby and doesn’t think we’ll be here long. Just need Nora to wake up. Did you hear?”

“About Ran’s agent that was with you?” Coy asked, and Cut nodded. “Doc told us he was the one who didn’t make it. I’m really sorry you and Nora had to go through that.”

“She didn’t know. Nora… she, uh…” Cut couldn't contain the emotion any longer, and a sob escaped him.

“It’s alright, man.” Coy landed a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You don’t have to talk about it unless you want to.”

“I think I… uh… need to. I ain’t never seen anything like that before, Coy. I’ve never seen a dead man like that. I watched him die right before my eyes. And when I looked at Nora to shield her from it… I thought… Oh, Jesus… She seemed lifeless, frail, slumped over. I thought she was dead, too.”

Coy pulled his brother into an embrace and gave him his shoulder to cry on. He could imagine what Cut was going through, not knowing if his wife was dead or alive. He’d been there. Coy remembered that feeling of finally finding his own wife. Seeing her lie there, not knowing if she was simply asleep or she was no longer with him. He was damn grateful his brother didn’t meet the same fate he had because that was the kind of pain that haunts you in a way that can’t even be put into words. It was a pain that reinvented itself and reared its torturous head anytime death and despair were looming.

What Coy couldn’t imagine was what it must feel like to know your wife is alive, but without any promises –– he never got that chance. Nora’s health was touch and go. There was no telling when she’d wake up, if ever. And to compound the agony, the fragility of a long-awaited child's life hung in the balance too –– Coy never got to that chance with his unborn child either. Witnessing Cutler Stone, the bravest and strongest man Coy knew, reduced to a shattered heart and tormented soul haunted by visions of death and chaos was nearly Coy’s undoing.

“It’s going to be okay, man. I promise you that. Nora is strong and too stubborn to succumb to this. You watch. She'll be awake and pissed someone got in the way of her seeing that baby be born. God help the doctors and nurses when they don’t wheel her right in with that baby, too.” Coy chuckled. “In fact, I don’t want to be here for that.”

Cut chuckled while wiping away his tears, “You’re not wrong about that. She’s a force, that’s for sure. You’re right. She’s going to be pissed.”

“So, what happened? A deputy said you lost control and ended up in a ditch?” Kenzie asked, like she was trying to understand the circumstances from Cut’s perspective.

“What? That’s not what happened at all.” Cut’s tone changed to one of concern and frustration, “We were hit, from the side… uh… t-boned and hard. Surely, you can tell by looking at my vehicle. If I merely ran into a ditch, how could both sides be damaged like it is? In reality, the side that wasn't in the ditch is in much worse condition.”

“Did you see who it was? There wasn’t another vehicle on scene when first responders arrived.” Kenzie's revelation only added another layer of complexity to the mystery surrounding the events.

“I didn’t. They came out of nowhere and fast. It was only seconds before impact that I finally saw them. I didn’t even have enough time to brace myself or warn Nora and the agent.”

“There are only a few small dirt service roads along that stretch of road.” Coy shared. “They don’t handle regular traffic. Why would anyone be coming off that road other than a government or utility vehicle.”

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