Page 26 of Truth is the Ultimate Weapon

“That’s when I lost it. It was clear he was up to no good and betting on the fact that I was older, retired, and hoping that meant easily influenced. I called him out and asked him what kind of scam he was running.” Glen huffed, visibly frazzled as he recounted the harrowing encounter. “I’m sorry, darlin’, I know better. I guess I’ve been away from the job too long and out of practice. I was doing just fine until he… mentioned you.”

Kenzie reached out for her uncle's hand, gently clasping it in her own as she gazed at him with a mixture of concern and affection. “It’s okay. I understand.”

“I told him I was calling you to get to the bottom of it, and that’s when…” Glen paused, verbalizing the moment as he inadvertently instilled a sense of fear as the reality of it all finally seemed to hit him, “He pulled his weapon and fired on me.”

“Did you fire back?” Coy asked.

“Of course I did, but I was a little slow on the draw. Another sign I’ve been out of the game too long. I don’t even know if I hit him –– he took off. I went after him, and that’s when I realized I’d been hit –– I felt my shoulder pretty good at that point and got a little dizzy. I might have… passed out for a minute.”

“Sir, we really need to get you to the hospital.” The EMT mentioned as he began to repack the wound.

“Hang on, young man, this is an active investigation. It’s just a shoulder. I ain’t dying.” Glen argued.

"With all due respect, you're bleeding out," the EMT remarked as he tended to the wound. "I've already had to change the temporary bandage once, and you're looking a little pale, which could be from shock or blood loss. Not to mention the bead of sweat collecting above your brow and lip –– not a good sign."

“He’s right, Uncle Glen,” Kenzie said. “You go. We’ll take care of it from here.”

“Agreed.” Coy reached out to shake Glen’s hand. “You think of anything else, and you can call us.”

Kenzie dropped a sweet kiss on her Uncle’s cheek, “I’ll come check on you in a little bit. Be good, and let them help you when you get there.”

Glen nodded, consenting to the EMTs' assistance as they helped him onto the gurney. They carefully secured him in place, ensuring his safety for the trip to the hospital, before wheeling him off. Kenzie watched with a heavy heart, her concern evident in the furrow of her brow and the tightness of her grip on Coy's hand. As the EMTs wheeled Glen away, Coy wrapped his arm around Kenzie's shoulders, pulling her into a comforting embrace. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head, silently offering reassurance as they watched Glen disappear from view, their thoughts consumed by worry and hope for his well-being.

“He’s going to be okay,” Coy reassured.

“I know. It’s just hard to see, you know? He’s the only family I have left, and he was doing this for us.” Kenzie said. “I just feel… bad. Mostly because he seemed so old and vulnerable. Steele clearly saw it too if he was trying to hustle him into a deal.”

“We’ll get Steele,” Coy said, pulling out his phone. “I’m getting help on that.”

“You bringing in a team?”

“No. I don’t need to.” Coy grinned. “I’ll just have the office upload Steele’s picture to our system, and it’ll watch for him.”

“Watch for him?”

“Yeah. It uses facial recognition and a wide range of supporting security measures –– cameras. For example, if he goes to the airport, which is covered in security cameras, our software will pick him up. Same with CCTV going down a freeway. It runs at an insane speed and we’ll know where he is within minutes and have eyes on him shortly after.”

“That’s pretty amazing.”

“It’s been used to track fugitives for a long time. If he’s on the run, we’ll find him.”

Coy swiped through his phone, his brow furrowing in concentration before he tucked it away. Suddenly, a message caught his eye that he must’ve missed in the chaos surrounding Glen, and he quickly read it.

“We need to get to the ranch ––they found something.”

12

“I’m not your brother,” Nash stated matter-of-factly, his tone devoid of any emotion as Coy and Kenzie walked through the door of the ranch house.

“Of course you are.” Coy turned to Devyn, who shook her head in disbelief, and then to Rip, who simply shrugged, their reactions mirroring his own confusion, “What are you talking about, Nash.”

“It says right there in that journal.” Nash went on, emotion creeping in, “Mama lost the baby she was carrying. Because of Tommy and what happened.”

Coy shook his head with confusion, “What am I missing? If she lost the pregnancy, how…”

Nash marched off abruptly before Coy could finish his thought, his expression betraying a mix of shock and disbelief at whatever discovery Coy and Kenzie had just walked in on. Clearly overwhelmed, Nash's hurried departure spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation they now found themselves in.

Devyn held up a leather-bound notebook, “Mama’s journal. It’s hard to piece together –– looks like water somehow damaged it, and pages are missing –– but she talks about the loss of the baby. That she didn’t know if they’d survive all the loss.”

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