Page 68 of Not This Soon

Sarah’s eyes narrowed.

“Tell me thetruth!”

Aunt Sarah sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "Your parents... They were thieves, Rachel. They got involved with the wrong people, and it cost them their lives."

“Were you one of thosewrongpeople?”

Rachel’s sharp eyes caught a subtle shift in Aunt Sarah's expression. The flicker of relief, the way her eyes darted to the side, the tension in her jaw easing ever so slightly.

Stalling. For a reason.

The trail left for a reason.

Just then, the door to the shack burst open, the sudden intrusion startling them both. Sheriff Dawes stood in the doorway, his gun drawn and pointed directly at Rachel. "Drop the weapon, Ranger," he ordered, his voice cold and authoritative.

Rachel's mind raced, adrenaline surging through her veins. Dawes' presence confirmed her suspicions – this was a setup from the start.

She kept her gun trained on Aunt Sarah, her eyes flicking between her and the sheriff. The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with the weight of unspoken secrets and betrayals.

"I said drop it," Dawes repeated, taking a step closer. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Rachel's jaw clenched, her resolve hardening. She'd come too far to back down now.

Aunt Sarah's expression was unreadable, a mix of regret and resignation. "Please, Rachel," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Just do as he says."

But Rachel knew better than to trust her aunt's words. Not anymore. She'd been fooled once, and she wouldn't let it happen again.

She suddenly moved, fast. Going low and whirling around.

In a flash, gunshots erupted, shattering the tense silence. Rachel and Dawes fired simultaneously, their bullets whizzing past each other in a deadly crossfire. The confined space of the shack amplified the deafening blasts, the acrid smell of gunpowder filling the air.

Rachel's shot splintered the wooden wall behind Dawes, while his bullet embedded itself in the doorframe mere inches from her head. Splinters rained down on her, but she didn't flinch, her focus unwavering.

Seizing the moment of chaos, Aunt Sarah lunged at Rachel, her arms outstretched, desperate to overpower her. But Rachel's instincts kicked in, her training taking over. She sidestepped the tackle, using her aunt's momentum against her.

She flung her towards Dawes.

Dawes had been aiming for another shot.

He fired just as Sarah slammed into him.

Rachel’s aunt released a shout of pain. Blood blossomed across her shirt, a sudden stark contrast against the faded fabric. Dawes stumbled back, his aim thrown off by the collision.

With a fluid movement, Rachel redirected her aim, her sights settling on Sheriff Dawes. His eyes widened as he realized his precarious position, his gun hand trembling.

Rachel fired.

Her bullet ripped through Dawes' shoulder, spinning him around and slamming him into the wall of the shack. He grunted in pain, his gun slipping from his fingers and clattering onto the wooden floor.

Aunt Sarah, dazed and bleeding, collapsed at Rachel's feet. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her hands clutched at her wound. Her eyes locked on Rachel’s with a pleading look.

Rachel lowered her gun, turning her attention to Aunt Sarah.

"Rachel," she wheezed out. "It was... a mistake. Your parents... They weren't supposed to die."

A wave of bitterness washed over Rachel. She knew that now. Her parents had been collateral damage in someone else's game. And Aunt Sarah had known all along.

Rachel gazed at her aunt one last time before stepping away and pulling out her radio to call for medical assistance.

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