Page 121 of Legacy of Danger
"I'll be along in a few minutes," she mumbled.
With no energy left to crack the enigma that was Ruth, Vaughn turned and headed to the living room.
Shelby sat in the recliner, her feet up. An elastic bandage wound over her lower leg and around the metal posts that joined a vertical rod holding her fractured leg together. God, what she'd gone through. If only he'd gotten there sooner.
Eric hovered next to the chair, arms crossed over his chest like some oversized bouncer.
Garrison sat on the couch next to Sara. When she made a move to get up, he asked her to stay. Guess she was part of the family now. Whatever spat those two had was long forgotten, given the sappy expressions they shot each other.
And then there was Kerr, perched in the reading chair, back straight, staring into space like his nightmares danced right in front of him.
Vaughn tucked himself next to the other end of the fireplace mantel and settled in for an unpleasant evening.
"Thought we weren't supposed to be in the same place at the same time?" Vaughn muttered.
Shelby nodded. "We're leaving as soon as our family conference is done."
Garrison raised his hand. "Here's the deal."
Way to command the stage.
His brother rubbed his jaw. "We have crazy neighbors who are clearly becoming more unstable. Hank Brand tried to kill members of our family, and has since gone missing. No one has any leads where he went." His jaw muscle jumped until Sara twined her fingers with his. "Wyatt Brand then stepped up to fill the shoes Hank left behind. And creepy cousin Linc who, from Vaughn's description, is as nutty as the rest of them, dangerous, and a loose cannon to boot, may be part of the mix."
"And what about that creature out there?" Vaughn asked.
"That, too. What's worked against that thing thus far?" Garrison asked.
"We're having a meeting about how to beat it, so obviously nothing has worked yet." Vaughn's nerves prickled. His power reached out beyond the ranch, searching. Like it wanted to draw his attention. Not this time. He'd had enough of his damned power altering his brain waves.
"Garrison and I yelled at it and it went away," Shelby offered. "Then when it tried to kill Eric, I somehow turned my ability into a heat shield and held it off."
"But you almost died," Eric growled.
Vaughn rubbed a palm against his chin. "Garrison shot it. And I pushed that thing away when my power shifted. Not sure if I have another gear, but I'm willing to try." Vaughn flinched like he'd been slapped by an invisible hand. "Damn it."
"What?" Kerr asked.
"No idea. Weird," he said, rubbing his cheek. "Must be because I'm tired." He rolled his neck, an ache in his head increasing.
"So what, then? We have a black blob that wants to kill us." Garrison shook his head. "Anywhere else, that would be ridiculous, but in our world, when added to the neighbors who are sabotaging us, that thing really becomes the cherry on top of a shit sundae." He put his arm around Sara, tucking her in closer to him.
"Shouldn't we focus on the neighbors?" Kerr asked.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Garrison snapped. "A certain neighbor, maybe?"
Kerr flushed red, then lifted his hands. "Bro. Easy, there. Throwing stones in glass houses and crap like that."
"Come on, guys, back off." Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose while Eric glowered at all of them. "My filter is still not 100 percent. I can't stop all the emotions smacking into me."
"Sorry," they mumbled.
"Son of a bitch," Garrison cursed. "So what do we do with that fire-breathing cloud monster that wants to destroy all of us?"
Silence.
"You either stand together and take the risk of failure or success. Or try to survive, but remain apart." Ruth stood at the doorway to the living room. Her face appeared sculpted from stone. Odie hovered behind her shoulder.
"Speak clearly," Garrison snapped.
