Page 89 of Colton’s Inferno

“I did.”

Ted shoved the gearshift into Park and opened the door. He started running toward the woods. Aiden unfastened his seat belt and ran after Ted. The trees closed in on them from all sides.

Ted slowed his run to a walk. Breathing heavy, he said, “I swear I saw something.”

To their left, a twig snapped. Aiden spun in time to see Stu Whittier walking toward them.

“Stop right there,” said Ted, his voice shaking.

“What are you doing here, Aiden?” Stu asked, still walking toward them.

Without deciding, he pulled out the gun. Aiming the barrel at Stu’s chest, he said, “You were told. Stop where you are.”

Stu stumbled and lifted his hands.

“A gun?” said Ted. “Where’d you get a gun?”

Aiden ignored the question. “Keep your hands up, Stu. We’re going to walk slowly back to Frisky’s. Callum’s going to meet us there, and then, you can have a nice chat with the sheriff.”

“Is this a joke?” asked Stu.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” He twitched the gun toward the bar.

Stu kept his hands in the air and started to walk.

Aiden kept Stu in his sights. It was harder than he expected. He also had to watch out for fallen logs that blocked the path. Or tangled roots that reached out of the ground. Ted was right behind Aiden. The woods thinned. Through a gap between two trees, he could see the back of Frisky’s. Ted’s car, with the engine still running, was parked next to the dumpster.

Honestly, he didn’t know what happened next. Did Ted trip first and push Aiden over? Or did Aiden trip on a limb and his stumble caused Ted to fall? In the end, it didn’t matter. Aiden went down, landing hard on his knees. Ted fell on top of him. The gun hit the ground. A shot rang out. Stu sprinted toward Ted’s car.

Aiden got to his feet. He picked up the gun and started to run. But it was too late. Stu slid behind the steering wheel and punched the accelerator. The tires squealed as the car shot forward. The door slammed and a cloud of smoke rose from the asphalt.

Ted limped out of the woods.

“Dammit.” Aiden shoved the gun into the waistband of his jeans. The car was a speck on the horizon.

“I didn’t know you had a gun with you,” said Ted.

“Callum gave it to me this morning.”

“Jesus, you should have told me. Someone might’ve gotten hurt.”

Aiden hadn’t taken Ted for being anti-gun. But it didn’t matter if he was. “Stu escaped. Again,” he said, biting back his frustration. “I think that’s all that matters.”

Ted waved away his comment. “My car has GPS tracking. It won’t be hard to find him.”

Was it really going to be that easy? Aiden didn’t think so, and yet he said, “I hope that you’re right.”

Tuesday, September 13

6:39 p.m.

Lucy was back at Aiden’s apartment. Stu’s involvement in the fire at the Five Steers Ranch, along with the story of his escape, was all over the media. Ted’s stolen car had been found a hundred miles away. One of Ted’s credit cards had been maxed out to buy a used pickup truck.

The theory was that Stu was lucky to have evaded capture. He wouldn’t come back to Red Grove.

Aiden dropped onto the sofa beside her. “How are you holding up?”

She shrugged. “It’s hard to believe everything that happened today. I applied to college. Sold the ranch. Discovered who tried to kill me.”