By the time they checked out the few things Mary picked out and the pile of things everyone insisted she absolutely needed now that she “had a man”, they were late. The guys were expecting them back in a few minutes, and they still had barbecue to pick up.

Riley rolled into Bubba’s parking lot on two tires, spun into an awkward park, and motored inside. Two minutes later, she was back and peeling out. The fit was snug with six women in the truck, but none of them minded much. The smell of barbecue and all the fixings filled the vehicle. They’d chugged along a few miles when Mary noticed how often Riley checked her mirrors.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“I—I think someone’s following us.”

“There’s only one road,” Addy replied.

“This loops around, and I know every vehicle of every rancher and their relatives in these parts. The red truck with the massive grill isn’t a regular and was in town. Across the street when we were shopping.”

“Fuck.” Addy’s curse filled the tense cab as she yanked out her phone.

“Yeah, we’ve got trouble incoming. A red Dodge truck is following us. Riley didn’t mention until now. Spotted in town while we shopped. Cameras mounted should pull the plate if you get Cord on it.” Addy’s voice stopped a few beats. “Right. On it.”

“What’s the plan?” Riley asked.

“Circle the loop. Give us the grand tour of the Resino farm and ranch land. Jesse and Dylan are coming from the old Burton cutout, wherever that is.”

“Okay that’s three miles around the loop. They’re herding whoever this is. Someone else is probably gonna head out of the main entry once we pass,” Riley said.

“Yep, that’s the plan.” Addy unholstered her weapon. “Bree, Rhea, you two crunch down and stay low. Vi can crunch into the passenger’s seat floor. That’ll leave most of the front for Mary to lie down.”

“Yep, that’s me. Just hanging out on the floor. The little one,” Vi commented sarcastically.

“The trucks are armored, or whatever that stuff is that makes bullets harder to penetrate. I remember Marshall saying so.” Riley looked over at Mary. “It’s okay. They aren’t getting you or anyone else.”

“Cord mentioned a weapons cache.”

“Yeah, behind the seat and under the passenger’s seat there are lock boxes. I don’t know the codes,” Riley said. “Probably my birthday.”

“Idiots,” Addy muttered. Mary and Vi pushed the seat back as far as they could, and together, they got the small compartment open.

Mary dragged out a couple of handguns and more bullets than a small supply store. And grenades. Who put grenades in a truck?

Badass commandos like her man. She chuckled and passed a few back to Addy. The woman assembled a rifle with a mean-looking scope.

“Yeah.”

“I’m locked and loaded. Let me know when I can start the party. Invitation’s ready,” she commented over the phone’s speaker.

“Roger. ETA two minutes. Tell Riley to slow the hell down,” Cord growled through the phone.

The truck slowed a bit. Mary passed a handgun to Vi, then placed one in Riley’s lap. She kept the other for herself even though she and guns weren’t fans.

“Why are they following us now? They’ve known where we are,” Bree said.

“Yeah, but we have Driggs now, and the timetables adjusted yet again. They know he’ll crack and spill whatever he knows like the cockroach he is,” Addy said. “The only reason we haven’t squished him yet is because he’s more fun to play with when he’s twitchy and pissing his own pants before we touch him.”

Ringing sounded on the truck’s overhead speakers. Riley clicked a button on the steering wheel. “Yeah.”

“Tell Mary to lie down on the seat.”

“It’s a little squished in here,” Riley defended as Mary maneuvered herself into a crouch in the seat. “We’re six people. Y’all should think about a bigger vehicle. Something kick ass though, not one of those ugly passenger vans.”

“Can we maybe table buying a new ride until after my woman isn’t being chased by someone?” Dylan asked sharply.

Mary’s heart leaped and fluttered. A couple chuckles from the backseat made her smile.

“What’s the plan?” Riley asked.

“We’re coming up on you fast from both directions. We’re cutting them off and securing whoever’s inside. When Jesse flashes his lights, swing the truck to the off shoulder. Hard and to the left, okay?”

“Check.”

“Jesus,” Dylan muttered. “It’ll all be over soon, sweetheart. Hang tight.”

“Well, yeesh. I didn’t even get a how are you doing? Are you okay with driving like a mad woman while we shove you off the road?” Riley smirked. “Big brother’s got it bad.”

Mary held her breath and peeked over the dashboard as Riley tensed and gripped the wheel tighter. Lights flashed up ahead. The truck spun, growling and groaning in protest as Riley punched the gas and headed straight across the highway, beyond the shoulder and into the bar ditch.

Everyone went forward as the vehicle slammed to a stop at an awkward angle, the front about forty-five degrees lower than the back.

Metal crunched metal to their side. Mary crawled to the passenger’s side window and peeked out as two black trucks slammed into the red Dodge. Gage, Fallon, and Marshall poured out of one vehicle while Jesse and Dylan had the other one covered.

Guns spewed bullets from the barely open windows of the red truck. The men rolled, maneuvering behind the doors and sides of their vehicles.

“Stay down,” Addy growled as she opened her door and slid out of the truck.

Mary held her breath and continued watching as her friend crawled to where the ditch became shoulder and aimed the rifle toward the red truck.

Dylan and the men drew their attention by returning fire. Addy double tapped the glass of the driver’s side, then the front windshield. Both shattered, and the men closed in, shouting and yelling as screams erupted from inside the vehicle.

Fallon and Gage dragged two men from the vehicle. Blood seeped from one’s shoulder while another held his head. Marshall lugged another man out, but the fact he had no forehead explained why he tumbled to the ground.

Bile rose in her throat, but she fought the nausea and watched as they secured the two men as a sheriff’s car rolled up. Marshall went to talk with the portly man.

Mary could tell the exchange wasn’t going well when the guy put a hand on his gun.

“Who’s that?”

Riley peered outside, then slumped into the seat, pale. “Ronnie Haskell, Sheriff.”

“Hailey’s cousin? That Ronnie Haskell?”

“Yeah.” 

Mary didn’t like the idea of anyone related to that bitch clapping eyes on Bree and Rhea, especially given the fact bullets were just flying. She wanted them secure, not on the roadside answering questions forever.

“Let’s slide out from your side.” Mary looked into the backseat at the other women. “She’s going to lock you in, okay? You stay hidden until this is over.”

Mary slid out of the truck behind Riley, who locked the vehicle. Keys in her pocket, she strolled toward the scene like it was a car accident and not a shootout.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking so.” Riley mumbled and slowed her walk. “Don’t say anything. Let Dylan and them do the talking. We’re just innocent witnesses who got shoved off the road.”

“You okay?” Dylan asked as he ran up to them.

“I’m not done with you, Mason. Get back over here.”

“Shove it, Ronnie,” Dylan growled.

“We’re okay.” Mary hugged him close. “Don’t let him near the truck. Bree and Rhea are hiding.”

“It’s okay. We’ll get them secure soon.”

“You want to let go of your girlfriend and answer my questions, Dylan?” Ronnie palmed his gun as he spat chewing tobacco on the road too near Mary’s foot for comfort. “You discharged a firearm and engaged in a gunfight. I’m taking you and your brothers into custody.”

“You’re out of your jurisdiction, Haskell. Look around. Everything you claim happened occurred in Resino County, not your turf. Back off.”

“You Mason boys think you own Resino County and everyone in it. You’re gonna learn. One day you’re gonna see who’s really in charge.” He adjusted his belt. “I’ll call this in, sit with you until the authorities show up. I’m sure they’d appreciate a neutral witness.”

“You go right ahead and do that,” Marshall said. He put a hand on Mary’s back. “You okay?”

“Yes, though I think Riley looks a bit shell shocked. We should head back to the ranch. Do we need to hang around?”

“I’m afraid so,” Dylan replied. “Hang tight. This shouldn’t take long.”

Long turned into four grueling hours since Sheriff Jerk Face called everyone and their mother to the scene. Apparently, he had jurisdiction over the neighboring county, which was a whole ten paces to the left of the scene. Talk about excellent timing.

The county coroner rolled up about the time the real county Sheriff pulled up. He was in his mid-forties and graying on the side near his ears. He offered a tight smile and firm handshake to Marshall and his brothers. Each one earned a sneer from Haskell, who watched from the sidelines as the coroner went about doing whatever needed to be done. A volunteer fire fighter showed and started turning vehicles around from both directions until the scene could be processed.

“Mary, this is Sheriff Patterson. He’ll need to ask you a few questions. I’ll be right over here if you need anything, okay?” Dylan said.

“But...” What the heck do I say?

“This won’t take long, Ms. Reynolds, then we’ll get you and Riley home, okay?”

“Okay.” She looked around, wondering where the heck Addy skulked off to. Somehow she’d avoided being seen by Haskell entirely.

“I understand you’ve had some troubles. Marshall phoned the other day, gave me a heads up that any strangers around town probably weren’t wanting a welcome.”

“Yeah, things got a bit complicated.” She shrugged. “I’m assuming they were following me, but I can confirm it once we run a facial recognition scan. If you want.”

“Dylan mentioned Cord would be by to take photos.”

“Okay, good. Excellent.”

“There a reason the backdoor is open to the truck? I understand you and Riley were alone in the vehicle. Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Must’ve opened it accidentally. I was pretty rattled.”

“Right. Running covert ops for the most elite operatives in the world and hacking into unhackable interfaces probably doesn’t prepare someone for a gunfire.” He smiled. “You’re okay, Mary. The boys and I go way back. Our families go way back. When they opened The Arsenal doors, I promised I’d look the other way as long as they kept Resino safe and out of whatever rolled through the area. So far, we’ve been good. This is the only time I’m a bit nervous, but I’ve seen some strange things around town. Cameras popping up in the corners of buildings and streets.”

“Yeah, my friend and I decided to test a new system. Resino seemed like a perfect place.”

“Marville’s probably better. It’s a few miles down the road, in Haskill’s county. I’m sure the footage there would be pretty interesting from what I hear.”

“That’s good to know.” Another hint things weren’t right in Dylan’s backyard.

“As I understand it, Miss Mason lost control of her vehicle and landed in the bar ditch. Unfortunately, the truck following too closely slammed into traffic, which angled into their lane to avoid hitting Miss Mason.” He grinned as he read the statement, then looked at the two large Mason trucks crunched against the red one. “Does that seem right to you?”

“Yes. I’m afraid I didn’t see much, though. The shock and all.”

“Of course.”

“The truck’s inhabitants fired at the Masons and their employees when they exited their vehicles to assess injuries and damage.”

“I did hear gunfire.”

“Being armed volunteer officers and former military, all with conceal and carry licenses, they adequately defended themselves. A casualty was unfortunately the byproduct of bad decision making on the part of the red truck inhabitants. Folks in Resino County don’t appreciate being shot at. We defend what’s ours.”

The fierceness in his voice calmed Mary’s rattled nerves. “I’m glad to hear it, Sheriff. Thank you for your help today.”

“Thank you, Miss Reynolds. I’m thinking I’ll be saying that quite a bit in the future.”