Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Go to hell, Brody Atkinson," Burt spat through his chattering teeth.

Brody chuckled and tossed down the match before squishing it beneath the toe of his boot, "I probably will but I can guarantee that you're gonna get there first."

Burt's hand went to his hip and it was clear he planned on pulling his gun and going down quickly while hopefully taking someone with him. Aiden laughed outright at the dumbfounded expression on the other man's face when he found nothing but an empty holster on his gun belt, "Where's my gun?" Burt demanded.

Brody reached to his back and pulled the .38 revolver out of the waistband of his pants. He looped his pinky through the trigger guard and dangled the gun in front of the bars of Burt's cell, "This gun?"

Burt stumbled back, seeming to realize he was completely at their mercy, "How did you....."

"I didn't," Brody shrugged and put the gun back in his waistband. "My hyperactive brother-in-law did."

"That would be me," Ryder tipped his hat with a huge grin on his face as he bowed deeply, "I have many talents and that is but one of them."

Aiden enjoyed seeing the panic written in Burt's features. He was trembling, shaking and sweat was forming on his brow, "What do you want?" Burt questioned, the tremors coursing through his body causing his voice to shake.

"Just to talk," Brody assured him as he slid the key into the lock with a clink of metal on metal.

"And if you believe that I've got some ocean front property in California to sell you," Ryder grinned.

Thomas frowned, "California does have ocean front property."

Ryder shrugged, "Sure but I don't own any of it."

As the cell door opened and the five men advanced into the cell, Burt stumbled backward until he was pressed against the stone wall. His eyes were wide and frantic as they darted back and forth clearly looking for a way to escape.

Aiden was unsure what to do as he stood there awkwardly. He wanted to see Burt pay but he wasn't certain he had what it took to torture a man himself.

"Burt, we know you had something to do with the fire at the ranch. Why don't you tell us who was working with you?" Brody asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Burt argued, though the way his tongue nervously shot out and licked his lips said something entirely different.

Brody nodded and for a moment Aiden thought the other man was going to turn and leave. Then without warning, Brody's fist shot out and he brought that iron ring of keys down hard on Burt's cheek. Burt yelled out in pain as the skin along his jaw split open and blood began to run down his neck.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" Burt yelled as he held his hands up to protect himself and cowered against the wall.

"If you already think he's crazy then you're gonna be shittin' bricks in about five minutes," Ryder assured Burt as he reached up and grabbed the ceiling support beam.

"Did you burn my house down?" Jacob snapped as he stepped forward.

Burt's eyes went to Aiden and then he swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes. Me and two friends. We were just trying to clean out the riffraff."

Aiden knew this would get a bad reaction and end with Burt being hurt. What he didn't anticipate was that it would be Jacob doing the hurting. Jacob let out a guttural roar of anger and threw himself at Burt. The two men crashed against the wall and everyone stood there in a state of shock as Jacob tackled Burt to the ground and began throwing punch after punch.

The behavior went against everything that Aiden had heard about Jacob and it was clear from everyone else's reaction that it went against what they knew about him as well. The normally peace-loving Jacob seemed intent on killing Burt.

Brody rushed forward, grabbed Jacob around the waist and hauled him off of Burt, "Easy now, Jacob! He's gonna die today but we need some answers first."

"Dammit Brody, let me go!" Jacob yelled as he swung for Burt yet again and the man crawled across the floor to the corner, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

"Jacob, what's gotten into you?" Brody demanded.

Jacob spun around and shoved Brody back, "He killed my child, Brody! That man needs to die!"

Brody shook his head, "Eli's fine, Jacob. What are you talkin' about?" Jacob just clenched his bloodied fists and glared over at Burt with a hatred that made Aiden's blood run cold. Brody's green eyes widened a bit. "Ellie....?"

"Ellie lost the baby?" Aiden whispered as his heart broke. So much pain. So much destruction and death with possibly even more death on the horizon all because of him and what he was; who he loved.

"You knew?" Jacob asked accusingly and Aiden nodded.

"She was sick one day and I blurted out the question.... Jacob, I'm sorry,"

"He should be sorry, Jacob," Burt spat as he shoved himself to his feet and spit out a long stream of blood. "Why don't you ask him why we did what we did. Ask your brother who he's had living around your wife and your child."

Jacob turned to Brody, "What is he talking about?"

Silence reigned and Burt chuckled, though Aiden noticed he was attempting to inch toward the door. Ryder hopped down from the support beam he'd been perched on and landed directly in his way. He grinned and shook his finger at the man, "No, no, no. No running away today, Burt."

"Brody, tell me what he's talking about. Who did you have around my family?" Jacob demanded.

"No one dangerous," Brody snapped, "Do you honestly think I'd put your family at risk, Jacob? Your family is my family."

"Dammit, Brody, you've always been like this! You care about yourself and nobody else. You gotta go around proving how damn tough you are and the rest of us are just collateral damage!"

"Go to hell, Jacob, and quit snappin' at me just cuz you're hurting," Brody warned.

"Answer my question then!" Jacob demanded.

"It's me!" Aiden exclaimed, stepping forward and unable to stand the guilt and everyone yelling any longer.

Jacob frowned and blinked several times, "You?"

"What I am," Aiden whispered, swallowing hard and scratching at his cheek.

"What are you?"

"A man who loves another man and because of that there are people who want me to suffer and die. Burt would be one of those people." In true Aiden fashion everything came rambling out which left Aiden standing there nearly shaking as badly as Burt as Jacob studied him.

"That's....." Jacob swallowed hard, "You put my family in danger just so you could stick your pecker in another man?"

Aiden winced, "Uh....not exactly no," he mumbled. He had never actually been the one to do the sticking.

Jacob headed toward Aiden looking fully prepared to knock his head off the way he had Burt's when Thomas stepped between them and put a hand on Jacob's chest, "I think you need to take a minute and remember who raced into that burning house and pulled your son out of it, Jacob. Aiden didn't even hesitate before risking his life to save your family."

Aiden was surprised and humbled by Thomas's words and when Brody nodded and came to stand beside Thomas, Aiden felt his heart constrict a bit, "Jacob, there will be plenty of time to hear your opinion about Aiden's lifestyle later, because Lord knows that your judgmental ass'll have one, but for now we need to worry about who is really to blame and that's Burt and whoever was with him," Brody stated, making it clear that he was not going to accept any arguments.

"Brody, dammit, I'll tell you what you want to know just don't kill me," Burt stammered quickly when Brody turned his attention back to him.

"Oh I'm going to kill you," Brody assured him. "Or I'll let Jacob do it since he's so eager to."

"It was me, Graham and Curly that burnt down the ranch, Brody," Burt's voice was muffled between his swelling lips and his breath whistled a bit through his bleeding nose. "It wasn't my idea, it was Graham's and I went along with it but I only threw a bottle into the bunkhouse."

"See, I think you're lying about that," Brody replied with a shrug. He stepped forward and pinned Burt to the wall with nothing but a look.

"I... I'm not!"

Brody pulled the cigarette from between his lips and held the burning end in front of Burt's face. Aiden saw the other man wince and shrink away as no doubt the heat seared his skin. "Why don't you tell me the truth, Burt? Jacob deserves to know who killed his child."

When Burt shook his head, Brody sprung and laid the burning cigarette against his cheek. Burt's screams filled the jail and his fists and legs flailed out though were quickly pinned against the wall by Thomas and Ryder.

"I didn't know she was with child!" Burt exclaimed, and Brody pulled the cigarette away, leaving a smoking mess of twisted skin on Burt's cheek. "She had plenty of time to get away so it ain't my fault she didn't." Burt was nearly in tears now and was shaking violently. "I threw a bottle into Nick and Aiden's bedroom and one in the bunkhouse. Graham and Curly threw the rest."

"My son and nephew were in that bedroom, Burt," Brody growled and Burt did begin to cry then.

"I didn't know! I didn't know your family was gonna be there, Brody!"

"Who shot Nick?" Aiden suddenly spoke up, turning all attention to him.

Burt truly seemed confused, "What?"

"Who shot Nick?" Aiden questioned again, his temper rising.

"I don't know.... It might have been Garth. He was supposed to help us burn the ranch and backed out. I didn't shoot your man, Aiden, though I would have if I had gotten back to town before Garth had already done it."

This time it was Aiden's fist connecting with Burt as he drove it deep into his gut and Burt hunched forward with a groan.

"Alright boys, I think we've gotten all we're gonna get out of him. Let's leave Jacob to it and go find Graham, Curly and Garth. I think we need to talk to all of them too," Brody spoke up as he headed out the open cell door.

Thomas, Ryder and Aiden followed Brody out into the main office where Ty was sitting with his feet propped on the desk, "Where's Jacob—" Ty's voice was cut off when a gunshot rang out deafening them all.

Moments later Jacob stepped into the office with blood splattered across his face, "Dammit, y'all, how am I gonna explain a gunshot inside the jail?" Ty demanded with a shake of his head as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Hunting rats?" Thomas offered.

Ryder nodded, "Big rats."

***

Graham and Curly were easily tracked down as they exited the hotel just moments after Aiden and company left the jail and it was Brody who dealt out his brand of justice to both men when they attempted to draw their guns on them. Ty had been relieved that both those deaths could easily be called self-defense and the undertaker was pleased to have an order for three new coffins.

However, a thorough search of the town ended with Garth nowhere to be found. It seemed that the man had skipped town.

Aiden parted ways with Brody and the other men as sunset neared and they all finally admitted they weren't going to find Garth today. It was with exhaustion and disappointment that Aiden made his way back to the docs alone. He had popped his head in a few times throughout the day but each time he'd been told that Nick was still the same. With each passing hour that he failed to regain consciousness the odds that he ever would diminished.

Aiden was tired—he had not slept in well over twenty-four hours and with all the stress and emotional turmoil he'd been through it was wreaking havoc on his body.

He stepped into the doctor's house and found Doctor Montgomery sitting in his arm chair in the sitting room, "I just checked on him a quarter of an hour ago and he was still unconscious, Aiden. Wendell and Kaitlyn had to leave shortly before that. I think it is time that you begin to accept the fact that Nick is not going to make it."

Aiden wanted to argue. He wanted to yell and get angry. He wanted to demand that the doctor do something since it was his job to save people. He didn't do any of those things however, he simply hung his head and with drooping shoulders made his way down a short hall to the room that Nick was resting in.

He came to the closed door and swallowed hard with his palm resting against the handle. He wasn't ready to lose Nick. He had lost his mother and he had lost his father and it had hurt but the thought of losing Nick....that thought wrenched Aiden's heart right from his chest.

Then his head perked up when he heard a noise behind the door. It sounded like the shuffling of boots on the wooden floor. The doctor had said that Nick was alone and even if he was awake he certainly wouldn't be walking already. Someone was in there and they had clearly come in through the window if Doctor Montgomery hadn't seen them.

Aiden only had one hand he could use so he was forced to throw the door open and then reach for his gun. His hand was shaking terribly as he yanked the gun from the holster and took in a sight that froze his heart.

Garth was standing in that bedroom. He was standing over Nick with a pillow in his hands. Aiden couldn't see Nick's face because Garth's body stood in the way and what scared Aiden the most was he didn't know if Garth was preparing to smother Nick or if he had already finished his goal.

"Get away from him," Aiden ordered firmly, somehow managing to keep his nervousness from showing in his stern voice. Garth turned slowly and then laughed when he saw Aiden holding out his gun with one hand.

Aiden was no sharp shooter but Garth was only a few feet away. "You won't shoot me, boy, I'm gonna kill you and then finish my damn job on your rutting partner here before I get the hell out of this town for good." It was clear that Garth was more than a little drunk. Aiden could smell the whiskey on his breath from feet away.

Aiden wanted to use tough talk but he couldn't... hell he didn't know how. His heart was pounding in his chest, thundering frantically against his ribs. Garth lunged for him and Aiden squeezed the trigger quickly, closing his eyes and wincing as the sound of the gunshot reverberated off the wooden walls.

Aiden peeked through cracked lids to see Garth stumbling sideways and then falling to the floor with blood pouring from his chest. The bullet had torn out of the man's back and lodged into the cheerful floral wall-papered wall behind him and Aiden didn't have to be a doctor to know that he had hit Garth's heart.

Aiden's gun fell to the floor and he instantly looked toward Nick and very nearly cried out with shock and surprise when Nick's gray eyes were open and looking back at him. Nick's mouth worked up and down several times before he was able to whisper out the first words that Aiden had heard him mutter in far too long, "Nice shot."