Ethan stepped outside alongside Darren, who was gripping a shotgun so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Kaela sauntered out beside them with her hands in her pockets, looking as though they were heading to a neighbourhood barbecue rather than what was increasingly shaping up to be a shootout.
The afternoon air was dry, carrying with it the scent of dust, weathered timber and distant farmland.
For a few moments, the property was completely silent.
The kind of silence that only made the approaching storm feel even closer.
Ethan's gaze drifted toward the shotgun in Darren's hands.
"You guys have a shit ton of guns out here, right?"
Darren blinked.
"What?"
He stared at Ethan in disbelief.
Now?
Now was when Ethan wanted to talk about firearms and gun laws?
His eyes shifted between Ethan and the empty dirt road leading toward the property, genuinely questioning the man's priorities.
But before he could answer-
"Let me see that."
