“You returned seeking comfort or something far more complicated,” she asked carefully.
“I returned seeking truth,” Wade replied quietly.
Outside beneath the cold glow of moonlight, their conversation shed all pretense.
“Your father’s death was never what the town believed,” Wade said firmly, his voice steady with certainty rather than accusation.
June’s expression hardened.
“You speak dangerously without proof,” she warned.
“I found the abandoned mine,” Wade continued. “And the grave concealed beneath stone.”
Silence pressed heavily between them.
Before either could continue, the sudden thunder of gunfire tore violently through the night. From the shadows emerged Boone Kincaid, leader of Dustfall’s ruthless outlaws, his presence commanding fear with effortless authority.
“You should have stayed gone, Sullivan,” Boone growled coldly.
Wade reacted without hesitation, bullets igniting chaos across the deserted street. Two gunmen fell swiftly beneath Wade’s deadly precision, yet Boone maneuvered with predatory cunning, circling through darkness until cold steel pressed against Wade’s neck.
“Your story ends here,” Boone whispered harshly.
A gunshot split the air.