Read Online Defiance (The Defending Home Series Book 1) by William H. Weber - Free Book Online

by Clay’s side, aiming a Glock in their direction. A few feet away, Colton was clutching his blood-soaked shirt, squealing with pain.
    “We’ll stand down if you leave right now,” Dale told them.
    Something about the look in Randy’s eyes told Dale the sheriff didn’t want to leave, that he wanted to go down in a hail of bullets.
    Dale shouted at him, practically commanding him to leave before Randy’s eyes cleared and he dragged Clay into his cruiser. The other deputies did the same and one by one, their cars backed out and sped away.
    Shane and Walter were already tending to Colton.
    Brooke, Nicole and Ann rushed out, worried to death.
    “The bullet’s gone clean through the meat of his love handle,” Walter said, relieved. “Ladies, I hate to sound indelicate, but if you could grab us a couple of tampons...”
    “Excuse me?” an exasperated Ann said to her husband. “Walter, have you lost your mind?”
    “For the wound, dear. We need to plug it.”
    Colton struggled to his feet, Dale and Shane on either side of him. The kid wasn’t supposed to have a weapon on him, and definitely wasn’t supposed to be mouthing off. Clay had pushed his buttons and in return Colton had done the same. Silently, Dale prayed that Clay would pull through. The situation was already bad enough with a deputy being shot. To Randy’s camp, it wouldn’t matter who was really at fault. And it would matter even less if Clay died from his wounds, a possibility Dale didn’t want to consider because it would mean they weren’t simply in trouble with the law, it would mean they were at war.

Chapter 14
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    D ale was busy mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow by the road when Nicole appeared and handed him a metal cup filled with water. 
    “Thought you might be thirsty,” she said, smiling. It looked like she was wearing makeup.
    He tilted the cup back and downed every last drop.
    “Appreciate it,” he said, handing the empty cup back to her. He was wearing a broad-brimmed hat to protect from the scorching sun, but staying hydrated on a day like this was just as important. On the ground next to him sat the fully loaded shotgun as well as his Ruger.
    Dale continued mixing the concrete with a rake as she looked on, fanning her face with her free hand.
    “Any word on Colton?” he asked.
    “My mom’s taking care of him. The bleeding’s stopped and it doesn’t look like anything vital was hit.” She watched him work. “What are you doing?”
    He stopped long enough to wipe away the sweat building on his forehead. “Randy and his men came up the drive in their patrol cars like they owned the place and I aim to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
    “You’re creating concrete posts?”
    “They call them bollards,” he explained. “And they’re sometimes used to prevent cars from driving through pedestrian areas. I’ll pour a handful, setting them in these thick cardboard tubes, and stagger them. Any car aiming to reach the house will need to do a slow slalom course. Either way, it’ll give us plenty of time to react.”
    Nicole looked confused. She was bright, but not so much when it came to home defense, it seemed. “Can’t they just walk up?”
    Dale kept mixing. “Sure, but they won’t have their cars to use for cover.”
    “Oh,” she said, suddenly concerned. “We don’t intend to shoot more deputies, do we?”
    “We never planned on shooting any in the first place,” he replied, struggling to keep patient so she could grasp the seriousness of the situation. “The sheriff and his brother were the ones who created this mess, but now it’s quickly spiraling out of control. Where’s everyone else?”
    Nicole shrugged. “I think Daddy and Brooke are grabbing the barbed wire from the barn you asked them to get. My mom’s with Colton.”
    “And Shane?”
    “Uh, making something to eat, I think.”
    Shane showed up a moment later, holding a sandwich.
    Dale straightened his back.