The vengeful side of me wanted to see Zane pay for the branding he gave his son, having time to reflect on that and the old saw, revenge is a dish best served cold. Never has that statement ever been truer with how Taggert thought things through, while we were all reading and wondering, he was playing three-D chess, and ensured a satisfactory outcome for all of those who needed one.
And in the end, payback truly is a bitch as Zane finds out, his son thoroughly emasculated him, but did it in the most public spaces, in the world these folks occupy.
Like others, one hopes, like The Camp Refuge stories, that we peek in on these folks again. Zane locked out of the homestead, having to depend on the charity of others, in a sense to operate what he controls. The silent knife found its way at least twice in the method Taggert devised.
The following was brilliant, a coup de grace if there ever was one..."You may want to watch it sooner rather than later."
Thank you for this, it stands among the best of your works.
Taggert looked directly at Zane. “Sold to Nasser Ranch.”
The silence afterward felt enormous. Gaping mouths. Wide eyes. Utter disbelief.
Then Taggert started walking down the aisle. Toward his father, Tony, and Randy. Toward the entire life he’d once fled. The only sounds were from local news crews shifting around to film him as Taggert walked toward his father.
Ash’s heart hammered so hard it hurt. But Taggert never slowed.
He stopped directly in front of Zane’s chair and held out the USB drive. ZANE. Zane stared at it without moving.
Taggert’s voice remained calm. “Granddad wanted you to have this.”
For the first time, Zane looked genuinely shaken. Not angry or dominant. Shaken. Like he'd seen a ghost.
Taggert smiled slightly and slipped the USB into the breast pocket of Zane's jacket. Cold around the edges now. “You’ll want to watch it sooner rather than later.”