#marshalls

The wind coming off Mount Helena felt like it was trying to peel the skin off my face. Sharp, metallic, unforgiving. I tugged my coat tighter and stepped closer to Kayce, who stood rigid on the courthouse steps like he was bracing for a fight he couldn’t see yet.

John stood above us, near the top landing, hat pulled low. He looked…older today. Not weak, John Dutton never looked weak but worn. Like the years had finally decided to collect their debt.

Beth leaned against a stone pillar, cigarette burning low between her fingers, eyes narrowed at the courthouse doors. She was coiled tight, ready to strike.

“John’s pushing himself too hard,” I murmured to Kayce.

He didn’t look at me. “He always does.”

The doors swung open and a cluster of suits poured out, flanked by men who looked more like mercenaries than corporate security. And in the middle of them, wrapped in a coat that probably cost more than my truck, was Caroline Warner.

The woman had short white hair and cold grey looking eyes. Her smile was small and sharp - the kind of smile that said she’d already won something we didn’t know we were losing.

Beth straightened. “Well, look who crawled back from the grave.”

“Mr. Dutton. Montana’s always more interesting when you’re involved.” Caroline didn’t even glance at her since her eyes were locked on John.

John didn’t answer. He just exhaled, slow and heavy, and turned toward the steps.

Kayce took a step up. “Dad, let’s go.”

I touched his arm, feeling the tension vibrating through him. He was seconds from snapping. Beth flicked her cigarette to the ground and stalked closer. “Say one more word, Caroline. I dare you.”

Caroline’s smile widened. “Beth. Always a pleasure.”

“Keep talking. See what happens.” Beth’s jaw clenched.

Kayce shot her a warning look. “Beth. Not here.”

And then everything changed, John’s hand slipped from the railing. At first, I thought he’d just lost his footing. But then his breath hitched, sharp, wrong and his knees buckled.

“Dad!” Kayce lunged up the steps, catching him just before he hit the concrete. John’s hat rolled away, spinning across the stone.

Beth screamed , a raw, broken sound I’d never heard from her. She dropped to her knees beside them, grabbing her father’s face with shaking hands. “Daddy! Look at me! Look at me!”

“We need EMS now! Move!” Scrambling to get my phone out quickly I called for anyone from inside. Rushing up the stairs I flung open the door shouting and frantically looking back at my dying father in law behind me.

John’s fingers clutched Kayce’s jacket, trembling with his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t… let them… take it.”

“I won’t. I swear.” Kayce leaned close, voice cracking.

Beth pressed her forehead to John’s, tears falling freely. “Don’t you dare leave us. Don’t you dare.”

But John’s grip loosened, his chest stilled and the whole world went silent.

I felt my knees hit the concrete without remembering moving. My hand covered my mouth as tears blurred everything. Kayce froze, staring at his father like he could force him back to life. Beth let out another sound, grief and fury tangled into something primal.

An ambulance and multiple police cars swarmed the building. John was loaded up into the vehicle and the reporters that had been inside the courthouse came rushing outside to see what event had just taken place. Reporters whispered to one another, cameras snapped pictures and someone murmured, “Did Market Equities do this?”

Caroline stood perfectly still. Her security leaned in, whispering updates, but she didn’t look away from us.

“You,” Beth’s grief snapped into rage so fast it was like a lightning strike, pointing with a shaking hand. “You did this.”

Caroline didn’t flinch. “Beth, grief makes people irrational.”

Beth surged to her feet, and Kayce had to grab her arm to keep her from lunging. “I swear to God, I will burn your entire world to the ground.”

“Schedule a board call. The landscape just changed.” Caroline finally turned to her aide.

Kayce heard it first and rose slowly, fists clenched, eyes burning with something colder than rage. I slipped my hand into his, grounding him. Beth stood on his other side, trembling with fury.

Caroline looked at the three of us - united, grieving, dangerous and for the first time, her expression flickered.

She knew she’d just lit a fuse she couldn’t control.

Unfortunately, it was cut short when the ambulance siren rang yanking me from the trance we were all stuck in with her. Shaking my head my mouth fell open in shock, a chill running down my spine thinking back to the last time I saw them take John away in an ambulance. Except this time I wasn’t also being arrested in handcuffs for attempted murder on the Governor of Montana. My legs became wobbly and I felt sick to my stomach where I swear I might puke right here on the street.

He’s escaped death before. This can’t be happening.

A police car door shut revealing the familiar face of Detective Dillard - the detective that nearly put me in prison for attempted murder over ten years ago. Removing my hand from my husband I stomped over to the detective, shoving him against his own vehicle. “You’re gonna let them get away with this again, Dillard!”

“Mrs. Dutton, I would suggest you remove your hands from me unless you want to get arrested for assault on an officer.”

Baring my teeth together I felt hot angry tears sliding down my face, my fingers didn’t loosen their grip despite his comment. “I am an officer now too. And we had a deal, you and I. You can’t let them get away with this a second time. They’ve already attempted to kill him once before.”

“Mrs. Dutton, I will only ask this one more time. Please get your hands off of me.”

Pushing him a little more against the vehicle I wasn’t going to budge, not when he knew what happened last time. Jamie is gone, but that doesn’t mean they can’t just hire someone else to try the same attempt a second time. “I’m an officer too. I am Livestock Commissioner, so you will listen to me!” Drawing out my badge from inside my jacket I held it up in his face.

Dillard took a long gulp, replying. “This isn’t a livestock matter, Alissa.”

“Urgh! - Kayce.” Drawing away from him I rushed over to him seeing him tightly holding onto his sobbing sister in his arms. Beth was struggling to keep herself standing, her fingers turning almost white with how much she was gripping his brown jacket. Kayce looked up at me with tearful eyes yet he didn’t dare break down and cry, not when we needed someone to be strong in this nightmare.

“Lissa Rae…” He trailed off carefully saying my nickname.

Clutching my hands into fists at my sides I sniffed back some more tears. I didn’t care that cameras were around, or police, or reporters. I just wanted to make sure our family was safe and that John would survive just like last time. “Kayce, what do - what do we do?”

“Let’s go to the hospital right now.” He clears his throat keeping one arm around his sister and intertwining his hand with my shaking one. The three of us started to walk towards his truck but got halted by a police officer holding up a hand trying to stop us.

“Excuse me, sir. We are closing off the area. You can’t leave.”

Kayce flashed him his new US Marshal badge and the officer stumbled backwards out of the way. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

Reaching the truck I barely got settled in the passenger seat my phone vibrated inside my pocket making me take it out seeing Faith’s name flash on my screen. Pressing it to my ear I put a finger in my other ear to block out the noise from outside the truck. “Faith! Hey - what is it sweetie?”

“We’re at the ranch. How’s grandpa? Where are you guys?”

Shutting my eyes briefly I sucked in a breath searching for the right words to say to her. “Um…we had a dispute with some Market Equities lawyers. You’re grandpa is - just meet us at the hospital. I’ll send you a location.”

“The hospital.” She shrieked. “Mom, what is happening?”

Hanging up the phone I couldn’t bear to have her hear me cry. She knew John wasn’t doing too well, but I didn’t want to say to her that her grandfather might be dying. She’d already been traumatized enough after me being arrested and her father briefly losing his memories. “Just meet us there, okay. I’ll explain once we know more.” Slamming my phone down on the middle counsel I covered my face with my hands, sobbing.

The driver's door flung open with a familiar hand immediately touching my back making me drop my hands slightly seeing my husband. “Alissa. Hey, hey, look at me babe.” I didn’t turn my head so he took my chin in between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to look into his watery brown eyes.

“Kayce, I….”

The words caught in my throat at the sheer thought of this being a reality. My childhood best friend stared deeply into my eyes saying more than he did in actual words. He didn’t want to believe it either, none of us wanted to. We'd faced too much in our lives. Kayce’s calessed hand moved from my chin to cradle the side of my cheek, resting his forehead against my own. “We've gotta be tough for the kids, alright. We gotta be tough for them right now.”

“Where’s Beth?” I asked, seeing she wasn't sitting in the backseat.

“She’s riding with the kiddos. Tate is driving her car.”

We'd promised our kids : Tate, Madeline and Lee that we'd get dinner together after the courthouse meeting. Not ever thinking this would occur. Obviously on the drive to the hospital we were flying like a bag out of hell to get there. The two vehicles we drove made some black streak marks in the parking lot when we parked them. Kayce kicked open the driver door the second I jumped out of the passenger side while Beth and the kids quickly followed her heels. Shifting my gaze over to my husband, his expression was unreadable to everyone else except for me. Even though he’d never say it, I knew he was just as terrified as I was.

Moving forward abruptly I grasped his larger hand in mine making him shift his eyes downward to me when we stepped inside the hospital lobby. “Kayce….they’re not gonna break us.”

“Dutton’s don’t give up without a fight.” He squeezed my hand in his, rubbing his thumb over his mother’s wedding ring that I wore on my finger. Footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway of the emergency surgery floor wing making us both turn our heads in unison towards the doctor dressed in his surgical scrubs. “How is he?”

“Mr. Dutton, I’m - I’m so sorry.” The surgeon lowered his head, avoiding our gazes for a few minutes. He blinked back some tears finally able to get the horrible words out. “We did everything we could.”

A high pitched scream broke out behind us where I whipped my head around seeing my sister in law collapsing down onto the tile floor. “No!” Beth covered her mouth with her hands, curling up into a ball on the floor which made me sick to my stomach thinking back to the events of a few days ago.

Five days ago

The government building in Helena always smelled like old paper and cold coffee. Not exactly the place you imagine your life changing, but that’s how it goes the biggest moments rarely happen where you expect them to. I stood in front of the mirror in the hallway outside the commissioner’s office, smoothing the front of my jacket for the tenth time. My badge, the one I’d sworn I’d never wear gleamed on my belt. It felt heavier than it should’ve, like it already knew the weight of what was coming.

Kayce stood beside me, adjusting the collar of his shirt. He looked good. Nervous, but good. The kind of nervousness that comes from stepping into a role you didn’t ask for but can’t walk away from.

“You ready?” he asked.

“No,” I said honestly. “But I’m here.”

He smiled, that small, quiet smile that always made me feel steadier. “Same.”

We walked into the small ceremonial room together. A judge waited behind a desk, papers neatly stacked, the Montana flag standing tall behind him. John was there too, watching us with a pride he didn’t bother hiding. Beth stood beside him, arms crossed, pretending she wasn’t emotional. Rip hovered behind her like a shadow.

The judge cleared his throat. “We’ll start with Mrs. Commissioner Dutton.”

I stepped forward, palms sweating despite the cold.

“Raise your right hand,” he said and I followed his instructions.

“Do you, Alissa Lambert-Dutton, solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the State of Montana, and the duties of the office of Livestock Commissioner…” His voice faded into a hum as I looked at John. He nodded once, slow, like he was passing something down, not a job, not a title, but a legacy. A responsibility older than any of us.

“I do,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

The judge handed me the official certificate, but it was the badge on my belt that felt like the real oath. Cold metal with sharp edges.

“Now, Deputy United States Marshal Kayce Dutton.” The judge said, turning to Kayce who stepped forward. John straightened, pride radiating off him like heat. “Raise your right hand.”

Kayce briefly glanced in my direction before raising his right hand in the air.

“Do you solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Kayce’s jaw tightened. He’d fought enough enemies to know exactly what that meant. “…and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Deputy United States Marshal?”

“I do.”

The judge handed him his badge. Kayce turned it over in his hand, thumb brushing the star like he was memorizing it. John stepped forward, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Your grandfather would’ve been proud,”

“Hope I earn it, dad.” Kayce swallowed hard.

Beth sniffed, pretending she wasn’t wiping her eyes. “You better.”

We took a photo with all of us together. Kayce with his badge. Me with mine. John standing between us, looking like he’d finally seen the future he’d been fighting for.

I didn’t know then that it would be the last picture we ever took with him.