“They haven’t left,” she said. “They’ve holed up. They’re waiting.”
“There’ve been no reports of strangers lurking about, no other incidents since Trudie called me earlier.”
“Maybe they’re still in the forest.”
“If so, they won’t be able to stay there long. I’m pretty sure I shot one of them. I definitely heard a scream and saw him fall.”
Could she be lucky enough that Ink was dead? Without actually seeing his body, Vivian couldn’t believe it. He seemed indestructible. “Have the deputies checked my house?”
“Several times. Harold Willis from Libby is there now.”
“Then I don’t know what to say, except—” she rubbed her eyes, noted the lines in his face that suggested he was equally exhausted “—we need some rest. We’ll have to regroup in the morning.”
He didn’t like that answer, but there didn’t seem to be anything more to suggest.
“Do you want me to call Elizabeth’s house? Let Marley know you’ve been hurt?” She hadn’t done so because she’d wanted to know the extent of his injuries before setting off any alarms. There was no point in upsetting Marley, not without good reason. Once the doctor came, and he and Myles began to talk, she didn’t want to interrupt. Then she’d fallen asleep.
“No. There’s nothing to be gained from waking the whole Rogers family. Getting dragged out of bed to hear I’ve been shot will only scare Marley. I don’t want her to come home in the middle of this mess, anyway. I’ll explain what happened in the morning. Hopefully, by then, I’ll look less ragged so she’ll believe me when I say I’m going to live.”
“Are you in a lot of pain?” Vivian couldn’t imagine he wasn’t. Earlier, he wouldn’t take anything except Tylenol, said he was afraid it would impair his ability to think and he was still trying to direct the search for Ink and Lloyd from his hospital bed. But he’d already done all he could. In her opinion, it was time to give him the Vicodin his doctor had left in a little paper cup so he could rest.
“My leg is throbbing like crazy,” he admitted. “But it’s not as bad as it could be. Will you talk to the doctor? Get me some crutches so we can go?”
She blinked in surprise. “Go? Where?”
“Home. There’s nothing more they can do for me here.”
“But you were shot at home.”
“No, I was shot at your house.”
“Because you went over there before you had backup.” His deputy had complained about this when he came running up the walk to find his sheriff injured. She was angry at Myles for taking such a risk, too. He could’ve been killed—exactly what she’d feared from the start.
“Ink and Lloyd would’ve been gone if I’d waited.”
“They’re still gone,” she pointed out.
He didn’t seem to like that answer, but he took the time to cover a yawn before responding. “You really know how to kick a guy when he’s down.”
She refused to smile, wasn’t willing to make light of this. She didn’t want him returning to his house until they’d found Ink and Lloyd and any other Crew members who might be in the area. “Someone needs to kick you. With your cruiser in the driveway, I’m sure they realize you live next door.”
“So? They have no reason to come after me. I’m the guy they want to avoid.”
“They’ll come if they suspect I’m with you. Unless you want to get into another shoot-out, you should stay here.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “And where will you stay?”
“I’ll get a motel room for the next couple of nights.” She couldn’t face going back home, not after Myles’s close call.
“Good idea. We’ll both stay at the Blue Ridge. Get the doctor.”
She rattled the paper cup with his pills inside it. “Will you take the Vicodin if I do?”
“I’m a tough guy. I don’t need any painkillers.” He was teasing, but she got the impression he honestly meant to refuse—until he tried to move. Then he winced and fell back with a groan. “Shit, yeah. Give me those.”
She laughed as she offered him a glass of water to swallow his meds. Then she went to find the doctor, but he called her back.
“Vivian?”
She turned to see him put the empty cup on his rolling cart.
“Were you really not wearing any pants when you knelt over me earlier?”
The memory of his fingers slipping beneath the elastic of her panties sent a tornado of warmth and excitement twisting through her. She checked the hallway to make sure their conversation couldn’t be overheard. “I was covered. I mean, as well as I would be in a swimsuit. It was just that once I heard the gunshots and knew you weren’t in the house, I didn’t dare take the time to find my jeans, let alone put them on.” As soon as the deputy had arrived to assist him, she’d dashed into the house to grab a pair of sweats, so it wasn’t as if anyone else had seen her in her underwear.
“I remember.” A dreamy smile curved his lips. “Your panties—they’re thin and lacy, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know it was too soon, I’d think the Vicodin had kicked in and sent you for a loop.”
His smile stretched wider. “Some things transcend pain.”
“Apparently so.” She folded her arms in an attempt to control the delicious shiver his expression evoked. “Wait a second. It was only a few hours ago that you put me on notice.”
“For what?”
“You told me you didn’t want to get involved with me.”
He sobered. “That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I realized it was already too late.”
Horse is in the back bedroom with Gully. As alone as he’ll get. Do it now. I just unlocked the back door on my way to the bathroom.
This was it. The text Virgil had been waiting for. It had taken most of the night for Mona to do what she’d promised, but the situation wasn’t looking a whole lot better despite that. He had no idea who Gully was or how he might change what was about to happen. And although the sun was coming up and the crowd on the street had dispersed, there were still plenty of cars and trucks parked along the curb, suggesting a full house. A lot of the guys who frequented Horse’s illegal club simply crashed out on whatever they could find. With a girl in one of the back bedrooms. On a couch. Some even fell asleep on the floor, too high or drunk to realize they were lying in their own vomit.