Page 173 of Stay With Me

“Dude, you can’t be groanin’ like a little bitch or you’ll lose all street cred for takin’ a bullet in the first place.”

Emilio snaps his eyes open. “Fuck. You.” His words are barely audible as he lies half-hunched over. Then his gaze meets mine, and it’s lethal.

“Magnolia, are you okay?” Grant walks over from the bookstore. He looks down at Emilio, who’s nearly passed out from the blood loss or perhaps the pain. “Who’s that?”

“His name is Emilio. He threatened Landen with a gun, but Landen shot him first.”

Grant tilts his head as he studies Emilio’s face. “He came into the bookstore yesterday and asked about you.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, he wanted to know when you’d be parked out here again. I told him you come every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Sirens break up the chatter of everyone whispering, and soon the EMTs rush over with a stretcher.

“This the guy?” Davis asks as if Emilio isn’t the only one bleeding out on the ground, grunting and groaning in agony.

Landen nods. “Yep. Got him right in the dick. Gonna be messy. Sorry ’bout that.”

Davis smirks. “I’ll pass your sincerest apologies to the nurses.”

Landen and Davis graduated high school together, so neither is taking this as seriously as they should be.

Davis and another EMT get Emilio hooked up to an oxygen mask, apply bandages on his wound, and then get him onto the stretcher.

“Wait…” I blurt.

I stand next to Emilio and his eyes are half open. “Where’s Travis?”

His mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

“I have nothin’ to do with him, so I suggest you don’t return after this. If you think Landen’s insane, wait until you meet his three brothers.”

Landen chuckles next to me. “I’ll let Tripp tie you to my breeding mount and let Rocky have at ya. He’s a horny little stallion.”

“Oh my God, Landen,” I scold. The visual image that just entered my brain is going to haunt me in my nightmares.

“What? He is.”

I roll my eyes at his inability to take anything seriously.

“We gotta go,” Davis says.

“Good luck, Emilio. You’re gonna need it.” Landen smacks his leg, the one close to the wound.

The sheriff and his deputies pull up, and Landen immediately steps away from me and holds up his arms.

“Drop your weapon,” Sheriff Wagner orders, holding his gun toward Landen.

Wait, what’s happening?I freeze in place, watching his every move.

Landen pulls his out from his waistband and drops it to the ground.

“Anyone else?”

“Just me,” Landen replies when everyone around us stays silent.