Page 6 of Stilettos & Whiskey (Deputy Gemma Stone)

Sure enough, about an hour later, my brother Devon called out, “Are you decent, Julie?”

“I am.”

Doc Halliday shot back testily, “Go away. I’m not finished with my exam.”

“Have you stitched her up yet?” Devon demanded and pushed aside the privacy curtain.

Doc Halliday looked downright cranky. “Yes, her cuts have been sutured.”

“Good. When we stitch her up, she screams blue, bloody murder.”

I glared at Devon. “I do not.”

“Yeah, you do, squirt.”

“We’re checking Julie out of the hospital, Doc.” Logan, my middle brother, pushed a wheelchair next to my bed. “Hop in.”

“Absolutely not! Julie has a mild concussion, and I want to keep her overnight for observation,” Doctor Halliday snapped.

Logan plucked me off the bed and put me in the wheelchair. “We are all fully trained medics, and we know how to deal with concussions.”

“Unless you want another shootout in the parking lot, Julie is coming with us,” Devon stated matter-of-factly.

“Why would there be another shootout in the parking lot?” Call me confused. Didn’t they arrest everyone?

Logan grimaced. “Dad and Grandpa Reynolds interrogated the suspects. They discovered the Evans family blames you for Deputy Roger Evans’ homicidal tendencies.”

“Me? Why? He works on the opposite side of our district. I hardly have any interaction with him.”

Logan patted my shoulder. “Roger is mentally ill, who knows what’s going on in his head.”

“Dad also discovered the Evans family is planning to attack not only the Alpha Dog’s training center, but the Sheriff’s Department offices in downtown Phoenix, the FBI offices, and Peoria Police Department’s headquarters,” Devon stated.

“Oh, my, God. Samuel said they’re all military extremists. What is their beef?”

Devon smiled grimly. “Other than the fact that Roger Evans is a possible serial killer, we’re not sure. Jacob is running a background check on the entire family.”

“A joint task force is being formed to hit their compound outside of Morristown.” Logan added, “And who in the hell is Samuel?”

I gave him my most pathetic expression. “The paramedic who treated me.”

“Is that all he is?”

I gestured at my battered face. “Do you really think anyone is going to ask me out when I look like this?”

“Yep,” Devon and Logan said in unison.

Dang. They were such good liars.

“We need to leave Doc,” Logan said.

Doc Halliday blew out a long breath. “Fine. I’ll sign the release papers.”

“We’ll take good care of her,” Devon promised.

“If Julie has a seizure, or loses consciousness, bring her back immediately,” Doc Halliday instructed, his concern obvious.

I touched his hand. “I’ll be fine.”

The doc smiled. “I know.”

Logan hurriedly pushed the wheelchair down the hallway and out of the hospital. “Can you fight?”

“Not very well, I’m still seeing double.”

“If the shit hits the fan, just duck and cover,” Devon ordered.

I frowned. “How big is the Evans family?”

“There are sixty of them.” Logan loaded me into an old beat-up van.

I wrinkled my nose. The smell of dirty socks and B.O. was overwhelming. “Whose van is this?”

“Dunno. I borrowed it from police impound,” Devon replied.

“Why?”

Logan rolled the windows down. “The Evans family knows what kind of vehicles we drive and they’re very good at making bombs. Nate just found a pipe bomb attached to his gas tank.”

“Has anyone checked on my apartment?”

Devon rubbed the back of his neck. “Dad hired someone to clean up the mess.”

“Shit! What did that ass do?”

The van backfired loudly, and crow hopped across the parking lot. “I thought you knew how to drive a stick shift,” Logan grumbled.

“It’s not a stick shift,” Devon shot back. The van backfired again, belching a big cloud of black smoke.

I yelled, “What did that asshole do to my apartment?”

“Calm down, squirt. The manager was very understanding and even offered to move you to another apartment,” Logan replied.

“What.”

“Did.”

“He.”

“Do.”

Devon pulled out into traffic and almost got rear-ended by a city bus.

“Pull over. I’m not riding in this death trap a second longer,” I snarled.

Devon totally ignored me and kept driving.

“He spray-painted whore on the window and door.” Logan tossed me a chocolate bar.

I threw it back at him. “And?”

His voice filled with rage, Devon spat, “They peed on your clothes, your bed and your television.”

I wanted to vomit.

“Your pictures and keepsakes weren’t touched,” Logan added, holding out the candy bar.

I took it from him. “His family helped him?”

“Yes. The security cameras caught them breaking in and vandalizing your stuff,” Devon answered. “It would have been worse, but Bertha, your crazy neighbor, had a double-barrel shotgun and she filled their backsides with buckshot.”

Logan laughed. “You should have seen the looks on their faces when Bertha’s guests started shooting too.”

“I owe her big time.” Tearing the wrapper off the candy bar, I ate it slowly. Paybacks were a bitch. I smiled. With a little help from Grandpa, they would learn the true meaning of hell on Earth .

Devon was staring at me in the rearview mirror. “What are you planning?”

“My revenge.”

Logan twisted around to look at me. “Oh, hell, no. You’re not going anywhere near them.”

I gave him my version of the Debbie Sunshine smile. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

“I’m calling Mom.” Logan pulled out his cellphone.

“Snitch.”