Page 32 of Stone Cold Sinner

Coy rolled his eyes, “Calm down. It isn’t safe out there for anyone in this house, including her, if you’ve been together that long. Anyone who’s been watching knows she’s connected, and she wears the same target the rest of us do.”

“Target?” Nash scanned the room while his shoulder sunk and emotion-filled his expression as he plopped in a nearby chair in defeat. “No, no, no, no. This is because… because of… me? The shooting? It wasn’t hunters, then?”

Devyn stood and approached her brother with a haunted look, “You? This was all because of you? Why doesn’t that surprise me? What did you do this time, Nash?”

“Nothing more than you already know, honey.” Dillon stepped between them before Devyn came completely unhinged. “We don’t have any facts, just a lot of speculation.”

Nash ran his fingers through his hair and locked them together behind his head, “I don’t know. I really didn’t think…”

Coy held up his hands to stop the conversation before it got too far out of hand, and too much was said in front of their guest, “Hold on. Truth is, none of us know where this is all coming from. For now, everyone stays until we can sort it out. Even you, Kenz.”

“Good. It’s going to take me a bit to get him sewed up anyway.” Charlotte said, still focused on her work, completely unphased. “Don’t get me wrong, Mr. President, you did a good job cleanin’ him up. This fella just needs a little more attention, and he’ll be good to go. Bullets missed all the important stuff. They should heal up nicely. A couple of deep grazes and one that’ll leave a good scar but should heal just fine. I managed to snag some meds to help ward off any potential infections and deal with the pain should you need to take the edge off, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Didn’t hear it from you? So… You stole them?” Coy asked.

“I don’t steal, Coy. Never have, never will. I’m a God-fearing southern woman who follows the rules. Plus, living in a cage wearing an orange jumpsuit while eating bad food scares me a little too much to do bad things.” Charlotte looked at Coy and gave him a wink. “I just helped myself to some samples left by one of the pharmaceutical reps –– no one will know they’re missing since they aren’t inventoried or locked up –– especially since I’m not a doctor and can’t prescribe anything. Besides, my employer doesn’t much like us helpin’ ourselves to the medicine cabinet, if you know what I mean… you just didn’t get it from me.”

They all shared an impressed look.

“We can accommodate that. If anyone asks, you weren’t even here.” Coy said.

Charlotte nodded, focusing on Jackson’s wounds, “That sounds like an ideal plan.”

“My money is on your special garden,” Devyn continued, seeming determined to get them back on topic and have the last word with Nash, who was wearing a look of guilt.

“I’m not an expert, and this is more Coy and Dillon’s arena, but all this over a few… plants? From the… special garden? Seems extreme.” Cut said, never leaving Nora’s side. “Are they really worth that much? What happened today boils down to attempted murder, attempted manslaughter, or reckless endangerment if it ends up being poachers. Either way, I can’t see how that little garden Coy plowed up could cause this much heat.”

“Coy…” Ransom nodded toward Nurse Charlotte with a questioning look. It was clear he was still on the fence regarding what should or shouldn’t be said openly.

Dillon read the room, rolled her eyes, and confessed, “I already ran her. Charlotte’s clean.”

Nash’s jaw dropped, “You did what? Ran her? As in, background and shit? You’re worried about saying something in front of her. Meanwhile, you’re invading her privacy. Isn’t that illegal?”

“I saw how you looked at each other the other day at Mama’s service and…”

“Decided to put your nose where it don’t belong, per usual, sis.” Nash fumed. “How the hell did you do that so quickly anyway?”

Dillon shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much in front of their new acquaintance. “Good news. She didn’t just come back squeaky clean –– she also has an excellent credit score.”

“Credit score?” Nash gripped handfuls of his own hair, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“To be fair,” Ransom chimed in, seeming a bit ashamed of his confession, “Secret Service already vetted her ahead of my arrival. They spotted you two together and ran her.”

“You, too?” Nash questioned as his frustration heightened.

Charlotte looked Nash’s way, unfazed, “It’s a matter of national security, Nash. It had to be done. He’s the President.”

“How are you okay with this?” he questioned.

“In case you haven’t noticed, it takes a lot to ruffle my feathers, hon.” Charlotte shrugged as she prepped another needle and thread for the next of Jackson’s wounds. “Besides. I voted for him. I trust it was necessary, or it wouldn’t have happened.”

Ransom chuckled. “Why, thank you, Charlotte. I think.”

“My pleasure, sir,” Charlotte paused and turned to Dillon, “You checked my credit?”

Coy snickered, “She knows more than that.”

“I’m impressed. I don’t even know my credit score at the moment. Glad to hear it’s good. I’ve been thinking about buyin’ a new car, and for some reason, despite being smart with money and payin’ my bills on time, that’s always the nerve-wracking part. Like, what on earth will that little report say at the car dealer?” Charlotte went back about her work, sewing up one of Jackson’s wounds.

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