“Macy,” Badger said in a low tone. “Did he kick you?”
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. One second I was walking to my car, and the next I was on the ground. Then Diesel and Mason were there.”
I cleared my throat. “For what it’s worth, I’ve seen many injuries over the years, and that looks like a shoe print.”
“Sorry about lying,” Macy said quietly.
I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m required to report certain things to the authorities. This isn’t one of them. If you don’t want to tell me what happened, you don’t have to. The only thing I ask is that you tell me what hurts so we can check it out.”
“I will. That was the only thing I kept to myself, and honestly, it didn’t hurt that bad until after I got here.”
“Knock, knock,” Dr. Vaughn said. “How are we doing in here?”
“She needs a chest X-ray if you haven’t already ordered one,” I said.
“I haven’t, but I will now. Are we suspecting broken ribs?”
“She has a large contusion on her left side and is complaining of pain in that area.”
I instructed Macy to call me if she needed anything and stepped out while Dr. Vaughn examined her. To my surprise, Dice followed me out of the room.
“You overheard me, didn’t you?” he asked in a tone that wasn’t accusatory.
“I didn’t mean to, but yes, I did,” I admitted.
“It’s not what you think.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s none of my business.”
“Well, it might be,” Dice grimaced.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There’s a lot more to the story, but here’s the short version. I have a sister who is nineteen years younger than me. Badger and Macy adopted her when she was four years old, after our parents were killed. Despite their efforts, Tawny got involved with drugs and has been struggling with addiction. I’ve had run-ins with some of her dealers. Once was last year at Irene’s Diner. Another time was at the party when we found Ariel. I have a feeling that what happened to Macy today was another one of those run-ins.”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I just wanted you to be aware. If you see something suspicious, assume it’s suspicious. That’s all.”
I nodded in understanding. “About Ink, will you let me know when you hear from him?”
“Already have, and so have you, but he’s fine,” he said as my phone rang.
I looked at the screen to see Ariel’s name. “Ariel? Is everything okay?” I asked instead of my usual greeting.
“I’m not sure. The same car has driven by the house several times, and it slows down in front of our house each time.”
“What? Where’s Jake?”
“He’s inside with me. We’re watching from the window.”
“What’s wrong?” Dice asked.
“Ariel’s at home, and the same car keeps driving by our house,” I told him. “Your prospect, Jake, is there with her.”
“I’ll go check it out. Tell them to stay inside. I’m on my way.”
“Dice is on his way over there,” I told Ariel. “He said to?—”
