He’d love to, but running off to the range wouldn’t be fair to… What was with the phones? Bo, Todd, and Ty all had their heads together and their phones out again, fingers racing lightning quick across the keyboards.
“What are y’all doing?” Charlotte cocked her head to the side, angling for a view of the phones.
Three phones fell, three guilty looks rose.
With a series of exchanged glances, the trio apparently nominated Bo as spokesman. He placed his phone on the table. “It’s this game. We all three play and, well, there’s lots of stuff to collect around here.”
A game? Oh! A game! “I’ll bet there’s lots of pookies or puffballs or whatever hiding all around Atlanta. Why don’t you drive the boys around a bit? I’m sure they’re getting bored hearing me and Charlotte talk about old times.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
Chances to be the good guy didn’t often fall in Lucky’s lap. “Sure. Drop me and Char off at the house. We’ll watch a movie or something. Give you fellas some bonding time.”
Bo flicked a suspicious gaze between Lucky and Charlotte. “Well, if you’re sure.”
“We’re sure,” Lucky and his sister replied together.
The moment Bo let them out of the car at the house, Lucky asked, “You don’t have your gun on you, do you?”
“Nah, gotta get it outta the house.”
They waited in the driveway for Bo to leave with the boys before they grabbed Char’s gun, Lucky’s .38, climbed into Lucky’s Camaro, and headed to the shooting range. No way she’d match him. He’d scored top marksman in the department three years running.
Only a handful of people filled the range. Lucky strolled down to the end, slipped on earmuffs, and handed a pair to Charlotte. “Ladies first.”
His sister let out a snort. “If you think I’m a lady, you obviously don’t remember all the times I kicked your ass.”
Yes, he did. And she’d ambushed him on a regular basis.
She still had perfect stance, even if the last time they’d shot together had been beer bottles off fence posts. She tore the hell out of the center of a paper man-shaped target.
When they left the range, most of the men who’d ogled her on the way in gave her wide berth. Smart fellas.
Lucky kept the target to send to Jimmy up in Virginia, lest he get any ideas about following through on his interest in Charlotte.
“You didn’t beat me.” Lucky hadn’t won by much though.
“Nah, but since I don’t shoot at people for a living…” Charlotte patted her heavy purse.
“You’re still good. Not rusty a bit. You practice?”
Again with the grin of a villain onSouth Bend Springs.“Every now and then some good-old-boy wannabe shows up at the hospital, talking shit about hunting and how good he is. I take him down a peg or two, and if they ain’t cheap, I walk away a few hundred dollars richer.” She huffed on her fingernails and brushed them against her collar. “Makes me real popular with some folks at the hospital too. They know where to put their money.”
Sounded like Lucky teaching newbies the pecking order in a boxing ring, and the office betting pool profiting from the outcome.
Lucky stared at her target, her shots concentrated near dead center. She’d have beaten most guys in the department. He let out a low whistle. “Ever consider giving up on being a nurse and going into drug enforcement instead?” He wouldn’t let her risk her life, but damn could the woman shoot.
“Not a chance, brother. I tell you what. When you send ‘em to the emergency room, somebody’s got to patch ‘em up.”
And if a shooter ever entered the hospital, they’d get taken out by the harmless-looking nurse with a Texas-sized handbag and a North Carolina accent.
***
Lucky flipped a veggie burger over on the part of the grill set off as the no meat zone. Moose whined, licked his chops, and returned to Todd and Ty’s game of Keep Away with the football. Critter would sleep good tonight.
Lucky’s cell phone rang. He checked the screen before answering. This made four times today. “Hi, Mama. Yes, I’m fine. He’s doing fine too.” Like the last three times she’d called. “We’ve been busy with work, but we’ll come visit you soon. Yeah, she’s here with her boys. We’re having a cookout. No, Mama. Okay. I understand. I love you too.”
Maybe someday she’d stop calling to ensure he lived. But still, nice to be wanted, though she never mentioned his father, and Lucky never dared call his old man directly. Too many dial tones still haunted his memories. Maybe one day.
