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I aimed my pistol at his leg.
“If you don’t,” I went on. “I’m going to blow out your kneecaps. When you drop to the pavement, screaming because of the pain, I will make sure you receive no medical attention to stop the bleeding or the agony coursing through you until I see your signature.”
Brewer fished a pen from his pocket and tossed it at Pruitt. It clattered to the ground next to his boot.
Pruitt snorted. “Do you think this makes you a better man than me? You claim I terrorize my men and my wife but look at you. That’s what you’re doing. You’re just a bully.”
I held his gaze. Then I pulled the trigger. The pistol bucked in my hand. Pruitt’s whole body folded as he clutched at his bloody knee. He released a furious string of obscenities until he was red in the face.
I gestured lazily at him with my gun.
“Oh, don’t worry, we’re not the same,” I countered. “You throw your club to the wolves in order to keep your hands clean. The difference between you and me is that I’m not afraid to pull the trigger myself.”
I crouched down, forearms resting on my knees.
“Now pick up the pen and papers. Sign it. You have until the count of three before I take out your other kneecap.”
Pruitt stared at me, furious, breathing hard. Blood pulsed between his clasped fingers.
“One,” I said.
“Fuck you,” he spat.
“Two.”
Pruitt squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back. My tongue pressed up against my teeth as I prepared to say three.
Then he grabbed the pen, scribbling across the page. Blood-stained fingerprints marked the papers. Before he’d finished signing his name, I yanked the papers away, folded them, and stowed them in my pocket.
“Enjoy the trip back to Baton Rouge, gentlemen. Don’t ever darken my doorstep again.”
Chapter Ten
Lou
“Ready to make a run for it?” Rooster asked.
He stepped into my hospital room and passed me a paper bag of clothes I’d asked him to bring for me.
“God, yes, please,” I said. “I’m so bored. I will crawl my way out the door if I have to.”
Carefully, I eased myself off the bed. Then I gestured to a nearby chair.
“Go sit down. I can get changed on my own.”
Rooster narrowed his eyes and looked like he was about to protest but, in the end, he simply took a seat, stretching his long legs out. Movement was much easier now after being in the hospital for nearly a week, but there were still a few times when a twinge of pain stabbed into my side and I tried my best not to let Rooster see it.
As I sidled behind the privacy curtain, he spoke.
“It took me a while to figure out which bra and panties to grab.”
I frowned. “Did you have a hard time finding them? I know I didn’t exactly pack my suitcases in an organized way…”
“Oh, trust me, darlin’, that was not the problem,” Rooster replied, amusement in his tone.
I rolled my eyes upward when I realized he was teasing.
“The part I had trouble with,” he continued. “Was choosing the right color. Did I want to see you in all black? Or that cute blossom-pink color? Or the racy red number that was so delicate it looked more like spider silk?”
