you, Scar,” he said, his eyes on me. “I need to talk to you. Now.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Scarlett asked.
“Goin’ to see the sheriff. Get everyone out of here. This ain’t the time.” His gaze swung around and landed on Misty Lynn.
I’d seen Gibson angry. I’d seen him so far gone with rage he’d bloodied his own knuckles. But I’d never seen his face like this.
“Get her off my property,” he growled.
“You ain’t still mad about the wallet thing, are you?” Misty Lynn asked.
He stared her down, fists clenched, and I had no idea how Misty Lynn wasn’t wilting under the intensity of his gaze. I’d never been afraid of Gibson, but if I’d been in her shoes, I would have been.
Maybe she was just too stupid to realize how close he was to snapping.
“Go,” I said. “Party’s over anyway.”
“This is on you,” Gibson said, his voice low and dangerous. “If they fucking hurt her, it’s on you.”
I gently touched his arm. “Gibs, what are you talking about?”
“She squealed on us.”
“What?”
“She went back to Lee’s motel with him last night. Told him who you are. Used your real name.”
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. I was vaguely aware of Scarlett’s screeching war cry. Nash’s grunt as he grabbed her around the waist. Misty Lynn’s crispy hair backlit by the fire.
But all I could feel was rage. A hot surge of anger so deep and so potent, I didn’t even try to fight it.
I went supernova.
With two fast steps, I was on her, my arm already cocked, my fist closed. I swung from my hip, twisting at the waist, channeling every bit of strength I had through my arm and into my hand. My punch connected with the back of her jaw, just below the ear. I felt no pain. Just the satisfying collision of my knuckles smashing into her face.
She spun with the force of my blow and it looked like her legs instantly turned to jelly. She crumpled to the ground in a heap.
40
GIBSON
Misty Lynn didn’t move. Her legs buckled and she dropped to the dirt, out cold.
Caught between shock and pride, I stared at Callie. She’d just knocked out Misty Lynn with one swing. A second ago, I’d been so mad I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t hit women, but I’d been an inch away from hauling Misty Lynn bodily off my property. And then Callie had laid her out.
“Holy shit,” I said in awe.
“Ow.” Callie winced, clutching her hand to her chest. “Crap, that hurt.”
That jerked me out of my stupor. Ignoring the cheers that rose up around the fire, I led Callie toward the house. Scarlett followed close behind, with Cash right on her heels. We got inside and I shut and locked the door behind us.
“Oh my god, I’m a tiny bit in love with you right now,” Scarlett said. She went for the freezer to get ice.
Callie kept her hand cradled against her chest. “I can’t believe I just did that. I’ve never punched anyone before.”
“That had to have felt good.” Scarlett cracked the tray to loosen the ice cubes. “Did you see the way she collapsed? She was out before she hit the ground.”
“Yeah, it did feel good, actually,” Callie said with a weak smile. Cash sat right at her feet, looking up at her like he was worried.
I gently took Callie’s hand and turned it palm down so I could see the damage. Not too much swelling, which was a good sign. “Can you move it?”
She wiggled her fingers. “It hurts, but I don’t think I broke anything.”
Scarlett handed me a bag of ice and a paper towel. I took Callie to the couch and held her hand, carefully laying the ice on top. Cash jumped up and put his head in her lap.
“Thank you,” she said, absently petting Cash with her good hand.
“Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
She laughed. “Yeah, you better not mess with me.”
“Damn, I wish someone had been recording that,” Scarlett said, flopping down into a chair. “I’d watch it every morning just to put me in a good mood.”
“Do you think she’s okay?” I glanced toward the curtained front window.
“Someone’ll drag her dumb ass home,” Scarlett said. “If you loosened a few teeth, that’s her problem. She deserves worse.”
Callie met my eyes. “Where were you?”
Still holding the ice on her hand, I told her everything. About the moonshine truth serum. All the things Lee had said. We had it all, the truth about everything.