“Men,” she huffed and squeezed Everly’s shoulder. “You okay?”
“I’m not the one who got shot.”
“It’s just a graze,” I argued.
“A bullet wound because you chased after God knows who alone. You’re not getting a lot of sympathy from me,” Hadley retorted.
“That much is clear, dear sister. I’m so glad you’re worried about me.”
Young let out a laugh. “I love your family.”
“You okay, man?” Calder asked.
“Fine, really. Just pissed I didn’t get to him.” I’d been close but not close enough.
Calder met my gaze. “You might not have gotten him this time, but you will.”
A charged silence took over the back deck. Shiloh broke it, offering, “Pizza?”
Young rubbed her hands together. “You know, I’m starving.”
“Me, too,” Williams agreed.
“Hunger even in the presence of blood,” I said as Everly pulled back the gauze.
Hadley snapped on some exam gloves and prodded around the wound.
My head jerked in her direction. “Hey, be careful, would you?”
She ignored my complaint. “I’m going to need you to take off this shirt.”
“Here. I’ll get it.” Everly pulled a pair of scissors from the kit and moved towards me. “This shirt is a lost cause anyway.”
I looked down at the blood staining the khaki-colored fabric and knew she was right. “Do your worst.”
Everly moved carefully but efficiently, cutting through my uniform and undershirt. She set the scissors down on a side table. “Stand up and let your arms hang loose.”
I obeyed. “This would be a hell of a lot better if you were naked.”
“Hayes,” she hissed.
Hadley choked on a laugh. “If you ever want to get laid again, I’d hold your tongue.”
I shut up and did what I was told, letting my arms hang at my sides. Everly moved gently, careful not to let the shirts touch my wound. When the fabric dropped to the floor, I bent forward and brushed my lips against hers. “Thank you.”
Her cheeks deepened to a pretty pink color. “You’re welcome.”
“Enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. Let’s get you stitched up so you don’t bleed to death. Mom would blame me until the end of time.”
I met Everly’s gaze. Maybe my sister and mother had farther to go than I’d hoped.
38
Everly
I couldn’t take my eyes off Hayes as Hadley fixed him up. Not even when the needle pulled through his skin, creating a neat row of stitches. “You’re sure you didn’t get a good look at who was shooting?”
Hayes looked up from his phone where he had been texting with someone on the Forest Service team. “No, only his back for a split second.”