Page 92 of Scored

“The Coopers won’t quit Sunday and we’re not quitting tonight!”

Cheers.

“That’s what we want. The evening is still young, and we have a big show coming at nine o’clock. Remember, all the activities are free. Get your face painted. Take your picture with one of our fantastic Coopers’ cheerleaders. Throw a football and clock the speed.” I opened my eyes wide. “Did you know that Troy Dennison’s throws have been clocked as fast as sixty-one miles per hour?”

Cheering.

“He’s going to be showing his talent to the world as the Coopers win the AFC Championship.”

Cheering.

My speech was working. Even my own heart rate was returning to normal.

“Now, have fun.” I looked over at Aunt Rachel and walked to her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded before wrapping me in a hug. “I don’t know,” she whispered in my ear, “what’s happening, but you need to be careful.”

The fans were back to having fun. Yet my nerves were fried. “I think I’m going to slip out.”

Aunt Rachel pressed her lips together. “Darin and Grant are here. We’ll stick around to introduce the performer.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to ride with you on your way home,” Virginia said.

I’d used up my energy calming the crowd. I didn’t have it in me to argue.

CHAPTER 37

Fin

Vee leaned into me. “What the fuck happened?”

She looked up. “You haven’t seen the news?”

“I turned off the television.” Patting my pockets, I looked around. “My phone… I’m not sure where it is. Did something happen at tonight’s event?”

“I’ll show you the headline but just know it’s not true.”

She slipped off her coat and reached into her leather bag for her phone. After entering the passcode, Vee handed the phone to me. Simply reading the headline made me see red.

“The fuck?”

‘Police are investigating shots fired at tonight’s Coopers rally.’

The brief article included a photo of Vee being pushed down on the stage. I met her gaze. “What the fuck happened?”

She inhaled. “Let’s go into the living room.” She took a seat on the couch and exhaled. “You’re wearing the sling.”

I nodded. “You know, help healing, yada yada.”

Vee grinned. “I thought Lacy Reynolds was sneaky, putting the part about you wearing that at night in the injury report.”

“Tell me about tonight.”

“My speech was done, essentially. And then out of nowhere there were loud pops, multiple clicks and booms. It sounded like gunfire.” Vee met my concerned stare and reached for my hand. “It wasn’t gunfire. It would be impossible for anyone to get a firearm into Crystal Light. It wasn’t a bomb planted. There had been a canine sweep earlier in the day. That doesn’t mean that for a split second I didn’t think it was one or the other. I looked down, trying to assess if I was shot. You’d think you would know, but the adrenaline rush made things a blur.”

“If it wasn’t gunfire or a bomb, what was it?”