Page 93 of Her Hidden Smile

I hung up the phone. Nobody was answering the phone to give me answers. I wouldn’t get answers from the hospital. I ran back to Gram’s house as fast as I could, shouting for Jase and Bruno. One of them would be able to get me answers.

By the time I got to the front door, both of them were there.

“What?” Jase asked.

Bruno didn’t repeat the question, he just waited for me to tell him.

“There was a shootout at Millie’s today. According to one of the townfolk, she wasn’t shot, but she’s in the hospital in Sevierville. I need answers, and I need to get there ten minutes ago.”

They looked at one another.

“I’ll get him transport,” Bruno said.

“I’ll get you answers. Come with me,” Jase turned around and went into the living room where Grandma Maureen had been holding court. “Gram, can we use one of the upstairs bedrooms? We need to make some calls.”

“Of course you can. Is there anything I should worry about? Bonnie? The twins?”

“Nope, everything’s fine,” Jase assured Gram. He tilted his head at me, but I was already heading upstairs for the blue guestroom.

When he came in and closed the door, his phone was ringing. “Gideon? I need some help for my brother. The woman he loves was in the middle of a shootout during a hostage situation at her home today. He’s here with me in Springfield, and this happened in Jasper Creek, Tennessee. I’m sure Simon’s all over it, but he’s not picking up. Right?” He looked at me for verification, and I nodded.

“What’s her full name?” Jase asked me.

“Millie Jane Randolph. This would have taken place at Randolph Farm sometime today. All I know is she’s at a hospital in Sevierville, but not for a GSW.”

Jase had his phone on speaker by that point so Gideon was listening.

“Give me five, maybe ten minutes and I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

The door opened and Bruno came in. “There’s a private plane heading for Mcghee Tyson Airport out of Springfield-Branson in thirty minutes. I put a call into air traffic control to make it an hour. You can make that flight.”

“And the people on this private plane are going to let me on their plane why?” I asked.

“They’re an up-and-coming country band. They are not going to let you go with them per se. They will let Angelica Drakos, Emmy Award-winning actress, catch a ride with them. You’re her bodyguard, right?”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“You two are nuts. I never would have been cut out as a Navy SEAL or an agent for Homeland Security, would I?”

Jase laughed. “No, you wouldn’t have been.”

His phone rang. He put it on speaker.

“Can I assume I’m on speaker?” Gideon asked.

“Yes,” Bruno, Jase and I said at the same time.

“Good. Millie Jane Randolph was admitted to LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville an hour and thirty-five minutes ago. Her vitals are stable, but she’s in a great deal of pain. Her arm has been ripped out of its socket, she’s been beaten and has severe nerve pain from her old burn scars. They’re giving her IV pain meds and keeping her sedated. She doesn’t need surgery, there is no permanent damage.”

“What happened?” I demanded to know.

The bedroom door opened and Angelica came in. “Let’s go, big brother. We need to make good time to the airport to make our flight, which shouldn’t be a problem. I rented a GTO for this trip and I’m driving.”

“What happened,” I asked Gideon again.

“Give me your phone number, I’ll text you a report.”

I gave him my phone number and followed Angelica.