Jed’s mouth dropped. “You met Alan Jackson?”

I rolled my eyes. Several of Neely Kate’s cousins were named after country music singers. I zipped up my dress and stepped into my heels. “Not the one you’re thinkin’ about, but he’s a big beefy guy. Neely Kate’s scrappy.”

“I’m goin’,” she said, then walked around to the passenger side of Jed’s car and tugged on the handle. “Open up.”

Jed shot me a look.

I lowered my voice. “Look, I’m nervous about her comin’ too, but something about it feels right, as crazy as it seems.”

“Crazy is right, Rose. We’re goin’ to see Mick Gentry himself. He’s gonna have his best and his brightest guys there, and they’ll be expectin’ trouble.”

“I told her you’re in control and she’s to follow your orders.”

“Then I order her to stay here.”

I grabbed my hat out of the bag and shut the truck door. “You’re wastin’ your breath. Maybe we can have her wait in the car.”

He snorted. “You really believe that?”

“No, but it’s worth a shot.”

He shook his head and opened the back door of the car. I started to get in, but he blocked my path. “Wait. I want you to carry some protection.”

“I was gonna bring my Taser, but I don’t know where I’d carry it.” I didn’t typically bring a purse when I posed as the Lady, and now didn’t seem like a good time to start. Mick’s guys would probably be worried about what was inside.

“I want you to wear this.” He pulled out a black elastic circular strap and stretched it open with both hands, grimacing from the effort. “Step your left leg into this.”

“What is it?”

“Just do it,” he barked in frustration.

I could have protested, but I figured I’d given him enough grief. I needed all of us to be on our A-game. I stepped out of my black heel and put my foot through the elastic. He pushed it up past the hem of my dress, continuing until it was high up on my thigh.

“Sorry,” he murmured. My skirt was still splayed up, but he was trying to glance down. “Does that feel snug?”

“Yeah. What is it?” Were we recording the meeting? It wasn’t a bad idea, so long as we didn’t get caught.

He ignored my question and pulled on the elastic. “It’s good that it’s snug. The weight will pull it down.”

“The weight of what?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handgun.

My eyes flew open. “No.”

His eyes found mine, his jaw tight. “Yes. Either you wear this gun or we don’t go at all.”

“But you have yours, and Neely Kate has hers. Why in the world do I need one?”

“Because they might take ours, but I doubt they’ll ask to frisk the Lady in Black. You might be the one to save all three of us. Do you know how to use it?”

“No.”

His gaze found mine again. “Yes, you do. You shot Daniel Crocker in the heart.”

“How did you know that?”

He groaned. “Everyone knows that.”

“That doesn’t mean I know how to use it. I was plumb lucky.”

“Then let’s hope you have more plumb luck tonight if this thing falls apart.” He handed the gun to me and stood. “Get a feel for it. It’s small enough for you to comfortably hold, but accurate enough for you to get the job done.”

My hand shook as I thought about what getting the job done might entail. I pointed the gun out into the field behind the building. “I wouldn’t even know when to use it.”

“You’ll know. You said your gut told you to bring Neely Kate. Listen to your instincts—they’ll tell you if you need it.”

I took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay.”

“Now tuck it into the holster.”

I lifted my dress and looked down at the strap.

“Slide it into the sleeve on your inner thigh.”

I did as he asked, but the foreign feeling of the cold lump of metal against my thigh sent a jolt of uneasiness through my body.

“You’re gonna have to walk like you don’t have anything there, but it has to be facing your inner thigh or else they’ll be able to see it.”

I slid my shoe back on. “Is the safety on?”

“No. You won’t have time to switch it off if you need it.”

“What’s to keep me from shooting my leg off?”

“The trigger is behind the elastic. You’ll be safe.”

I looked up at him and searched his face.

“I don’t like it any better than you do,” he said. “But if we succeed in getting a meeting set up with the senior Simmons, it’ll be even more dangerous than this one. You’ll need to practice drawin’ it out quickly.”

I swallowed.

“We’ll practice,” Neely Kate piped up, now standing behind Jed. “In the field behind the farmhouse. And with any luck at all, Joe Simmons will be snoopin’ around again, givin’ me just cause to shoot him.”

Jed gave me a questioning look, but I just shook my head. “Never mind. Let’s go.” I slid to the center of the backseat, my stomach in knots.

Neely Kate started around the front of the car, but Jed called out her name. She spun to face him, her eyes blazing. She was ready for a fight.