Julie Patchouli cut me off, “Let me out up here.” Her eyes were wide open and glassy. Oh s**t, just the kind of drama I didn’t need. She started babbling, and I realized that she was having trouble processing the fact that Billie Joe was willing to let her be knee-capped, and on top of that, I was just casually spinning that .38 cylinder and pointing it at her as I pulled the trigger. Nothing in her reality had prepared her for the intensity of what she had just experienced. The girl was overwhelmed and really getting agitated so I pulled over to where there were trees close to the edge of the street. I eased over and parked near enough to one that she couldn’t open her door.
I took a .38 shell from my pocket and bit down on the slug with my front teeth, wiggling it back and forth until i
