Maddie flipped something off the end of the belt, and it flew into the air. Bouncing off a table, Sonic tipped the gizmo midair until it fell squarely into Tom’s hands. It was a gun . . . sort of? Probably only big enough to really fit in Tails’ hand. But Tom aimed it with every ounce of focus his small-town sheriff training provided him.

“Hands up, Walters!” Tom shouted.

“As if that squirt gun is anything compared to the authority my badge empowers me with!”

Zyark!!! The blaster shot went wide and completely atomized the wedding cake.

“Okay, so maybe it’s something compared to my badge.” Walters cowered, hands up.

-Chapter 13