Colorado 03 Lady Luck (51 page)

“Thanks, man,” Ty muttered.

“Later, Wood,” she gave her farewell.

“Later, Lexie,” Wood returned.

Ty moved, Lexie grabbed his hand and laced
her fingers through his.

When she did, his tightened.

They were halfway down the forecourt when
she asked, “Overtime?”

“Wood and Pop are always busy and gettin’
busier, especially in the summer,” Ty answered. “They got a good
reputation for their work and got enough work that they can keep
the cost of parts low and pass that on to customers so folks from
Chantelle and even Gnaw Bone go outta their way to use us for
regular maintenance and repairs. But Pop’s been workin’ on Harleys
for goin’ on fifty years, he’s good at it, passed that shit down to
all his boys so men with bikes from as far away as Aspen, Grand
Junction, Glenwood Springs even Denver bring ‘em to Pop. They were
two mechanics down when they took me on and they held off hirin’ in
order to cover me when I got out. Their desire to continue
tradition of good work, they don’t hire just anyone and still
haven’t found another guy. Seein’ as I had to take a few unexpected
days off, so Wood wouldn’t eat that, I started workin’ late to make
up the time. Then he needed me, I kept that shit up and started
workin’ Thursdays. Gym stays open late, could go after the garage
was closed and did ‘cause I had no reason to get home.”

It was more than that. It was all the
evidence of the them he fucked up all around that he told himself
to get shot of and never could bring himself to do it that made him
not want to go home. Now, he was glad he didn’t get rid of it. But
just a day ago, walking down the stairs in the morning and up them
at night was a form of torture.

Not to mention, considering he was an
experienced mechanic therefore his salary was far from shit and Pop
and Wood paid time and a half overtime, he’d made a fuckload of
cake.

“Are you going to keep doing that, the
overtime, I mean?” she asked and his hand gave hers a squeeze.

“Depends,” he answered then joked, “I gotta
save for four college tuitions, I probably should start now.”

He felt her shades on him as they turned the
corner to the sidewalk and he looked down at her.

“Is money an issue?”

She clearly didn’t take it as a joke.

“
Babe, we stick together,
nothin’
is an issue.”

“What?”

He stopped, stopping her with a tug on her
hand then he drew her close, letting her hand go and winding both
arms around her. When her shades hit his, he spoke.

“This is it, Team Walker, you and me. We
want somethin’, we find a way to get it. We hit a rough patch, we
find a way to get over it. We face a challenge, we find a way to
beat it. It’s good, we savor it. What I’m sayin’ is, this team is a
winner. We never forget to celebrate the victories and we get a
lotta those because we never admit defeat.”

She stared up at him, unmoving, silent and
with the dark lenses on her shades, he couldn’t see her eyes.

So his arms gave her a squeeze and he
called, “Lexie?”

“Team Walker,” she whispered.

“Team Walker,” he repeated firmly.

Her hands slid up his arms, his shoulders so
both could curl around the sides of his neck where she squeezed as
she got up on her toes and said softly, “I like that.”

“That’s good because the position you play
on this team lasts a lifetime.”

She grinned then smiled then giggled.

Then she put pressure on his neck, he bent
and took her mouth.

Then he let her go, took her hand and guided
her down three blocks and across the street to the diner.

They were seated in a booth at the back, a
booth he requested because no one was sitting around it so no one
could overhear. His back was to the wall; his woman was across from
him.

They’d ordered, got their drinks and Ty
started sharing, including Detective Angel Peña’s involvement which
got him a loud gasp then a sweet smile that was not for him but for
Peña, who she might not think about a lot but she clearly liked. It
was a smile Peña would have liked to have seen. It was a smile Ty
was glad he never would.

Their food was served and he was in the
middle of telling her about Crabtree when his phone rang, he leaned
forward, pulled it out, looked at the display and it said, “Tate
Calling.”

“Eat, mama, gotta take this. It’s Tate,” he
muttered, she nodded and continued to devour her curly fries and
cheeseburger as he flipped his phone open and put it to his ear.
“Yo.”

“Brother, you sittin’ down?”

Fuck.

“What?”

“Misty Keaton is dead.”

Ty froze. Then his blood turned to ice. Then
he guessed their play.

“Do not tell me they’re gonna try to pin
that shit on me.”

“Hard to do since she was done with Rowdy
Crabtree’s service revolver.”

Holy fuck.

Two birds, one stone.

His eyes went to his wife who did not miss
his words, tone and vibe and was staring at him with one ketchup
soaked fry halfway to her mouth, eyes big, face pale. Ty gave her a
short head shake in hopes of calming her fears. She nodded once but
he knew by the look in her eyes he hadn’t succeeded in calming her
fears.

As he did this, he asked Tate, “No
shit?”

“From your brief this mornin’, seems like
momma is smothering the weak cubs,” Tate remarked.

Ty sat back and looked to the side. “Means
neither of them can flip.”

“Exactly what it means,” Tate confirmed.

“You think they know Julius’s connection got
shit on both of ‘em?” Ty asked.

“They do, Chace Keaton is up next.”

“Crabtree sittin’ in a cell?” Ty asked.

“Crabtree is in the wind.”

Hope.

“How’d Crabtree find wind?” Ty asked.

“No clue. Keaton reported his wife missin’
day before yesterday. Yesterday mornin’ they found her body dumped
at the side of the access road that leads up to Miracle Ranch.
Yesterday afternoon, they caught one fuckuva break, happening on
the kill sight deep in Harker’s Wood in a way that you’d think they
knew just where to look. Lotsa blood, all Misty’s, found the murder
weapon tossed ‘bout two hundred yards from the scene. Ballistics
match came in this mornin’. Crabtree did not report to work
yesterday or today. My guess, he woke up, found his revolver gone,
knows the way they play and wasted no time packing his bag.”

Ty gave five seconds headspace to Misty
Keaton taking bullets and her body dumped at the side of an access
road. His grand plan o’ vengeance included all involved living a
long fucking time with the bitter taste of Ty’s retribution on
their tongue. He hated the bitch and he wanted her to pay. But not
that way. Not that he felt bad for her, the world was not a poorer
place without that toxic pussy in it, just that that punishment
wasn’t near enough.

Then he let that bitch go and noted, “Hard
for them to hand Crabtree his shoelaces, he’s in the wind.”

“Yep,” Tate agreed.

“You think we got a problem with Julius’s
boy?”

“I think it would be worth it to have a
conversation with him but, no. Sources say CPD is runnin’ scared
and not just your man in Dallas. I think these are desperate acts,
not strategic maneuvering based on covert intel,” Tate replied.

“Then it’s good news Julius is in town, he
can have a word.”

“Julius is in town?” Tate asked and Ty’s
eyes went to Lexie.

“Yeah,” Ty answered. “Seemed he was gettin’
impatient with me and Lex takin’ our time reuniting so he decided
to get Lex’s ass home. To do that, he phoned Ella and to get Ella
to phone Lex, he told her I’d been in a car crash, was dyin’ and if
she didn’t haul her ass from Florida, she’d lose her chance to say
good-bye to me on my deathbed.”

Loaded silence then a low, “You are fuckin’
shittin’ me.”

“No.”

Cautious silence then, “She haul her ass
from Florida?”

“We’re at the diner havin’ lunch.”

Total silence then, “Brother…” pause then,
“fuck, it good?”

He smiled at his wife. Then he told Tate
quietly, “Yeah, brother, all good.”

Ty watched as her face lost some of her
concern and got soft.

Yeah, all good.

“Good,” Tate said quietly back.

Unfortunately, Ty had to bring the
conversation back around. “Seems we gotta step shit up before
everyone who can prove I didn’t do it gets dead.”

At that, Lexie’s eyes got big again. He gave
her an “it’s all good” chin lift even though it wasn’t. This time,
she trusted him and popped the fry in her mouth.

“Seems we do. I’ll talk to Deke,” Tate
replied.

“I’ll talk to Julius.”

“Right,” then, “happy for you, Ty, Lexie’s
back.”

“Not as much as me.”

A smile in his voice with, “I bet.” Then,
“I’ll tell Laurie.”

“Good. I’ll tell Lex you’re tellin’
Laurie.”

A chuckle in Tate’s voice with, “Good.”

“Junior high,” Ty muttered.

“Yeah, but not the shit part of it,” Tate
returned.

He had that right.

“We done?” Ty asked.

“For now,” Tate answered.

“Then later.”

“Later.”

He flipped his phone shut and caught Lexie’s
eyes as she was taking a big bite of burger. It wasn’t hard to
catch her eyes. She was staring at him.

She put the burger down, chewed twice and
with mouth full, prompted, “Well?”

“Misty’s dead.”

Her entire torso jerked forward and back as
she did a slow blink and stopped with eyes wide.

Then, mouth still full, she asked loudly,
“
What?
”

“The wicked bitch is dead, mama.”

She stared, chewed, swallowed, grabbed her
soda, sucked deep on her straw, slammed the cup down and instantly
commenced throwing sass. “Well, shit! If she’s dead, how can I have
a bitch smackdown with her?”

Ty felt his body shake with laughter as he
said, “Sorry, baby, gonna have to give up on that dream.”

“Fuck,” she whispered, glaring down at her
plate.

Ty studied his wife, grinning.

The woman was dead and Lexie was pissed that
she didn’t get her chance to engage in a catfight before Misty
bought it.

And, there it was. Lexie hated Misty more
than he did.

Seeing that, he suddenly understood it and
knew that emotion was for him, not that Misty had betrayed the
sisterhood. Misty was his wife’s focus because, no matter what
authority and power was around her, Misty was the one person in his
nightmare who could end it. And she didn’t. And she didn’t just to
get a ring on her finger and a shot at a big inheritance.

And that was not what Alexa Walker was
about.

And Alexa Walker loved him and that love ran
deep.

Ty had endured the consequences of Misty’s
greed and he hated her because of it. But Lexie paid the price of
Misty’s actions and that price was expensive. But she paid it twice
and she’d do it again.

Knowing this, that gaping wound in his chest
tightened and started to close.

Misty Keaton took five years of Ty’s life
and six weeks of his wife’s.

And now the bitch was dead.

“Babe,” he called quietly and her angry eyes
shot to his. “That toxic pussy was found dumped by an access road,
shot dead. It’s done for you, for me. Team Walker is movin’
on.”

He watched the anger seep out of her eyes
but they grew thoughtful.

Then she asked, “Are both members of Team
Walker moving on?”

At her question, his hand moved across the
table to tag hers, his fingers curling around and holding tight and
he leaned in.

“
Vengeance is mine,” he whispered and her
fingers convulsed in his then he went on. “And the way I’m seein’
to that is that my woman and the babies she gives me are gonna have
a man and a Daddy who does not have this shit hangin’ over his
head, whose name is clear so they are free to live wild
and
burn bright without this shit
draggin’ them down. To do that, Team Walker celebrates each victory
by livin’ wild and burnin’ bright without this shit draggin’ them
down. Misty Keaton is dead. We… are… movin’…
on
.”

She held his eyes and asked, “After all
this, Ty, is it that easy for you to let it go?”

“I’m not lettin’ shit go. I’m focused on
clearin’ my name. But Misty’s gone, she cannot help with that. So
I’m movin’ on from that part of it and I’m takin’ you with me.”

His woman stared at him. Then she squeezed
his hand. Then her head dropped and her hand moved in his so his
eyes went to their hands and he saw and felt her thumbing his
wedding band.

When he did, two memories came back, strong
and fierce, her fingering his wedding band at the breakfast table
in Vegas and her explanation last night as to why she’d done it.
He’d not forgotten in the weeks that would pass that she did that
in Vegas and he’d often wonder about why she did it. Now he knew.
And watching her touch their symbol that he wore, he felt the gape
of his wound grow even smaller.

“You ever take this off?” she softly asked
their hands.

“Never,” he answered just as soft.

“Never,” she repeated, this time a whisper.
Then he watched her draw in a deep breath.

“Mama,” he called, not because he wanted to,
she could study his ring while touching him for as long as she
wanted but they had shit to talk about and he had four college
tuitions to worry about so he eventually had to get back to
work.

Her head came up and her eyes met his but
her thumb kept moving on his wedding band.

“You with me?” he asked.

“Team Walker is a winner,” she said softly,
he grinned at her and she stopped thumbing his ring, her hand gave
his a squeeze then she let it go and went back to her food saying,
“Now, you mentioned Crabtree when you were talking to Tate. What’s
up with him?”