“Keep your head, Ty.”

“You beat the shit outta the man who kidnapped and stuck your woman, Tate. You know where I am right now.”

Silence then, “Right. I need to get home.”

“Fast,” Ty grunted.

“She’ll be okay, brother,” Tate said softly.

“We had a winning streak for awhile, now, Tate. Lady Luck does not like me that much and she’s played with Lexie since my woman was born. Time for her to remind me and my wife, like she always does, that good comes with bad.”

“Keep your head, brother.”

Impossible.

“Right,” he whispered.

“Be there soon.”

Ty flipped his phone shut.

Then he heard the sirens.

Then his phone rang again.

Then he listened to Julius telling him the drive-by was perpetrated by a lone black man with an automatic weapon in a blue, 2010 Nissan Pathfinder.

* * * * *

Chace

Chace Keaton approached Ty Walker who was standing in his kitchen looking ready to commit murder.

Justifiable homicide.

It was the only time in his life he’d had that thought. And he had it because Lexie Walker had lunch with him twice. Once, when she broke the deep, impenetrable layer of ice between them he never thought would even crack and she did it being honest, friendly, f**king funny and very cute even though, or maybe because, she was a little bit of a goof. The second time a week later, when she happened on him again at the diner, sat right across from him without invitation and ordered her food. She’d gabbed. He’d worked and pretended to ignore her. Then, when she went for her wallet, he told her that if she tried to pay for her lunch, he’d walk straight to the garage and tell her husband they were having an affair.

She’d laughed hard and long. Then she’d reached out and touched his hand.

Then she’d whispered, “Until next time, Chace,” and he watched her strut away in her high-heeled shoes knowing she was very taken, pregnant and wishing she wasn’t either.

He stopped three feet from Walker.

Then he spoke. “We have an APB out on the vehicle. What you need to get right now is that there’s no blood. There was a struggle but that was limited to the kitchen so we think she realized the smarter play was to do what he said and she was right, that was the smarter play. Your explanation of his motive is another thing we got goin’ for us. He wanted to exact vengeance and he was on a different path, he would not take her. He would have done what he intended to do the minute he found her. This means hope, Walker.”

Ty Walker held his eyes and made not a sound.

“How well do you know this guy?” Chace asked.

“I played poker with him once. I beat the shit outta him twice. He deals drugs. He pimps women. He was not gentle with his girls. He’s a liar. He ordered a hit on his best friend. He shot a cop in Dallas. This is all I know,” Walker rumbled.

“And he’s pissed at you because you kicked his ass, is that correct?”

Walker jerked up his chin then went on, “This is not a man who likes to get bested. He’s small but not in body, in mind. He’s stupid. He’s greedy. He’s mean. Normal human shit in him was disconnected a long f**kin’ time ago. He thinks of one thing, himself.”

“So you’d have no idea where he’s going?” Chace asked.

“No f**kin’ clue,” Walker answered in a way that the words were quick but forced. He did not like to say them. He did not like what was happening. He did not like the feelings he was feeling. And he did not like that he was again powerless in a way that someone else made him be and not in a way where he f**ked up himself.

Then his body jerked and he pulled out his phone.

“What?” Chace asked.

“Ella,” Walker muttered.

“Who?”

Walker’s eyes came to him. “Ella. Woman who took Lexie on when she was thirteen. She’s known Shift since he was little. She might know.”

“Good,” Chace murmured. “Call her, I’ll need to speak with her.”

“It is not good I call her,” Walker returned quietly. “She thinks of Lexie as blood, a daughter. I did not want her to know this until I know what I gotta tell her.”

Chace held his eyes as Walker put the phone to his ear, not envious of Walker having to make this call, not envious of anything Walker had going on right now.

“Ella?” he heard, “Ty. Where are you?” Pause then, “Sit down, honey.” Another pause then, “No, do that for me now. Sit down and don’t delay. I gotta talk to you a minute then I gotta pass you to someone who you gotta talk to.” Another pause, “You sittin’?” Pause then, “Yeah, honey, it’s Lexie. Shift jumped bond, came up and kidnapped her from the house this morning. Cops are lookin’ for her but they got no clue about this guy and the man knows him best in Dallas is not doin’ too good and can’t talk. So, I need you to tell the police here all you know about Shift, where he might go, what he might do. Can you do that?”

Chace watched him listen, close his eyes then open them.

“Right, here he is. His name is Detective Keaton, yeah? You talk, you need me, I’m right here.”

Then Walker held out his phone.

Chace took it and put it to his ear. “This is Detective Keaton. I’m talking to Ella?”

Nothing.

He put his hand over the receiver and asked Walker, “What’s her last name?”

“Rodriguez.”

Chace nodded, took his hand away and said, “Ms. Rodriguez, I need you to talk to me.”

“Won’t do her.” He heard in a voice that was completely and alarmingly dead.

“Sorry?”

“Don’t have it in him, that boy. Don’t got nothin’ in him. No brains. No feelin’s. No courage. Won’t do her. But he’ll take her to someone who will.”

Chace’s gut twisted at her words and her tone. It was as good as done for her. She was already preparing to grieve.

And because of this and for other reasons, he didn’t tell her that Duane Martinez had already “done” four people, three in the hospital, one dead.

Instead, he asked, “Does he have any connections in Colorado?”

“Not that I know,” she answered.

“So, will he take her to Dallas?”

“My guess? Yes,” she replied.

“Then we have time,” he carefully assured her.

Silence.

“I need to let you go now, Ms. Rodriguez. Would you like to talk to Ty again?”