Colorado 03 Lady Luck (69 page)

His gaze went through the room, he muttered,
“Somethin’s up but hang on.” He flipped his phone open, put it to
his ear and greeted, “Yo.”

“Ty?” He heard a familiar voice that made
his blood run cold. “Sorry to bug you but I called Lexie’s cell and
at home, no answer. She hasn’t come into work yet. Half an hour
late. This isn’t like her. Is something up? Is she unwell?”

Dominic.

Lexie hadn’t gone to work yet.

Shift was FTA.

Peña was delivered last rites.

All the air in Ty’s lungs squeezed out,
leaving his body void of oxygen.

Without answering and saying not one word,
he flipped his phone shut and his long legs took him through the
office to the front door and out of it. He flat out ran down the
steps and to the Cruiser, pulling his keys out and beeping the
locks on the run. Tearing open the door when he arrived, he folded
in, started it up and screeched out of his parking spot, through
the forecourt and out into the road.

He was at home in half the time it normally
took and he bolted up the outside stairs taking them three at a
time. His heart squeezed when he saw the backdoor hanging open but
he didn’t hesitate running through it. Then his heart twisted when
he saw the state of the house. Struggle, evidence of it everywhere,
oatmeal on the wall, a broken bowl on the floor under it, a
shattered glass, a stool overturned. He didn’t look closely, didn’t
give it time as he raced through the house up the stairs and to
their bedroom.

Bed unmade.

Clothes on the floor.

Not unusual.

But no nightie tossed anywhere.

And no Lexie.

His feet took him to the closet because the
light was on. He looked down and saw it.

The safe open, cleaned out. Her jewelry
boxes gone, the cash gone.

His gun, the clips and ammo gone.

He turned and sprinted down the stairs,
through the living room, down the stairs to the utility room,
opening the door.

Snake and Charger there.

He had no fucking clue what Shift was
driving.

He just knew Shift had his money, the
jewelry, his gun and his fucking wife.

“This isn’t happening,” he whispered to the
cars, his chest expanding and contracting so big, so deep it was
painful, he felt it in his gut, his throat, that burn searing
through him. “This isn’t happening,” he repeated.

Then he hit the button on the wall to open
the garage and ran through, ducking low because the door hadn’t
fully opened, he cleared it and ran to the Cruiser. He yanked open
the door, leaned in and grabbed his phone he’d thrown on the
passenger seat.

He flipped it open, found Julius and hit
go.

It rang once after he put it to his ear.

“You okay, my man?” Julius answered.

“Shift has my wife. What was he driving and
was there someone with him?”

Silence.

“
Julius!
” Ty roared. “
That piece of shit has my
wife!
What car was
he
fucking
in when
the drive-by happened and was there someone with him?”

“No partner, Walk. Don’t know the car,”
Julius answered as Ty turned and saw Wood’s truck approaching the
condo at high-speed. “But I’ll find out.”

“Do it fast,” Ty ordered.

“You know I will,” Julius replied then there
was a disconnect.

Wood was parked and out of his truck, eyes
on Ty, body and mouth already moving. “Talk to me.”

“Lexie’s gone. The man Tate and I visited in
Dallas shot Angel Peña and headed up here. He has my wife.”

Wood stopped close and pulled out his phone,
saying, “You call Tate. I’ll call the CPD.”

“Tate’s after a skip,” Ty told him and
Wood’s eyes lifted from his keypad to Ty.

“I think he’ll come back.” Then he put the
phone to his ear.

Ty made his call and got Tate’s
voicemail.

“
Tate, Duane Martinez skipped bond. He took
care of business in Dallas and shot Peña. Now he’s taking care of
business in Colorado and he’s got Lexie. Fuck, fuck,
fuck
…” he lost
it, pulled it together and then said in a whisper, “I need you
again, man.”

Then he flipped his phone shut.

Then as Wood muttered on his phone, it hit
him.

The air.

He looked around.

The sky was bright and blue. The sun
shining.

But no snowmelt.

It was below freezing.

He turned and sprinted back up the steps,
checking behind the door where there were hooks where they kept
their jackets and coats. He stared at it, never paying much
attention, not knowing if she hooked hers there last night but she
usually did and it was there. In fact, all three of them were
there. Two of her heavy but stylish jackets and her new winter
coat.

His heart twisted again and, fuck, that shit
hurt.

Wood walked in, eyes on Ty. “CPD on its way
but what spooked you?”

Ty looked to Wood. “She’s in her
nightie.”

Wood held Ty’s eyes and started carefully,
“Ty –”

Ty leaned toward him bent at the waist and
thundered, “My
fucking
wife is
with a
fucking
piece
of
fucking
shit.
It’s
fucking
freezing, she’s
fucking
carrying my child and she’s in her goddamned
fucking
nightie and all I can
fucking
do is stand here and wait for a
goddamned
fucking
phone
call so I can know what
the fuck
I’m lookin’ for.”

Wood took one step toward him and said
quietly, “Man, you have got to calm down.”

“Maggie was with a drug dealin’ pimp with
vengeance on his mind, she was pregnant, in a fuckin’ nightie and
socks when there’s snow on the ground, would you be calm?” Ty
clipped.

“You’ve had your blow out, now you gotta get
a handle on it, Ty. You losin’ your mind is not gonna help
Lexie.”

This, fuck him, was fucking true.

His phone rang in his hand, he didn’t even
look at the display before flipping it open and putting it to his
ear.

“Talk,” he barked.

“Brother, I’m headin’ home right now. Just
outside Denver, should be there in two hours.”

It was Tate.

“Right,” Ty replied.

“Keep your head. You call CPD?” Tate
asked.

“Wood’s here. He did. They’re on their
way.”

“Peña?”

“Given last rites.”

Silence then, “Fuck.”

“Right. Fuck,” Ty bit off.

“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, fucking 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 fuckin’ time ago. He thinks of
one thing, himself.”

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

“No fuckin’ 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 fucked
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?”

“No, tell him we’re prayin’ but he’s got
better things to do than try to make me feel better.”

“Right,” Chace mumbled. “Thank you for your
time.”

“I’ll be here,” she replied.

“All right. Good-bye Ms. Rodriguez.”

“Good-bye, Detective Keaton.”

Then he heard her disconnect, his eyes went
from where they wandered to the counter back to Walker to see he
had his home phone to his ear.

“Tate?” Walker said. “Ella says he’s takin’
her to Dallas. In about three seconds I’m in the Snake.”

Then he touched a button on the phone,
tossed it on the counter, leaned forward, pulled his phone out of
Chace’s hand and moved.

Chace called after him, “Walker, let the
police deal with this.”