with the swift way it closed that it was his wife, he didn’t take his eyes off the TV.
“Police raided Mr. Lannigan’s residence in Littleton early this morning to find he had already fled.”
“He hadn’t fled. Spooked him,” Tack grunted. “Slim told them not to go in fuckin’ hot.”
Footage of the cops outside Chew’s safehouse switched to a picture of Chew sitting in an armchair with his leg thrown over an arm and a bottle of beer in his hand. It had to be recent. He was older. Looked haggard. But he had a sly expression on his face that, considering Harrietta or Camilla took that snap, Tack found sickening.
“Police are asking if anyone sees this man to contact the authorities immediately. Do not approach. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.”
They started another story and Tack lifted the remote in his hand to turn off the TV.
Tyra sat next to him, doing it close and running her hand down his back.
“Honey,” she murmured.
“He needs money,” Tack said, staring at the blank TV.
“Yes,” she replied, pressing close to his arm and rubbing circles at the small of his back.
“He’s gearin’ up.”
His wife said nothing.
“Take one of us out.”
She pressed closer, running her other hand down his forearm to hold one of his hands tight.
“Kane—”
“Snap,” he bit out.
“Oh God,” she whispered.
“And history repeats,” he said.
Her voice was solid when she replied, “No it won’t.”
He turned his head and looked into his wife’s beautiful green eyes.
“No,” he growled, “it won’t.”
Humility
Rebel
Nine fifteen, Sunday morning . . .
“You think I should be relieved?”
Rush stood next to me at Paul and Amy’s while Amy stood across the room, her hand pressed to her stomach, a stricken expression on her face, and Paul stood next to her, giving the ugly to Hank.
And it was ugly.
He was also slurring.
Which meant it was morning and he was either already drunk, or he hadn’t sobered up from last night.
“Mr. Ragowski,” Hank murmured.
“My daughter was carrying on a sexual relationship with a pedophile, who’s old enough to be her father, who ended up raping and murdering her. And I should be relieved about that?”
It was important to note that Hank had not told him he should feel relieved. Hank had just shared the news the man had been caught, as well as relevant details, which he’d kept minimal, though admittedly none of them were good. Even so, they’d eventually find out anyway, since it was all over the news, so someone had to tell them.
I felt for him, but that someone was Hank.
“Paul,” Amy whispered.
“This is it. This is what Diane left. An obscene footnote buried in history, the junkie and the pedophile,” Paul spat. “My one child and all her promise, that’s what’s left.”
I bit my tongue, not literally, figuratively, trying to give him some space to get out the poison.
But just to say, doing that was really freaking hard.
“Paul,” Amy said brokenly.
Paul turned to Rush and me. “And again, who’s this guy?”
“It’s Rebel’s young man,” Amy said hurriedly. “You know that. You met him ten minutes ago.”
Paul switched his attention to his wife. “Yeah. And like I want a man I met ten minutes ago to watch me be humiliated again by my dead daughter.”
I felt my mouth get tight.
Amy paled and reared back, but did it saying, “We couldn’t leave him out in his truck.”
This was arguable, and I knew at this juncture which side I’d argue.
Incidentally, that was where Rush had intended to stay.
Getting the call from Hank sharing this was imminently going down, a call that woke us both up, Rush having had about five hours of sleep, he did not get my egg and bacon on cheesy buttermilk biscuits. He did not get the chance to “go at me.”
We’d gotten out of bed and Rush went downstairs to make coffee, telling me there was a note from the boys that they were off somewhere doing something with Sixx.
We’d taken a quick shower, pulled on clothes, grabbed some travel mugs of coffee and headed over to Paul and Amy’s. And so they could have a modicum of privacy in this emotional moment, he was going to wait for me out in the truck.
It was sweet.
Until Amy opened the door to me, saw Rush in his truck, Hank’s 4Runner pulling up, put things together, and when I told her Rush was my new boyfriend, she insisted he come inside.
I couldn’t talk her out of it.
And with the haunted look in her eyes, I didn’t have it