I realized then that Hank was listening. How he was, I didn’t know, but he was listening.
Good God.
“Bil y. You’ve got to –”
Bil y cut me off. “‘Cause tomorrow, you’l be with me.
Tomorrow, he’l be lyin’ in bed wondering where your sweet mouth is. And you and me… I’l make you forget him, Roxie.
We’l be gone and you’l forget and it’l only be you and me.”
“I’l never go with you,” I said but I said it to nothing, he’d disconnected.
I flipped my phone shut, tossed it on the nightstand and looked at Hank.
Hank was staring at me but he talked into the phone.
“You get him?” he paused. “Yeah. Keep me informed.” Then he snapped his phone shut, threw his on the nightstand too and said, “He’s in Colorado Springs.” I stood across the room from Hank and my parents, trembling and watching Hank, wondering what he was thinking, wondering if now, after hearing what he heard, he’d not only let me go, but ask me to go.
“Colorado Springs?” Mom asked. “What’s he doing there?”
“On the run. He knows Harper’s boys are after him and he’s not stayin’ anywhere long,” Hank told Mom then looked at me. “Vance is in C Springs, fol owed him down there.
You kept him on the line long enough, they got a lock on his position. Vance is headin’ there now.”
I nodded.
“Thank the Sweet Lord Jesus,” Mom said.
“Atta girl, Roxie,” Dad said.
I ignored Mom and Dad.
“Were you listening?” I asked Hank.
“Yeah. When I found out about the cal this afternoon, I told Lee and the boys have been monitoring your phone.
They put it on speaker. You okay?” Hank asked me.
“No,” I said.
No, no, real y just no. He’d heard it and he wasn’t coming to me. I was standing across the room in nothing but a nightie, scared and trembling, and he made no move to me.
I knew this would happen. He didn’t even want to be near me.
Hank looked angry, he looked so angry, he looked about ready to commit murder. He looked like he was expending every effort not to lose control. If he’d let go and started ripping the room apart, I wouldn’t have been surprised
“Are you okay?” I asked Hank.
He didn’t answer for a beat.
Then he spoke. “I’m gonna kil that motherfucker,” his voice was so low, an edge sliced through it.
My head jerked at his words and I winced. I’d heard them many a time before but the way Hank said them made me believe him.
“Whisky –”
“Get over here,” he ordered.