Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(225)

“Why don’t we focus on the matter at hand and you leave Mia out of this?” Merry suggested, his voice edging toward hostile.

“What makes you jump to the conclusion I’m talkin’ about Mia, Merry?” Layne asked and Merry’s jaw got tight. “Okay then, just to confirm, that reaction right there means I’m talkin’ about Mia, brother.”

“Jesus,” Merry clipped.

“You gonna heal all my family’s wounds on your front lawn, boy?” Dave asked.

Layne’s eyes sliced to him. “No, but I’m going to tell you when Merry told me Rocky was intending to put herself out there to out Harry Rutledge and I went to talk to her, she spoke about you and her Mom. She did it with fierce pride, Dave, and that was pride instilled in her by her mother. Cecilia was proud of who you were, what you did and what you stood for and she taught her daughter to feel the same way. You wore the white hat, Dave, your son does it now. Your daughter is proud as hell of that. Now, I don’t know, I’m not you, but I know my boys are proud of me and I know how it felt when Jasper told me that, straight out. So I get it, that wound runs deep, it’ll never heal but I can’t imagine knowin’ your wife felt that way and your daughter still feels it, that doesn’t help, even a little bit.”

Neither Merry nor Dave spoke and Layne waited but they still didn’t speak.

So he did. “Vera’s out with Dev gettin’ stuff for Mexican layer dip, we’re gearin’ up for the Colts so it’s not noon but I’m havin’ a f**kin’ beer. You can come in if you want and you can stay as long as you like. Just understand, when Vera and Devin get back, I’m not discussin’ the possibility that they’re becomin’ an item because it freaks me way, the f**k, out.”

Both Merry and Dave’s mouths dropped open.

Layne finished, “You can follow me and hang, you can come in and see Roc’s all right, go away and plan my death, you can do what you want, but I’m havin’ a beer.”

With that, Layne turned and walked into the house.

The door didn’t even begin to close on his back because Merry had his hand on it and he and his father were moving in right after Layne.

“Hey Uncle Dave!” Tripp shouted. “Merry!”

Merry and Dave went to the sectional.

Layne went to the fridge.

* * * * *

It was halftime of the Colt’s game, the Mexican layer dip was decimated so they’d moved on to crackers and cheese squirted from a can and Vera had whipped up an emergency batch of sour cream onion dip for chips. She’d put out some carrot sticks with the chips with more hope than realism. Blondie had stolen a carrot stick and then spat it out on the floor by the couch. No one else had touched them.

Merry, Devin, Dave, Blondie and Layne were outside.

Merry was sitting and smoking.

Dave was standing and tossing a ball for Blondie.

Devin was sitting and scowling at Dave and the dog.

Layne was sitting, drinking beer and looking over his shoulder into the living room.

He’d left the couch where Rocky was lying with her head on his thigh, her feet in her father’s lap. Now, she was sitting between Tripp, who was turned toward her, his mouth moving, and Jasper, whose head was bent and his cell was in his hands. His boys had both moved from the floor to her before his and Dave’s asses were out of the couch.

Vera was in the kitchen, likely assessing ingredients to concoct a dinner later which would sit like a lead weight in his gut after all that junk food but which his sons would burn off in approximately twelve minutes.

“Jig is up, brother,” Merry muttered and Layne’s eyes turned to Merry.

“We lost Towers,” he surmised and felt Devin and Dave’s attention shift to them.

“Yep, she’s gone. Lost her tail and vanished. Even her army is laying low. The word is out they’ve been made and they’re off the grid,” Merry confirmed.

“Fuck,” Layne whispered.

“Goulding?” Devin asked.

“Picked him up. Charged him with identity theft times two, Gaines and Aubry. Informed the authorities in Tennessee we’ve got him. We’ll process him but he’ll go down there first to answer to those charges. Don’t expect we’ll see him back in Indiana for awhile,” Merry answered.

It wasn’t much but it was something.

Layne’s eyes went to Devin and Devin nodded. Layne needed to tell his man in LA. Marissa didn’t need to know, it was unlikely any of this shit would blow west, but his man needed a head’s up, just in case.

“Colt, Sully and me went to the Captain yesterday with what we have on Rutledge. He’s called an investigation,” Merry went on.

“Just like that?” Layne asked.

“Not exactly. Cap wasn’t big on us keepin’ this under our hats but he had his own suspicions. He said he didn’t want to think that of a cop in his Department which was why he didn’t move on it himself. What he means was, he’s too f**kin’ lazy not to mention worried what it’d say about him that a cop turned under his watch,” Merry replied.

“Rutledge been picked up?” Layne asked.

“Yep, late afternoon yesterday. They were still talkin’ to him after I got home from here last night,” Merry answered.

“Did he roll over?” Layne asked.