Lady Luck (Colorado Mountain #3)(148)

Ty shot up to sitting and rumbled into the phone, “You are shittin’ me.”

“What?” Lexie whispered, also sitting up with him, rearranging her legs so they were over his thighs and putting a hand to his chest.

He looked to Lexie, shook his head then touched his forehead to hers briefly before he pulled back and gave a still talking Peña his attention.

“Nope. No shit. This guy was deeper than Dolinski, in the inner sanctum. IA wants a clean house and they wanna make an example and considering how messy this shit is, they’re pullin’ out all the stops but it is still takin’ time. Now, the reason Dolinski learned this is because Keaton was in on a strategy meetin’ and the play that was to be instigated was that Fuller wanted you down and out. And to do that, he was gonna light a fire under your parole officer’s ass to do a random inspection of your home. Now, they didn’t know if they’d find anything so they decided to find somethin’ whether it was there or not. And to make certain it was enough not only to get you in hot water but set you to boil, they were going to plant a firearm and dope during that inspection which Fuller was going to make damned sure had his boys involved in it obviously so they could plant the shit. And just because they’re dickheads of mammoth proportions, they were also gonna plant dope in Lexie’s car.”

Ty closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

Peña kept speaking. “As Keaton was involved in this meeting, he informed IA of this plan, IA told him he had a comrade in arms that he didn’t know he had and then Keaton manipulated the situation. He made it so it was Dolinski and him who did the inspection and he leaked the information in a way you’d have a head’s up. Luckily, you had your shit together and half the town was in your kitchen. This gave Dolinski and Keaton an excuse not to follow through with the plan seein’ as Jackson was there as was Sterling and they’d both sniff that shit out faster than snot. So, they aborted but I say aborted in quotes because they weren’t gonna do it in the first place but at least they didn’t get their asses in hot water and under suspicion because they didn’t.”

So Ty had angels too.

And one of those angels was f**king Chace Keaton.

Fuck.

“So, Santa says, while your ball-breaker attorney does her thing, Keaton’s got your back. Dolinski tells me that Keaton tells him that Fuller is already making noises about his next play. Keaton is in place to deflect it. I do not know this man’s story and I do not have a line to him. I do know his wife recently got dead. I also know she f**ked you in the sense that that is the definition of understatement. And I also know she got dead and they think he’s still a loyal foot soldier so somethin’ is f**ked with that. So this man might have your back but you keep an eye to it.”

“Always do,” Ty told him.

“Good. Don’t stop, Ty, and when I say that, not for a minute.”

“Like I said, Angel, always do.”

“Right,” Peña whispered.

“You got more?”

“Just like all the little boys and girls, Santa’s generous and they’re turnin’ their stockin’ inside out hopin’ for one more piece of candy.”

“I’m not sayin’ I’m not grateful,” Ty said quietly. “I’m sayin’ I got news to break to my wife and an imminent visit from my father, a drunk, an ass**le the last thirty-six years but now a man who wants to get to know his son and daughter-in-law and try to be a good grandfather, so I got gratitude, Angel, I just don’t have time.”

Silence then, “Sorry, Ty, never stops for you.”

“Not a problem, Angel, and no, it doesn’t but I got hope this shit storm will end soon and all I’ll have is sunshine.”

“I hope so too, esé. Stay sharp.”

“Same to you.”

Then he heard the disconnect.

“What?” Lexie asked the minute he pulled the phone from his ear.

Ty pressed his lips together. Then he tossed his phone on the coffee table with a clatter and framed his wife’s face with his hands, bringing her close as he leaned into her.

And he gave it to her quick and straight.

“They found the man who killed Rodriguez and they also found that hit was ordered by Shift.”

He watched up close as her eyes got huge. Then she closed them, turned her head slightly away and pressed her lips together.

Ty slid his hands back into her hair and whispered, “Mama.”

Lexie’s eyes opened and came back to him.

“I don’t believe this. Ronnie loved him,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” Ty whispered back.

“And I thought Shift loved Ronnie.”

He didn’t respond because he didn’t need to, it was obvious Shift didn’t love Rodriguez.

“They were brothers.” Lexie was still whispering. “How could he do that?”

“No f**kin’ clue, Lex.”

She held his eyes, he couldn’t read hers.

Then Ty spoke. “Angel is on his way to Ella right now.”

“Shit,” she said softly.

“’Spect you’re gonna have to deal with that,” he warned her.

“Yeah, no love lost but still, it’ll be a blow.”

Watching her face and, for once, unable to read it, he moved his hands forward, taking her hair with them until they were at the sides of her neck and he asked, “This a blow for you?”