“Now, before Dusty gets back, give me the brief you just got from your informant.”
Mike nodded and was just finishing doing that when Dusty rode Moonshine in through the opened double doors of the barn. He saw in the dim lights that illuminated the space that she was no longer furious but that didn’t mean she wasn’t preoccupied.
She stopped the gray and her eyes swung back and forth between Mike and Rivera. She tipped her chin up but she didn’t smile. Then she dismounted and, hand curled around the reins, led the horse to them.
“I see the house is still standing and didn’t explode while I was gone,” she remarked. “Is everything okay?”
“Your Mom is keepin’ dinner warm. Rhonda is barricaded in her bedroom, your Mom tried twice to get in but the door’s locked. I talked Kirby down to spend time with No. By the time Rivera and I walked out here, Fin and Reesee were back. She’d calmed him down so he’s not pissed way the fuck off, he’s just pissed off. She got him playin’ some game with Adriana and Joaquin. And I just got a brief from Ryker,” Mike filled her in.
“And your brief?” she prompted.
“More fun for you, you give me your phone,” Mike replied and her head tipped to the side.
“Sorry?”
“Give me your phone, Angel,” Mike said quietly.
She studied him then reached to her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She handed it to him; Mike touched the screen, went to contacts and found Debbie.
Then he hit go and put it to his ear.
“I have not one thing to say to you, bitch,” was Debbie’s charming greeting.
“You don’t have Dusty, you got Mike,” Mike informed her.
There was a moment of silence before she recovered and mostly repeated, “Well, I have not one thing to say to you, either.”
“Good, ‘cause I don’t wanna listen to you. But I got somethin’ to say that you’ll wanna know. Bernie McGrath is married. I don’t know if you’re lettin’ him bang you for the fun of it or if you see rings in your future. If you do, you got another game to play, scrapin’ his wife off. Word is, she’s a good Christian woman and she lets everyone know it. Don’t know her, don’t know how much of a challenge she’ll be for you. Do know Bernie’s pretty tied to Indiana so if your hopes are high and you pull that shit off, it’s you who’ll be packin’ boxes. And one more thing,” Mike added. “That check McGrath gave Rhonda will be burned tonight. He can try again and maybe he’ll succeed. We’ll see. Every member of your family threw down against her tonight and I’ve been gettin’ to know Rhonda pretty well. No way she’ll bear up against that pressure. By some miracle she does, she’s out on her ass and even her boys agree with that. Congratulations, you’ve brought a grieving widow low and ripped a family apart. But if you’re thinkin’ she’s your ace, you need a re-deal. McGrath’s phone call tonight tipped your hand, we all know the cards you got and you don’t got dick.”
He took the phone from his hear still hearing her hissed, “Fuck you, Mike,” but that was all he heard before he disconnected. Then he flipped the switch on the side to turn the ringer off and shoved it in his back pocket.
Then he looked at his woman to see she was grinning.
And seeing her grin, the clutch he hadn’t really noticed with all this shit going down that had a hold on his chest released.
“Wish you’d have let me do that,” she said through her grin.
Mike grinned back. “Sorry, sweetheart. That was selfish of me.”
Her grin got bigger. Mike gave himself a second to take it in then his faded and he cut his eyes to Rivera.
“I’m guessin’ in Texas they teach you how to do a search,” he noted.
“Yup,” Rivera replied.
“We got a check to find,” Mike pointed out.
“Yup,” Rivera agreed.
“You know how to pick a lock?” Mike asked.
“Nope, but I know how to bust a door open and, you do that, it makes it harder to lock again,” Rivera returned.
Dusty emitted a low chuckle.
Mike looked at her. “Take that as permission?”
She threw her arm out behind her, inviting, “Have at it. I’ll take care of Moonshine and be in to help.”
“You want us to save the door bustin’ for you?” Rivera offered and Dusty emitted a much heartier chuckle.
“Uh…no,” she declined. “I’ll leave that to those with more experience. But give me ten minutes, I wanna watch.”
“You got it,” Rivera muttered then moved to walk from the barn.
Mike kept his eyes on his woman and said quietly, “Come here, honey, and kiss me. Fast. I got work to do.”
She led her horse to him, put her hand on his chest, tipped her head back and went up on her toes. He dipped his down and brushed his mouth against hers.
When he lifted up an inch, he held her eyes and his face was serious.
“I’m gonna make this okay,” he promised and her body leaned deeper into his.
“Mike –”