I would learn after they left and before Ty and I went up to bed to have the real celebration, that Tate was taking the money, gun, weapon paraphernalia and Misty’s letter. He had a scanner and was going to scan it and send it to Angel that night. He was also going to send it to other people. He was further going to make a shitload of copies of it, give Ty and I some but keep the original safe. And lastly, Ty had contacted his friend Max’s wife Nina, who was an attorney in Gnaw Bone, who was also on Tate’s e-mail list to receive a scanned copy. That said, she’d already been on the line to Colorado’s Attorney General’s office to discuss Ty’s case and how the letter shed new light on it and to get the ball rolling to uncover whatever else Misty had sent to whoever else she sent it to.
Although the Attorney General’s office assured her that they felt this was as serious as Nina Maxwell communicated to them it was and would be acting on it thus, that was as far as we got.
It would be nice to get a knock on the door in five minutes and go down to see the Governor there to grant Ty a full pardon with a thousand news reporters behind him ready to receive his statement that Tyrell Walker was a wronged man and Arnold Fuller was a racist, asshole, dirty cop dick but I doubted that would happen.
So I would take what we had since it was way better than what we had yesterday.
“Do you think Keaton is working with Frank?” I asked Ty.
“I think Keaton’s wife got shot and Keaton’s shook. He did not do me dirty except that he married Misty and was and is known to look the other way frequently and clearly he did it during my gig. How dirty he is, I have no idea but I do know you jump in the mud, it’s impossible to stay clean. And I know he jumped in the mud way before what went down with me. His seein’ the error of his ways now does not surprise me. But I wouldn’t trust him to change a light bulb.”
I nodded.
Then I pointed out, “Fuller, today, was arrogant. I don’t think he knows what Misty got up to or what Frank and possibly Keaton are currently up to.”
“Fuller has been a big fish in a small pond for a very long time. Fuller has convinced himself he’s untouchable and the long ride he’s had has helped him do that. He’s got shit on people, he’s got people in his pocket and he’s demonstrated that his retribution will be fierce if he’s crossed and not just with me and Misty but often and for decades. He’s not dumb as his boys but no man should suffer from hubris. Hubris is the worst thing a man can have because it makes you weak without you knowin’ you’re weak. Hubris has brought bigger, smarter, more powerful men to their knees. A man like him, it’ll destroy.”
“I hope so,” I whispered.
His hands stopped roaming and his arms wrapped around the middle of my back, pulling me close so my torso was plastered to his and our faces were an inch apart.
“Seein’ that man in my house I thought would rile me. Seein’ how he was, though, it was the first time I felt any real hope. All this shit goin’ down around him, even right in front of him, Gifford clearly hatin’ his guts, citizens there in his face that they were not scared or cowed and he still stood their proud, thinkin’ he had the upper hand. That isn’t smart. He’s blinded by his perceived power. It’s the wrong way to be.”
“But he… with Misty –”
“Misty was a speck of dust that he blew off. He cannot blow off the IA or the FBI or Tate Jackson. He’s got more powerful enemies than him and he doesn’t see it. Means his plays will be off.”
“I hope so,” I repeated on a whisper and got a strong squeeze of my man’s arms.
“Team Walker is in the home stretch, mama,” Ty whispered back, I sighed, he smiled then he ordered, “Get off me, baby, we don’t know what tomorrow’ll bring. We need to sleep.”
I nodded, touched my mouth to his and rolled off.
He turned his light off and slid into bed. I turned off mine and rolled back to curl into him.
I fell asleep tucked to his side. As usual, what seemed like moments later, I was on my other side and felt my husband leave the bed. He was never gone long and this time was no different. Then he was back and curving his long body into mine.
I snuggled back into him, doing it deep and fell back to sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Christmas Comes Early
Ty
Lying on his back on the couch, Ty heard his wife’s heels on the floor then he heard them disappear and he moved his eyes from the game to over the back of couch because he knew her feet hit rug.
When he saw her he didn’t know whether to grin, frown or get up, grab her, throw her on the couch and fuck her hard and quick before their company came.