Ty moved to pull his phone out of his back pocket.
Still rushing, Rowdy informed Ty, “You went down for Fuller’s brother in LA.”
“Not tellin’ me somethin’ I don’t know,” Ty muttered, flipping open his phone then, eyes to it and not to me, he said to me, “Mama, get your ass over here, behind me. Now.”
I shifted out from the door, slammed it and moved.
Rowdy spoke. “He’s got a partner.”
“Know that too,” Ty said as he moved out of his door, slammed it and I moved close to his back. He was also hitting buttons on his phone, I could hear the beeps.
“It was about dope,” Rowdy quickly put in.
“LA Fuller likes his blow, this too is not news,” Ty murmured, lifting the phone to his ear.
“LA Fuller likes his blow and also doesn’t like a middle man. Killed that dealer you went down for not because he owed him so much as because he took over his business,” Rowdy said, I felt Ty’s body get tight and he dropped his phone hand, flipping it closed.
Oh my God!
Rowdy kept talking, taking another step in, Ty’s entire body went tight making it look like it expanded and he was bigger than he was which was already big and Rowdy wisely stopped.
But he didn’t stop talking. “He owed him, he owed him a whack. But he also learned from that mistake. Distribute, you got a constant supply without havin’ to pay for it; just skim it off the top. He had connections all over the place, set up a network of sellers and, as a cop, he could provide them excellent protection. Shit worked great for him, a couple years later, he and his buddy expanded the business, took over another dealer’s supplier and territory, same way as you, dealer goes down, another guy gets framed, they take over. They had it sweet. Now they got heat.”
“You got any evidence of this?” Ty asked.
“I –” Rowdy started.
Ty interrupted him, “Yes or no, Rowdy, you got anything solid behind this?”
Rowdy held his eyes. Then he shook his head.
“Motherfucker, you are wanted for murder and you walk into my garage offerin’ me a deal when you really got nothin’ and your word is worth shit?” Ty asked.
Rowdy’s shoulders went straight and he declared, “I didn’t kill Misty.”
“Tell someone who gives a shit,” Ty returned.
“I just handed you Fuller and his brother and that brother’s partner,” Rowdy reminded him.
“You didn’t hand me shit. Half of what you told me, I know and so do a fuckload of people who actually can do something about it and the other half you got no evidence to support.”
At that, Rowdy lost it, leaned in and snapped, “I’m not goin’ down for takin’ out that gash.”
To this, Ty was quiet for several long seconds until I put my hands to him, curling my fingers in the back waistband of his jeans and pressing close with all the rest of me.
Then he spoke and when he did, it was quiet but that quiet still rumbled. “Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?”
My stomach flipped.
Rowdy’s torso shot back and his face went pale.
“Now, you listen to me, you piece of shit,” Ty whispered. “You do not breathe my air or my wife’s. I don’t see you until I see your picture in the paper then I can toss that shit in the trash where it fuckin’ belongs. You get near me or my wife again, your shit storm magnifies to epic proportions. I know what you like, Rowdy. Five years ago, you fucked me up the ass but you did it metaphorically ‘cause you like ass fuckin’ but not men. Boys. The younger they look, fuck, the younger they are, the better.” I was peering around Ty, staring at Rowdy who was now white as a sheet but Ty wasn’t done. “I know where you do your ass fuckin’, I know who you fuck, I know how much you pay for it and I know how often you do it. My guess is, you do not want your buddies to know you like givin’ it up the ass to boys. Another guess, once you go down for whatever the fuck they get you for, you do not want to be a cop in the joint who’s known for gettin’ off on that shit. My wife and I never see you again, that secret stays safe. We do, I spread that shit wide. I’ll remind you, over five years ago, you fucked me so I would advise you don’t test me because it’s takin’ all the control I got not to lay you out. Now, nod if you get me then get… the fuck… out of my… fuckin’ garage.”
Rowdy, eyes wide, face ashen, nodded once, turned and scurried out of the garage.
Ty turned to me, his burning eyes caught mine and he ordered, “You move with me, you are not outta my reach.”
I nodded.
He turned again to look out the garage as he opened the door to the Viper, moved into it, turned again, his eyes came to me, he reached in, hit the button and the garage door started to crank down. He moved out of the door, slammed it and we both watched the garage door until it settled.
Then he turned back to me. “Upstairs.”
I moved. Ty followed. I watched him turn the lock on the utility room door to the garage then I walked up the stairs. Ty again followed.