It was then her eyes slid to the side and she murmured, “This is true.”
Ty pulled her closer, her eyes slid back and her hands slid up to round his neck. “This does not have to happen now but it has to happen. You need to think about what you want. We do this; we do it once and settle. We don’t need to be movin’ our brood all over Carnal as it grows so you find what you like in a way that you’re gonna like it a good long while.”
“What about what you like?” Lexie asked.
“I got one condition and that is, your ass in my bed every night. Since that’s gonna happen anywhere we’re gonna be, the rest of it, I don’t give a fuck.”
That was when he got her soft face, warm eyes and a sweet, quiet, “Ty.”
“We do it before the first one comes then we do it soon. It’s your first, you advance, I want you worried about our kid not movin’. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she whispered, her arms around his neck getting tighter, her body moving up because she rolled up on her toes.
“Now, I gotta get to work,” he said quietly.
She nodded and, still whispering, replied, “Okay, honey.”
He bent his neck and touched his mouth to hers. Then he dropped his forehead and touched that to hers. Then he released her, tagged his travel mug but wrapped his hand around her hip and gave her a squeeze before he let her go again and started moving away.
“Later, mama,” he said to the backdoor and heard said to his back, “Later, baby.”
Then Ty walked out the backdoor, down the stairs, got in his Cruiser and went to work.
*
Three and a half hours later…
Ty’s cell rang, he did the drill, looked at the display, flipped it open and put it to his ear.
“Champ,” he greeted.
“Where are you?” Julius asked quickly, his voice strange, urgent and Ty felt a whisper of dread snake up his spine.
“At work,” he answered.
“You haven’t heard,” Julius stated.
“Heard what?”
Julius sucked in breath.
Then he told Ty, “Day before yesterday, Shift was FTA at his prelim hearing.” Pause then, “My man, this kicks me in the balls to tell you this shit because I know you got a relationship with that cop but he was there, Pe?a, at the courthouse. When the hearing was cancelled, he walked out right into a drive-by. He took four. He’s alive but they are not thinkin’ good things and when I say that, he’s already received last rites. Him still breathin’ is a miracle and that miracle is aided by a machine.”
Ty was already on the move through the garage to the office where Wood was in with Stella and Pop.
“Shift do it?” he barked into the phone.
“Was mayhem, the shooter took out three other people, two survived, one got one right in the neck, bled out before help arrived. Bystanders were freaked, it happened fast but they said it was a black man though further descriptions aren’t great. My guess is, Pe?a’s got more enemies than just Shift. But you gotta have this head’s up.”
“Right,” Ty muttered, climbing the stairs to the office.
“Sorry, brother, wish you and Lexie had a longer run without shit news comin’ at you,” Julius said quietly.
“Me too. Thanks for callin’ to tell me, brother,” Ty replied, opening the door to the office.
“I’ll call, I get any more,” Julius told him. “Later.”
“Later,” Ty said into the phone, flipped it shut, looked through the office to see all eyes on him, his intent to tell them he had to walk to the salon to deliver shit news to his wife. Lexie’d be pissed if he waited until that night. Pe?a’s position elevated significantly in Lexie’s mind since he’d gone all out for Ty so that meant Lexie’d want their asses on a plane and she wouldn’t want a delay in that.
But before he could open his mouth, his phone rang in his hand. He looked at the display and felt his brows draw together at a number that was local but one he didn’t know.
His gaze went through the room, he muttered, “Somethin’s up but hang on.” He flipped his phone open, put it to his ear and greeted, “Yo.”
“Ty?” He heard a familiar voice that made his blood run cold. “Sorry to bug you but I called Lexie’s cell and at home, no answer. She hasn’t come into work yet. Half an hour late. This isn’t like her. Is something up? Is she unwell?”
Dominic.
Lexie hadn’t gone to work yet.
Shift was FTA.
Pe?a was delivered last rites.
All the air in Ty’s lungs squeezed out, leaving his body void of oxygen.