Bobby eyes were on the GPS screen and he was going to give Vance directions to Cordova’s house via speakerphone.
By the time Vance made it up to the offices, Bobby had heard Hector tel ing Jules why he’d broken in. Bobby had already had the GPS directions to Cordova’s house on screen when Vance opened the door and stuck his torso in.
“Keys,” Vance had said, obviously not intent on hanging around, he tossed the keys to Bobby without ful y entering the room.
“We got a situation,” Bobby told him after he’d nabbed the keys, “Law.”
Vance’s face got tight and without hesitation he entered the room. Bobby briefed him in thirty seconds.
Vance had his earphone in his ear before the door to the surveil ance room closed behind him.
“Turn left,” Bobby told Vance.
Jesus, Cordova’s a fuckin’ idiot, Bobby thought, Crowe’s gonna feed him his balls for dinner.
“Next street, turn right,” Bobby said out loud.
*
Lee The phone rang beside the bed. Lee gently rol ed away from the soft, warm body of a dead-to-the-world Indy and snatched his cel off the night table, flipped it open and put it to his ear.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Lee,” it was Darius.
Lee got tense.
Darius went on. “Shard’s in town. He’s got one of Law’s kids. Roam.”
“Fuck,” Lee clipped.
Lee was out of bed, dressed and out of the house in two minutes.
Indy didn’t wake.
*
Shirleen Shirleen was pacing her living room.
The phone rang and she pounced on it.
“What?” she snapped.
“He’s got the brother. Kid’s name is Roam,” Darius told her.
Shirleen closed her eyes. “Cal Lee.”
“Already did. We need to find Law’s other kid. I need Daisy’s number.”
“I cal ed her. She’s got Marcus on it.”
“I’l cal Marcus.”
Disconnect.
Shirleen sat down on her white couch. She put her elbows to her knees and her head in her hands and for the first time in a long time, she prayed.
*
Luke Luke listened to the phone ringing in his ear, it rang twice before connect.
“Yeah?”
“Lee. I got Sniff. He says Shard’s back in town. He’s got Roam. I’m headed to Cordova’s.”
“Why’re you headed to Cordova’s?”
“Sniff says Shard’s there. He looked through the window.
He says Cordova is dead, Roam isn’t in good shape. I found Sniff runnin’ down Colfax headed to Law.”
“Darius cal ed, told me about Shard and Roam, though he didn’t know where he was,” there was a pause then, “fuck!” Lee exploded and Luke’s mouth tightened as he heard Lee uncharacteristical y lose control. “Luke, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Luke didn’t either. He had a fucking shitty feeling about this.
“Sniff’s leading me to the house, he doesn’t know the address. I’l get it to you when I get there,” Luke said.
“I’l cal the office for directions,” Lee returned, “out.” Disconnect.
Luke drove, Sniff gave directions. The kid had gotten control, stopped crying, wiped his face on his sweatshirt and was pointing the way with more certainty than Luke would have expected him to in his state.
Luke’s phone rang again.
Luke flipped it open and put it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“Pick up the speed, Luke,” Lee said. “I cal ed the office.
Hector got word about Roam, for some fuckin’ reason he went for Law to get him. She’s probably already there. Out.” Disconnect.
“Fuck! ” Luke snarled, flipped the phone shut, threw it on the dash, put his foot down and the Porsche shot forward.
*
Jules Never, not in a mil ion years, would I have thought Sal Cordova would have hurt Roam.
He wanted me then he was going to get me.
But he wouldn’t hurt Roam.
Maybe bore him to death with idiot stories about being a supposed ladies man but that wouldn’t be physical y painful, just mental y painful.
That’s why, just like Luke, I went up to the front door, cocky as al hel , knocked three times and shouted, “It’s Jules!”
Then without hesitation I pul ed out my gun, put my hand to the door handle, turned it and went in.
I saw in a quick heart-stopping scan of the room that considering Sal was dead, not just dead, very dead, that I was right, he couldn’t hurt Roam.
I also saw that somehow Roam was hurt, unconscious and bloody and lying on the floor.
Without a thought (I real y should have thought), I ran into the room toward Roam but to my surprise he surged up shouting, “Law!” his eyes behind me.
I whirled and saw Shard, gun up pointed at me, his bruised and swol en face grinning, eyes hard.
“Fuckin’ bitch,” Shard said.
Then he fired.
Unfortunately Roam had enough chance to get himself in front of me. Roam’s body jerked when the bul et slammed into it and he went down at my feet.
Rage shot through me, I screamed bloody murder, lifted my gun, pointed and fired.
Shard fired too.
My first bul et hit him in the shoulder. I didn’t aim to hurt him overly much.
His first bul et hit me in the gut, he aimed to kil me.