“Yeah, Krys, and it was gettin’ hot because I was gettin’ close.”

I felt my eyes get big, so hopeful I was no longer scared of big, handsome, well-built, serious Tate Jackson, I leaned in and whispered, “To what?”

Tate turned to me and answered, “Don’t know. Somethin’. Victim was shot but the murder weapon never found, more than one source told me the victim was known to Gene Fuller and Eugene Fuller makes Arnie Fuller look like a f**kin’ Boy Scout.”

“How was the victim known to Fuller?” I asked.

“Dealer and, word is, Fuller likes his blow,” Tate answered.

I sucked in breath and sat back, muttering, “Cokehead?”

Tate nodded.

I looked to the side, feeling overwhelmed by this. It was safe to say I was already overwhelmed by the enormity of what Ty lost but the fact that he lost it to dirty cops and cokeheads, people who were the dregs and Ty was no dreg, made something that was already unimaginably unfair something that was crushingly unfair. He’d had the most precious thing anyone possessed stolen from him. A chunk of his life. And the people who stole it from him did shit to deserve worse than he got. Way worse.

“Lexie?” Krystal called, I pulled in breath through my nose and looked to her.

Then I shared, “I was at the garage telling him my news and Chace and Misty Keaton rolled up in an SUV. He had to stand there and watch them roll up to a garage, free and easy, not having parole officers and still hearing the clang of barred doors closing them into a cell. He had to stand there and watch those f**king two roll right on up. And he says I get her, she’s fair game after he does whatever it is he’s going to do but I don’t know if I can wait. And I don’t know what he’s going to do or how long it’s going to take. So something has to give because there’s a bitch in this town who needs a lesson and I’m the teacher.”

This got me stares all around.

Then Jim-Billy muttered, “Shit, darlin’, remind me not to get on your bad side.”

To which I turned my head to him immediately and said, “Don’t f**k over my husband, you’ll be fine.”

He grinned at me then his eyes slid to Tate. Mine did too and they went through a lips twitching Deke and a grinning Krystal to find a smiling so big he looked in danger of roaring with laughter Tate.

“I don’t know what there is to smile about,” I declared.

“Then, woman, you don’t got the same picture in your head as I do,” Deke stated then looked at Krystal. “Lexie here takes down Misty, you make sure it happens in the bar. Sell tickets. I don’t give a f**k. I’ll pay whatever you charge. But I get a front row seat.”

I rolled my eyes at Krystal. She shook her head still grinning.

“All right, Lexie, back to business,” Tate said and I looked at him. “You say you don’t got enough sway. You got it in you to cause a delay in whatever Ty’s schemin’ to do?”

I thought about it. And what I thought were good thoughts. So I smiled.

“I might be able to arrange that,” I told Tate and he smiled back.

“Shit, boy born to bad luck, turns it around, gets smacked down then turns it right the f**k back around again. Shit,” Deke muttered and my eyes went to him to see his on Tate. “I’m in with whatever you’re gonna do. I’m in for Ty but my payback is knowin’ where he found her.” Then he jerked his head to me.

“Boy, wake up and look around. Good women everywhere you just gotta stake your claim,” Jim-Billy informed him.

“You been outta the game awhile, old timer,” Deke returned. “Tits and ass and great hair usually come attached to headaches not loyalty and the good kinda attitude that makes your dick get hard.”

This was an unusual compliment but it was a compliment, a compliment coming from Deke no less so I felt the need to throw out a share, “Ty and I met through a drug dealer slash pimp so maybe you should expand your search area.”

Deke blinked at me. Krystal audibly stifled a laugh. Jim-Billy guffawed. Tate chuckled.

“No shit?” Deke asked.

“I’m not a prostitute or junkie or anything, past or present. Just had baggage from another relationship and that baggage hooked me up with Ty. He was a pain in my ass but, obviously, now, if I saw him again, I’d kiss him. That is before I shot him. Though Ty really dislikes him so I don’t think I’ll see him again which is good because I dislike him more than Ty, except of course for the fact he hooked me up with Ty.”

“You put honest juice in her diet?” Jim-Billy asked Tate.

“You known Ty since his Momma shot him out?” Tate asked back.

“Yup,” Jim-Billy answered.

“You’ve known him that long, you figure he’d put a rock on the finger of anyone not the likes of Lexie?” Tate continued his mini-interrogation but I felt my heart squeeze.

“Nope,” Jim-Billy replied on a toothy grin.

“Then honest juice my ass,” Tate muttered and Jim-Billy guffawed again.

But I was feeling warm all over because they approved of me. I’d laid out some vague but possibly damning information and they still approved of me. And they were Ty’s friends so this meant a lot.

My purse chimed, I shoved my hand in it, pulled out my phone, flipped it open and saw I had a text from Ty that read, “Rooster seven. Ready six thirty.”

Apparently he was still Taciturn Ty by text.

I grinned at the phone. Then I looked at my watch. Then I grabbed my diet, sucked down a huge swallow, fished out the cherries, plucked them off their stems, ate them and sucked down another swallow.

Then I jumped off my stool and announced, “Gotta go gussy up for the celebration. I’ll see you all later?”

“Yeah, Lexie, congratulations,” Tate said.

“Later,” Deke said.

“Have fun tonight, darlin’,” Jim-Billy said.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Krystal scarily said while rounding the end of the bar.

I couldn’t see a way to avoid a somewhat-frightening and I still wasn’t certain what to think about her Krystal walking me to my car so I said my final farewells and headed out with Krystal at my side. She didn’t speak and I didn’t either. But I did stop at the driver’s side of the Charger and looked down at her.

She was inspecting my car.

“Sweet ride,” she approved.

Well, that was a good start.

“Thanks.”