I put my head on chest, wrapped my arm around his belly and fell asleep watching football.

* * * * *

Hector

Hector pulled gently away from Sadie’s sleeping body, got out of bed, leaned back in and tucked the covers around her.

He walked to the bathroom, took a shower, shaved and went back to the bedroom.

He dressed with his eyes on Sadie to make sure she didn’t wake and because she looked cute when she slept, hands tucked under her cheek, her thick, soft, wild hair everywhere. Her scarred cheek was against the pillow which Hector thought was a good thing. She seemed not to notice it anymore or she’d put it somewhere in her head where she didn’t think about it. But every once in awhile the sight of it and the reason it was there crept into Hector’s consciousness and it would serve as an angry reminder. This was happening a lot less lately but when it did, it didn’t lose any of its intensity.

Once dressed, he leaned in and kissed the top of Sadie’s head.

She didn’t stir.

Then he went downstairs.

He made coffee, flipped the switch on the coffeemaker, wrote a note for Sadie and went upstairs and put it on the pillow. He was walking back downstairs when the knock came at the door.

He opened the door to see Bobby.

“Hombre,” he said, Bobby jutted out his chin and stepped in. Hector closed the door and went on, “Sadie’s sleepin’.”

“Got coffee?” Bobby asked.

Hector led the way to the kitchen, poured a mug for Bobby and a travel mug for himself. Bobby walked with him to the front door.

“Cell contact okay?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah,” Hector replied.

“You thinkin’ positive thoughts?” Bobby went on.

“No,” Hector responded.

His first errand that day was unpleasant but unavoidable.

Bobby nodded.

Hector walked out into the pre-dawn morning, got in the Bronco, started it up and drove to Vance’s house.

Just before Max was born, Vance and Jules had moved from her small duplex to a three bedroom bungalow with a white picket fence that was four doors down from Indy and Lee’s place but still only a block away from Jules’s Uncle Nick.

Hector parked in front of their house and had a hand on the door handle when he saw Vance exit the house and stop. Jules was there, holding a coffee mug and wearing a robe. Her hair was down and mussed and she looked half asleep. She lifted a hand to wave at Hector. He gave her a chin lift and settled back in his seat. Then she tilted her face to Vance who accepted her invitation and bent his head to her.

Hector looked away.

Minutes later, Vance opened the door, slid in, put his travel mug between his knees and buckled up.

Hector took off.

“This gonna go well?” Vance asked the windshield.

Hector didn’t take his eyes from the road. “I’m thinkin’, no.”

“How far you gonna push it?” Vance asked.

“As far as I have to.”

Vance didn’t respond and the conversation died, both men lost in their own thoughts.

It took an hour and a half to drive to the prison. Hector had called in a few markers or a few more markers. This business with Sadie was draining his reserves but he also didn’t give a f**k.

They were met at the entrance and taken to a room. Bars on the windows, a couch, a table, two chairs. They stayed standing and waited, silent.

Less than ten minutes later, the door opened and Seth Townsend walked in with a security guard.

He took one look at Hector, not even glancing at Vance, and he turned to the security guard.

“Take me back.”

The security guard’s eyes moved to Hector, he closed the door and stood in front of it.

“Take me back,” Seth repeated to the guard.

Hector studied him. Even with months inside, he looked good. Body fit, his prison blues wrinkle-free like he had them ironed, his hair cut neatly. Hector tried to find some hint of Sadie in him but it wasn’t there. Seth Townsend was tall, dark-haired with some distinguishing gray and his body was made up of lean, muscled bulk. He was impressive, had a presence that was both magnetic and menacing, even in prison. How this man made Sadie, Hector couldn’t begin to guess. If he hadn’t seen the photos of Sadie’s mother, he would have thought she was adopted.

“We gotta talk,” Hector said.

Seth’s gaze sliced to him but he was silent.

“I wanna cut a deal,” Hector went on.

Seth’s eyes flashed and he smiled. It was not an amused smile, it was a triumphant one. He walked further into the room.

“You want to cut a deal,” Seth repeated.

“Yeah,” Hector replied.

Seth put his hands in the pockets of his pants and rocked back on his heels.

“All of a sudden, I want to cut a deal too,” Seth said.

It was Hector’s turn to stay silent.

Then, as if Vance nor the guard were in the room, Seth offered, “I’ll make it worth your while to stay away from her.”

Hector showed no reaction to this and remained silent.

“Good enough to fix up that house of yours, trade up to a better car, even afford a decent haircut.”

Exposing his knowledge of Hector’s living arrangements and vehicle mixed with the inference that Hector was beneath Sadie’s notice, Hector knew Seth was trying to rattle him.

Considering he left Sadie na**d and asleep in his bed, Hector remained unrattled.

Seth watched him closely then said, “No? Then I’ll make it not worth your while to stay with her.”

“This how you scared away Tracy and Brent?” Hector asked about Sadie’s only two boyfriends. She didn’t need to tell him about them last night, he already knew. He’d dug them up as a matter of course during the investigation and knew all about them.

“They took the first option,” Seth replied without remorse.

“I’m waitin’ for option three, the one where, once you get out, you invite me to Thanksgiving dinner,” Hector returned casually.

Seth showed no response.

“We done with this topic?” Hector decided it was time to move on.

Seth shrugged.

“Sadie’s bad business has to stop,” Hector continued.

Instantly Seth retorted, “You are clever. You come up with that on your own?”

Hector ignored him. “You can carry on and f**k it up or we can work together.”

Seth’s eyes went hard. “You have got to be joking, Chavez, no way in hell we’re working together.”

“Then I got a choice,” Hector replied immediately. “Vance here has been diggin’ around Elizabeth’s disappearance. Vance is pretty good at findin’ shit out. So good, he found out she was whacked by Mickey Balducci. You remember Mickey Balducci?”