Page 120 of Direct Action

“Yeah,” I told him. “All good. Feds are there making their arrests, and Shep sent them what we had. Still no word about Cynthia. Figure that’ll wait until the sick fucks are in interrogation. COD on Muriel is two to the face.”

Gavin shook his head. “Chloe mentioned Dex ordered Blackwell to carry out the hit.”

“Already passed that along to feds,” Pete said, obviously hearing Gavin’s comment.

“Right, you’ll be home in the morning,” I said. “Need a few days with my woman, then we’ll come up to the ranch. Hopefully Poppy will be ready to see Chloe. But right now, I’m hanging up with you so I get to my girl.”

Pete disconnected.

Taking in Gavin, I decided not to wait to get a feel for where he was at.

“You good?”

“Nope.”

“Right. Not what I meant. Is this gonna fuck with you in a way we need to take a trip and work it out of you?”

“Nope. I figure once I get over my disappointment I didn’t get to gut one or all of those fucks, I’ll be good knowing you did and they’re gone. But for tonight, I’m going to wallow and rejoice you got to Chloe in time and Beck will get Poppy where she needs to be.”

“As long as you wallowing doesn’t include a bottle of bourbon.”

Gavin didn’t have an alcohol problem. He drank but never when he was angry or upset. He knew what liquor did to his tenuous hold on his temper.

“Thought you were heading to bed with your woman.”

“Gav—”

“I’m fine. You know I am or I’d tell you I wasn’t. Now go be with your girl.”

He was telling the truth. He would tell me if he was losing hold—a promise we’d made to each other a long time ago. One that had been kept many times.

I made my way to him, clapped him on his shoulder, and didn’t dally any longer getting to Chloe.

“Is Poppy okay?” Chloe asked as soon as I closed the door behind me.

I waited until I was undressed and slipping into bed next to her before I answered.

“She’s going to the ranch and staying with Beck for a while. He’ll take care of her. You want the lights on tonight, or are you good with them off?”

“Why wouldn’t I want the lights off?”

If she didn’t know, I wasn’t going to bring it up. I’d watch and wait. So I took that as her answer and reached over to douse the light.

Chloe quickly curled into me.

A week.

Two.

Life would just be life.

“Can you do me a favor?” she whispered into the dark.

“Anything.”

Her hand came up and landed on my chest, and her fingertips dug in.

“You know people say that all the time,” she said.