Читать книгу Karma III - Sabrina Eubanks - Страница 6

L eah had never in her life wanted to slap the taste out of someone’s mouth as badly as she wanted to slap Nadine. She wasn’t privy to the inner workings of their failed marriage, but if what Nadine had shown her was any indication of her true personality, she couldn’t blame Noah if he’d chosen to stray. She sighed and got out of her car. If Nadine said anything greasy to her today, she was going to let her ass have it; she didn’t care if Noah had just started to come around, whose parents were there, or how pregnant her ass was. She was gettin’ it. Little condescending, stuck-up, crazy bitch.

Leah walked into the Starbucks across the street from the hospital and picked up some snacks. She had a feeling Lucas hadn’t thought ahead to feeding himself. He was too busy dividing his time between Nick, Noah, and Tony. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been asleep with his head on Nick’s bed, using his hurt arms for a pillow. Nick had been asleep, too, with her fingers in his hair. Leah smiled to herself. It had been an especially sweet and touching moment in the midst of so much sadness.

Leah paid for her stuff and was starting to shift her mood out of the funk Nadine had put her in, when someone touched her arm.

“You need some help with that?”

Startled, Leah turned and found herself looking into the pudgy, fatherly face of Butch Harper. Leah was surprised to see him, but she gave him the bag of goodies and pushed the door open. “Sure, thanks Butch. Should I say it’s nice to see you, or should I not be sure yet?” Butch was I.A. Not everybody in Internal Affairs was an asshole or a robot with a busted attitude. Some people had compassion and weren’t willing to get your ass with no grease — guilty or not. Butch was pretty much one of those people. Still, to see him at all was enough cause to make you queasy. He was a nice man, but he rarely made social calls. Someone was about to get reamed out.

Butch laughed jovially as he crossed the street with her. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

Leah smiled at him. “No, you’re a sweet guy, Butch. You make things a little easier.”

He laughed and his eyes twinkled as he held the door for her.

“Well, you know what they say, ‘a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.’”

“Yeah, so they say.”

Butch followed her down the hall to the bank of elevators, making small talk. When Leah reached out to push the button, Butch stepped in front of her. “You know, Leah, I really gotta tell you how sorry I am that so many of the people you’re close to got hurt. I truly am. Thank God everybody’s got the chance to recover.” He paused and offered her a regretful smile. “Unfortunately, something has come to my attention that I have to talk to you about.”

Leah’s eyes got big and she pointed to herself. “Me? What did I do?”

“You’re not the only one I need to talk to. I need to have a word with Ramsey, Cain, and Hardaway, too. Especially Hardaway.” What the hell was he talking about?

Leah frowned. “What do you mean, ‘especially Hardaway?’ Why do you want to talk to the four of us? What do you think we’ve done?” Butch rang for the elevator himself and smiled. “I thought I was the one who asked too many questions. What floor?”

“Five,” Leah said. Why on earth were they sending I.A. down on them? Shit, they’d risked their lives to bring Draco down. What kind of bullshit was this?

Butch smiled serenely as the doors slid closed. “It always happens this way. Now you’re not so pleased to see me.”

“If it bothers you, maybe you should change departments.” Butch raised an eyebrow at the barb, then he chuckled. “I would, Leah, but it gives me indescribable pleasure to witness a truly bad cop come to the end of the road.”

Leah dropped her head. Nick had been her partner for eight years.

She didn’t believe it was Nick. It damned sure wasn’t her. Noah? Lucas?

That just couldn’t be. Noah and Lucas were highly decorated First Grade Detectives. They didn’t do bullshit detail. They were reserved for the most dangerous jobs, because they got the job done. Rookies aspired to be like them. Everybody wanted to work with them. They were the goddamn Rock Stars, for Christ’s sake! Leah’s stomach lurched in her singular moment of doubt that one, or both of them might be dirty.

They stepped out of the elevator and she shook it off. No way that shit was true.

“I gotta tell you, Leah, I’m gonna do my best to get the hell outta your hair as soon as possible. I’m gonna talk to you guys all at once. I’ve already requested a wheelchair for Detective Hardaway. We’ll meet in Ramsey’s room, since he can’t be moved. I got Cain on his cell phone.

He was en route. I asked if he’d meet us there.” So Lucas had gone home. Leah was quietly relieved. Butch didn’t necessarily need to know Nick was his woman.

“Yeah, okay.”

He smiled at her. “Relax, Wheeler. This isn’t really about what maybe you think it is.”

She frowned. “I’m not into cryptic messages, Butch. What’s it about, then?”

Butch took his cell phone off his belt and made a ‘be patient' gesture at her with his hand. “I got a couple of calls to make, then I’ll meet you in Ramsey’s room. Relax.” He handed her bag back to her and started off toward Nick’s room with the phone to his ear.

“Relax. Right.” Leah mumbled to herself. She turned the corner and walked down the hall to Noah’s room.

It had been a week since their shoot ‘em up with the Trinidad brothers. It had taken six days for Dr. Garrett to let Noah out of the twi-light he’d kept him in. Leah hadn’t seen him since he woke up. She’d left early when that screwball, Nadine, started tripping and Noah’s father told them both to get the hell out of Noah’s room with that mess.

Leah hadn’t done anything, just watched peaceably, as Nadine ranted and raved about her presence and made a gigantic fool of herself.

Leah had deferred to Big John and done what she was told, without argument. She didn’t mind. She liked him and it had only made Nadine’s ass look crazier. Besides, she was pretty sure John was used to having his way.

Leah paused when she got to Noah’s room. The door was unexpectedly open and she heard a woman laughing. Leah walked in as the nurse was pulling the privacy curtain. “Good morning!” she said brightly. She was a full-figured, cocoa colored woman, somewhere in her thirties. She had sparkly brown eyes and pearly white teeth. Her hair was swept up into a swingy ponytail.

“Good morning.” Leah smiled at her.

“Just give us a second. I’m trying to get a pair of shorts on Mr.

Ramsey. We’re almost there.”

“Sure thing.” Leah set her bag on the little table that swung across the bed, and put her purse down.

Leah listened to Noah’s banter with the nurse. His voice sounded low and raspy, but he sounded like himself — he was flirting outrageously. Leah smiled, not even mad at him. She was ecstatic that he was okay. She felt more for that man than she’d ever admit to anybody, herself included.

The nurse threw back the curtain and raised Noah into a sitting position with the remote. Leah stepped around the curtain as the nurse was fussing with a pillow behind his head. When Noah saw her, his eyes twinkled and he smiled at her. “Hey, Leah.” She smiled, too. “Welcome back.”

They’d taken the big bandage off his face, leaving a smaller one on his cheek. Though his face was still bruised, it was no longer swollen, and that scary bluish tinge was gone from beneath his eyes. Noah had his color back. He looked like himself again, despite all the remaining broken bones and bruises.

The nurse disappeared discreetly and Leah heard the door snick closed behind her. Noah’s left arm was still in a sling, but he reached for her with his right. Leah took his hand and sat on the bed next to him.

Noah brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

He smiled at her warmly. “Did you miss me?” Leah tried to smile back, but she choked up. “Oh man, Noah. I was so scared for you.” Tears bubbled up from nowhere and spilled over.

Noah pulled her to him with his good arm. He kissed her lips and rubbed her back. “It’s okay. It takes a lot more than that to break me.” Noah held her until she pulled herself together.

Leah sat up and wiped her tears away, finally smiling. “I met Nadine.”

Noah’s eyebrows went up. “Yeah? What was that like?”

“It was an experience. She didn’t seem to care for me too much.” Noah rubbed his hand along her thigh and her heartbeat picked up.

He smirked. “Yeah? Imagine that.”

Leah touched his curly hair. Ran her fingers through it. “She seems to think you’re still her husband.”

Noah didn’t look at her. He seemed absorbed in watching his hand rub her thigh. “I’m not. What else did she say?”

“She said you wanted to come home.”

“She did, huh? What else did she say?” Noah kept rubbing her thigh but he raised his eyes to meet hers.

“She says she’s pregnant. Is that true, Noah?” He sighed and his hand stopped moving. “I’m pretty sure she is. What did you have to say about that?” Noah stared at her and she stared back. Leah took her hand out of his hair and kissed him hard on the mouth. Noah’s hand moved to hold her face as he returned the kiss, sweet and slow, like he kissed her the day they removed Tamiko.

“What did you say, Leah?” He didn’t really break the kiss, just spoke around her lips.

Leah giggled, kissed him indulgently, and sat back. “I said … well, what I said doesn’t matter. What matters is the way you feel about me.

So let me ask you, Noah, do you want me to be the average chick and walk away from you because Nadine behaves the way she does and plays by her own rules? Or do you want me to stick around and see what’s going to happen between me and you? It’s your call.” Noah looked at her for a long while, as his hand returned to her thigh. “Leah, I’m real sorry,” he said quietly. Leah’s heart sank.

Noah saw the look on her face and his lips went up at one corner. He squeezed her thigh.

“I’m sorry about Nadine. I got caught up in old feelings … I got kids with Nadine, you know? I mean … I married her.” Leah looked at him sadly. “You still love her.” Noah frowned. “Leah, I’ll always love Nadine. We got history …

but people change. Nadine changed. I probably made her change. Hell, I know what I put her through.”

“Have you changed, Noah?”

“I always said, ‘Noah don’t change,’ but Luke told me once, everyone has the capacity to change. I know for a fact, his ass did. I watched him do it, and I couldn’t believe my eyes … but he did.” Leah put her hand on his. “We’re not talking about Lucas. We’re talking about you. Have you changed?”

Noah leaned back into his pillow and looked at her. “I don’t know.” Leah knew that pressing Noah wasn’t always a good idea, but she did. “Do you want to?”

He looked at her with some remorse in his eyes. Noah closed his fingers around hers and opened his mouth to say something, but Lucas walked in, looking and smelling like a million bucks, and the moment was lost. Noah untwined his fingers, but didn’t let go of her hand.

Lucas touched Leah’s shoulder in greeting, but his attention was on Noah. “Noah! What’s good, baby?” Lucas looked extremely happy to see Noah so far improved. Leah couldn’t recall ever seeing him smile like that.

Noah mirrored his smile. “Shit, Luke, everything.” They dapped each other slow and held each other’s eyes for a moment. That look spoke volumes. You could tell how much they felt for each other.

“Did you get ‘em?” Noah asked, looking at him seriously. Lucas sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“I got ‘em both,” he replied, just as serious.

Noah nodded and seemed satisfied. “Thanks, Luke. I can live with that. Can you?”

Lucas nodded. “Most definitely. Don’t mention it. You would have done the same for me.”

Noah smiled. “Without a doubt and no hesitation.” Lucas smiled back. “I’m real glad you’re okay, No.” Noah laughed. “Shit, me too. Now, somebody tell me why I.A. is tryin’ to bust chops over this way.”

“Harper thinks somebody’s dirty,” Leah said.

Noah was instantly indignant. “What? Who? It damn sure ain’t nobody here. Butch Harper can kiss my ass for that line of bullshit he’s dishin’ out. Fuck his fat ass and his goddamn I.A.B.” Leah looked at Lucas.

Lucas shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I don’t appreciate the shit, either. I say fuck him twice.”

Butch walked in, pushing Nick in a wheelchair. She was frowned up with her chin in her hand. “I heard what you said, fellas. I gotta tell you, it wasn’t very flattering. You’re hurtin’ my feelings.” Noah looked at him sideways. “Yeah? Well, you’re breakin’ our balls, Butch. State your business.”

“Just a sec, Ramsey.” Butch parked Nick next to Lucas on purpose and put the brake on her chair. He rubbed his hands together, survey-ing the room. “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.” Butch patted Noah on his good shoulder and looked at him fondly.

“Glad to see you’re doin’ better, Ramsey. I said a prayer.” Noah smiled sarcastically. “Gee, thanks Butch.” Leah hadn’t realized she was still sitting on Noah’s bed. She moved to get up, but Noah returned his hand to her thigh. “So, why are you here, Butch? Spit it out.”

Butch took a seat. “We got a dirty cop to catch.”

“Stop stalling, Butch. Who is it? Because it’s none of us,” Lucas said.

Butch looked Lucas in the eye, then turned his head to include Nick. “It’s Keith Childs.”

Lucas sat back in his seat like somebody pushed him. He glanced at Nick, then quickly turned his face away. “I don’t believe this shit,” he said under his breath. Lucas passed a hand over his beard and then fell silent, staring at the floor.

Leah looked at Nick. Nick was frowning at Lucas with her mouth open, like she didn’t know what to make of his reaction. She turned her head to Butch, her eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched. Leah stood up. Nick was about to blow.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Butch?” Her voice was low and shaky, like she was barely controlling not screaming on him.

Butch was unruffled. His eyes moved from Lucas, slowly back to Nick. “What I’m sayin’, Detective Hardaway, is that your ex-lover has close ties with just about every drug gang in this freakin’ city, except for the goddamned mafia. I also gotta tell you that we believe the man you used to live with was riding shotgun with Tirado when he alerted the Trinidads about the sting. Now … I’m thinkin’ maybe he had knowledge of you guys involvement with the sting from the meeting on the Promenade. The boys in the Ivory Tower … not so much. A bunch of people lost their lives when this thing went down. Five cops and three agents. Look, Hardaway, I don’t have to tell you how cops react when we lose one of our own. We want blood and retribution … and we especially want it when it’s a dirty cop sullying the badge. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

Nick leaned forward, gripping the arms of the wheelchair. The look of anger had been replaced with one of complete and total disbelief. She looked mortified. “Butch, please don’t tell me you’re sitting there accusing me of … Jesus, Butch, what are you accusing me of?” Her voice wavered and Lucas, who was having a hard time holding on to his usual poker face — got up and walked to the window. He stood with his back to them and his hand rubbing away at his beard.

Butch’s eyes followed him, scrutinizing his body language. Leah put her hand on Nick’s shoulder. This was fucked up. She looked at Noah.

Noah’s eyes bounced from Lucas to Nick to her.

Butch sighed. “Listen, Hardaway, I’m not personally accusing you of diddley, but the fact remains, you and Keith Childs had a relationship that lasted at least two years. You were close enough to live together. It goes without sayin’ the guys at One Police Plaza are findin’ it hard to believe you had no clue as to how this guy operates. Now even though I hate to do it, I gotta ask you point blank, Hardaway. At any time, during the course of your relationship with Keith Childs, were you consciously aware of Detective Childs using his badge to commit heinous acts and conduct illegal activity?” Lucas looked down at her over his shoulder to see how she answered. Nick looked at Butch like he’d struck her, then her beautiful face turned into a mask of rage. Nick had never been a woman who cried easily, but angry tears filled her eyes and spilled over.

She banged her fist so hard on the arm of the wheelchair, it sounded like a shot. “I was not, Inspector Harper.” Butch watched her with sympathy. “Look, I know you hate my guts right now, but I gotta ask you another fucked up question. I’m sorry for this, Nick. Have you, yourself, ever used your badge to commit unlaw-ful acts, or were you ever coerced by Detective Childs to do so?” Nick was so mad, she was shaking. She moved forward like she meant to get up, but Leah pulled her back before she could hurt herself.

“I have never compromised my badge for anyone or anything. Have you questioned him?”

Butch shrugged. “Can’t find him just yet. He’s AWOL and he hasn’t been at his last address. We’re working on smoking him out. We’ll get him. I.A.B. has eyes and ears everywhere.” He looked toward the window. “You okay, Cain?”

Lucas answered him without turning around. “Uh-huh. I’m good.” Butch got up and stood just behind him. Butch was usually a nice guy, but he was also one of the best men in I.A. He did his job. “You know, Lucas, I believe you got every right to be angry. I come in here accusing your girlfriend of co-conspiracy, corruption, and possibly being an accessory. Guess it seems like no matter how many times you put your foot in Keith Childs’s ass, he seems determined to pay you back for stealing his girl, huh?”

Lucas smiled a little, but it held no humor. “I would ask you how you know all that, Butch, but it’s obvious you keep your sticky little feelers out.”

Butch smiled, too, but his smile was real. “It’s a small world, Cain, and I like to know what makes it turn. Forgive me for bein’ nosy like that. People talk, and everybody knows I’ve got my spies … and they’re every where.”

Noah sat up a little. “Do tell? Who are they?” Butch chuckled. “That’s information you’ll never get outta me, Ramsey.”

Lucas looked down at him. “You can’t make charges like that stick, Butch.”

“I don’t want to make ‘em stick. What I want is to send Keith Childs away for a long time. I came here for two reasons: to get a formal statement from Nick and to see if I can get anything from you guys that would be helpful in my investigation.”

Leah blinked and sucked her teeth. “You want us to help you with the investigation? I can’t believe you, Butch, after you came in here slinging accusations and collecting formal statements. You must have lost your damn mind.”

Butch shrugged. “Not really, Wheeler. Look, I gotta tell you guys, with the amount of animosity on both sides, it will be a lot easier to smoke him out with your help than to waste time and let him get further away from us, just plain searching for him. Doing it the hard way, we’ll probably have to extradite him. With your help, we’ll have his ass in a heartbeat.”

Noah looked in Lucas’s direction, holding his tongue. Lucas was looking at Nick. She looked back at him apprehensively as he walked over to her and touched her hair.

“Don’t you see what’s going on? They want to use you as bait,” he said quietly.

Nick took his hand out of her hair and held it in her own. She held onto Lucas but she looked at Butch. “I’m not risking my badge, or my reputation for that asshole, and I’m not going for the guilt by association, okie–doke?” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and opened them. “My official statement for the record, Inspector Harper: I, Detective Second Grade Nicole Dana Hardaway, was involved in an intimate relationship with accused Detective Second Grade, Keith Alexander Childs, for almost three years. During that time, I was unaware of any illicit activity on his part or abuse of his badge. If the department needs my assistance leading to his apprehension, I will comply immediately.” Butch nodded. “Okay, Nick. Good enough. Thank you.” Leah sucked her teeth. Even though Butch Harper was better than most, she hated the bullshit of his job.

Butch looked at her and shrugged, but not with indifference. “You know how it goes, Leah. Regardless of personal feelings, I still got a job to do.”

“Yeah, and right now your job is to railroad Nick into helpin’ you catch this scumbag!” Noah started angrily.

Butch cut him off. “Whoa, wait a minute,” he said, frowning and putting his hands up defensively. “Railroad? What are you sayin’?” Noah looked at him accusingly and actually pointed a finger at him. “You I.A. guys are all alike. Nick might not have a lot of experience dealin’ with you sharks, but me and Luke have. You strolled your fat ass up in this hospital like you were on her side, shuckin’ and jivin’ and doin’ your little tap dance to lull her into a false sense of security. Then you did the swoop down, right Butch? You sugarcoated everything, then you showed her your teeth and let her know you were lookin’ at her for co-conspiracy and corruption charges. You delivered that shit like a wolf lookin’ at a sheep and lickin’ his chops.” Butch was still frowning in offense. He attempted to cut Noah off again. “Wait a minute, Ramsey —”

Noah moved forward like he forgot he was hurt and his leg was in traction. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth against the sudden pain. Noah opened his clear gray eyes and gave Butch an extremely hostile look. “You got one more time to cut me off when I’m talkin’. You better be glad I can’t get outta this bed and put my foot in your ass.” Leah was startled by Noah’s vehemence. He shouldn’t be working himself up like this. He was going to hurt himself.

She went to him in an attempt to smooth him out. “Noah, you need to calm down. Why are you going off on Butch like this?”

“‘Cause he ain’t bein’ straight with Nick. You see it, don’t you, Luke?”

Lucas shrugged. “I gotta tell you, Butch, it stinks like a deal to me.

A lousy deal.” Nick frowned and stared at Butch with anxious eyes.

“What’s he talking about?”

Butch looked coolly from Lucas to Noah, then back at Nick. “I really can’t say.”

“That’s bullshit. You can,” Noah said.

“Yeah, why don’t you tell her the only option she really has is to do whatever you want her to do, because if she doesn’t, you people are gonna trump up charges on her and either suspend her or relieve her of her badge. Does that sound about right, Butch?” Lucas said, eyeing him like he wouldn’t mind kicking his ass, and looking like he’d be able to do it — despite his injuries.

“What?” The word squeaked out of Nick’s throat.

“They’re puttin’ the squeeze on you, Nick, and if you ask me, that’s pretty damn dirty, too,” Noah said, trying to get comfortable. He glanced at Leah and she shifted his pillow.

“But why? Why are you putting these kinds of conditions on me?

What did I do to deserve this? I could’ve gotten killed, and you treat me like this?” Nick said, angrily.

“It’s simple. They can’t find him by ordinary methods, they need you to flush him out, and they’re not givin’ you room to say no,” Lucas said, staring a hole through Butch.

Nick frowned. “I guess I never really had a choice.” She looked at Butch like he’d grown up out of the ground. “You tricked me into making a statement. You tricked me, Butch. I thought you were different than that.”

Noah snickered. “He’s not. He’s a fuckin’ goblin from the goddamn I.A.B. No offense, Butch. You’re a nice enough guy on your own, but when you got on your I.A. costume, you ain’t got no reflection.” Butch chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. He looked back at Noah with eyes much harder than Leah remembered. “See … I know how you feel about I.A., Ramsey. Your fights with us are legendary you and Cain. If you two weren’t so busy firing your weapons every chance you got, you’d never hear from us.”

“We don’t fire our weapons without just cause. You people stick us in life threatening situations and you don’t expect us to protect ourselves? Fuck you on that one, Inspector Harper,” Lucas said, and paused. “With all due respect.”

Butch spread his hands. “I’m not gonna stand here and take shit off you guys.”

“Then don’t. Get outta my sickroom. You got what you came here for. You hoodwinked Nick and you know we won’t let her do this shit alone. So get a sandwich or somethin’, fatso, and we’ll get back to you with the plan.”

Butch shook his head. “You got a big mouth on you, Ramsey, I gotta tell you.”

Noah smirked. “Don’t worry about me and my big mouth, and don’t worry about this Keith Childs bullshit, either. ‘Cause with or without Nick, me and Luke are just like the pizza man. We deliver. See you around, chubby.”

Butch moved to the door. “You know, Nick — for what it’s worth — it is my job.”

If Butch could have died from the look she gave him, he would have hit the floor with no heartbeat. “Yeah, and mine is to be your pup-pet. You could have waited until I was a hundred percent.” Butch looked apologetic as he pushed the door open. “Unfortunately, there’s no time. We have to move as soon as possible. I’m sorry for that but you won’t be unprotected. That’s a promise. We’ve got men to give you ‘round the clock.”

“I’ve already got men to give me ‘round the clock.”

“Your men are hurt,” Butch pointed out.

“Ain’t nothin’ happenin’ until we get outta here. I don’t give two shits about your time frame,” Noah said.

“You’ll be on crutches, Ramsey.”

“Noah on crutches and us working together is better than anyone you can send us,” Leah said, not really caring all that much for Butch any more.

“We’ll keep your protection for backup, if it’s necessary. I got a feeling it won’t be,” Lucas said. The look in his eyes suggested Keith’s imminent demise if he rose up. Leah looked at him standing there all crisp and clean and handsome. She smiled to herself. She’d learned a lot about these guys. Noah was loud, where Lucas was quiet. Noah would talk shit to you and let you know where you stood with him, while Lucas would watch you like a hawk and wait for you to fuck yourself.

Noah was quick to pull his weapon out and shoot you, but unless it was a dire situation, like the one they’d just come out of — you’d probably end up with a permanent disability, but you’d still be breathing.

When Lucas took the safety off his weapon, he was looking to kill you.

End of story. If Keith was willing to play himself with Lucas, he might as well fold himself into a morbid contortion — bend over and kiss his ass goodbye.

Butch nodded. “We’ll work it out. Rest up. I’ll be in touch soon.” He stepped out the door.

“Bye, Fatty,” Noah called after him. “Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome, Asshole,” Butch called back. “See you soon.” Noah leaned back into his pillow and grimaced.

“Are you okay?” Leah asked. She looked at him carefully. He seemed paler than when she’d come in.

Noah sighed. “I’m alright. That bastard just left a few of my nerve endings standing up.” Leah picked up the call button and rang for the nurse. “What are you doin’ that for?” Noah asked, reaching for the button.

Leah stepped out of his way. “Time for her to give you something for the pain. You’re gonna take it, too. It’s not debatable.” Noah thought it over for a moment, seemed to decide he wouldn’t win, and turned his attention to Lucas. Lucas was still standing near Nick, but he was looking out the window. He seemed to be a million miles away.

Noah cleared his throat. “Hey, Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t even think about it. Get it out of your mind.” Lucas’s eyes stayed on whatever he was looking at beyond that window. He ran his hand over his beard, slowly. “I ain’t thinkin’ about nothing, Noah.”

“That’s bullshit, Luke. I know you better than I know myself, bro. I know what’s on your mind. Forget that shit before you let it grow into an idea.”

Lucas turned away from the window and looked at him. Leah didn’t like the look in his eye. It was unsettling.

“What idea is that?” Lucas asked.

Noah shook his head. “You can’t go after Keith yourself, Luke.”

“Says who?”

Noah struggled to sit up. Leah could see the pain in his face and gently put her hand on his shoulder to keep him from hurting himself.

He just as gently took it off. “Lucas! You hear me talkin’ to you? I said don’t do it. Please. Okay? Do you hear me, or are you settin’ the wheels in motion? I can see your mind workin’. Luke, don’t make it personal.” Lucas looked at Noah and his eyes were like fire, but he kept his voice quiet. “Keith made this shit personal a long time ago. Don’t you see, Noah? This is what happens when you leave a lunatic alone, and you don’t nip their shit in the bud at the first sign of disturbing behavior. Look at us, Noah. When you don’t check somebody like that, people get hurt and people die. You’d think I would’ve learned that by now.”

Nick was looking at her lap. She would have been wringing her hands if there wasn’t an IV drip in the back of one. Leah was startled.

She’d never, ever, seen Lucas this mad before. Not even when he was throwing Keith’s ass out of their office.

Noah was watching him close. “Luke, um … I think …” Everybody flinched when Lucas actually started hollering at him.

“I know what you think, Noah! I know, okay? You’re fuckin’ right, too!

Right as fuckin’ rain! I’m tired, Noah! I’m tired of crazy people fuckin' my life up. Do you hear me?” The nurse walked in with her syringe. She took one look around the room and stopped in her tracks. “Is everything okay in here?” Noah looked at the nurse apologetically. “Could you give us a moment? You can come back in a minute with your needle full of pixie dust.” The nurse exited with a wary look.

“Lucas. Could you do me the courtesy of comin’ over here, seein’ as how I can’t get up?” Noah said, quietly.

Lucas took three steps toward him. That was it. “Say what you gotta say, Noah.”

They stared at each other hard. “Alright, Luke, listen to me. I see blood in your eye, bro. Wait for us. If you go out there by yourself, it’s only gonna end one way for Keith — with his ass kicked unmercifully and a bullet in his forehead. Fuck Keith. It’s what he deserves, but I ain’t gonna sit here and be quiet and watch you cross the line between police work and murder. Let’s face it. That’s what it would be. Who knows, walk the line the way you’re supposed to and you might get the same results. At least then it would be a righteous kill. Believe me, I’m prayin' for it … but in the meantime — I won’t see you throw away everything you have and everything you are, just to rid the world of one more asshole who offended you, Lucas. I won’t. Calm down and take a walk.” Lucas seemed to deflate as Noah talked to him. Some of that scary fire left his eyes. He closed the distance between him and Noah.

Noah smiled his charming smile and held his fist out to him. “We cool, Luke?”

Lucas gave him a very small smile of his own as he touched his fist to Noah’s. “Like ice, No.”

Noah put his head back on his pillow and put his hand on the small of Leah’s back. “Good, then take your woman back to her room and whisper sweet nothin’s in her ear, while I still got time to rub on Leah’s ass before the nurse comes back and puts my head out.” Lucas smiled. “You got it.”

Noah smiled. “I got a lot. Come by before you leave.”

“I’ll be here,” Lucas said and rolled Nick out with one hand.

Leah looked down at Noah. “I’m worried about Nick.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s got us.” His hand slipped down and cupped her ass. Noah looked up at her with a wicked grin. “What color are your panties?” Leah smiled as she undid the button on her jeans and pulled the privacy curtain.