Chapter 9
By the time Gunner was ready to go to bed, he had everything set up for unwanted guests and the security system armed. He made a big deal of turning out the lights in the house except for nightlights and making sure the last light to go out in the house was in his bedroom.
Then he turned around and walked down the hall in the dark and into the spare bedroom at the end of the hall, locked the door behind him, put his gun under his pillow, and slipped into bed in the dark.
Even if somebody got past the security system, or broke into the house to get to him, they would go straight to the room where the last lights went out. It would be all the edge he needed to take them out.
He wanted to call Holly, but it was too late. And at this point, he couldn’t tell her much about what was going on. He wanted Asher to know where he was, but it was too late to call him, too. Right now, the only people who knew where he was at were his dad and Pearl.
The last thing he thought as he was drifting off to sleep was, Whatever will be, will be.
* * *
As predicted, a thunderstorm came through in the night.
Burgess Dixon was awakened by the wind and thunder and turned on the TV long enough to make sure there were no tornado warnings, then turned it off and went back to sleep.
* * *
Gunner heard the wind and something rattling outside the window, then remembered he was in the spare room, and that had to be limbs of the lilac bushes slapping against the house.
He got up in the dark and went to the living room to turn on the TV for a weather check. Even if it was that time of year in Texas, this storm was all about rain. No tornadoes on the horizon tonight.
He went back through the kitchen, stopped to get a couple of cookies and a can of Pepsi, turned off the security, and went onto the patio.
The weather was as unfettered as he felt, standing in the dark eating cookies and drinking pop—with the wind blowing rain against his feet and legs, and watching lightning flashes slicing through the storm.
It didn’t rain in West Texas as often as it rained here in Dallas, but when it did, the storms that rolled across the High Plains were wild and fierce—kind of like the people who lived there.
He glanced at the clock as he was finishing his snack.
It was close to 4:00 a.m., but since he wasn’t going to work, it was far too early to stay up.
He went back inside, reset the security alarm, then walked the perimeter within the house, looking out windows as he went, just to make sure all was well before going back to bed.
The next time he woke up, it was just after eight. He rolled out of bed and went to shower and shave. The blinds were open. The curtains pulled back. He was ready for the day.
He’d just finished cleaning up the kitchen when his cell phone rang. He saw Caller ID and thought how fortuitous it was that he’d come home, because it was the body shop.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Kingston, this is Bill from the body shop.”
“Great… Is my car ready?”
“It sure is. Do you want us to deliver it, or…”
“No need. I’ll get an Uber and head that way,” Gunner said.
“See you then,” Bill said.
Gunner immediately called for an Uber, then put on his shoulder holster and gun, added a lightweight jacket over it, and clipped his badge onto an upper pocket.
His ride arrived a short while later. He set the security alarm as he exited the house, and after a quick glance around, hurried out to the car and got in.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
Gunner gave him the address and sat back for the ride.
Traffic was heavy. Runoff from the early morning thunderstorm was still flowing from gutters and into sewer grates as they took an on-ramp onto the Loop. He had a moment of déjà vu as they passed where the shooting had taken place, and then it was gone.
When they finally arrived at the destination, Gunner exited with a quick thanks and went inside to the man at the front desk.
“Gunner Kingston. I’m here to pick up my car. It’s a black Mustang GT.”
The man pulled up the invoice and printed it out. “This is the total amount owed. Will that be check or card?”
“Card,” Gunner said, then waited while they ran it through the system, signed for the charge, and slipped it back in his wallet.
“I’ll have one of the boys drive it around front for you,” he said, then grabbed the keys and headed into the service area.
While Gunner was waiting, he received a text to rate the Uber driver, and when he did, he added a generous tip.
A couple of minutes later, a clerk drove his car up from the back parking area to the front of the shop and went inside. “Mr. Kingston?” he asked.
Gunner nodded.
He dropped the keys into Gunner’s hand. “Have a good day.”
Gunner slid into the driver’s seat and retrieved his sunglasses from the console where he’d left them. Moments later, he was gone.
Now the real test had begun.
Had Dixon really called off the bounty?
Did Lieutenant Samuels actually know what he was talking about?
He was about to find out.
The city traffic was one thing, but getting back on that six-lane loop and trying to watch his back at the same time was impossible. All he could do was hope the hit was really off and no one knew he was back in Dallas.
Every car that rode his bumper. Every vehicle that roared past him on both sides. Every time the traffic slowed to a crawl because of some incident up ahead—the skin crawled on the back of his neck.
By the time he was home and pulling into the garage, his knuckles were white from the grip he’d had on the steering wheel. He sat in the car without moving until the garage door was all the way down, then got out, disarmed the alarm and went inside, then reset it.
He needed a stiff drink, but he decided to call Holly instead.
* * *
Holly woke up with a jolt with the sun coming through her bedroom windows and flew out of bed before she remembered that everything was over.
There was nothing to rush around about, no random visitors to deal with.
It was business as usual again, except for the absence of her mom.
A quick sheen of tears blurred her vision before she blinked them away as she went to shower and dress.
She could hear people talking on the back porch as she entered the kitchen to get some coffee, noticed Travis’s truck wasn’t parked in its usual place, and guessed he was already somewhere out on the ranch.
Then her focus shifted to the muffled conversation her dad and grandmother were having outside on the back steps.
Garrett’s hand was on his mother’s shoulder.
Her hand was cupping the side of his face.
The moment seemed poignant and private, but it dawned on her that her dad could more easily reveal his sadness and grief to his mother rather than to his children.
A parent is always supposed to be strong for the family, but a man who’s lost his way and his wife can still be a child in need of comfort with his mother.
Seeing this moment between them was going to make going back to Dallas so much easier.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and put a piece of bread in the toaster, then buttered it hot after it popped up, and ate standing up at the island. She kept wondering what Gunner was doing as she went to gather up her laundry. The least she could do was take her clothes back clean.
A couple of hours later, her dad came into the house calling her name. She stepped out into the hall.
“I’m here,” she said. “What’s up?”
Garrett came striding toward her with purpose, almost like his old self. “Mom said your boss is on your ass.”
Holly grinned. “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way, but he did ask me when I planned to return to work.”
He shook his head. “Baby girl. I love you with all my heart, but Mom wants to move home, and I’m all for it.
At her age, she doesn’t need to be living alone so far away from family.
She thinks she’s gonna be taking care of me, but I suspect we’ll be taking care of each other, and right now, that’s good for both of us.
I’m not running you off, but if you need to go back to Dallas, then start packing. ”
“I kind of already am,” she said. “I’ve been doing laundry this morning and thought about heading back tomorrow morning. I just want to spend one more night with everyone.”
“You have my blessing,” Garrett said and hugged her.
“We’ll all talk tonight when Travis is at the table.
We keep forgetting that he lost two people in that wreck.
Going away without Lee is going to be hard for him, and I need to reassure him that Mom and I will be the ones to get him settled at college. ”
“Thank you, Daddy. I guess finding a new level is what’s next on our agenda.”
“Yes, and for what it’s worth, if you and Gunner get together, that will make all of us happy. Tell him thanks for standing up for you at the funeral. Mom told me what a pain in the ass Carl has been.”
Holly smiled. “Gunner took care of all that. He’s been a good friend during a bad time for all of us.”
“The look on his face when he thinks you’re not watching tells me he would like to be more than a friend. Now go do what you need to do, and I’ll see you at supper.”
“Where’s Granny?” Holly asked.
Garrett rolled his eyes. “Oh, she’s out at the office in the sale barn, rearranging everything back to how it was when she ran it.”
Holly laughed. “I love it.” And in that brief moment of joy, she knew they were going to be okay.
Garrett left the house, and Holly went back to her laundry. She was still sorting clothes when her phone rang. Seeing Caller ID made her heart skip.
It was Gunner.
“Hey, you,” she said, as she sat down on the side of the bed to take the call. “What’s going on in your world today?”
“Hi, pretty girl… That’s why I’m calling. I had to make a flying trip back to Dallas last night. It’s something to do with loose ends on an old case. I had to come back anyway, but I didn’t plan on it happening this soon.”