Rock Chick Reborn (Page 8)

“Thought dual visitation was the standard now,” Vance remarked.

Monty shook his head. “She played the cop and corrections officer card. How he’s never home. How his job was dangerous. How they needed limited exposure to that. She had a good attorney. Chewed him up. He got smart. Switched firms. Got himself a shark. He also got in debt.” Monty turned back to Lee. “Worked his ass off, but he got outta that debt and managed to keep up his court ordered deposits into the girls’ college accounts, not to mention child support, through it all. But he lived tight, way tight, through the fight and after it. Just not when he had those girls.”

“Solid guy,” Lee whispered.

“On file, solid as they get,” Monty agreed.

“I wanna know what went down with that divorce and why she went all out to keep his girls from him,” Lee told the room at large.

“I’ll get Brody on that,” Luke told him. “We might have to get creative.”

“Do it.”

Luke nodded.

Monty lifted up a hand and scratched the back of his neck as he asked, “Any of us got a problem with this dude rammin’ into her grocery cart?”

Monty had been briefed.

“No,” Hector said immediately.

“No,” Vance said with him.

“No,” Luke said half a second after them.

Mace paused and grinned at Lee before he said, “No.”

Lee looked right at Monty.

“No.”

“I’d worry about this modern-day Neanderthal crap if your women weren’t as totally devoted to you as they are,” Monty muttered, dropping his hand.

“A woman is worth it—” Luke started.

“You gotta be willing to go all in,” Mace went on.

“And Shirleen’s worth it,” Lee finished.

It took a beat.

But after that beat . . .

Monty smiled.

Slice of Heaven

Lee Nightingale

Seventy-two hours later . . .

LEE WAS LEANING against his company Explorer, boots crossed at the ankles, arms crossed on his chest, head turned to the side, watching the man walk across the parking lot toward him.

Also noting he was more impressive in person.

For his part, Moses Richardson had not missed he had company waiting for him at the SUV parked next to his truck. The man didn’t take his eyes off Lee the entire journey from front door to vehicles.

When he arrived, he also didn’t keep his distance.

He got close before he stopped between the two cars, planted his legs and crossed his own arms on his chest.

Richardson started it.

And he did it with a grin on his lips.

“Gotta admit, didn’t expect this visit. But I’m thinkin’ it means good things.”

In other words, introductions were unnecessary.

“If you’re thinking Shirleen set us on you to make sure you’re good enough for her, you’d be wrong. She has no idea,” Lee replied.

The grin vanished.

“So obviously we gotta sort that shit,” Lee continued. “But seein’ as I got no idea how to do that, I’m afraid I gotta tell you it’s gonna be necessary to get my wife involved, which probably means all the Rock Chicks, so this meeting is multi-purpose, and the one I’m talkin’ about now means you best brace.”

“Outside of tellin’ my daughters they can’t read those books until they’re forty-five, even though they both really want to, I know who you’re talking about. I just don’t know what you’re talking about with any of this, man.”

“Shirleen is never going to call you,” Lee announced.

Richardson didn’t hide looking disappointed, but he nodded, not taking his eyes from Lee. “So she’s not gonna do that, why are you here? And I’ll repeat, what are you talking about?”

“I’m making a reservation at Barolo Grill,” Lee told him. “She’ll think she’s having dinner with the Rock Chicks. But she’ll be having dinner with you.”

Richardson’s brows shot up but he didn’t say anything.

“Once that happens,” Lee went on, “it’ll be up to you to get in there.”

“If she doesn’t want—” Richardson started.

Lee pushed away from his truck, turned to fully face the man, put his hands on his hips and said quietly, “She wants. She’s still not gonna call you.”

“And you’re setting her up because . . . ?” Richardson prompted.

“Because you’re a good man and she’s a good woman and it’s time she had some happy in her life.”

His eyes narrowed. “She’s not happy?”

Good point to hone in on.

Lee approved.

“I’m talking about the kind we’re hopin’ you can give her, not her boys givin’ her, not the Rock Chicks givin’ her, not her bossin’ around my men givin’ her. I think you get me.”

“I get you. I’m still not sure why we’re standing here having this conversation.”

“You know who she is, don’t you,” Lee stated.

Richardson drew a visible breath in through his nose before he shared, “Wasn’t sure. Kid looked a lot different when I had him at Gilliam. It’s been a while and he grew up and good since he was thirteen. And we don’t allow street names. But after she told me she was a foster parent and when she gave me her name, yeah, I knew who she was and I knew who her boy was.”

Lee studied him closely. “Okay, so you know who she is, do you know who she was?”

Richardson didn’t break eye contact. “If you mean do I know she’s Leon Jackson’s widow and that her and Darius Tucker took over the kingdom when the king was dead, yeah, I know that too.”

“And you still gave her your number.”

“She’s out of the game and so is her nephew. They’re both on board with you. So yeah. I gave her my number and straight up, it’s been a bummer she hasn’t used it.”

Lee said nothing to that.

Richardson tipped his head to the side, beginning to look impatient.

“Is this a setup for a setup or is this a test, you feelin’ me out?” he asked.

“Both,” Lee answered.

That got him a look that said the man was getting pissed.

“I’m way too old for this kinda shit,” Richardson told him.

Yeah, he was getting pissed.

“And I’m way too fuckin’ protective to let anyone near Shirleen that might hurt her in any way, and I’m just one of many who would not be pleased she even got bruised, much less broken,” Lee shot back.

“Part of the bein’ too old shit is being any part of a setup that blindsides some woman who doesn’t really wanna have dinner with me,” Richardson returned.

“She doesn’t want to have dinner with you because she thinks when you learn about her history, you won’t want her.”

Richardson shut his mouth so fast, his chin dipping sharply back into his neck, it was clear he hadn’t thought of that.

“She didn’t lose your number, man, to the point she clipped it to Christmas in her planner,” Lee shared, with this in the cards, not having a problem invading Shirleen’s space to see where she was at with Moses Richardson.

Christmas.

He didn’t have to be a private investigator to know what that said about where she was at.

“Shit,” Richardson whispered.