“That’s right.”
“He called her phone, Sully,” Colt told him.
“Easy for him to find her number, seein’ as he spent time in her house. Her number’s on her phone bill. Called Chris, he said we got one of Lowe’s prints off the big plastic folder she keeps her paperwork in, stowed in the closet on the shelf by her journals.”
“Chris is a good man.”
“Gotta watch it, Colt, he’s after our jobs.” Sully was joking but he wasn’t wrong. Chris would make detective, he wanted it, he worked hard and he was fucking smart, so much so, he might even beat Colt’s record to the badge.
“All right, got something more for you, Sully,” Colt said, his fingers giving Feb a squeeze in an effort to give her strength before she heard what was going to come out of his mouth. “You need to give this to the Feds and their profilers. Guy’s more whacked than we thought. He thinks he’s me.”
Colt heard both mother and daughter suck in breath but he only felt Feb’s body get tight against his so he gave her another squeeze.
“He tell you that?”
“Identified himself as Lieutenant Alexander Colton.” He heard Feb’s whispered “Oh my God,” but kept on talking. “Got jacked up when I called him Denny. Says he’s the police and he’s doin’ all this to keep her safe.”
“Jesus.”
“Also said there were two more. I reckon he thinks one is me, the other…” he let that trail when Feb’s head dropped to his shoulder.
“They didn’t get time to triangulate the signal on the phone,” Sully told him.
“Bad news.”
“They’re now monitorin’ her phone, yours, your house phone and the bar.”
Too little too late but who would imagine that fucking guy would actually call. Stupid move, he was getting messy and that could mean bad things, though it could also mean good and Colt went with his last thought.
“We need to be in his face about this shit?” Colt asked. “Press a reaction?”
“I’m gonna get in his face,” Jackie whispered her threat and Colt couldn’t help it, he smiled into his phone. Jackie got a hold of him, hatchet or not, Denny Lowe didn’t stand a chance. A lioness was lethal when her cubs were under threat.
“Well, unless he gets close and starts watchin’ with his own eyes, that’ll be difficult,” Sully said. “They dismantled the cameras, all of them, even the one on the street. I’m learnin’ the Feds do not fuck around and somehow they got an army to throw at this shit. Warren says taking the cameras offline is their own way of pressin’ a reaction, pissin’ him off, forcin’ a move.”
That was unfortunate. Colt liked the idea of standing in his open front door and kissing Feb good-bye before he went about his day. He’d take his time, he’d make it thorough, he’d get that moan in his mouth and he’d put his hands on her ass. He’d drive Denny Lowe over the next bend as Colt forced him to watch Colt stake claim to what was his, what Denny almost succeeded in taking away from him and what Colt got back. The man had a single synapse firing correctly in his brain, Colt wanted to obliterate it.
“Keep me posted,” Colt told Sully.
“One other thing, man,” Sully said hurriedly, “Feds want you to consider protective custody, for you and Feb.”
Colt didn’t like it, for him or Feb, meant her being pent up and him being disempowered, but he’d sure as fuck consider it.
“We’ll talk, I’ll let you know.”
“Later, Colt.”
“Later.”
Colt flipped his phone shut and Feb lifted her head, opening her mouth to speak.
“One second, baby,” he muttered on another squeeze at her hip.
He scrolled down his phone, found the number he was looking for, hit the button and put it to his ear.
“‘Lo?” Chip said after ring four. Colt had woken him.
“Chip, it’s Colt, sorry to wake you but this is urgent.”
“Everything okay?” Chip asked, trying to shake the sleep from his voice.
“I know it’s late and I know your schedule’s busy, but I need you to bump your other customers for a priority job, first thing in the mornin’.”
“What job?”
“My house and I want a recon of J&J’s. You think you need to, I want you to up the security there.”
“This have to do with all the shit I been hearin’?” Chip asked.
“Exactly that.”
“You and Feb safe?”
“Not by a long shot.”
Chip didn’t hesitate when he said, “Be there at seven.”