Law Man(151)
“And the over-order?” Mitch pushed.
“Lescheva got greedy,” Winchell told him. “It was working. They move a load of product in that store but not that brand of mattress. Lescheva wanted to store more stuff there, Otis ordered a shitload of mattresses to hold it. He knows his cousin thinks he’s a fuck up so he’d never cotton on. And he didn’t.”
“You remember they tossed Mara’s place?” Mitch asked and Winchell nodded. “Was it because of the mattresses?” Mitch pressed.
Winchell nodded again. “Pierson thinks Otis is a fuck up because he is. Heard word in lockdown, he lost track of some shit he was holdin’ for Lescheva, mattresses went out, so did some shit. He had to find it,” Winchell answered.
“He find it?” Mitch asked.
“Is he alive?” Winchell asked back.
“Don’t know,” Mitch replied. “We can’t find him.”
“Then no,” Winchell answered.
“Fuck,” Eddie muttered.
Mitch kept going.
“You know what he lost?”
Winchell shook his head. “Could be anything.”
Mitch stared at him.
Then he whispered, “You put her out there.”
Winchell held his eyes but his face remained pale and, even being the definition of an assclown, he couldn’t hide the remorse.
“You put her out there, using her place of work, using her boss then you kept putting her out there after she took on those kids,” Mitch continued.
Winchell said nothing.
“And you put your kids out there,” Mitch kept at it.
“Kept them fed,” Winchell whispered his weak excuse.
“No, it kept you in smack and booze and smokes, you piece of shit,” Mitch shot back. “You put them out there. All of them. You fuckin’ put them out there and now that psycho asshole has got,” he leaned in, “my kids.”
Winchell’s eyes narrowed. “They’re mine, Lawson.”
“Wrong,” Mitch bit out then he shared, “Bud asked to take my name.” At that, Winchell’s face blanched further. “I’m marrying your cousin and we’re adopting them and both of them are taking my name. They stopped being yours at a Stop ‘n’ Go on Zuni months ago. You need to get this, Winchell, this needs to sink in so listen to me closely. They come outta this alive, they’re mine.”
Winchell opened his mouth to speak but Mitch was done.
So done, Winchell didn’t get a word out before Detective Mitch Lawson was out the door.
Chapter Thirty
You Came
Mitch
Mitch angled out of his truck, seeing Tack amongst the huddle and taking a deep breath.
The huddle included Slim, Tack, Delgado and a local private investigator, Hank Nightingale’s brother, Lee Nightingale and Lee’s second in command, Luke Stark.
Heavy hitters. Denver’s elite.
At least that was something.
Slim detached from the group and walked quickly to Mitch. He stopped right in front of him and Mitch allowed Slim to cut him off.
“Your shit together?” Slim asked quietly.
“No,” Mitch answered honestly.
“Right. This fuckwad had Tess, Joey, Rex, I’d be where you are right now. And you’d be right where I am and that is standin’ here tellin’ you to get your shit together.”
Mitch stared at his partner.
Slim kept talking.
“Mara’s good. She’s holdin’ it together. She’s got her girls around her. She’s keepin’ her shit.”
That was his Mara.
A survivor.
Slim wasn’t done.
“You know Chaos has issues and you know they do not team up with the local PD to sort that shit out.”
“He shoulda talked,” Mitch said low. “Women and children are involved.”
“Brother, listen to me,” Slim got close. “Been talkin’ to those guys and not only are you and me surprised as shit Lescheva made a play on a cop’s woman and the kids he’s lookin’ after, Tack, Hawk and Lee had no fuckin’ clue she was even on radar. Tack got word and mobilized. That’s why she’s sittin’ in Chaos’s compound with her girls, a guard of Chaos and not wherever Bud and Billie are. The word he heard was about Mara, not those kids. He moved the minute he heard she was in danger. He’s in this mess because he’s tryin’ to get his boys clean. This is not on him even though he’s feelin’ this shit and he’s feelin’ it deep. It isn’t on him. This is on Lescheva.”
Mitch continued to stare at his partner. Then he jerked his chin up.
Then he got his shit together while walking around Slim to the huddle.
“You and Lucas are not here,” Delgado stated quietly the minute they arrived.