I looked up at him. “You okay?”
“Forget me,” he said, his hand coming to curl around the side of my neck. “Get out to Shambles.”
I nodded, he gave me a squeeze and let me go.
I rushed to Shambles.
* * * * *
Tate, Jonas and I in the Explorer, Shambles following in his VW van, Neeta following Shambles in her Chrysler, pulled into the forecourt of the garage.
Tate stopped close to the office door, Shambles pulled in beside Tate on the driver’s side and Neeta pulled in beside Jonas and me.
Jonas and I hopped down just as Wood and Pop exited one of the bays and Stella walked out of the office.
I quickly moved Jonas to the hood of Tate’s SUV as Tate rounded it, his eyes on Stella.
“Need you to look after Jonas,” he stated and Stella must have read the mood for she asked not one question. She simply nodded, her eyes on Neeta.
“That won’t be necessary since I’m takin’ him home with me,” Neeta announced.
“What’s up, Buck?” Pop asked, ignoring Neeta, as Wood and Pop made it to our group and Shambles hit Tate’s side. Shambles looked impatient. Pop had his eyes glued to Tate. Wood had his gaze on Neeta.
“Man here’s woman is missin’,” Tate told Pop, jerking a thumb at Shambles. “She’s been gone since yesterday. I need to get out and see if I can help.”
“Did you call the cops, bud?” Stella asked Shambles, walking down the steps that led to the office.
“They say forty-eight hours,” Shambles answered her and turned directly to Tate. “Can we go?”
“Yeah,” Tate murmured and said to Stella, “Stell?”
“Don’t worry, Tate,” she answered his unasked question.
“Shee-it,” Pop muttered. “What’s happenin’ ‘round here and they say forty-eight hours? Got their heads in their asses.”
“I’ll come with you,” Wood offered and Tate looked at him, his eyes slicing to Neeta, then back to Wood.
“Maybe you can see to that situation,” he suggested and I held my breath because suddenly all around were tense and I suspected this was because Tate hadn’t asked Wood for anything, not for a long time and not something as important as dealing with Neeta.
“Jonas is safe with me,” Stella stated. “Many eyes…” she trailed off.
“My kid’s goin’ home with me,” Neeta put in, a dog with a bone.
“Girl,” Pop turned to her, “it’s Buck’s weekend.”
“He’s comin’ home with me,” Neeta repeated.
“He’s not,” Tate declared in a way that everyone’s eyes went to him. “And he ain’t comin’ home tomorrow.” He looked at Jonas and ordered, “Go, Bub, into the office.”
“What do you mean he ain’t comin’ home tomorrow?” Neeta snapped.
“Go into the office, Bub, now,” Tate reiterated, Jonas nodded and moved quickly toward the office.
“Tate, goddamn it, what in the f**k do you –?” Neeta started but she stopped and I figured this was because Tate speared her with a look that was so hostile it took her breath away. I figured this because it took mine.
We all waited, the door closed behind Jonas and finally Tate spoke and he did this with his eyes still locked on Neeta.
“I gotta do this with Shambles so I don’t got a lot of time but I’ll tell you this. You think for one f**kin’ second after you handled my boy that way that he’s goin’ anywhere near you, you’re a bigger f**kin’ lunatic than I thought.”
“What’s this?” Pop whispered.
“You wanna tell your Dad what you did?” Tate dared.
Neeta raised a hand and jabbed a finger at me. “She wouldn’t let him go.”
“Which was good, since you were actin’ like the whacked out bitch everyone here knows you to be, he was shakin’ so hard, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his feet,” Tate shot back. “And nothin’, and you know it Neet, there is not one damn thing in this f**kin’ world that excuses you handlin’ my boy so rough he cries out in pain.”
“Good God,” Stella whispered, her toned filled with horror.
“Neet,” Pop whispered, his tone filled with pain.
Neeta turned and whined to her father, “She wouldn’t let him go, Pop.”
Pop didn’t even look at me when he asked, “That’s your excuse?”
“She –” Neeta began.
Pop cut her off. “Lauren’s got not one thing to do with this. It’s all you, Neeta. It’s always you. “
“Pop –” Neeta started but he lifted a hand.
“Get outta my sight, girl. I don’t wanna see you,” he whispered words that seemed dragged out of him, I heard Neeta draw in breath in a way I knew she’d never heard them before, not after anything she’d done and there clearly had been a lot. “I don’t think I ever wanna see you again,” he went on and then he stared at her as if he’d never seen her in his life and wished he still hadn’t. Finally his eyes moved to Tate. “Do me a favor, just one, Buck, take Wood. Find this man’s woman. He can help.” He waited for Tate’s nod, Tate gave it to him and he concluded, “I’m gonna go be with my grandson.” Then he moved to and up the steps, disappearing behind the office door.
“I can take you, Neet, you know it so don’t even try,” Stella warned and my eyes moved from the office door to her to see she was giving a hard look to Neeta.
Neeta gave up on her family and looked at Tate.
“We’ll see what the judge says about this,” she threatened.
“Yeah, we will, with Ned, Betty and Lauren all there to witness what you did, Neet, and Jonas wantin’ to live with me anyway, we’ll f**kin’ see,” Tate returned, his eyes shifted to Wood and he clipped, “You’re in the Explorer with me.” He looked at me. “You’re ridin’ with Shambles, babe.” His eyes sliced to Shambles. “You lead. Take us to where she told you she would be,” he ordered, Shambles nodded and Tate finished, “Let’s roll.”
* * * * *
We hit the clearing in the woods, Shambles was leading and speaking, “There,” he pointed to the clearing, “that’s where we –”
We were at the edge of a glade and he stopped speaking and walking because Wood reached up and grasped his shoulder, pulling him to a halt.