Walk Through the Fire (Finley Creek Book 10)

by Calle J. Brookes

  “I have the spare key. Cherise and Vince are going to stop by to get the cat and take him home with them.”

  Annie nodded. Izzie loved that cat, even though it was her uncle’s. Jake was still out of town; Annie hadn’t been able to find him to give him the message about his niece.

  Mel Barratt was trying to find him, using every connection she had.

  33

  If he got his people to take a five percent pay cut, and if he did a significant portion of the work himself for no pay, Reggie Henedy could adjust the bid he was about to submit to the city council and the mayor by at least twenty-five percent. In the city’s favor.

  Henedy Construction & Contracting could take the hit. It would be close, but he could do it. He didn’t feel right giving the city too big of a bill. Not after what had happened. The city had enough to worry about right now.

  Reggie had the skills, he had the equipment, and he had the manpower to help Finley Creek recover. It was his ethical duty to do what he could.

  He was adjusting more figures when his cell rang.

  His mother’s ringtone.

  Reggie didn’t like to think of himself as a mama’s boy—far from it. He’d had more struggles getting along with his fiery, passionate mother than he had his calmer, more collected, less reckless father.

  But he valued his mother, especially considering how she had managed to make a successful life for herself, despite how his father had betrayed her time and time again.

  He’d liked to think his moral code was as different from his father’s as it was possible for one to be.

  The husband of his father’s mistress had shown up at one of Reggie’s little league games and told his mother in exact details—with Reggie listening—how his father had betrayed her, and it had made it clear the type of person Reggie wanted to be. Anything but like his father.

  It had soured baseball for Reggie after that.

  His mother had changed right before his eyes. Some of her passion was just gone. It took her a long while to bounce back from what his father had done.

  She had sworn Reggie to secrecy, never to tell his father what had happened.

  He’d worried for six months that his parents were going to divorce—but they never had.

  He half thought his mother had stayed with his father for Reggie and his cousin Raymond’s sakes.

  His relationship with his mother had shifted that day, too. He’d become more of a man, he thought. And she’d sheltered him from the harsh realities of the world less than she had before. Depended on him more.

  When the time had come for him to build a life for himself as a man, she’d harshly told him to figure out a way to do it himself. She’d helped his father get to where he was, and he had betrayed her.

  Reggie was going to learn how to stand on his own two feet.

  No matter what.

  That, she said, was going to be her greatest gift to him. He was going to be a man he could be proud of.

  Those were lessons he had never forgotten.

  “Hello, Mom. You doing ok?”

  “Get to the hospital and stop him!”

  “Mom?” She’d said hospital, and his mind had immediately shifted to his father. In spite of his father’s faults, Reggie still loved him. He was his father—and he loved Reggie in return. He had never doubted that. “Is Dad ok?”

  “No, he’s not ok. He’s shot someone! Probably his latest whore. You need to get down there and tell me what they are saying. I can’t handle this. He’s going to ruin everything. Just get down there, Reggie, now!”

  The phone went silent between them.

  Reggie didn’t know what to do. So, for the first time in what seemed like his adult life, he did what his mother told him without questioning.

  34

  There were TSP cars everywhere. Flashing lights almost blinded him. Reggie parked his car and climbed out. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing now.

  He couldn’t just walk up to the TSP and say he was looking for his father. Well, why couldn’t he? His mother had probably been wrong. His father wouldn’t have shot anyone. He didn’t even think his father owned a gun. His father helped people.

  Not hurt them.

  Reggie started across the parking lot.

  A detective held out a hand and stopped him. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

  “I’m…I was told my father is over there. I need to find him.” Reggie tried to look past the man, but the detective was just as big as Reggie. “Wallace Henedy. He’s a doctor at the hospital right there.”

  The detective’s attention sharpened on him. Reggie fought the urge to question him even more. “You’ll have to speak with the detectives in charge.”

  “Who would that be?” Reggie asked, holding onto his temper. His impatience. He wasn’t an idiot. Something had happened here. And his father was apparently right in the middle of it. The detective shouted to someone nearby.

  A tall man with dark hair, five-to-ten years older than Reggie, walked over. “Callum?”

  “Says he’s Henedy’s son.”

  Reggie held out his hand to the other man. “Wallace Henedy the third. I go by Reggie. I’m trying to find my father.”

  “Dan McKellen. Please come this way. We need to ask you a few questions.”

  Reggie wasn’t going anywhere just yet. “Can you just tell me what happened? My mother just called me and said to get here. That my father had shot—”

  McKellen held up a hand. “Mr. Henedy, please come with me. We need to have a talk.”

  Reggie followed, determined he was going to get the answers.

  Or find his father. Whatever happened first.

  35

  Annie hurried to her feet when a physician stepped into the room. “Dr. Patel? How is she?”

  “Next of kin?” he asked, but it was just a formality. Everyone knew that Annie was about all who Izzie had. Everyone who knew them, anyway.

  Annie nodded. “How is she?”

  “She’s doing ok, Annie. Not great. The bullet nicked her lung, and we had to repair the damage. But she should be able to keep the lung intact. The other two bullets—”

  Dr. Patel patted her shoulder. Nikkie Jean’s hand tightened on Annie’s.

  “The other two weren’t as problematic. One passed through her arm and missed anything important. It’ll be sore for a few weeks, but it was a small-caliber bullet. The worst bullet passed through fatty tissue in her other arm. It entered her again, but was slowed down considerably; it lodged in her liver. We removed the damaged portion and closed off the bleeding. At this point, we’re optimistic. It wasn’t a large part of the liver, so the damage was relatively minimal. We’re watching for complications from the asthma. Izzie is young, strong, and relatively healthy. She should be ok, Ann.”

  Annie sank into the chair next to where Nikkie Jean’s wheelchair was parked. The mayor was there. His hand came down on her shoulder. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but it helped steady her a bit.

  “She’ll be ok.” Nikkie Jean said, sniffling. “She’s too mean not to be. We...we...all know that.”

  Annie just cried.

  Nothing in the world was making sense right now. Nothing.

  She wanted someone to put their arms around her again and just hold the world at bay. As if she’d said it aloud, the mayor’s arms went around her again. Annie just let him hold her, half-convincing herself he could make things ok.

  Turner wasn’t going anywhere. Annie was still practically inconsolable. And why wouldn’t she be? How much more could this woman take?

  She was being evicted—unless the storm had destroyed her home—she’d been impaled and trapped by a tornado, and now some madman had shot her best friend and nearly killed her.

  A lesser person would have done more than just cry.

  The chairs were hard plastic, with no arms to impede him. He slipped his arm behind her back. “Come here, honey. It’ll all be ok.”

  “You’ve said th
at to me before.”

  “And I was right, wasn’t I?” He kept his words low, private. Just between them.

  Her little friend was wrapped around Caine Alvaro, crying just as hard.

  He looked at Caine over the two women’s heads. How the man felt was right there for Turner to see. Caine loved her. The hell the two had gone through today was right there for everyone to see.

  Turner had never loved a woman that much. He’d never had the opportunity. Caine was lucky he was going to have the chance to continue loving Nikkie Jean.

  Turner kept rocking slightly. Annie’s hands were around his neck, and she held him tightly. Turner just rocked.

  He didn’t know what else to do. But thank God Izzie was going to be ok. Now they had to make sense of what Wallace Henedy had done.

  36

  Her neighbor waved the letter beneath Annie’s nose, glaring at her. “I thought you said you were going to do something about this!”

  It seemed like Harley Borlin had been glaring at her since she’d been sixteen and he’d been twenty, and she’d had Jake make it clear to him she wasn’t interested in anything Harley had to offer. Before that, he’d been in her face all the time. Harley thought he was actually charming.

  Their relationship hadn’t exactly gotten better over time. “I’ve been a bit busy, Harley.”

  “Yeah, doing what?”

  “I was in the hospital. I was hurt in the storm. I just got out five days ago.” It was Izzie’s day to run the Boethe Street Community center, but Annie had taken all of Izzie’s days that she could while Izzie was recuperating. “Tornado, remember? I was hurt. Badly. I almost died. A bit too busy to worry about something that’s weeks down the road.”

  Just her luck Harley had found her at the receptionist desk fifteen minutes before she’d be able to leave.

  “What’s going on that can’t wait?” Harley had always made her leery, and she was basically alone with him.

  Except for three tweenagers and her sons. Annie sent a look toward where her older two played with the center’s toys. Syrus was snuggled in a playpen near the desk.

  “We’re losing our homes, or have you forgotten?”

  “I haven’t forgotten. Has someone been in touch with the attorney while I was in the hospital? I’ve not had the time to speak to anyone about the neighborhood.”

  Seventeen houses in a four-block radius had been completely destroyed. Her house was three blocks down from those. Harley lived next to the house on the left of hers. He was the main reason she’d asked Jake to install an extra deadbolt on both her house doors. Harley was just a jerk, through and through.

  She’d learned years ago—she and Izzie both had—that the best way to handle Harley was to keep their eyes on him at all times. And not let him know how much they were intimidated by him. He was the typical playground bully—he enjoyed making people squirm. “Has anything new been learned since before the storm?”

  “Well…no. But we were hoping you talked to the mayor since then. Since you know all those fancy people from the Barratt.”

  “I never got much of a chance. The storm hit just as I was on my way there.”

  “Well, don’t you think you should? I ain’t got anywhere else to go.”

  “I don’t exactly have a million properties, either. I’ll call the attorney again in the morning, Harley. It’s all I can do.”

  “Well, I suppose it’s better than nothin’.” He leaned closer, resting his elbows on the counter. He gave her what he no doubt thought was a charming leer. “I could go with you. You know. Just in case. Make sure Barratt doesn’t take advantage of you or nothing.”

  “I think I can handle it.” Syrus fussed nearby, twisting his hand in his special blanket that went with him everywhere. “I need to take care of my children now, Harley. I’ll let the committee know at the next meeting what I’ve found out.”

  “You do that. I’m serious about that dinner. You grew into a fine-looking woman, Annie. I’d like to get to know you better. Put bygones behind us. Get to know each other better. I get lonely sometimes; you have to, too. We can take care of each other.”

  He had to be crazy to think she’d ever think of him that way. “I have three young children, Harley. I’m not dating anyone unless they are willing to make the boys a permanent part of their lives. You’re not exactly great stepfather material.”

  His face showed his opinion on that. Annie was glad the counter was between them. “Nothing wrong with dinner or a good time now and then. Don’t have to be so high and mighty about it.”

  Annie didn’t have any clue what to say now. “I’m not high and mighty, Harley. I’m just not interested. I don’t have time for a man in my life right now. Unless it’s these three right here.”

  37

  Dennis Lee bit back a curse as he looked at the runner who had given him the information. The kid wasn’t at fault; far from it. At not quite nineteen, he was a definite go-getter. “I admire your initiative, Landen. Thanks for telling me.”

  “You’re welcome, sir.”

  “Now, I want you to take this to Officer Collin Eugent.”

  As soon as the boy was gone, Dennis Lee thought about what information Landen had brokered.

  Those damned Henedys were going to cause him untold problems. Reggie had undercut four of his bids to the city.

  Bids Dennis Lee needed accepted.

  Henedy Construction had been his primary funnel for going on two years now. If the city chose Henedy’s company over Dennis Lee’s, it could potentially cause too many questions to be asked.

  Especially with Jenny not being as careful as she should have been lately.

  But this…Jenny was going to be too distracted by this latest problem. Damn Wallace Henedy. The man was nothing but trouble, and a fool to boot.

  But what concerned Dennis Lee the most was just exactly how much of Dennis Lee’s business Wallace Henedy might be aware of.

  If the man decided to start making bargains to get favors now, that could prove problematic for Dennis Lee.

  He needed to do some thinking. But first, he needed information.

  That meant some phone calls.

  First, he had to do one thing. There was a lady out there he needed to check on.

  Jenny had to be near hysterical now. This was the last thing that poor girl needed. He’d have to help fix this, because if there was one truth right now for Dennis Lee—he needed Jenny more than he had any other woman before.

  And Dennis Lee always got what he needed. No matter what the cost.

  38

  She had to split her time between the boys and the hospital with Izzie. Somehow, she managed. Izzie was still in guarded condition, but they were about to upgrade her to stable. Annie suspected Cage and Allen were just being cautious. Even if it irritated Izzie.

  Not that Izzie could do much about it right now. She was in and out from pain meds most of the day. Annie used that time to try to track down the attorney the Boethe Street committee had hired with the limited funds they’d been able to collect.

  She was starting to think the attorney needed to be disbarred. He wasn’t exactly competent.

  Annie had no idea what she was supposed to do about this, or how she had ended up the de facto spokeswoman for the neighborhood.

  She wasn’t even certain if she wanted to fight it any longer.

  As long as she had a place for the boys to live, she would be ok.

  It was her neighbors’ fates that concerned her more. The stress of fighting was starting to get to all of them.

  Izzie shifted in the bed. Annie put aside her notepad and watched the other woman for a while. No doubt Izzie would be hurting for a while—even with the pain meds.

  Damn Wallace Henedy for what he’d done.

  There was no explanation for why he’d done any of it. None.

  Someone knocked on the door quietly. She looked up.

  Nikkie Jean stood in the doorway, wearing scrubs decorated with dancing beagles.
“Hey.”

  “Hey. I see the jailers have let you out.” Caine and his twin had ganged up on her, making her take the past week off. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. The bruises have faded. I felt the baby move—I think. Caine brought home a Doppler from storage last night. He wanted to let the kids hear the heartbeat. We finally told them.”

  “And?”

  “Dalton thinks it’s a doggie in my belly.” She shot a grin at Annie, but her worry was still there as her gaze went to Izzie. “Keller is thrilled. Everett is hesitant. Just as we suspected. Caine thinks he’ll be ok with time. He associated his mother’s leaving and death with Dalton’s birth.”

  “I get it. You guys will make it work, I’m sure of it.” They were meant to be a family. Nikkie Jean had taken to motherhood like a natural. Even in the short time since the tornado. Caine’s three children adored her, and even though they weren’t married and hadn’t set a date yet—Nikkie Jean refused until Izzie was ok, and able to be one of her two friends-of-honor, as she’d said it—the kids were already calling her Mom.

  Annie knew just how special that could be.

  And how terrifying that responsibility could be.

  “I hope so. The last thing I want to do is fail the kids.”

  “You won’t. Just love them. Trust me, I have twenty-three months and four days’ experience talking here. Love them and know that your job is to teach them how to survive as adults. To let them know how much you love them, and that you will always be there for them.”

  “I’m not sure how to do that. I haven’t exactly had great experiences with parents myself. Nor great examples to emulate.” There was no bitterness in Nikkie Jean’s tone. Just quiet acceptance.