“Two million people?” KD questioned.
“Smile, bitches!” Sasha yelled. “You’re on Facebook Live.” She was holding her phone and aiming it straight at KD and his crew as she approached them. Junior and Paris stepped up near me.
“The state of Texas and the highway patrol will be hit with a lawsuit so big they’ll have to sell half the land in it to recover,” I added. “And you don’t know how many more witnesses might be watching you from the hotel lobby right now. Sounds like a slam dunk lawsuit to me.”
Tyler walked over and leaned closer to his father. “Daddy, we can’t be taking no chances with this social media stuff. Texas law enforcement got enough problems right now. They’ll hang me and the boys out to dry.” He turned around and spoke to the patrolmen. “Put down the guns, boys.”
“You’d better listen to your son, KD. Sounds like he’s giving you some good advice,” I said. “Let them go.”
KD finally removed his hand from Nevada’s chest. “I was just havin’ fun with the boy.”
Nevada ran to Vegas and threw his arms around his neck.
“All right, LC. You got your kids. Now, I would advise you to get the hell outta Texas. All of you,” KD said.
“That’s exactly what we plan on doing.” I turned to my niece. “Okay, Sasha, you can stop the live feed as soon as we’re all in our vehicles safely,” I said. I knew she was lying about Facebook Live since our family didn’t need that kind of attention, but she was recording a video just in case. With her free hand, she reached for Kia, who was standing to the side, looking unsure about what to do.
I could hear KD murmuring to Tyler, but at that point, the immediate threat was over. All I wanted to do was get home.
Nevada ran over and gave me a hug. “Thanks, Grandpa.”
I rubbed the top of his head. “Glad you’re safe, Nevada. You had us worried.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Can we just go home now?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” We were going straight to the plane and getting the hell out of this godforsaken place. KD saying we should get out of Texas wasn’t a suggestion. It was a warning, and one I knew could not be ignored.
“Come on, Kia. We’re going home.” Nevada waved his friend over.
She walked over and grabbed his arm. “Nevada, I can’t go. What about my sister?”
He turned to me. “Grandpa, I never ask for anything, but I promised I’d help her. That’s why I’m here. You always told me a man’s only as good as his word. I gave her my word.”
I glanced over at KD and Tyler, who didn’t look like they would remain passive if we hung around too much longer. “Tell me what’s going on, and tell me fast,” I said.
He gave me the short version of the story, and my first instinct was to tell him there was nothing I could do. But then I remembered what I’d told Vegas a few days ago: sometimes you have to do things for your family even if it makes you uncomfortable.
“What do you think?” I asked Vegas.
“I think we should help her, but not from here. It’s not going to take them long to regroup.”
Vegas put his hands on his son’s shoulders and looked him in the eye so he understood the severity of what he was about to tell him. “Did you hear when that man told Pop we needed to get out of Texas? He was not playing. The moment we pull out of this parking lot, we are moving targets for Texas law enforcement. We gotta go.”
“But Dad . . .”
“Hold on a second, Vegas. It’s a long shot, but let me try something.” I turned to KD, who was about to get in a car. “KD! Can I speak to you for a moment, please?” I hated to say it so politely, but it was possibly the only way we would get out of there without a major confrontation.
KD
46
LC shouted across the parking lot just as I was about to get in the car. I hesitated, wondering what the fuck he could want. Considering the fact that we were just pointing guns at him and his family, it surprised me to hear him say please—and it made me curious.
I looked at Tyler with my eyebrows raised. “What do you think?” I asked.
He nodded. Obviously he was just as curious as I was about what LC wanted. It must have been something important for LC to waste even a minute getting his black ass out of Texas like I’d told him to. I took a few steps toward him in the parking lot.
Maybe there was something left to say between us; something that would salvage a day that had turned to shit after that two-faced asshole Roscoe showed up before I could get the Duncan kid into Tyler’s car. It really would have been something to get that kid back at my ranch. The ultimate negotiating chip against LC Duncan.
When Tyler had first told me that LC Duncan was in town looking for two teenagers, I didn’t know who the kids were. I just knew that if LC wanted them, then maybe I should be looking for them too. So, I had Tyler make a few calls, and sure enough, we found them. When the kid handed over his driver’s permit and I realized he was LC’s grandson, I thought I’d hit the fuckin’ jackpot. Unfortunately, LC and some more of his unruly brood had shown up and ruined all the fun. Things could have gotten ugly if I hadn’t let the kid go.
“What do you want, LC?” We’d both walked halfway and met in the center of the parking lot. “You got three minutes. I’ve got a
