Out of Time (Nine Minutes #2)

by Beth Flynn

  “A lot is wrong.”

  Before she could ask him what he meant by that, Tommy continued.

  “You have some things to tell me about.” He paused before adding, “Wendy.”

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  2000, Northern Florida

  A Week Before Grizz’s Execution

  Grizz steeled himself as he prepared to speak the words. “Grunt is not my little brother.” A long pause, then, “He’s my son.”

  Blue stared at Grizz and leaned back in his chair, slowly nodding.

  “I should’ve seen it,” he told Grizz.

  “No, you shouldn’t have seen it. I did everything I could to convince you and him from the beginning that it was anything but that. I should’ve told you early on, but I didn’t think it mattered.”

  “Does it matter? I mean now that Jan told me on the phone that he set you up, does it matter that he’s your kid?”

  “No. Doesn’t matter,” Grizz answered Blue. “Besides, we both know she’s lying.”

  “Is she? I have to tell you, Grizz, there is no doubt that Kevin is his kid. I know you’ve made peace with him since Leslie told you about the billy club, but he’s not looking good. At least in my eyes. I saw it in your face just now, too. You thought about it again and it bothered you. You’re wondering if he was truthful about what he told you. Seems like every time we think we know something, another Grunt bomb is dropped.”

  “You leave Grunt to me. Why your crazy ex decided to implicate him is something you can find out when you go to see her. Maybe she’ll tell you. Maybe not. Either way, you be sure to tell her you believe her and you want revenge on him, too. If she thinks you believe her, it’ll only help us more.”

  Blue nodded in understanding. “How come you never told me to find her?”

  “I didn’t have to. I knew you’d never stop looking for your boys. When you found Froggy a few months back, I knew it wouldn’t be too long before you found Jan, too. Too bad the fuck isn’t still alive to get what he had coming, but I still need her to finish this. You got a problem with that?”

  “Fuck, no. She has it coming.” Blue got quiet then and looked at Grizz. “You’re scheduled to die next week. What if I’d found her after that?”

  “I’d have gotten something to you telling you how what you’ve been setting up was supposed to end. It’s all been written down and would’ve been delivered to you after I’m dead. I would’ve trusted you to make it happen as I’d planned it. I knew you’d never stop looking for your kids, and once you found them, you’d handle it for me. I consider it a bonus that you found her before I’m gone. At least I’ll die knowing she has what’s coming to her. Too bad fucking Froggy isn’t still alive to be at the party.”

  “You’re right. I would’ve handled it. I will handle it.” Blue started to smile as he stared at the blotter on Grizz’s desk.

  Then something else occurred to him. He became very serious, glancing back up at Grizz. “Some recent shit has come to light about Grunt. Does the fact that he fucked my wife give you any new doubts about him?”

  Grizz had to think hard on this one. He’d had a very long conversation with Grunt after Leslie told him about the billy club. They’d planned on meeting again before Grizz’s execution. Grunt would be here in a few days, Grizz reflected. He had a lot to tell Grunt and would use the opportunity to ask about Blue’s kid, Kevin. He didn’t think he was wrong about Grunt, but he figured he should still have a back-up plan. As much as he wanted Kit to be taken care of, he wouldn’t leave her with Grunt if Grunt wasn’t the person he said he was. He would think on this a little bit longer.

  In the meantime, he knew for certain he wouldn’t be able to meet with Blue again before the execution. Blue would be leaving to go see his ex-wife in person. Grizz wasn’t sure if they’d be able to have a secure phone conversation, either. They needed to finalize the plan now.

  “You still have a plant who’ll be in the execution viewing room?” Grizz asked.

  “Yeah, she’ll be there,” Blue answered. They’d decided early on to have someone there to watch for any eleventh-hour signs from Grizz.

  “I’ll give a signal.”

  They discussed the plan Grizz had in place to handle Jan, expanding it now to include Grunt. How it would involve Grunt would be determined after Grizz met with him one final time. If he was clean, he would be able to continue his life as it was now. If Grizz detected even a hint of anything that was off, he’d have Blue take care of it. Son or not, nobody fucked with Grizz. Nobody except for them.

  He would signal Blue’s informant accordingly, and Blue would know how to wrap things up.

  Grizz changed topics. “You said Leslie needs more convincing. What do you have planned?”

  “It can’t go down until a few days after your execution. But it’ll definitely happen before she submits her article. She tried to be cute when I caught up with her at the grocery store. Believe me, she’ll know we’re serious. She won’t print it. Kit will never know.”

  “Good. Very good. I don’t mind about the fucking article. But I don’t want Kit to be hurt by finding out Grunt is my son. I shouldn’t have told Leslie, but we can stop it. Kit never needs to know.”

  “She won’t know. I’ll handle it.”

  The conversation was over and Blue knew he was going to be dismissed. He thought this might be the last time he would ever be able to ask Grizz something. Something that had nagged at him. It really wasn’t important. He didn’t have to know everything about Grizz, and he obviously didn’t. He was floored by the admission that Grizz was Grunt’s father. He’d known Grizz since they were kids and had no idea. Though truth be told, Candy hadn’t come around much, and nobody at the The Red Crab had even known she was pregnant.

  But there was something else that had aroused his curiosity.

  “You told me if you’d died before I found Jan, you would’ve had me pull the trigger on the plan by getting a message to me.”

  Grizz nodded.

  “Who? Who is the person all these years you’ve been communicating through? You get messages to and from certain people. Even me. Who are you using?”

  Grizz stared hard at Blue. “Does it matter?”

  “No, I guess it doesn’t. I’m just curious.”

  “You’ll have to stay curious. It’s not for your protection. It’s for theirs. After I’m gone, the gang, or what’s left of it, is yours. Handle the Jan thing, and keep Kit away from anything and everything gang-related. You shouldn’t have a problem with that. She was never cut out for that lifestyle and has stayed away since I’ve been here. In spite of that, keep an eye on things if you can.”

  “No, she wasn’t cut out for that lifestyle, was she?”

  Blue looked sheepishly at Grizz. Like he had something to say and wasn’t sure how to say it. Grizz detected it.

  “What is it?”

  No answer.

  “Tell me. What’s up?”

  Blue sighed. “I don’t know about taking over when you’re gone.”

  Grizz gave him a half smile and cocked his head to one side. He wasn’t surprised.

  “Blue, I’ll be dead. I don’t give a fuck what you do. You can shut it down, sell it to the highest bidder, just walk away from it. Do whatever you want.” He paused and became serious as he added, “I should’ve done that a long time ago. Probably wouldn’t be sitting here.”

  He honestly couldn’t say if his last statement was true. But, believe it or not, he felt for Blue. He knew Blue had recently become involved with a woman. A woman who had turned his world upside down and inside out. Her name was Dicky, and Blue had told Grizz he finally understood Grizz’s attraction to Kit. Kit’s goodness and complete disdain for anything criminal was endearing.

  Dicky was a cop. But Blue couldn’t help himself. He fell quick and hard for the redhead who’d actually just been promoted to detective. He’d been brought in for questioning about a recent drug arrest. He wasn’t worried about it; he hadn’t been i
nvolved so he had nothing to hide. But during questioning, he couldn’t take his eyes off the detective. She was in her late twenties or early thirties and very attractive in an eclectic sort of way. Curves in all the right places. A beautiful face with intelligent, bright green eyes that rivaled Grizz’s. Short, red hair that stuck out everywhere. He couldn’t tell if she’d styled it that way on purpose or if she’d rolled out of bed and left it that way. He felt a stirring below the belt when he thought about her rolling out of a bed. He liked what he saw.

  He’d been sitting in the interrogation room when she charged in, apologizing to her partner for being late. She went to set her coffee on the table. But she’d been holding it by the lid and the lid came off, spilling coffee everywhere. Returning with paper towels, she proceeded to wipe up the coffee mess but accidentally elbowed her partner in the nose. She had just thrown away the soggy paper towels and was heading for the table when her cell phone rang. It was attached to her belt. She reached for it a little too quickly, and as she whipped it off her belt clip, it flew out of her hand. Narrowly missing Blue’s head, it hit the wall behind him and shattered to the floor.

  She was a bumbling klutz. Blue was fascinated.

  “That’s the third one this month, Dicky,” her partner said dryly. “They’ll start docking your pay.”

  Without missing a beat, she countered, “No problem, Charlie, I have stock in the cell phone company.”

  “Good, cause you’ll need it. Just like you’ll need stock in fender parts and the dry cleaners down the street.”

  Ignoring her partner’s reference, Dicky sat down and looked Blue in the eyes. Her gaze was unwavering. She wasn’t embarrassed by her recent mishaps. She wasn’t put out by her partner’s comments. She stared hard at Blue, and he thought he detected a bit of dislike in her gaze. No. He was wrong. She didn’t dislike him. She downright hated him. Did his dick just twitch?

  “I’m Detective Fynder, and I’m sure Detective Connor has already told you why you’re here, Mr. Dillon.”

  Blue burst out laughing. “Finder? Your name is Dicky Finder?” He’d never thought he’d hear a name more ridiculous than Kit’s real name, Guinevere Love Lemon.

  “Yes, Fynder with a “Y” and we are not here to discuss my name.”

  Blue couldn’t explain it. He’d never been attracted to someone like her before. And he wasn’t certain if that was what he was feeling now. He’d tried settling down and having a family. As much settling down as he knew how to do. He would never try that again. So he’d stuck to easy women who were only interested in the same thing he was. An occasional fuck session, no strings attached. Woman had tried to snag him into something more. Eventually, even Pauline gave up and set her sights elsewhere.

  He’d tried, too. He really thought that by marrying Jan he could find some semblance of a normal life, but he just didn’t have it in him. He was a whore chaser and would always be a whore chaser. He didn’t give a shit what women wanted, what they thought, or how they felt. He hadn’t felt anything in a long time and didn’t plan to.

  Until now. Something tugged at him.

  There was no logical reasoning behind his instant attraction to her. But it was there and he couldn’t deny it. He felt a spark of something new and exciting. He felt a personal challenge. He wanted to get to know this woman. He wanted to know why she hated him so much. As crazy as it sounded, he found her contempt for him attractive. How fucked up is that? He grinned.

  “Ahhh, Dicky,” Grizz said now, leaning back in his chair. “So, it’s getting serious?”

  Blue looked away. “Yeah, I think so. Shit, I don’t know. She needs me. She’s so smart and everything, but she’s a fucking mess.”

  “After all these years and all the women who chased after you because of the bike and the ink, and you’re just now figuring out you’re attracted to women who aren’t attracted to that? That’s pretty fucking funny, Blue.”

  Blue just shrugged. “Dicky’s different, Grizz. Can’t explain it.”

  Grizz nodded knowingly. Blue hadn’t done his homework. Dicky was no mess. And Dicky didn’t need Blue, but she wanted him to think she did. She knew exactly what she was doing. Should he warn Blue? Should he tell Blue what he’d found out about her?

  No. He’d let Blue find out for himself. It’s not like his life was in danger or anything. Grizz did have a small regret at not being around to witness it for himself, but he also knew his loyal friend was capable of handling himself. So Blue was in love with Detective Dicky Fynder. Good luck, buddy. You’ll need it.

  “I’ll say it one more time, Blue, and I mean it. It’s your life. Do what you want. I’m just asking that you take care of the last few things we discussed after I’m gone. You don’t have to watch Kit or Grunt. Just keep your ears to the ground to make sure they are as far away from anything gang-related as possible. I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but it would help me as I face that table knowing that you’re out there.”

  He stood. Blue was being dismissed.

  Blue stood, too, and grabbed the file with his family’s pictures. Grizz snagged it out of his hand.

  “I’ll hold on to this until I have my last face-to-face with Grunt,” Grizz said.

  They stood there as the seconds ticked by. No last words between friends. No hugs or pats on the back. Blue wouldn’t be coming back.

  Finally, he nodded slightly at Grizz and headed for the door, but not before Grizz saw a light sheen of tears covering Blue’s dark eyes. He would’ve cried, too, but he’d made a vow a long time ago that he’d never shed another tear. And he hadn’t.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  2000, Nashville, Tennessee,

  Three Days Before Grizz’s Execution

  Blue studied the woman sitting in front of him. He hadn’t seen her in fifteen years. On some level he knew she was still attractive, but somehow she disgusted him. She still wore the same perfume. It used to make him hard. At least it had early in their relationship. Now it only nauseated him.

  “Just so you know, I left an envelope to be opened if I don’t return.” She held his gaze. “I wrote that I was meeting you.”

  She swallowed then and looked away from him. She was afraid of Blue. If she never returned from this meeting, she wanted someone to know he was responsible.

  “Jan, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

  “I’m in the Witness Protection Program. After you called, all I had to do was dial a number and I’d have been immediately relocated. You would have had to start looking all over again. But I didn’t. I believed you, and I want you to get to know Kevin and Timmy again.”

  “I know you dialed the number. I know you thought you’d be relocated immediately. Witness Protection isn’t completely without its flaws. It just took longer than I wanted to find its weaknesses.”

  She wriggled uncomfortably in her seat in the hotel room, a low tremor starting. Of course. Blue had someone on the inside. The quick jolt of fear caused her heart to begin racing. A lot of people had seen her walk into the hotel lobby. There would be plenty of surveillance footage. She knew he knew that, too. She was safe. But she also wasn’t stupid. That’s why she’d left the note.

  “I told you I wouldn’t stop you from seeing the boys.” Jan folded her hands. “Why did you need to see me?”

  “We’ll get to the boys later. You’ve done well for yourself. Divorced your rich husband. No kids from that marriage to have to take care of. Ours are grown.”

  She didn’t say anything, just stared at him.

  He looked down and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He’d driven thirteen hours straight to have this conversation in person. He was tired, but still focused. A flash of wild red hair and passionate green eyes invaded his thoughts.

  He had a half smile on his face when he finally said, “Tell me more about Grunt.”

  Blue drove all this way to ask about Grunt? Jan cleared her throat, “What more do you want to know?”

  “For starters,
how long was he fucking you?”

  Blue hadn’t wanted to ask this question, but he’d blurted it out before he could stop himself. It wasn’t his main objective for having this meeting, and truth be told, he really didn’t care who his ex-wife had screwed. He was more curious than anything.

  Jan stiffened. She couldn’t tell Blue the truth. What was she going to say? I was pissed that you were screwing women at the motel so I drugged your little brother and handcuffed him to our bed?

  She remembered when she’d first found out Blue was sleeping around. She’d had her suspicions, because their lovemaking was becoming less frequent. It was after she’d had their first child, Timmy. She purposely stayed close to Willow after Blue insisted a couple of the girls stay with her when she was pregnant and not taking her medication. Blue had been careful about not letting her have any connection to the gang, so it came as a surprise that he allowed Willow, Chicky, and Moe to spend time with her. She knew she would need a friend at the motel. Someone to keep her clued in as to what was going on there.

  After Timmy was born she stayed in regular contact with Willow. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought Willow actually took some pleasure in telling her Blue was sleeping around.

  None of that really mattered now, anyway. Yes, she’d been angry with Blue, and her way to get back at him was to sleep with his little brother. She never actually did it for Blue to find out. She was afraid he would’ve killed them both. She did it because she could, to get back at him. It was her only way of feeling like she was getting some kind of retribution for his infidelity.

  She recalled how she’d tricked Grunt into coming to the house while Blue was at work. She made up some excuse about needing Grunt to help her set up a household budget. She’d said Blue was giving her a hard time about her spending and she wanted to surprise him with a financial plan. Of course, it was a lie. If there was one thing that Jan did like to do, it was spend the money that poured in as a result of Blue’s active participation in the gang.