Ty studied his wife, grinning.

The woman was dead and Lexie was pissed that she didn't get her chance to engage in a catfight before Misty bought it.

And, there it was. Lexie hated Misty more than he did.

Seeing that, he suddenly understood it and knew that emotion was for him, not that Misty had betrayed the sisterhood. Misty was his wife's focus because, no matter what authority and power was around her, Misty was the one person in his nightmare who could end it. And she didn't. And she didn't just to get a ring on her finger and a shot at a big inheritance.

And that was not what Alexa Walker was about.

And Alexa Walker loved him and that love ran deep.

Ty had endured the consequences of Misty's greed and he hated her because of it. But Lexie paid the price of Misty's actions and that price was expensive. But she paid it twice and she'd do it again.

Knowing this, that gaping wound in his chest tightened and started to close.

Misty Keaton took five years of Ty's life and six weeks of his wife's.

And now the bitch was dead.

"Babe," he called quietly and her angry eyes shot to his. "That toxic pussy was found dumped by an access road, shot dead. It's done for you, for me. Team Walker is movin' on."

He watched the anger seep out of her eyes but they grew thoughtful.

Then she asked, "Are both members of Team Walker moving on?"

At her question, his hand moved across the table to tag hers, his fingers curling around and holding tight and he leaned in.

"Vengeance is mine," he whispered and her fingers convulsed in his then he went on. "And the way I'm seein' to that is that my woman and the babies she gives me are gonna have a man and a Daddy who does not have this shit hangin' over his head, whose name is clear so they are free to live wild and burn bright without this shit draggin' them down. To do that, Team Walker celebrates each victory by livin' wild and burnin' bright without this shit draggin' them down. Misty Keaton is dead. We... are... movin'... on."

She held his eyes and asked, "After all this, Ty, is it that easy for you to let it go?"

"I'm not lettin' shit go. I'm focused on clearin' my name. But Misty's gone, she cannot help with that. So I'm movin' on from that part of it and I'm takin' you with me."

His woman stared at him. Then she squeezed his hand. Then her head dropped and her hand moved in his so his eyes went to their hands and he saw and felt her thumbing his wedding band.

When he did, two memories came back, strong and fierce, her fingering his wedding band at the breakfast table in Vegas and her explanation last night as to why she'd done it. He'd not forgotten in the weeks that would pass that she did that in Vegas and he'd often wonder about why she did it. Now he knew. And watching her touch their symbol that he wore, he felt the gape of his wound grow even smaller.

"You ever take this off?" she softly asked their hands.

"Never," he answered just as soft.

"Never," she repeated, this time a whisper. Then he watched her draw in a deep breath.

"Mama," he called, not because he wanted to, she could study his ring while touching him for as long as she wanted but they had shit to talk about and he had four college tuitions to worry about so he eventually had to get back to work.

Her head came up and her eyes met his but her thumb kept moving on his wedding band.

"You with me?" he asked.

"Team Walker is a winner," she said softly, he grinned at her and she stopped thumbing his ring, her hand gave his a squeeze then she let it go and went back to her food saying, "Now, you mentioned Crabtree when you were talking to Tate. What's up with him?"

She nabbed a fry, pushed it deep into her enormous mound of ketchup and tossed it into her mouth then looked at him and he told her about Crabtree.

Then he told her about Frank.

Then he told her about Chace Keaton.

Then he told her about their plan.

Then he paid the bill, walked her back to the garage, made out with her standing by the Viper, let her go knowing she was heading to the grocery store and he watched her drive the Snake away.

Ty waited, hip against the side counter in the kitchen, for Julius to get back from delivering his wife's cosmopolitan. They'd had dinner at The Rooster and were back at the condo for drinks and continued conversation and Ty was now an eye witness as to why Julius had three women who'd each put up with two other women having a claim to their man and it was not the gold that Anana was dripping. It was the cosmo she was sipping.

Julius Champion doted on his bitches with every look, touch, move, word and breath. Ty Walker was no woman but he had one who doted on him like that so he knew it felt good.

His eyes moved to his wife who was wearing a white sundress, another halter top, dress skimming her body to her hips then flaring out in a wide skirt that went down to just above her ankles, the silver, high-heeled sandals he bought her in Vegas on her feet, his diamonds at her ears, neck and wrist, her hair up in a mess at her back crown, tendrils escaping but the arrangement highlighted the bling. With her tan, the not-minimal cleavage she was showing, most of the skin of her back on display and the fabric skintight to her hips, she was, as usual, all that but a fuckuva lot more all that than normal.

Julius sauntered back, got close, grabbed his vodka rocks from where it was sitting on the island and leaned his hip on the island opposite Ty.

"I'm guessin', since you didn't find time to give me a brief before we went to dinner that all is good with your boy," Ty said quietly.

He'd phoned Julius that afternoon after having lunch with Lexie and they'd had a very long conversation.

"We had a chat," Julius replied. "He said there is no fuckin' way they got wind he's makin' moves. I reminded him his job description does not include any of his movements blowing back on you and that you gave him a fuckload of cake to perform these duties to your satisfaction. He reminded me he is not a fan of any cop but that he's had his own run in with the local boys, knows what was done to you, has got a skin tone where he gives a shit and he appreciates the pay but likes the work and would in no way fuck this for you. I don't know him but for this job but the man who gave me his name is solid, I trust him, he knows why I need this and it would shock the piss outta me he steered me wrong."

Ty looked to his friend and summed it up. "So we're good."

Julius caught Ty's eyes, smiled and nodded. "We're good."

This meant CPD were scrambling.

This was good and it was bad. He liked that they were scared, he liked that they were so scared the plays they were making were huge and stupid and he couldn't say, after thinking on it, that he didn't get something out of watching them turn on their own.

But he didn't like to think of where that scared would take them if they set their sights outside the inner circle.

Ty looked back at the two women who had been standing at the railing, drinking, talking and looking at the view. Now they were folding their long bodies into the loveseat to focus on drinking and talking.

As he watched, suddenly they both burst out laughing.

Ty smiled then, without taking his eyes off the women, said to Julius, "And the phone call that took you away at dinner?"

Julius replied immediately.

"I say this and I say this so you know I do not mind it. Colorado ain't a hard place to be, Anana's lovin' this trip and I'd go down for you. But I cannot risk a trip to Dallas after haulin' my ass out here twice."

"Understandable," Ty muttered.

"Not done," Julius said and, hearing his tone, Ty looked to him then Ty read him. He'd seen that look before, not often, but he'd seen it and when he'd seen it was any time Julius spoke about the man he killed, a man who he did not pray to God for forgiveness for killing, a man he was not only glad was dead but glad he got to make him that way and he felt this because he loved his sister. And what he said next was because he loved Ty.

"Made a couple of calls. Lexie is not unknown after her time with Rodriguez. What she was known as was untouchable. The minute her foot stepped over the Dallas city limits, Shift got word, thought you got shot of her and she was fair game. He was dickin' with her and bidin' his time. Since Rodriguez hit the cement without his face, Shift knew what he was gonna do with Lexie and he figured at her return the time was right." Julius's eyes started to burn when he said low, "So, no. You mistake me, Walk. I am done with him which means he is done."

Ty pushed away from the counter, turned to his brother and murmured, "Champ "

Julius shook his head. "Got a man on it already."

"He ordered the hit on Rodriguez," Ty told him something he had not shared and Julius blinked.

"They were brothers," Julius whispered, shocked and now even more pissed because Julius had a number of rules he lived by and the one at the top, right under taking care of your family, was never turning on a brother.

"You been gone from Dallas awhile but that's what Pena says is on the street. Shift has already mentioned my name to a cop. I do not need his dead body found. What I need is for that motherfucker to be incapacitated. And I figure, as payback for his efforts, Pena should get whatever cops get when they take down a drug dealing pimp who'd order a hit on his brother. You got connections in Dallas; you rally them not to make Shift stop breathin' but to make him stop breathin' free."

Julius's eyes were wide and he replied, "You tellin' me you want me to get word to my boys to ask them to work with pigs?"

Ty leaned toward him. "He killed his brother and he moved to pimp my fuckin' wife. I already kicked his ass and that didn't make me feel any better. If I got a choice to dispense punishment, I do not choose for him to buy a bullet. I choose for him to keep breathin' while... he... rots."

Julius held his eyes and Ty knew that his now were burning because Julius replied quietly, "I get you."

"He goes down; they give Pena enough to make him stay down. He manages to live a long life without gettin' shanked, he lives it never fuckin' breathin' free. They do this, they do it for me, they do it for Lexie, they do it for Rodriguez and if that isn't enough, they can have every bill left in my safe and they can do it for that."

"Keep your cash, Walk, I'll state your case."

Ty held his friend's eyes.

Then he whispered, "All you're doin', all you've done and all you're gonna do, no way I can pay you."

"I ask for compensation?"

He hadn't. He wouldn't.

And knowing that in that moment, Ty Walker was overwhelmed.

"No way I can pay you," he repeated on a whisper.

"You're my brother and family don't pay shit."

Ty didn't respond.

Julius kept talking. "Though, just so you know, you just dropped a shitload of cash on a car for your wife I coulda boosted for you and had delivered in a week."

At that, Ty burst out laughing. When he quit, he felt eyes, looked to the deck and saw his woman grinning at him. He smiled back. Then he looked at Julius.

"Heat is on in Carnal, Champ, not sure I should have a hot ride in my garage and definitely unsure I want my wife's sweet ass in that hot ride."

"Probably a good decision," Julius muttered through a grin.

Ty grinned back.

Then his grin faded and words he'd said earlier that day came back to him.

And he was not about to make the same mistake twice.

Therefore he asked quietly, "Remember I told you about Tuku?" Julius nodded. Ty went on, "Got good friends, a lot of them, feel deep for them all. Only three people in my life got more from me, one of 'em's in the ground, one of 'em's sittin' on the deck and the last is standin' right in front of me."

Julius said not a word but held his eyes.

Then Ty whispered, "Gratitude, brother."

Julius kept his eyes locked with Ty's and whispered back, "Debt paid."

Lexie's lips brushed his neck as her hips moved up and he lost the hot, wet silk of her pussy as she pulled off his cock. Then she moved down and her lips brushed the inside of his left pectoral over his heart. Then she moved down and they brushed across his abs. Then she fell to a hip in the bed, swung her leg from around him and rolled off the bed.

Ty watched her move to the bathroom. Then he rolled to turn off his light then shifted to pull the covers from under him to over him. Then he flipped Lexie's side of the covers back. Then his eyes went back toward the door to the bathroom as the light went out and she wandered out. She stopped and tagged her panties from the floor. An indication she was done and she would be. He'd made her sit on his face until she came then he'd fingered her cunt and clit until she came again then he let her suck him until he almost came then she rode him until they both came.

It was a long and energetic night.

Time to sleep.

She turned out the light and put a knee to the bed, shifted to him and then curled into him.

He wrapped an arm around her and trailed his fingertips over the panties covering the cheek of her ass.

"Love our bed," she mumbled into his chest, voice sleepy.

He did too, now that she was back in it but he didn't articulate this.

She didn't mind and he knew that when she whispered, "'Night, honey," giving his gut a squeeze with her arm.

"'Night, mama."

He felt a slight smile as her mouth moved her cheek.

Then she was out.

Five minutes later, she rolled.

Then he went to jack up the AC and rejoined his wife, his eyes passing the shadow of the picture frame that was back in its place on the dresser.

She'd carried it with her.

Seeing that frame, knowing he'd always been with her, that wound closed tight.

He joined his wife in bed and curved into her body. She snuggled closer.

And it was not lost on Ty Walker that for over six weeks, sleep did not come easy. Memories invaded, not good ones. Demons. Demons of prison and demons of living a dream he never thought he'd have then losing that dream.