That was the damned truth, fortunately.

"All right," Ty changed the subject, "somethin' for you to think about today."

Lexie tipped her head to the side and asked, "What?"

"We got a kid comin', we got a shitload of money in the bank and still not a small amount of cash in the safe. The first one comes, we lose our guest room. The next one comes, you lose your craft room. They get to the point where they can cogitate, my woman is not gonna let me fuck her the way I like anywhere but the bathroom. This does not work for me. We need a new house."

Her eyes got big and her lips parted before she whispered, "But I love our house."

"I do too but it isn't gonna fit four kids, us and our sex life."

It was then her eyes slid to the side and she murmured, "This is true."

Ty pulled her closer, her eyes slid back and her hands slid up to round his neck. "This does not have to happen now but it has to happen. You need to think about what you want. We do this; we do it once and settle. We don't need to be movin' our brood all over Carnal as it grows so you find what you like in a way that you're gonna like it a good long while."

"What about what you like?" Lexie asked.

"I got one condition and that is, your ass in my bed every night. Since that's gonna happen anywhere we're gonna be, the rest of it, I don't give a fuck."

That was when he got her soft face, warm eyes and a sweet, quiet, "Ty."

"We do it before the first one comes then we do it soon. It's your first, you advance, I want you worried about our kid not movin'. Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered, her arms around his neck getting tighter, her body moving up because she rolled up on her toes.

"Now, I gotta get to work," he said quietly.

She nodded and, still whispering, replied, "Okay, honey."

He bent his neck and touched his mouth to hers. Then he dropped his forehead and touched that to hers. Then he released her, tagged his travel mug but wrapped his hand around her hip and gave her a squeeze before he let her go again and started moving away.

"Later, mama," he said to the backdoor and heard said to his back, "Later, baby."

Then Ty walked out the backdoor, down the stairs, got in his Cruiser and went to work.

Three and a half hours later...

Ty's cell rang, he did the drill, looked at the display, flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Champ," he greeted.

"Where are you?" Julius asked quickly, his voice strange, urgent and Ty felt a whisper of dread snake up his spine.

"At work," he answered.

"You haven't heard," Julius stated.

"Heard what?"

Julius sucked in breath.

Then he told Ty, "Day before yesterday, Shift was FTA at his prelim hearing." Pause then, "My man, this kicks me in the balls to tell you this shit because I know you got a relationship with that cop but he was there, Pena, at the courthouse. When the hearing was cancelled, he walked out right into a drive-by. He took four. He's alive but they are not thinkin' good things and when I say that, he's already received last rites. Him still breathin' is a miracle and that miracle is aided by a machine."

Ty was already on the move through the garage to the office where Wood was in with Stella and Pop.

"Shift do it?" he barked into the phone.

"Was mayhem, the shooter took out three other people, two survived, one got one right in the neck, bled out before help arrived. Bystanders were freaked, it happened fast but they said it was a black man though further descriptions aren't great. My guess is, Pena's got more enemies than just Shift. But you gotta have this head's up."

"Right," Ty muttered, climbing the stairs to the office.

"Sorry, brother, wish you and Lexie had a longer run without shit news comin' at you," Julius said quietly.

"Me too. Thanks for callin' to tell me, brother," Ty replied, opening the door to the office.

"I'll call, I get any more," Julius told him. "Later."

"Later," Ty said into the phone, flipped it shut, looked through the office to see all eyes on him, his intent to tell them he had to walk to the salon to deliver shit news to his wife. Lexie'd be pissed if he waited until that night. Pena's position elevated significantly in Lexie's mind since he'd gone all out for Ty so that meant Lexie'd want their asses on a plane and she wouldn't want a delay in that.

But before he could open his mouth, his phone rang in his hand. He looked at the display and felt his brows draw together at a number that was local but one he didn't know.

His gaze went through the room, he muttered, "Somethin's up but hang on." He flipped his phone open, put it to his ear and greeted, "Yo."

"Ty?" He heard a familiar voice that made his blood run cold. "Sorry to bug you but I called Lexie's cell and at home, no answer. She hasn't come into work yet. Half an hour late. This isn't like her. Is something up? Is she unwell?"

Dominic.

Lexie hadn't gone to work yet.

Shift was FTA.

Pena was delivered last rites.

All the air in Ty's lungs squeezed out, leaving his body void of oxygen.

Without answering and saying not one word, he flipped his phone shut and his long legs took him through the office to the front door and out of it. He flat out ran down the steps and to the Cruiser, pulling his keys out and beeping the locks on the run. Tearing open the door when he arrived, he folded in, started it up and screeched out of his parking spot, through the forecourt and out into the road.

He was at home in half the time it normally took and he bolted up the outside stairs taking them three at a time. His heart squeezed when he saw the backdoor hanging open but he didn't hesitate running through it. Then his heart twisted when he saw the state of the house. Struggle, evidence of it everywhere, oatmeal on the wall, a broken bowl on the floor under it, a shattered glass, a stool overturned. He didn't look closely, didn't give it time as he raced through the house up the stairs and to their bedroom.

Bed unmade.

Clothes on the floor.

Not unusual.

But no nightie tossed anywhere.

And no Lexie.

His feet took him to the closet because the light was on. He looked down and saw it.

The safe open, cleaned out. Her jewelry boxes gone, the cash gone.

His gun, the clips and ammo gone.

He turned and sprinted down the stairs, through the living room, down the stairs to the utility room, opening the door.

Snake and Charger there.

He had no fucking clue what Shift was driving.

He just knew Shift had his money, the jewelry, his gun and his fucking wife.

"This isn't happening," he whispered to the cars, his chest expanding and contracting so big, so deep it was painful, he felt it in his gut, his throat, that burn searing through him. "This isn't happening," he repeated.

Then he hit the button on the wall to open the garage and ran through, ducking low because the door hadn't fully opened, he cleared it and ran to the Cruiser. He yanked open the door, leaned in and grabbed his phone he'd thrown on the passenger seat.

He flipped it open, found Julius and hit go.

It rang once after he put it to his ear.

"You okay, my man?" Julius answered.

"Shift has my wife. What was he driving and was there someone with him?"

Silence.

"Julius!" Ty roared. "That piece of shit has my wife! What car was he fucking in when the drive-by happened and was there someone with him?"

"No partner, Walk. Don't know the car," Julius answered as Ty turned and saw Wood's truck approaching the condo at high-speed. "But I'll find out."

"Do it fast," Ty ordered.

"You know I will," Julius replied then there was a disconnect.

Wood was parked and out of his truck, eyes on Ty, body and mouth already moving. "Talk to me."

"Lexie's gone. The man Tate and I visited in Dallas shot Angel Pena and headed up here. He has my wife."

Wood stopped close and pulled out his phone, saying, "You call Tate. I'll call the CPD."

"Tate's after a skip," Ty told him and Wood's eyes lifted from his keypad to Ty.

"I think he'll come back." Then he put the phone to his ear.

Ty made his call and got Tate's voicemail.

"Tate, Duane Martinez skipped bond. He took care of business in Dallas and shot Pena. Now he's taking care of business in Colorado and he's got Lexie. Fuck, fuck, fuck..." he lost it, pulled it together and then said in a whisper, "I need you again, man."

Then he flipped his phone shut.

Then as Wood muttered on his phone, it hit him.

The air.

He looked around.

The sky was bright and blue. The sun shining.

But no snowmelt.

It was below freezing.

He turned and sprinted back up the steps, checking behind the door where there were hooks where they kept their jackets and coats. He stared at it, never paying much attention, not knowing if she hooked hers there last night but she usually did and it was there. In fact, all three of them were there. Two of her heavy but stylish jackets and her new winter coat.

His heart twisted again and, fuck, that shit hurt.

Wood walked in, eyes on Ty. "CPD on its way but what spooked you?"

Ty looked to Wood. "She's in her nightie."

Wood held Ty's eyes and started carefully, "Ty "

Ty leaned toward him bent at the waist and thundered, "My fucking wife is with a fucking piece of fucking shit. It's fucking freezing, she's fucking carrying my child and she's in her goddamned fucking nightie and all I can fucking do is stand here and wait for a goddamned fucking phone call so I can know what the fuck I'm lookin' for."

Wood took one step toward him and said quietly, "Man, you have got to calm down."

"Maggie was with a drug dealin' pimp with vengeance on his mind, she was pregnant, in a fuckin' nightie and socks when there's snow on the ground, would you be calm?" Ty clipped.

"You've had your blow out, now you gotta get a handle on it, Ty. You losin' your mind is not gonna help Lexie."

This, fuck him, was fucking true.

His phone rang in his hand, he didn't even look at the display before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

"Talk," he barked.

"Brother, I'm headin' home right now. Just outside Denver, should be there in two hours."

It was Tate.

"Right," Ty replied.

"Keep your head. You call CPD?" Tate asked.

"Wood's here. He did. They're on their way."