“Let me guess, she didn’t get the money,” Phantom said dryly.
“Nope. Tracy and Malcom had no intention of giving her any money because they thought she’d be dead right along with the two of you. In fact, there was no money to give her. Eva spent two weeks hitchhiking back to Anchorage. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but that’s where her kids are. She got hired at a strip club and has been living in her car.”
Bubba couldn’t help the twinge of pity for the woman. She’d made some horrible decisions, that couldn’t be denied, but if someone took his children, he knew he’d do whatever it took to get them back. “Her kids?” he asked Tex.
“It’s being taken care of.”
Bubba thought back to what Tex had told them earlier. About the team of men he knew who had no problem taking care of scumbags like Eva’s ex.
“The question now is…are you going to press charges?” Tex asked.
Bubba opened his mouth to respond, but Zoey beat him to it.
“No.”
Bubba turned to her. “Zo—”
She held up her hand to stop him. “I know, Mark. I know what she did. We could’ve died. You almost did die. But we’re okay. And honestly, what other options did she have? I’m not excusing what she did. It was horrible, and she should’ve gone to the cops before going through with your brother’s plan, but…” Her voice trailed off.
“Is she sorry?” Bubba asked Tex.
“For what it’s worth, yeah, I think she is. She seemed almost relieved that she’d been found. The first thing she asked was how you two were doing. She knew you had a bunch of shit in your pockets, Bubba, and she’d convinced herself that you’d be fine.”
Bubba closed his eyes. He couldn’t care less about Eva Dawkins. But for the sake of her kids, who would have no one if their mom went to jail, he sighed and asked, “What now?”
“I’ve gotten her a job in Florida,” Tex said. “Nothing huge, but enough to keep her solvent. She and her kids will be flying there tomorrow. She won’t have to worry about her ex ever coming into the picture again. With your blessing, she’s getting a new start to her life. I told her not to blow it, because I’d be watching. One misstep, and I’ll have her kids taken away and her ass thrown in prison faster than she can even blink.”
Bubba couldn’t help it. He grinned slightly. There was the Tex he knew and loved. “Good.”
“Zoey? You okay?” Tex asked.
Bubba saw her look up at him, study his face, then she finally said, “I’m okay.”
“I’ve got some paperwork to get done, so I’m going to get going. I’m sorry about your brother, Bubba.”
“Thanks.”
“Tex?” Phantom asked.
“Yeah?”
“Any word on that thing I asked you to keep your eye on for me?”
“Not really. I’ve heard rumblings of something interesting, but I don’t have enough information to share yet. I’ll be in touch the second I know anything concrete.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Whatever. Don’t be strangers, guys. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye, Tex. Thanks for everything,” Bubba said quickly before Tex hung up.
“Yeah, thanks, Tex,” Zoey echoed, but her words fell on deaf ears as Tex had already ended the connection.
“Anything you need to tell me?” Bubba asked Phantom.
The other man shook his head. “Naw. It’s nothing. Just something I asked Tex to look into for me.”
Bubba studied his teammate for a long moment. It wasn’t nothing. If Phantom had reached out to the computer genius, it was serious. But if Phantom didn’t want to share, he wouldn’t make him. He’d let him and the others know what was up when the time was right.
“I feel kind of sorry for Eva,” Zoey said quietly.
Bubba rested his chin on the top of Zoey’s head. He wasn’t surprised at her words. She had a tendency to see the good in people. That was one of a million reasons why he loved her. A part of him had wanted to tell Tex to make the pilot’s life hell, but it sounded as if her life was already hell. She was as much a victim in this entire thing as he and Zoey had been.
“Any word on what’s going on with Tracy?” Bubba asked.
“Last I heard from Sean, her husband had contacted one of his big-time lawyer friends in Anchorage to take her case,” Phantom said.
“Seriously?” Zoey asked. “That’s bullshit. I mean, I get that they’re married, but one, she was having an affair for who knows how long, and two, she had no problem killing us, your dad, and who knows how many other people! She was going to leave Kenneth and go to Mexico with Malcom!”
Bubba reached up and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and brushed his thumb back and forth reassuringly. “Easy, Zo.”
“No. Seriously, he’s stupid! He should’ve immediately filed for divorce instead of supporting her. Mark, if I ever do anything like what she did, don’t you stay with me. You need to get the hell away from me and cut your losses.”
Bubba couldn’t help but chuckle. He also couldn’t believe he was laughing after the day he’d had, and after everything he’d found out about his brother, his pop, and the reason why he and Zoey had been left in the wilderness, but he was. “You couldn’t kill someone, sweetheart. No way, no how.”
“I could,” she argued stubbornly. “If Tracy had turned that knife on you, I so would’ve done whatever it took to take her down.”
“Speaking of which…where did you learn to take someone down like that?” Bubba asked, his thumb continuing its rhythmic movements on her skin, doing his best to soothe her.
“Colin had a security specialist come to the factory and give self-defense lessons to anyone who wanted them. He let me tag along.” Talking about his dad made her expression turn somber. “I can’t believe he was poisoned.”
Bubba sighed and tightened his arms around her. “Me either.”
“I’m sorry, Mark.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry too,” Phantom said.
Bubba nodded. “In some ways, I’m glad Malcom killed himself,” he admitted. “I know I couldn’t have done it.”
“You could’ve,” Phantom told him in no uncertain terms.
Bubba looked at his teammate in surprise.
“Just because you’re related to someone by blood doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to love you and want what’s best for you. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.”
“You have firsthand experience with this?” Bubba asked, because it sure sounded that way.
Phantom shrugged. “Families suck,” he said, then stood up. “Not everyone has a loving parent to look after them. Evil is as evil does, and sometimes the innocent simply get stuck with the world’s worst parents. I’m going to head to bed. You guys need anything?”
Bubba wanted to tell his friend to sit. To talk to him. To help him understand how and why Malcom had turned against him, because it sure sounded like he had some experience with relatives being assholes, but instead he just shook his head. “We’re good.”