Page 108 of Lion & Lamb

“She’s my client,” Cooper protested.

“Well, consider yourself fired. Goodbye.”

Tua slammed the front door in their faces. Tried to, anyway. Cooper threw out his palm and stopped the door a few inches from closing. Tua pushed. Cooper held firm, but he knew he couldn’t do this forever. Maybe not even for another few seconds.

Tua let up for a moment, but only to ask a couple of questions. “Are you insane? Or do you want to leave here with a broken arm?”

“Look, man, I know you mean well and you have the family’s best interests at heart. But the future of this family depends on us speaking with Francine right now.”

“Get the hell out of here.”

“We’re not leaving.”

“Now.”

Cooper turned to Veena.You want to give me a hand here?is what he started to say, but all he got out was “You want to” before Jimmy Tua launched an atomic bomb against the side of Cooper’s skull.

Actually, it was Jimmy’s fist. But the effect was the same.

Cooper’s conscious self lagged a few seconds behind his physical body, which was doing a clumsy tap dance down the Hugheses’ walkway. He couldn’t blame his legs. They were trying their best. But ultimately, their best wasn’t good enough.

Chapter116

EVENTS USUALLYhappened in threes.

Veena firmly believed that. And since she had pointed her derringer at three different people in a twenty-hour period, she assumed she was done with gun incidents.

But Jimmy Tua had disproven that axiom when he knocked Cooper Lamb on his ass, forcing Veena to draw her weapon and point it at a living human being a fourth time.

Tua was not impressed with the gun. Not in the least. Where he’d grown up, people were always sticking guns in each other’s faces. “You’re not gonna shoot me.”

A chunk of the wooden doorframe directly above Tua exploded. Splinters showered down on his head. The tight end flinched, then locked eyes with Veena. She knew she looked like a madwoman capable of pretty much anything. He hadn’t seen that often where he’d grown up, especially not in a woman’s eyes.

“That was me missing,” Veena said. “Next time I won’t.”

Jimmy Tua seemed undecided about what to do next. Backing down wasn’t in his DNA, but this crazy lady with the derringer seemed serious. He was saved by a voice calling out from inside the house, “Jimmy, it’s okay.”

Francine Pearl Hughes appeared behind the massive athlete. She reached up and touched his shoulders, encouraging him to look at her. Tua seemed reluctant to take his eyes off Veena—what if this lady opened fire onbothof them? Francine was gently insistent. Tua turned to face her.

Cooper Lamb, meanwhile, had gotten to his feet, but he looked confused. Veena wondered if he knew what year it was. “You alive over there?” Veena asked.

“I’m just quietly applauding myself,” Cooper said, “for not pursuing a career in the NFL.”

Okay, Cooper was fine. Jimmy Tua, however, looked like he was on the verge of tears. This was a little boy in a big man’s body, a boy who had tried his best but let down his friend. Francine stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. Tua settled into the hug, relieved. Maybe he hadn’t failed her and the children after all.

“I love you,” she whispered. “So, so much.” Her voice was barely audible, but Veena heard her.

Then, slightly louder, she said, “Let me talk to these good people now. I’ll call you later, sweetheart.”

Jimmy Tua nodded in agreement and left without another word and without looking either Veena or Cooper in the eye. Which was okay. If the rule of threes held up, they’d see Jimmy again soon.

Chapter117

“IT’S NOTwhat you think,” Francine said.

“Okay,” said Cooper, following Francine up the hallway. “Tell me what you think I think.”

“That Jimmy and me are a thing. I mean, I know how you private eyes like to collect salacious gossip.”

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