He wondered if Smithie or Hawk had some hand in this guybeing hassled in jail.
Or for that matter Lee or one of his men.
But he stopped wondering almost before he started because hereally didn’t care.
“Thanks for telling me, Slim,” Mo said.
“Not a problem.You’ll inform Lottie?”
“Absolutely,” Mo told him.
“Great.Thanks.Later, Mo.”
“Later.”
He hung up.
He then heard the storm door open behind him.
Lottie stood in it, holding it open.
“Everything okay?”she asked, watching him closely.
“The man that sent those letters about you got jumped inlockup,” he stated straight out.“They did some damage.He got an embolismwhich made him braindead.He’s on a respirator but if they pull the plug ornot, it doesn’t matter.He’s not coming back from that so he’s no longer athreat.”
She stared at him.
Mo let her and kept his eyes locked on her as she did.
Eventually, he asked, “You good?”
“I don’t really feel anything,” she replied, then asked, “Isthat bad?”
“Could come up later, baby,” he noted carefully.
“I’m probably the safest person on the planet,” shereturned.“You.The boys.My brothers.I had my freakout but then…” Sheshrugged.“It was already over for me before it was overoverfor him.”
That was when Mo moved into her, entering the house pushingher back into it with him and letting the storm door hiss shut as he pulled herin his arms.
She slid hers around him too and gave him a squeeze.
“You good?”she asked, her head tipped back to catch hisgaze.
“Totally.”
Lottie took a moment to assess this.
Then she smiled.
“Everything okay?”his mother asked at their sides.
Mo looked her way and answered, “No.I need more cake.”
His mom also took a moment to assess this, her silver eyesshifting back and forth between him and Lottie before she also smiled.
Tammy never got his mother taking her in with Mo and thensmiling.
This was the fourth time that night he’d caught that fromhis ma.
