Vegas Moon

47.

“I tried to call you,” she says. “Several times.”

“I know. I had to go dark.”

“I figured that out when I turned on the TV.”

“I tried to call. Wanted to take you with me.”

I look at Carmine. He waves at me like, Go ahead, don’t mind me. Please, finish your call.

“I turned off my phone,” Callie says.

“I know. But it was off longer than I expected.”

“I followed her.”

I think a minute, then realize she’s talking about her life partner, Eva LeSage. I remember Callie telling me she’d put a tracking device in Eva’s car.

“What happened?” I say.

“I followed her to someone’s house.”

I get a cold chill.

Callie says, “Lucky Peters’. I passed by a couple of times, tried to call you, see what you wanted me to do…” her voice trails off.

“And then?”

“I snapped.”

“Define snapped.”

“I killed the gate guards, broke in the front door, followed the music to the bedroom. Kicked in the door, saw Eva fucking Lucky.”

“Where was…” I look at Carmine. I don’t want to say Gwen’s name.

“Gwen?”

“Yeah.”

“She was there, too.”

I close my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Donovan. I couldn’t help it.”

“Give me five minutes.”

“You coming over? Or calling me back?”

“Both.”

“Should I arm myself?”

“No. Of course not.”

She pauses.

I say, “You don’t trust me?”

She says, “Do you trust me?”

I think about it a few seconds. And a few seconds more. “Yes.”

“Thanks, Donovan.”

“And you?”

“Do I trust you?” she says.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Figures.”

I hang up.

Carmine says, “If that was good news, you haven’t notified your face.”

“The news was bad for me, good for you,” I say.

“Sorry. Sort of.”

“I don’t have it on me,” I say, “but I’ll see that you get your money back.”

“What money?”

“The fifty grand Gwen owes you.”

He looks at me with surprise. “She’s alive?”

“No. But I don’t want her memory tarnished.”

Carmine looks at me with what might be tears in his eyes. “You’re a good man. I think if you pay me the fifty G’s, I won’t have you killed.”

I look into his tear-stained eyes and say, “I’ll pay you a hundred if you promise to try.”

He does a double-take.

“What kind of crazy fuckin’ guy are you?” he says.

“How about it?”

“Fuck no! Just give me the fifty and get the fuck outta my life. No disrespect.”