“It is,” she said. “I’m not being cute. It is a lot to deal with at one time. Has coming here helped?”
Jason took a sip of coffee and covered his face with his hands. “I almost got drunk last night. Probably would have if a meth dealer hadn’t threatened to rape and kill my nieces and finish me off too.”
“So . . . sounds like the answer to my question is no.”
“Correct.”
“Have you reached out to AA? Tried to get in a group?”
He rolled his eyes. “No.”
“Well, do you want to get better?” She snapped the question, her voice harsh. Chase had never been one to mince words.
“Why’d you cover me last night?”
“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Jason held his coffee mug with both hands and inspected the steam coming off it. “Why? The last time we were together . . . I hurt you.”
“That was a million moons ago, Jason. We were young and foolish. I don’t hold that against you.”
“We should’ve at least talked about it. I’m . . . sorry.”
“Yeah, we should’ve. And I’m sorry too. You were a jerk . . . I was naive . . . we were seventeen.” She grabbed the empty plates, before throwing them in the trash and beginning to clean the skillet in the sink. “What’s your business with Tyson Cade?” she asked. “Why would he be waving a gun in your face and making threats?”
“Guess.”
She continued to scrub the pan. “Jana.”
“Bingo.”
“Let me guess again. She was buying from him . . . and probably sleeping with him too. Close?”
“And you’re on to Final Jeopardy.”
“So . . . what? That doesn’t explain why he’d be threatening you and your nieces.”
“He’s worried she’ll testify that she bought drugs from him and that she has evidence, a tape maybe, that the police could use to bring charges. That she’ll cut a deal to avoid the death penalty or a life sentence by giving them the county’s drug lord.”
Chase put the pan on a paper towel to dry. “Those sound like valid worries to me. That is, if I were a drug lord. What does he want?”
“For me to not take the case . . . or, if I do, to promise him that he won’t be implicated by her.”
“And if you don’t do either, he said he’d kill you and your nieces?”
“Yes.”
“Jesus. You should probably report that to the sheriff’s office.”
“What good would it do? Seems like that would escalate the situation and put Nola and Niecy at greater risk.” He took a last sip of coffee. “I don’t think Tyson Cade plays by the same rules we do.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Based on what Cade said, it seems like one wrong move by Jana’s attorney could cause irreparable harm to her daughters.” He stood up and stretched his sore back. “They’re the only family I have.”
“Sounds like you really don’t have much choice then.”
He blinked and looked at her. He was expecting to hear the same advice he’d gotten from Izzy, Harry, Jackson Burns, and Kisha Roe. To run like the wind from this whole situation. “You think I should take the case?”
“If you want to protect your family, that seems like the only option.”
Jason peered out at the lake, remembering something he’d noticed last night. “Our house doesn’t seem near dusty enough. Do you know if someone’s been keeping it up?”
“I was always pretty good at picking a lock,” Chase said, a slight tease in her voice.
“Why?” Jason said, turning toward her.
She walked toward him and placed her cup on the table. “I guess . . . with the way it was left . . . all the furniture still there . . . I thought someone might be coming back one day. And I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands.”
“Why’s that?”
Her face went blank. “It’s a long story, and you probably ought to be going. I can’t imagine how many folks have already called 1-800 GET RICH by now. And . . . it appears that you might be venturing into some criminal law, eh?”
“Eh,” Jason echoed. He grabbed the door handle leading to the outside deck. “Thank you.”
He started out the door, but Chase’s voice stopped him. “Wait.”
She walked forward and pressed a pistol into his hand.