First up was Honey. The easy one. Walker listened to Lexie dealing with surprised relief and then tears.

That done, next up was Ella. Same drill at first, surprised relief then tears. Then, this surprising Walker, guilt. Guilt that Ella didn’t give it up to Lexie that Ty had come looking for her. Guilt that she’d kept information from Ty about where Lexie was. Guilt that her protective instinct was less protective and more misguided and stubborn mingled with sadness that she’d cost them time that didn’t end in tragedy but she’d lived with that possibility for over eleven hours so the ghost of that was there all the same. Then more tears.

Lexie handled that, next up was Bess. Again, surprising Walker because Bess could be one hard bitch and she’d taken on taking care of Lexie so he figured she’d hold one serious f**king grudge, it was the same drill at first, surprised relief then tears. Then what he expected came, but the angry emotion was not directed at him and he knew this because he listened to Lexie dealing with Bess threatening murderous intent to Julius.

Lexie handled that, tossed her phone to the floor and turned to him.

That was when he learned that Bess had rescued her from Shift. In fact, Bessie had called him while on her way to rescue Lexie from Shift.

And Lex told him what Shift wanted, or, more accurately, intended to take but he blocked that shit out. He had to. He already took their future in his hands once, leaving the state in order to perpetrate a felony against that piece of shit, he didn’t need a real manslaughter charge on his hands.

The minute Bess got her; they went to Ella, made plans and took off.

The beach, where Lexie thought she could find some peace.

Bess went because, another surprise to Walker because she might be a hard bitch but she also seemed one who had it going on, she didn’t have it going on. She was screwing her boss who was married, stringing her along and had been for years. She was also between apartments and staying with a friend who had a cat she did not like and a tendency to play whale song for relaxation purposes, something else Bessie did not like. And she was between apartments because she kept thinking her married boss was going to stop stringing her along. Watching Lexie’s drama, Bess got her head out of her ass and realized it was time to quit pissing away her life and make a change.

So they took off to start new lives.

And they had the money to take off because, a couple of days before, without anything else of value to get her what she needed, his wife sold her f**king Charger.

He didn’t say it when she admitted it but he’d be rectifying that f**king situation the next f**king day. That ride was sweet and his wife loved it, doted on that f**king thing, called it “her baby”.

So she’d be getting a new one.

And, lastly, Walker learned that by the time Julius made his entirely f**ked up but inarguably successful play, she was still in that fleabag motel, spending her days in her head at the beach and the proof of this was the very sweet, honeyed tan that kissed nearly every inch of her skin. Bess was working in a kid’s arcade in order that they didn’t piss away all their money while Lexie pulled herself together and they figured out their next move.

After she got done giving, Walker had called Julius.

And now she was there, eyes on him, body on him.

“You gave, mama, now you take,” he whispered and felt her hand flatten on his chest.

“What are you gonna give me?” she asked when he said no more.

“Everything,” he answered immediately, watched her lips part and more f**king tears fill her eyes then his arm tightened around her back and he slid her up his body so they were face to face. “But first,” he went on quietly, “you give me one more thing.”

“What?” she whispered.

“Tell me where your rings are so I can go get ‘em and put ‘em back on your f**kin’ finger.”

She stared at him and he watched one tear slide over and glide down her cheek. He lifted a hand and, with his thumb, he swept it away. When he did, she got a handle on it.

Then she said, “They’re in my purse.”

“Where’s your purse?”

She looked adorably confused for a moment, like she forgot what a purse was, then she focused and said, “In your Cruiser.”

He nodded, slid out from under her and moved to the stairs to the garage, buttoning enough buttons on his jeans to keep them on his hips.

Julius had played him too, saying he was in town to deal with something that came up with Walker’s shit, an angle Julius kept working even though Walker told him that angle was dead and he was working with Tate and hoping Peña was out there seeing to shit. That said, Walker didn’t try too hard to discourage his friend from this mission, mainly because Julius’s angle was giving them shit they could use.

Julius brought Anana because Julius said Anana wanted to meet him. He’d given them the Cruiser to deal with their business because Julius had lied again and said they were having trouble with their car, a two-seater, when that was bullshit and they needed a backseat to put Lexie in.

He didn’t like his brother’s tactics, Julius’s play was extreme and he could not imagine thinking for eleven hours that his wife was on the verge of dying, but when he went to the Cruiser and saw then grabbed her purse from the backseat then saw and grabbed her bag from the back, he couldn’t help but think that regardless of how extreme the play, Julius was right. All’s well that ends well. And Julius’s play had ended spectacularly well and Walker’s errand was conclusive evidence of that fact.

He carried them both upstairs, left her bag by the railing, took her purse to the island, dug through and found she had all the boxes in her purse. She didn’t check them, had them close all the time. Definitely a smart decision. Probably also an emotional one.

He found the one he was looking for, opened it, pulled out the jewelry box inside, flipped it open and saw both rings embedded there. He tagged them and moved directly back to his wife, resuming the exact same position but with her torso more on his so her left arm was not caught between his body and the couch.

Then he positioned the rings and slid them on her finger.

Lexie didn’t give him the chance to do what he intended to do and that was put his lips to them. She did a face plant in his chest and he felt her body rear and her breath catch on more tears.

He let her hand go and wrapped both of his arms around her as she slid her face up and pressed it into his neck.

Then he waited. This jag didn’t last as long, she got a handle on it and he listened to her pull in steadying breaths. Then she lifted a hand and swiped at her face. Then she settled cheek to his shoulder. That was when he lifted a hand and slid her hair away from her face and off her neck, feeling its softness fall and glide down his shoulder and arm.