Mack noticed Cole staring off into space. “You okay, Brother?”
Cole got up to leave.
“Tell Crash about it. I want him to go with you.” Mack made the last minute change after seeing the distracted look on Cole’s face.
Cole looked over at him and nodded. He walked out the door and over to the bar to talk to Crash. He sat down on the barstool next to him. “Mack wants us to pay a visit to the Dead Souls tomorrow.
“Wyatt’s?” Crash asked.
“Yeah.” Cole lit a cigarette.
“What for?”
“See what the deal is with the Hyena’s and see if we think the Souls are ready to patch.”
Crash nodded. He noticed something bothering Cole, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with this little trip tomorrow. He motioned Crystal over, who was tending bar, and nodded toward Cole. “Another shot glass, darlin’.”
She set one in front of Cole.
Crash picked up the bottle of whiskey next to his own shot glass and filled Cole’s. “Something bothering you, Brother?”
Cole looked over at him. “Mandy called Angel. Told her about the baby.”
“Holy shit.”
He downed his shot. “Yeah. I tried to tell Natalie that Mandy got pregnant back around New Year’s. Long before Angel showed up here.”
“She didn’t buy it.”
He stared down at his empty shot glass, gently twisting it between his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t know.”
Crystal overheard. “Cole?”
He looked up at her.
“Did you say Mandy got pregnant at the first of the year?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“It’s July, going on August.”
“Yeah?”
“So, she’d be six going on seven months pregnant. My sister’s about that far along, and she’s already big as a house.”
Cole and Crash looked at each other.
“You sayin’ she’s making it up?” Cole asked. She had a small baby bump under her clothes, but to be honest, he’d not seen her naked since he’d come back from Arizona. He hadn’t wanted to. He’d been sleeping in the guest room and hadn’t had sex with her. He couldn’t bring himself to touch her.
“Look, I don’t know, Cole. I always liked Angel. Mandy? Not so much. But that’s your business. Have you been to the doctor with her?”
Cole shook his head. To tell the truth he hadn’t been interested in going with her, and come to think of it, she’d never asked him to go. He’d yet to see any type of doctor bill come in the mail. Usually, even if all you did was pay a co-pay, he still knew that doctors sent an itemized bill showing the charges that were covered.
He pushed off the barstool and headed for the door.
“Hey, where ya goin’, Brother?” Crash called after him.
Cole replied with out turning around. “To find out what the fuck is going on.”
***
Cole walked in the back door, slamming it. He called out for Mandy, walking from room to room. He noticed her purse sitting on the dining room table, and then he heard the shower running. He started to head for the bathroom, but paused at her purse.
Sticking out, next to her makeup bag, was a small round case. He’d recognize the package anywhere. Birth-control pills. He pulled it out and opened it. The first thing he noticed was that about a week’s worth of pills was missing.
He looked at the prescription label stuck to the inside cover. It clearly said her name. He searched the label for the fill date. The date listed was just a week ago. So these were new.
He carried them with him as he walked to the bathroom. He opened the door and stepped in. The glass shower stall was covered in steam, but he could see the outline of her body. He yanked the glass door open.
Mandy screamed, jumping back. “Cole. You scared the hell out of me.”
His eyes roved over her slim form. Her stomach was as flat as ever.
She saw her mistake and quickly turned away from him. “Cole! Please, I’ll be out in a minute.”
“There’s no baby, is there?” he demanded.
“Of course there’s a baby. I’m just small and carrying it low, the doctor said.”