Bounty (Colorado Mountain 7)

“Terrence?”

“Terrence Town. Lacey’s dad,” she explained, ate another chip and told him through chewing it, “He was not a hardass. He was a lot like my dad. He and Dad and Perry, Bianca’s dad, they were tight all the way to the end, that end being the end of Dad.”

“Got that, baby,” he said gently.

She nodded and wisely moved past that part quickly.

“Terrence is still tight with Perry and Nova, Nova being Anc’s mom. Dad, Terrence and Perry, they came up in the business together. Out on the road, would run into each other. Worked on music together. At one point, bought houses in LA close to each other. That’s how us three girls became such good friends. In the father stakes, Terrence was like Dad, Perry, as I told you, wasn’t.”

What he knew of Perry Constantine, lead guitar of the metal band Let, and his three-time wife Nova, was that the two of them were a mess, Perry being the bigger one. Their marriages, and the end of them, played out in such a way even Deke, who didn’t give a shit about that type of thing, couldn’t get away from it.

Perry had been in and out of rehab several times, all of them big splashes that included run-ins with police, photographers, fans…and his wife.

Nova, something he didn’t know but learned through Jussy when she’d given him further details about Bianca last week, did one stint in rehab. She waited too long to do it but at least it took and that was the end of the on and off with Perry.

Nova was now married to some television actor and kept hold on her minimizing fame through him and doing guest starring stints on various programs or straight-to-video movies.

But regardless, according to Jussy, most of Bianca’s parenting came from Johnny, Joss and Lacey’s parents, when they were around, which, with their careers, was not much.

“Dad and Terrence, they could be dads,” she kept going. “And they pulled those dad cards anytime we fucked up. But they were never assholes about it. That said, Terrence was an asshole about this. Making threats to Lacey that he was going to cut off her money, shit like that. Shit he never did. He wanted Tony gone and he made that so.”

Now she had his complete attention.

“You reckon he knew something about this guy you didn’t?”

She nodded, indicating her phone on the bed with her hand. “Or at least that’s what Lacey thinks she figured out.”

Her voice got even more serious when she carried on.

“Deke, honey, I haven’t seen Tony in over a decade but I have spoken to him.”

“Shit,” he bit out. “When?”

“After Dad died. Not right after, a month or two, before I moved here. He called to give me his condolences. And he asked after Lacey. He also asked after Bianca.”

“And you told him,” Deke guessed.

“I didn’t go into full details or speculate but I was worried about her and getting more worried. I knew he still lived in LA. Bianca was, and obviously is still back there. He had money back then, worked hard, nice clothes, nice cars, and we always got into clubs and places not only because we were who we were, but whenever we were with him it was because Tony had connections. Even better connections than us. So I told him and I think I even asked him to keep an eye out for her and let me know if he sees her or hears anything about her.”

“So you think, he was into her back then so much he stayed into her, he heard she was in trouble, went in search of her, found her, cleaned her shit up and now they’re together.”

“That’s Lacey’s theory but I think it’s a good one.”

“Gotta tell Deck this, Jussy.”

“Yeah, you do,” she said softly.

“Lacey good to talk to her dad about what he knew about this guy to make her call it off with him back in the day?”

“That’s what we’re texting about now. She’s not feeling a lot of love for pointing a finger at Tony if he has nothing to do with this. They ended but it wasn’t ugly. And Terrence has been talking with Perry and Nova, that’s how Lacey heard about Bianca. Cops have talked with both Bianca’s folks. If Lace brings Tony into it, shit might get said that shouldn’t.”

“Maybe smart. We’ll see what Deck finds,” Deke muttered.

He pulled out his phone, called Deck and relayed the information.

“Right, got a name, can get a lot further with that lead but I won’t share with the cops. Not yet. Thanks, brother. Your girl thinks of anything else, I’m a phone call away.”

“Right, later, Deck.”

He disconnected and saw Jussy done with her sandwich but she was looking at him with an unsettled expression on her face.

“I know you’re not okay, baby,” he started. “This happening with your friend. But through that call, something make you less okay?”

“Dad took us on the road.”

He nodded. “Yeah, you told me that.”

“A lot of the time, we had tutors. He was home for a spell, we were in school, but that never lasted long. Except once, when he was on a huge tour, lasted a year, went over to Europe, Asia, Australia, he left us home and put me in school for what I think was the longest stretch I did. Bianca was in that school. Lacey at a private Catholic school. We were without a musketeer, I was the new girl with a famous last name and some girls fucked with me.”

“Right,” he prompted, seeing her focus on his shoulder, her mind was somewhere else.

Her gaze came to him.

“Bianca got suspended because she jumped them.”

Deke knew nothing about girl world and how they dealt with their issues so he asked, “You were tight. Would you do the same?”