“He’ll lay down his life for you, or, more to the point, for Jet,” Indy answered in a voice that said she meant it.
Mom and Blanca looked at each other.
That was enough for them.
* * * * *
Twenty minutes later, Ally and Kitty Sue walked in.
“Blanca! Qué pasa? How’s it going, Nancy?” Kitty Sue peeled off and went to sit with them and Ally came to me.
She handed me a shiny, new, very expensive, cellular phone.
“Mom and I got you that. I already programmed everyone’s numbers in it and it’s charged. You should text everyone so they’ll have your number,” Ally said.
I looked at the phone, I looked at her. I opened my mouth to speak but she got there ahead of me.
“Think of it as a Christmas present,” she said, waylaying my denial.
“It’s October,” I told her.
She shrugged.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said quietly.
“How about, ‘thank you’?” Mom yelled from across the room, using The Voice.
Tex let out a guffaw of laughter, then snapped his mouth shut and I could swear his cheeks got a little pink.
I looked at Ally and swallowed.
“Thank you,” I said.
Crinkles came to the corners of Ally’s eyes, “My pleasure.”
I texted everyone Ally’d programmed into my phone, including Indy, Ally, Tod, Stevie, Daisy and yes, even Eddie, with my new number.
Kitty Sue left and then so did Blanca. Tex loaded Mom’s chair and bag in the back of the El Camino, loaded Mom in the front, and roared off with Carlos Santana’s “Winning” blaring from the eight-track.
Duke showed up just before Tex left and fifteen minutes after, the bell over the door went and Vance walked in.
I held my breath. Any girl who sees Vance holds her breath, be she five or one hundred and five.
He was just that fine.
He was wearing a pair of army green cargo pants that had seen a lot of wear, a skintight burgundy t-shirt that looked in danger of cutting off his circulation at his muscular biceps and a pair of dusty brown cowboy boots that looked like they’d actually been put into a pair of stirrups (more than once). His shiny black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his dark eyes were fringed with a set of lashes so lush, you could almost call them girlie, if you had a death wish.
“Good! You came,” Indy cried immediately and I looked at her.
She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward Vance.
He shook his head when we arrived at him.
“Thought I’d tell you to your face, this isn’t gonna happen,” Vance said to Indy.
Indy narrowed her eyes.
“What isn’t going to happen?” I asked.
Vance turned to me, “When we talked about you at the staff meeting, I voted to lock you in the safe room.”
My mouth dropped open.
I didn’t even know what the safe room was but I knew I didn’t want anything to do with it. And I didn’t want to think about being an agenda item at a Nightingale Investigations staff meeting at all.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“Eddie’d have a shit fit, you wanderin’ around during day hours, hangin’ with the guys. Lee thought you’d be a distraction. The guys voted with me.” His eyes did a body scan and the look in them changed to something that made me feel like swaying toward him, like he had a powerful sexual tractor beam reeling me in.
“Sometimes, distractions are good,” he said softly, “In your case, it’d be job satisfaction.”
Dear Lord.
My mouth went dry.
What the hell was this about?
“Lee vetoed,” Vance finished and the tractor beam disconnected.
Thank God.
I pulled myself together.
“You don’t help us, we’ll go alone,” Indy threatened, completely ignoring the strange, sexually-charged byplay.
“You try to go alone, I grab her and take her to the office. Eddie can pick her up there. Lee’ll deal with you,” Vance returned.
Eek!
That didn’t sound good. I didn’t want Vance grabbing me (at least not that way… what was I saying, I was sleeping with Eddie, not any way) and I certainly didn’t want Lee “dealing with” Indy. Lee was Scary with a capital S.
“What are you two talking about?” I cut in.
Indy turned to me.
“You want to find your Dad, Vance is really, really good at finding people. I asked him to help.”
I looked to Vance.
Vance was watching Indy talk but when I spoke, he looked to me.
“It’d be nice if you could help,” I said, not really wanting to but also wanting to find my father enough to ask. “I’ll pay you,” I added as an afterthought. I also couldn’t pay him but maybe he’d take installments.
His body turned fully to me and the tractor beam switched on again. “I’ll find your father, but you aren’t gonna help and you aren’t gonna pay me. Though, it won’t be free. You’ll owe me.”
Dear Lord.
In debt to another hot guy. I didn’t know if I could hack it. No, I knew I couldn’t hack it.
I looked him in the eye and had to wonder what form his favor would come in.
It didn’t take a mind reader to get the gist.
While he waited for my answer, his eyes went weird, as in sexy weird.
“Mild mannered coffee girl by day,” he muttered, “But I’ve seen you in your Smithie’s uniform.”
Sweet Jesus.
That fucking Smithie’s uniform.
It was like Superman’s leotard. No one paid attention to Superman when he was Clark Kent; put on the leotard and all the women were falling at his feet. Smithie’s uniform had the same power.
“I’m not working at Smithie’s anymore,” I told him.
His eyes dropped to my scarlet-red tee. “That’s a shame.”
I forced myself to breathe and looked to Indy.
She was bugging her eyes out at me like we were in fifth grade and the cutest boy in school came up to me during recess.
I looked back to Vance.
“I think I’ll go it alone,” I said.
He stared at me a second then said, “Can’t let you do that either.”
Um… what?
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t know what your dealin’ with and you don’t know what you’re doin’.”
Okay, so, I was getting a little fed up with guys telling me what I could and couldn’t do. Even hot guys.
“I’m not sure you have a choice.”
I was proud of myself, it came out with attitude and conviction. Enough to make his dark eyes flare. I thought he was angry, for a second, then he got over it and his lips twitched.
“Chavez is fucked.”
I didn’t know what that meant and I didn’t ask.
Vance looked at Indy. “We’re goin’ to Zip’s.”
Immediately, Indy clapped and cried, “Yippee!”
“Zip’s?” I asked.
“It’s a gun shop,” Indy said.
“What?” I kind of yelled.
Why on earth did we need a gun shop?
Vance answered my unasked question. “I’m not gonna help, but I’m not lettin’ you two loose in Denver without protection. We’re goin’ to get you some gear.” He turned to Indy, “You take your car, Jet’s on the Harley with me.”
Harley?
As in, Harley Davidson motorcycle?
With Vance?
No.
No, no, no and really, no.
“I’ll go with Indy,” I said.
“You aren’t out of sight on my watch,” Vance announced in a Tough Guy therefore No Discussion Voice.
Wonderful.
* * * * *
I’d never ridden on the back of a motorcycle in my life, much less a Harley.
I had to admit, I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
&nb
sp; I found out that Zip didn’t only sell guns, ole Zip sold a lot of different kinds of guns, handguns, shotguns, rifles. He also sold knives, ammo, stun guns, tasers, mace, pepper spray and calendars with my sister’s picture on the front. I pointed this out to Indy while Vance wasn’t paying attention.
“Nice,” she said, looking at Lottie wearing a barely there bikini, her body completely wet, her hair surprisingly dry and balancing precariously on a BMW motorcycle.
Vance outfitted us with stun guns, tasers and pepper spray. He explained how to use them, he gave instruction on how to be safe and he tried to pay.
I argued.
He gave me a Tough Guy Look.
I pulled out The Glare.
While all this was going on, Indy paid.
That was okay with me, I could owe Indy. I didn’t expect her favor had anything to do with my Smithie’s uniform.
We were on our way back to Fortnum’s, our bag of goodies in Indy’s Beetle, Indy following us. We didn’t have a lot of time before we had to meet Daisy at the Oxford Hotel for a drink and I was getting fidgety. I didn’t want to keep Daisy waiting, she could be scary.
We were stopped at a light on Colfax and I was pressed against Vance, my crotch to his ass, my chest to his back, my chin kinda resting on his shoulder. He drove fast and hard. I tried holding onto his waist and keeping a distance but I nearly went ass over head off the back of the bike when he shot from the curb.
It was a wrap-your-arms-around-and-hold-on-for-dear-life kind of ride.
A car rolled to a stop at the light and I automatically looked to my right.
My eyes widened at what I saw and I think I screamed a little inside my helmet. Sitting in the driver’s seat was Eddie, he was looking out the window, his mirrored shades directed at me, the rest of his face wearing a murderous expression.
I had on a helmet but I was also wearing a distinctive scarlet-red t-shirt, my hair was coming out the back of the helmet because I had to take out my ponytail holder, I was with Vance and Indy’s car was right behind us. It wouldn’t take a police detective to figure out it was me but Eddie was a police detective and from the expression on Eddie’s face, he’d figured it out.
Damn.
Damn, damn, damn.
There was a toot on the horn behind us, Vance looked in his mirror and I looked behind. Indy was gesturing to her side and to Eddie. I looked at the car pulled up next to her.
Eddie was being trailed by a Crossfire, Lee’s Crossfire, with Lee behind the wheel.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Vance looked right, not wearing a helmet; he made a hand gesture salute to Eddie, two fingers straight out and a flick of the wrist. Mr. Cool.
We all drove together to Fortnum’s, Vance and I leading the new definition of My Convoy of Doom. The entire time I tried to come up with a plausible explanation, in other words, a believable lie.
Vance pulled in up front, Indy and Lee parked in the back, Eddie parked behind us. I was off the bike and had the helmet off when Eddie arrived.
“What the fuck?” Eddie asked, looking at Vance and using his scary quiet voice.
Vance had come off the bike and was smiling, flat out. I didn’t think this was good, I thought it was kind of in your face. Even though it was not helping the situation, I had to say, I admired Vance for having the balls to pull it off.
I decided to neutralize the situation.
“Eddie, I can explain,” I said.
His eyes turned to me. He had his arms crossed on his chest, his legs planted wide and I wished I’d let him take his anger out on Vance. Vance was a badass too, at least it would be a fair fight.
“Yeah?” Eddie asked, his voice dripping with disbelief.
Okay, I’d used the ride home to try to come up with a believable lie. The problem was, I didn’t succeed.
“Well… ” I started, drawing out the word to buy time.
All of a sudden, Eddie grabbed my arm, yanked the helmet out of my hand, tossed it to Vance and pulled me away about five feet.
Guess he didn’t feel like giving me time to come up with a believable lie.
When we stopped, he opened his mouth to speak but I got there first.
“I can see you’re angry, I don’t know why but—”
He interrupted me.
“You don’t know why?” he asked.
“No, you see—” I began again.
“No?” He interrupted again, still using his scary quiet voice.
“Well no, what I was going to say was…”
“I’m drivin’ down the road and, stopped at a light, I see the woman who’s sharin’ my house, my bed, wrapped around another guy. You’re that woman and you don’t know why I’m angry?”
It didn’t sound good when he said it that way.
“Eddie…”
He got close, his eyes were glittery and his voice was still scary soft.
“Don’t fucking ‘Eddie’ me. Seems I gotta spell everything out for you so listen good, Chiquita. Last night, when I said no one touches you but me, that means you don’t touch anyone but me either.”
I put a hand to my hip.
I mean really, did he think I was stepping out on him?
“It wasn’t what you obviously think, Vance was just taking us to Zip’s!”
Uh-oh.
I immediately saw my mistake. I should have told him we were out to lunch, visiting the dog pound to play with sheltered puppies, buying crack, anything but going to Zip’s.
“What were you doing at Zip’s?” Somehow, the low, scary voice got lower and scarier.
I decided not to lie, not because I thought it was a good way to go, more like I couldn’t come up with another story quick enough.
“Vance was outfitting us with gear.”
“What kind of gear?”
“A few bits and pieces,” I decided to be vague.
“What kind of bits and pieces?” I shouldn’t have tried vague, I’d already learned that Eddie wasn’t fond of vague.
“Stun guns, tasers, pepper spray,” I said.
“Why?”
I took a deep breath and, since I was being honest, I went whole hog. “I’m going to look for Dad.”
His eyes narrowed, his mouth tightened and my stomach lurched but I tried not to let on that he was kind of flipping me out.
“Show me,” he said.
I stared at him. I thought of ignoring his request but decided against it. He’d push it and I’d end up doing it anyway.
Indy had the stun guns and tasers in her car, the only thing I had was the pepper spray in my purse. I opened my bag and barely got it out when Eddie’s hand came out and smacked against mine, sending the pepper spray flying and skittering down the sidewalk.
“Hey!” I snapped, my head coming up and I pulled out a genuine glare.
“What do you do now?” he asked and came in close.
I was getting mad, he was making me look like a fool. I knew he was doing it to make a point, but still.
No, wait. Doing a quick emotional scan I realized I was already mad.
“Well?” he snapped, leaning in.
I wrapped the strap of my bag over my shoulder and planted both my hands on my hips, a Double Diva Threat.
“That wasn’t fair. You’re Eddie, I wasn’t ready…”
“You aren’t gonna be ready when this shit goes down either.”
I leaned into him too.
“I’ve been doing all right so far.”
“You’ve been lucky so far.”
All right, enough.
I threw my hands out, getting nose to nose, and I yelled in his face.
“Yeah? Well, finally! For the first fucking time in my fucking life, I’ve been lucky and I’m gonna ride that wave. What I’m not gonna do is fucking sit in a house with the fucking blinds pulled and the fucking doors locked and wait for other people to solve my fucking problems, the whole time scared out of my fucking mind.”
Yeesh.
/> That was a lot of f-words but the moment warranted it.
“You need to be smart,” he said, not moving out of the space I invaded.
“I need to get control of my life and I’m going to get it and I don’t care how. You might not like it but that’s the way it is.”
“You put yourself out there, I can’t keep you safe.”
I stared.
Then, I swear I couldn’t help it, I laughed. And something else I couldn’t help, since I was so close to Eddie, I leaned into him and when I did, I wrapped my arms around his middle and put my forehead to his chest. It was either that or fall over with the hilarity of it all.
“This shit isn’t fuckin’ funny,” Eddie said to the top of my head. His hands were on his hips, he wasn’t touching me and he wasn’t happy.
I looked up at him, my arms still wrapped around him, my body pressed against his.
“Eddie, don’t you get it?” I asked softly, still smiling, “I’ve never felt safe in my whole life. Never. Until now.”
Something flickered in his eyes but he didn’t move.
I pressed closer and tilted my head back further.
“Three months ago, if this happened to me, I’d have sat in a house with the blinds closed, the doors locked and been scared out of my mind.”
He hesitated a moment, then I felt his body relax and his hand came up to where my jaw met my neck, the pad of his thumb against my cheekbone.
“You’re so full of shit, Chiquita,” he said quietly but the scary had gone out of the quiet. He was looking in my eyes, the glitter in his melting and I knew I’d won.
Finally, I’d won an argument with Eddie.
I felt like dancing around, instead I gave him a squeeze.
“Am not,” I said.
“You would have been as hell-bent to risk your neck and solve your Dad’s problems, you just wouldn’t have had some crazy Rock Chick to get you in trouble while she’s tryin’ to watch your back.”
“Indy’s not a crazy Rock Chick.”
“And Indy isn’t the only one watchin’ your back.”
I smiled at him. I knew what he meant because that warm feeling was in my belly again, but I decided, and for the life of me I didn’t know why, to tease him and maybe, just a little bit, flirt.
So I cocked my head and said, “I know. Ally’s watching it too.”
Wow. Flirting worked.
His eyes went liquid, my belly fluttered, his other arm went around me and his thumb came under my chin and tilted my head back even further.