Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (36 page)

I was thinking about Hank.

Or, more to the point, about what Hank said to me earlier that day.

Then, because if I thought about it any longer my patience at waiting for Hank to come home would run out, I let my mind wander to Mace.

Or, more to the point, Mace walking into Fortnum’s late that morning under the direct gaze of al the Rock Chicks (except Shirleen, who was fielding cal s at the office and Jules, who was at work at the Shelter), Tex and Duke.

Stel a was there too with her new hot guy, Eric and, I had to admit as much as I didn’t want to, Eric was definitely hot. I was thinking about how Mace without a word handed Stel a the keys to her apartment.

Or, even more to the point, Stel a’s face when Mace turned around and walked away.

Or, even
more
to the point, Al y losing it and fol owing Mace in order to scream at him on the sidewalk outside of Fortnum’s in clear view (and easy hearing) of everyone inside who stood watching the show.

Al y went on about Mace being a “fucking macho idiot” and quoting the lyrics of Bil y Joel’s “And So It Goes”, informing Mace that Stel a sang it to him the day before even though he wasn’t there to see it. Then taking her life in her hands by going so far as to shove his shoulder and asking him, in a near shriek, “
What the fuck’s the matter
with you?
”

At that, clearly done, Mace put a shoulder to her bel y, picked her up, carried her back into the bookstore, set her on her feet and, again without a word, turned on his boot and walked away.

Stel a, frozen through al of this, had gone pale as a ghost when Mace returned and then left without glancing in her direction.

Al y stared angrily at the door and then declared,

“Electric shock treatment. That’l bring him around.” At Al y’s words, Stel a came unstuck, turned to Eric and murmured, “I’m sorry,” and then she bolted into the back of the store.

Daisy and Indy took off after Stel a.

Ava and Jet laid into Al y.

I watched Eric who was staring into the bookshelves after Stel a.

I walked to him and explained, “We’re kind of a nutty bunch.”

Eric’s dark eyes tilted down to mine and that was when I realized I had to admit he was definitely hot.

“I know,” he replied then his mouth formed a smal grin. “I read the papers.” Then he went on, “Miss Hendrick’s County?”

Jesus.

I was going to
kill
whoever was talking to the reporters.

“That was a long time ago,” I told him.

“That was a long time ago,” I told him.

“They have a swimsuit competition?” he asked.

My eyes narrowed and my hand went to my hip.

“It was a teen pageant. They didn’t do swimsuits, just fitness.”

His eyes got a pleasant, warm look about them which made him even hotter and he muttered, “Shorts then.” Good grief.

“Um, don’t you have a thing for Stel a?” I rudely reminded him.

“No shot,” he returned without hesitation or apparent bad feeling.

“So, you’re feeling like branching out?” I asked, cocking my head angrily to the side.

“Nope. Just lookin’ for happy thoughts. You in a teen pageant fitness routine, wearin’ shorts, is a happy thought,” he returned.

Holy cow.

I decided right then and there that he might not be a member of the Hot Bunch but he could join the team in a shot.

Then his eyes lost their flirty warmth and went hard and serious (yep, definitely could be a member of the Hot Bunch). “Cal one of your boys, I got things to do and I gotta go. They need to know Stel a’s lost her bodyguard.” I nodded, he turned to leave then twisted back to look at me.

“Keep her away from the papers.”

With that, he was gone.

The door had barely closed on Eric when Uncle Tex boomed at Duke, “Wel ?”

boomed at Duke, “Wel ?”

Duke growled back, “Wel what?”

Uncle Tex threw his meaty paws up in the air and boomed (again), “Wel , it’s time to lay the truth on Stel a!” Duke nodded his head and his eyes went to the door.

“Damn straight. But it ain’t me that’s gotta lay the truth on her.”

“I’l agree with that,” Jet put in firmly and everyone looked at her.

Jet had shared with al of us the crazy, intense and heartbreaking story about Mace and his sister. We’d al been told to keep quiet (direct orders from Mace, who told Lee, who told Indy, who told the Rock Chicks) but Jet didn’t like it, not one bit. She looked like she’d just lost patience with keeping Mace’s secret.

“You don’t say shit, Loopy Loo,” Tex warned Jet.

“Someone has to –” Jet started.

“Ain’t gonna be you,” Tex went on.

“But –” Jet pushed.

“No lip. Get to work,” Tex ordered even though, freakishly, considering the crush of people Fortnum’s had seen the last several days due to al the newspaper coverage the Rock Chicks and Hot Bunch were getting, they were in a lul and only had a few people hanging out at tables.

Jet glared at Uncle Tex.

Uncle Tex glared back.

Jet had a quiet attitude that usual y worked real y wel .

But no one had enough attitude to out-attitude Uncle Tex.

He was a crazy man.

He was a crazy man.

“Oh al right. But he’s got one more day,” Jet gave in.

“Jet, darlin’ –” Duke’s started his soft warning.

“One. Day,” Jet finished and flounced behind the espresso counter.

I caught Duke giving Uncle Tex a look and I figured Mace was going to get a head’s up cal but I was worried Mace wouldn’t care.

I went to my bag to get my phone, flipped it open, hit the side button, put it to my ear and said Hank’s name. It rang once before he answered.

“How’s it goin’, Sunshine?” His deep voice said in my ear and, like always, I got a ful body shiver.

I set the shiver aside and answered, “Not good. We just had a scene. Stel a got to Fortnum’s a little while ago tel ing us she cal ed Mace and asked for her keys back and he told her to meet him here. Mace came in, gave Stel a her keys, barely looked at her, didn’t say word one and took off.

Al y went nuts, caught him before he left and started yel ing at him. Mace didn’t even blink. Stel a got upset and ran into the books. That Eric guy just left. Told me to let you know he went.” I paused and then went on, my voice dropping to a whisper, “I can’t believe it Whisky, but it looks like it’s over.

Mace isn’t giving her anything. I don’t know what’s happened and she’s slid back to wherever she was yesterday during the gig. It isn’t a good place for her to be and I’m worried.”

“He gave her keys back?” Hank asked.

“Yes, without a word. He’s not a demonstrative guy but he’s pretty big on PDA with her. He didn’t touch her. He didn’t even get near her. It’s so un-Hot-Bunch-like, it’s unreal,” I replied.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hank told me, sounding supremely unconcerned.

I tried to get through to him, why, I didn’t know. Probably because I thought he could get through to Mace. I thought Hank could do just about anything.

“You don’t get it, Whisky. Something bad happened.

Stel a told us that –”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Hank!”

“Sunshine, don’t worry about it and don’t tel anyone, especial y fuckin’ Al y, what I’m gonna tel you right now.” I went silent.

Hank correctly assessed this as my agreement and went on, “I spent the morning with Mace. He’s got the ful picture about Stel a. When he left Lee’s office this morning he told Lee and me that he was goin’ to get some keys cut.

Everything’s fine.”

I let out a relieved breath.

Mace didn’t give her back her keys.

He gave her back
a set
of her keys.

I smiled at the phone.

Hank kept talking. “I’m gonna be late but I want you to wait up for me. Boys are busy but they’re doin’ drive-bys. I stil want you checkin’ in occasional y.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t let Shamus out. I’l see to him when I get in.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

His voice went soft and I got another shiver when he said, “Later, sweetheart.”

“Later,” I replied.

“I love you,” he finished, my body went solid but before I could make a noise I heard the disconnect.

I stood stil with the phone to my ear, eyes staring unseeing at the floor in front of me.

“Roxie, you okay?” I heard Ava ask.

I didn’t answer.

Hank had never told me he loved me. I knew. Or at least I thought I knew. But he’d never said it.

And, because he never had, I hadn’t either.

Good God.

“Roxie? Are you okay?” Ava repeated and she was now close.

I lifted my eyes and focused on Ava.

“Hank just told me he loved me,” I whispered.

“Yeah? So?” Al y asked and she got close too.

“He’s never said that before,” I told Al y.

Both Ava and Al y reared back in shock and looked at each other.

“Jeez, he’s not a very fast mover, is he?” Al y asked no one.

“He didn’t give me a chance to say it back.” I kept sharing.

“Have you ever said it to him?” Ava asked.

I shook my head.

“You don’t move very fast either,” Al y informed me.

My eyes went to her and I felt them narrow. “I’m sorry Al y.

My eyes went to her and I felt them narrow. “I’m sorry Al y.

The last guy I said ‘I love you’ to took a sledgehammer to the door and eventual y beat the shit out of me, kidnapped me and stalked me. Maybe I’m a bit gun shy about this love business.”

“Hank’d never do that to you,” Al y returned.

“I know that,” I shot back.

“Then what’s your problem?” Al y enquired.

My body got tight. “What’s
your
problem?” I asked back.

“You’ve been in a bad mood al day. You upset Stel a!”

“Wel , excuse me. But I’m beginning to understand where Shirleen is coming from with al this shit. My brothers and my friends got a load of shit on their plate on a regular basis, mind you. They don’t need Rock Chick shit thrown at them al the time. It’s getting ridiculous.”

“Just you wait until it’s your turn, Al y Nightingale,” Ava, being a Rock Chick, went on the defensive.

“It isn’t going to happen to me. No fuckin’ way,” Al y retorted.

“What makes you so sure?” I asked.

“Because there’s only one left, not including Darius, who doesn’t fuck white women and who’s like a brother to me,” Al y answered. “And nothing is gonna happen between me and Hector, ‘cause I’ve known him since we were kids.

He’s like a cousin or something.”

“So, what you’re real y saying is,” Jet came up to our huddle and entered the conversation, “that you’re pissed off you
aren’t
gonna get your shot at a Hot Bunch guy.” I smiled at Ava and Ava smiled back.

Al y turned angry eyes to Jet. “No, what I’m saying is, I wouldn’t get myself into a shitload of trouble. And, if I did, I’d take care of my own business. I wouldn’t let some guy stick his nose into said business. I wouldn’t put up with that shit for a second. Some fuckin’ macho badass tel ing me what to do and fucking with my life and my head. I wouldn’t play those games. Some guy tried to do that to me, I’d put an end to it, pronto.”

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. So did Jet. So did Ava.

“Seriously, chickies, not gonna happen,” Al y said into our laughter.

“I
cannot wait
for some guy to rip into your life and make you eat those words,” Ava told Al y.

“Not gonna happen,” Al y repeated.

“You are so going down,” I said to Al y.

Al y turned to me and snapped, “Can we stop talking about this?”

“Sure,” I replied breezily.

“Who do you think it’l be?” Jet asked Ava.

“We’re not talking about this anymore,” Al y reminded Jet.

“That Eric guy is hot,” Ava remarked to Jet.

“Fuck you,” Al y said to Ava and stomped toward the espresso counter. We watched as she stopped halfway there, saw Uncle Tex grinning at her like a loon then she turned on her heel and stomped into the books.

We al looked at each other and burst into laughter.

We didn’t have time to enjoy our hilarity. The bel over the door went and Tod stormed in, eyes wild.

I didn’t have to guess why Tod looked wild. He was Indy’s official y unofficial wedding planner and it was T-minus five and a half days to nuptial takeoff. Because of this, Tod was clearly in a state.

“Do you think, because you’re al the possible targets for murder and mayhem, that you can get out of this wedding business?” he screeched upon entry just as Stel a, Daisy and Indy came back up front. Tod’s eyes narrowed on Indy and he went on screeching, “Girlie, there’s shit
to do!
”

“I know, Tod, calm down,” Indy replied.

Tod threw up his hands. “Calm down? I wil not calm down! We need to confirm numbers with the catering company. We need to finalize seating arrangements. We need to box and bow the handmade truffles for wedding gifts. Somebody needs to learn cal igraphy in, like, an hour so we can handwrite the place cards.”

“I thought we decided I was going to do them on my computer?” Ava, unwisely, put in.

“
You
decided, I
did not
decide. Place cards need to be handwritten!
Everyone knows that!
” Tod shrieked.

The door opened again, the bel ringing over it, Annette came in and shouted, “Yo bitches! Anyone get kidnapped or shot at today?”

Before anyone could answer, Tod turned to Annette and snapped, “What’re you wearing to the wedding?” Annette’s head jerked in response to his attitude slapping her in the face upon entry and replied, “Don’t know, Toddie Hottie. I figure I’l smoke a doobie and it’l come to me.”