Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (43 page)

“Crazy honkies,” Hugo muttered, making it clear he wasn’t there to help.

Shirleen was al of a sudden close and looking at Pong too.

“Brother, you got
that
right,” she said to Hugo.

I’d let this al wash over me without much thought.

This was not unusual. Chaos, in my life, even before the bul ets were flying, was not unusual. My band caused chaos everywhere they went.

But at that moment, I was over it.

Effing
over it.

I’d spent an hour after my time in the bathroom with Duke that morning sitting in Lee’s office while the Rock Chicks guarded the door. I read through the papers that the Rock Chicks, Duke and Tex final y shared with me.

Chicks, Duke and Tex final y shared with me.

The story about Caitlin was al there, with pictures.

Pictures of a beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, smiling,
tiny
teenage girl. There was even a picture of her with Mace during his surfing days, maybe after a competition.

He was standing on a beach in a wetsuit, his hair and suit slick with water, his board planted in the sand behind him.

Caitlin, tiny and young, maybe ten years old, was pressed into his side, hugging him around his waist, smiling brightly, her head tilted back to look up at him as his was tilted down to look at her. His arm was around her shoulders, his long, strong fingers curled in, holding her tight. You could see she didn’t care, not even a little bit, that she was dry and Mace was soaking wet.

Mace was smiling at Caitlin too. He was a lot younger in the picture. I had no idea how old, maybe in his early twenties. He smiled at her in a way I’d never seen him before. His face relaxed, open, unguarded and it hurt my heart to look at it.

I didn’t know how much of himself he’d lost after that situation, not until I saw that photo.

When I saw it, I knew he lost everything.

And it was my job to get it back.

And I was damned if I knew how.

I’d learned about Preston Mason too. A lot about him.

Mostly I learned that I wasn’t wrong. He was the Supreme Asshole of Al Time.

And I’d read about it al . About her hand. The commandos. And how Mace had watched his sister get her head blown off right before his beautiful body had nearly been riddled with bul ets.

This meant Mace had a dickhead father, a dead sister and now a girlfriend under fire.

That
was worth being pissed off about.

That
was earth-shattering.

That
could fuck you up for the rest of your life.

I found I no longer had patience with Leo and Pong fighting over a tie-dyed t-shirt of al effing things.

And seriously, could you blame me?

When Pong got to his feet, I moved forward, my cowboy-booted feet treading on t-shirts and I put my hands in his chest and shoved. This surprised him, I’d never done this before and he went back on a foot.

“What’s the matter with you?” I snapped.

Pong’s eyes got wide as they stared at me and my uncharacteristic loss of control and he muttered, “Stel a Bel a.”

“No, real y. What’s the matter with you?” I repeated. “I wanna know.”

Pong blinked then he explained, “That t-shirt is the shit.” I leaned to the side, my fingers curled into the t-shirt Leo was stil holding and I viciously tugged it free. I shook it out in front of Pong and shouted, “This? This is worth causing a scene over? This is worth getting in the face of your friend over? You’d never wear this shirt!” I shouted and I was right, Pong would never wear a tie-dyed t-shirt. Ever. Then I turned to Leo. “And you!” Leo took a step back when he saw my face but I just kept going. “You’ve got, what? Fifteen saw my face but I just kept going. “You’ve got, what? Fifteen shirts just like this!” And I was right about that too. He had to have fifteen. Hel , he could even have twenty. Hel , he was wearing one at that very moment!

Leo shrugged and I threw the t-shirt at him. It hit him in the face and he lifted up his hands to catch it as it fel down.

“I’m up to
here
with you two!” I yel ed, raising my hand, fingers straight, palm down, up to my chin. “Linnie’s dead!

Dead!
Floyd and Buzz are on their way to Oklahoma for her funeral right now and you two are fighting over a t-shirt.” Both looked uncomfortable but I kept shouting. “Damn it, bul ets are flying! We’re in the papers, like, every day.

We’re close to something big with a record label which could change al our lives and Mace…” I trailed off when I saw al the Rock Chicks (and the Hot Bunch and, incidental y, most of the partygoers) were standing around, staring at me. I clamped my mouth shut, shook my head and forged on, hoping to cover. “Forget Mace. You two, work this out like the men you are, not six year olds. I’m done with your shit. Done. No more.” I swung my eyes to Hugo. “You either.”

Hugo’s eyebrows went up as did his hands, palms out.

“Shit, mama, what’d I do?” Hugo asked.

“Nothing,” I returned. “Nothing to help. You’re smarter than that. I know it. You know it. But it’s always me that’s gotta keep the peace in the band.” I threw my hand out.

“You’re al smarter than this. If we don’t keep our shit together, we’re gonna fal apart and I’m gonna let it happen because I’m done. Done! Got me?”

They didn’t answer, they just stared.

I decided to take that as a “yes” and I pointed to the floor.

“Now clean this up and if you’ve caused any damage, you’re paying Annette even if you have to work it off. Do you hear me?”

They again didn’t answer so I leaned forward threateningly and repeated, “I said,
do you hear me?
”

“Shit, Stel a Bel a, chil ,” Pong mumbled.

“I’l chil when this is al cleaned up,” I snapped back.

“We got it, Stel a. No problem,” Leo said softly, bending over to pick up t-shirts.

Hugo was stil staring at me and he was doing it closely.

“Nothing’s going to happen to the band,” Hugo told me.

“You’re right,” I agreed. “Nothing’s going to happen to the band. Nothing bad and nothing good either if you al don’t get your shit together. Do you want to be playing clubs in Denver and Boulder and effing Colorado effing Springs for the rest of your lives?”

Pong, Hugo and Leo looked at each other and then back at me. They’d never considered going further mainly because I never wanted to take us further.

“We gonna be more?” Pong asked, his voice edged in surprise.

“We could be, if you’d start taking care of your damn selves. We could be a lot more,” I answered. “Do you want that?”

More silence, more staring, more obvious surprise.

Final y, Leo whispered, “Shit, yeah.”

“Good then you have to help me and you can do that by growing, the fuck, up.” On that, I turned to Indy and announced, “I need a beer.”

“You’re holding one, honey,” Indy replied softly.

I looked down at my hand to see I miraculously stil had hold of my beer but it had mostly leaked onto the floor.

“I need a new one,” I informed her.

Shirleen’s hands came to my shoulders and she started pushing us forward, demanding, “Outta the way.

Emergency beer needed!”

“I’m thinking beer isn’t gonna be strong enough,” Ava muttered to Jules as they shoved in behind us and al the Rock Chicks fol owed.

Shirleen pushed me to the back where there was a pocket of space and serenity. Al y came forward and pressed a new, cold, open beer bottle in my hand and Ava took away the old one and put it on a display case.

I took a healthy swig.

“That was righteous,” Al y told me.

“Shoulda done that a long time ago, sugar,” Daisy said then she gave me a wink.

Before I could reply to Daisy, Annette shoved in.

“Jumpin’ Jehosephats, that was fuckin’ phat!” she shouted. “I was getting worried that nothing was gonna happen. I’d be, like, total y bummed if I had a party and the Rock Chicks didn’t deliver.” She shoved my shoulder.

“Bitch, you are sofa-king awesome!”

Then she whirled around and shoved away. Al the Rock Chicks’ eyes fol owed her.

“I take it she’s not mad,” I said to Roxie and Roxie grinned at me.

“Nettie’s a little weird,” Roxie shared.

“You got that right, sister,” Jet muttered.

I took another swig and watched Hector enter the store.

His eyes did a scan, found me and he started pushing through the crowd in our direction.

“I hate to bring this up right now but we need to talk about Mace,” Jet said quietly.

My eyes, and my thoughts, moved from Hector to Jet.

The Rock Chicks hadn’t discussed what happened that morning. Instead, Tex loaded me up in his bronze El Camino and took me home after that morning’s heartbreaking activities. In his Camino, I’d shared with him too about Mace and I being together (as, he too, was not a Rock Chick). His response to this was walking me to my apartment and spending the afternoon with me and Juno, eating popcorn and watching action movies.

“Nothin’ clears the head like popcorn and Bruce Wil is,” he’d informed me, shoving a huge fistful of popcorn in his mouth.

This was true-
ish
. Watching Bruce Wil is essential y blow up a skyscraper did take my mind off Mace and al our troubles.

For awhile.

“I can’t talk about Mace right now,” I said to the girls.

“She’s got a lot to process,” Jules told Jet.

“Process, my ass. She’s gotta cal that boy home, give him the business and get on with it,” Shirleen put in.

“They need to talk, not do the nasty,” Roxie replied.

“Doin’ the nasty
does
the talkin’, girl,” Shirleen shot back.

“You know that more than anyone. Shee-it, just last night, your man gave you a ring while givin’ you the business. That says it al .”

Al y put her hands over her ears and chanted, “La la la, I’m not listening, la la la.”

“Sex isn’t the answer to everything, Shirleen,” Ava talked over Al y.

Shirleen’s gaze snapped to Ava. “When’s the last time you and Luke had sex?”

“I don’t understand –” Ava started but Shirleen cut her off.

“When?” she clipped.

Ava glanced around then shared, “Before coming tonight.”

Daisy giggled and the rest of us exchanged grins.

“You two share heart-to-hearts? Does Luke fuckin’ Stark
process
his feelings with you? Or, when he’s got somethin’

to say, somethin’ to communicate, somethin’ to
process
, does he throw you up against the wal and give you the business?” Shirleen asked, making what I thought was a valid point. I myself had given Mace the business last night as my way of showing him I was glad he was back. He heard my message loud and clear. Sure, we talked but only after my message had been delivered.

“We didn’t have wal sex. We had dining room table sex,” Ava corrected, stubbornly not giving Shirleen her point.

“Oowee, dining room table sex. I like dining room table sex,” Daisy burst out. “You two need to get a desk. Marcus and I had desk sex last night. Desk sex is
fine.
”

“We have a desk, it kind of… fel over when we tried desk sex,” Ava said.

“Luke’s a big guy, your desk is smal . You need a bigger desk,” Roxie advised.

“Kitchen counter sex is the best,” Indy put in her thoughts.

“Lee’s creative but when we do it in the kitchen…” she trailed off and started looking dreamy.

“La la la, not listening about Lee being creative, la la la.” Al y was back to chanting.

“I’m not sure it’s the where, it’s more the position,” Jules entered the conversation.

“I don’t think it’s the position, it’s al about the intensity,” Jet joined as wel . “Eddie and I like it hard, rough. That’s the best. You know what I mean?”

“Fuck,” we heard muttered and everyone turned to see Hector standing behind Jet and looking at her like he wished he could rip off his own ears after hearing that his brother liked sex hard and rough.

“Whoops,” Jules whispered and everyone started giggling except Jet who started blushing.

“Sorry Hector,” Jet mumbled.

“Welcome to my world. Now you know my pain,” Al y informed Hector.

Hector wasn’t about to be dragged into this conversation. His eyes sliced to me and he held up his hand, his index and middle fingers holding a folded piece of paper.

“You wanted a number?” he said to me.

Oh my
God.

Mace’s Mom’s phone number.

My breath caught, I felt my eyes grow wide and I nodded.

“Let’s go. You got a cal to make,” Hector finished and without delay I put my beer on the display case and moved forward.

“What cal ?” Al y asked.

“What’s going on?” Daisy said at the same time.

“Whose number is that?” Indy put in.

“Leave her be,” Jules said softly.

It was at that moment, Tod and Stevie pushed into our clutch.

“Oh my
God
. I’ve been browsing and there is
nothing
here I want to buy. I’ve never been to a store where there was nothing I wanted to buy,” Tod announced, sounding horrified. “Someone check my forehead; see if I have a fever.”

“It’s a head shop, Tod. You don’t smoke pot and you aren’t a hippie. Of course there’s nothing you’l want to buy,” Stevie explained.

“I’ve seen
Hair
, like, five mil ion times,” Tod snapped back, putting his hands to his hips. “Burgundy Rose could kick the shit out of ‘The Age of Aquarius’. I’ve looked everywhere and there’s no macramé halter tops
anywhere
.” At Tod’s announcement, Hector had had enough. He grabbed onto my bicep and pul ed me to him.