Rock Chick Rescue Page 15

  My entire body froze.

  He felt it, his lips turned up at the corners, then he touched them to mine.

  Then he said, “One thing at a time.”

  “How did your date go with Eddie?”

  Mom had heard the key in the lock and was standing in the middle of the hallway waiting for me after Duke brought me home.

  “It was a little… weird,” I said and walked by her and into the house. “I met his Mom.”

  “You met his Mom! Oh… my… God. That’s great!”

  I dropped my purse on the couch and decided to change the subject and not tell her I’d also met most of his family too. She’d start calling florists and churches.

  “What are you doing out of your chair?” I asked.

  She walked in, her left arm dangling useless, her gait unsteady but she looked all right, even though it was getting late in the day.

  “I’m feelin’ good. I also did two loads of laundry and cleared the dishwasher.”

  I smiled. I couldn’t help it. This was great news.

  She smiled back. She knew it was great news.

  “Did the mechanic call about my car?”

  “Nope, but you would not believe what happened last night. We had some excitement. The police called up and said there was a flasher in the building. They wanted to know if Trixie and I saw him. We didn’t but we sure as hell went lookin’ for him.”

  I started laughing, knowing this was the buzz-up that Eddie arranged and I began to feel a little less stressed out.

  I had nearly a thousand dollars in my purse from tips, Smithie’s generosity and Lavonne’s check. Not to mention, it was payday from both Smithie’s and Fortnum’s. Mom was getting around better and I had friends looking out for me. Eddie was going to figure out what to do about Dad and I’d had some good sleep this week. I was beginning to feel I could take on the world. Or, at least the next week. Usually, I was barely able to cope with the next hour.

  I laid down for awhile, took a shower and Lenny phoned telling me he was my ride.

  I swung into Smithie’s on time for the second time in a week.

  “Once is a miracle, twice means pigs are flyin’,” Smithie said when he saw me, “You got your shit sorted out?” he asked, putting my apron on the bar with another envelope of tips.

  “Not yet but I’m working on it,” I gave him my coat and purse.

  Smithie looked at Lenny.

  “She’s not five feet away from you the whole night. Got me?”

  Lenny nodded.

  “Good, now get to work.”

  It was Friday and Fridays were always packed at Smithie’s seeing as they were payday. Payday also meant the boys felt generous, which meant decent tips. With two good nights this week and a shift on Saturday, if my car didn’t cost me a fortune to fix, I might even be getting ahead.

  Half an hour before closing, I felt a hand on my shoulder and then Lenny materialized by my side.

  “No hands, big man,” Lenny said.

  I heard Tex’s booming laugh and turned around, dislodging the beefy hand. “He thinks he can take me.” Tex’s voice was amused.

  “It’s okay, Lenny. He’s a friend.” Lenny drifted away, his eyes still on us and I turned to Tex, “What’re you doin’ here?”

  “I’m gonna be speakin’ to Indy, get you girls some uniforms just like that for Fortnum’s. We’d all retire in a year.”

  Wonderful. At this rate, everyone was going to see me in my Smithie’s uniform.

  I pretended I was going to bat him with the tray and he pretended to cower. Then he answered me.

  “Chavez called. He’s caught up in something that sounds like jen-you-ine police work. He asked me to pick you up. Said he’d see you tomorrow.”

  I felt an immediate sense of disappointment. Then I felt the need to pretend I didn’t feel disappointed. I smiled brightly at Tex.

  “It’ll be awhile,” I told him.

  “Not like there’s nothin’ to do,” he said and wandered toward the bar, his eyes on the stage.

  I worked the end of the shift and helped set up for the next day. I didn’t realize how relieved I was that nothing happened until I handed my cashed out apron to Smithie.

  “I must be goin’ fuckin’ crazy. I’m actually disappointed that my joint didn’t descend into pandemonium because of your shit,” Smithie said to me.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” I replied.

  Smithie gave me a barely there smile, “Get outta here.”

  Tex was waiting at the door and he escorted me to his bronze El Camino. When we were in and buckled up, Tex took off like a rocket and I felt the g-forces pulling me back against the seat. George Thorogood was blaring from the eight track.

  “What happened to your car?” he yelled over the music, somehow calmly, as if he wasn’t propelling us at a million miles an hour to our doom with “Bad to the Bone” as our soundtrack.

  I pried my body from the seat.

  “It’s at the mechanics,” I yelled back.

  Tex was silent a beat, then he shouted, “I got some money stashed away. If you need it…”

  I interrupted him, “No, Tex, I’m fine.”

  “Not from where I’m sittin’, woman.”

  “Really,” I said, a little more quietly but loud enough to be heard, “I’ll be okay.”

  He made a noise that sounded like a snort.

  “If you need it, it’s there. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

  I felt the warm feeling in my belly again.

  He parked in a disabled spot at my apartment building and got out to escort me.

  I was at the doors to the building, keying in the security code, feeling Tex standing behind me when I heard a noise and a scuffle. I turned to see Tex go down, hitting the ground with a thud akin to a giant redwood tree falling.

  I looked up to see Louie and Vince, still wearing their Reservoir Dogs outfits and staring at me. Louie’s face was blank. Vince looked like he wanted to break me in half.

  Louie came forward, grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s go. Marcus wants to talk to you.”

  Damn.

  Damn, damn, damn and double damn.

  I should have remembered to keep worrying, because, for me, if it could get worse, it would.

  * * * * *

  They took me south, to the fancy section of Englewood with the big estates and multi-million dollar homes.

  We turned right, drove down a secluded lane and pulled to a stop at a house that looked less of a house and more of a castle. They guided me up the walk, Louie on my left, Vince on my right, and we went over a bridge that went over what looked like moat.

  Normally, I would find it funny, a castle with a moat in Denver.

  Nothing was funny at that particular moment, however.

  We walked in the front door and they walked me down a long, wide hallway that was made of stone with a plush, red carpet runner down the middle of it. Every once in awhile, on the wall, there was a light fashioned to look like a torch. There were also two full sets of armor and a bunch of crests and crossed swords on the wall.

  We turned right into a big room, then right again into what looked like a den, then left into what was a study. There was more of the medieval castle décor there with a big, heavily carved desk, leather upholstered chairs and pennants flying from brass rods at the ceiling.

  A man stood there. He was younger than I expected the king of the castle to be and very good looking. If I saw him on the street, I’d give him a second glance: tall, dark with serious blue eyes that were, somehow, frightening, like he’d seen it all, done it all and wasn’t scared of any of it.

  His eyes moved the length of me and something flickered in them when he took in my Smithie’s uniform. He hid it quickly.

  “Take a seat,” he said.

  I immediately did as I was told and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk. Louie and Vince stood behind me. The man sat across from me.

  “You Jet McAlister?” he asked.

&nb
sp; I nodded.

  “Ray’s daughter?” he went on.

  I nodded again. Even though I knew this had to be about Dad, I still felt my heart die a little bit knowing he was the cause of yet another disaster for me.

  “I’m looking for Ray,” he told me.

  I nodded, not sure what to say and too scared to speak anyway.

  “You seen him?”

  I shook my head.

  His eyes moved from me to Louie and Vince, then back to me.

  “It’s important I find him. Do you know where he’d be?” he asked.

  “I…” There was a frog in my throat so I cleared it and said, “I’m looking for him too. He’s not real good at sticking around when things get… difficult,” I finished.

  His face tightened at that and the scary part of his eyes escalated to such a point where I was pretty certain I was going to pee my pants.

  I’d never met anyone like him before, his menace vibrated off him like a physical touch.

  I wanted to run but I felt rooted to the spot. I had the feeling that this man was going to hurt me, or he was going to let Vince hurt me, and I didn’t want either of those things to happen.

  “Honey Bunch? What’re you doin’ up so… oh my, we have company.”

  I turned at this new voice, a female voice with a deep country twang. My mouth dropped open at what I saw.

  Dolly Parton, or a fair impersonation of her, was standing in the doorway, big blonde hair, tiny body, enormous knockers, wearing a pink negligee set, complete with marabou feathers, even on the high-heeled slippers she wore. I realized she wasn’t Dolly because she had to be my age or maybe a year or two older.

  I don’t know what propelled me out of the chair but I stood and turned toward her.

  She peeked around Louie and her blue eyes got huge. Then she looked at the man behind the desk and they narrowed.

  “What’re you doin’ with a Smithie’s girl?” she asked, hand on hip, hip jutting out and attitude hitting the room like a body blow.

  “Daisy, honey, this is business,” the man behind the desk said.

  “With a Smithie’s girl? In the middle of the night? I don’t think so.” Her voice rose on the last two words.

  “It’s not what you think,” the man said.

  “Anything I think it better not be, Marcus, darlin’.”

  Louie, Vince and I were watching this discussion, our heads swinging back and forth between the participants.

  Marcus looked at us and then said, “Get out.”

  I started to follow Louie and Vince but Marcus said, “Jet, you stay.”

  I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad that I was left with Marcus and Daisy who were in the throes of a domestic situation. Though, I didn’t expect any time I spent with Vince would be a good time.

  Daisy moved aside just enough to let them pass and then she closed the door and walked into the room.

  Her eyes trained on me. “Jet, is it?”

  I nodded, scared to death of her even though she had to be three inches shorter than me even wearing high heels.

  She looked at Marcus. “What’s this about?”

  Marcus leaned back in his chair. “Her father owes me fifteen large. Poker.”

  Some of the tension eased out of Daisy and she glanced at me again.

  “You close with your Daddy, Sugar?” she asked.

  As it seemed some of the attitude had seeped out of the room, I dug deep and found my voice. “He left us when I was fourteen but he comes back every once in awhile. Some people wouldn’t call that close but… he’s my Dad.”

  Daisy nodded as if she understood perfectly.

  She turned back to Marcus. “Tell me again why Jet’s here?”

  “Her Dad’s a hard man to find.”

  The attitude came back.

  “You see what she’s wearin’?” Daisy asked.

  Marcus sighed, “I see it.”

  “No one fucks with a Smithie’s girl. Not even you. Comprende?” Then she turned to me, “I worked at Smithie’s. I danced a pole. Marcus met me there so it’s kinda our special place. How is Smithie? I haven’t been back in ages.”

  Her tone had gone from seriously pissed off to sweet girl-talk in a flash.

  I tried to keep up.

  “I drive him kind of nuts,” I told her, taking advantage of what I hoped would be a turn of luck for me.

  She laughed, it sounded like pretty, tinkling bells.

  “Everyone drives Smithie nuts,” she replied, her voice nostalgic.

  “He says I’m a pain in his ass,” I carried on.

  “I used to be a pain in his ass, then I married Marcus. Now, as you can see, I’m a pain in his ass.” She smiled at me, huge and dazzling, her teeth were so white, they could light up the dark.

  I felt it safe to smile back at her. Anyway, she was kind of funny and seemed sweet when she wasn’t being scary.

  “If you girls are finished reminiscing, maybe I can ask Jet a few more questions?” Marcus butted in.

  Marcus was saved the edge of Daisy’s tongue when a knock came at the door and Louie stuck his head in.

  “Nightingale’s here.”

  Thank you, God.

  I did a mental sigh of relief.

  Marcus closed his eyes in frustration.

  Daisy clapped her hands.

  “Lee’s here! I haven’t seen him in ages.”

  The door opened all the way and Lee walked in.

  His eyes hit me in a way that told me he was surveying both my physical and mental well-being. He seemed okay with what he saw which assured me I did not look nearly as freaked out as I really was. Then he looked at Daisy.

  “Daisy,” he said.

  “Lee, Sugar Bunch, lookin’ good, as usual.” She winked at him.

  His lips twitched.

  “Let me guess,” Marcus said to Lee, “this one has your protection too. What? Are you building a harem?”

  Lee shook his head.

  “I’m running this errand for Eddie.”

  Marcus, who seemed to have accepted his fate, went scary tense again. I had the feeling he didn’t like Eddie.

  “What’s it got to do with Chavez?” he asked Lee.

  “Jet,” Lee said, and he wasn’t talking to me, he was talking to Marcus, my name was the answer to Marcus’s question.

  “Shit,” Marcus said and looked at me like I was now a pain in his ass. His eyes swung back to Lee. “You tell Chavez I want my fifteen grand.”

  “Take it up with McAlister. And some advice, Marcus, keep Jet out of it. It took a lot to talk Eddie from comin’ here himself with a couple of uniforms. You don’t want that kind of trouble.”

  “I got trouble with you over this?” Marcus asked and the tenseness was still there.

  “Keep Vince under control and your focus on McAlister. If he makes good, keep him away from your tables. You do that, you have no trouble with me,” Lee answered.

  I looked at Daisy. Daisy was watching this like a hawk.

  She caught me looking at her and she came forward and hooked her arm through mine. “I’ll walk you to the door, Sugar,” she said and propelled me out of the room.

  “I’m sorry you got woken up in the middle of the night,” I said to her as we walked from the big room down the hall.

  She waved her hand. “Happens all the time.”

  Um… eek!

  Then she went on, “You must’ve just come off shift and, no doubt, dead on your feet.”

  I nodded.

  She stopped at the front door and her face got serious. “No harm will come to you, I’ll see to that. But your Dad better get his shit together. I’m not sayin’ this to scare you, Sugar, I’m tellin’ you like it is. Comprende?”

  I nodded again.

  “Maybe I’ll pop by Smithie’s some time,” she said in another quick change of mood.

  “I’m working tomorrow night.”

  Now, why did I tell her that? I didn’t want to become friends with Scary Marcus’
s wife. Did I?

  “Sounds good to me,” Daisy replied and her eyes slid sideways as Lee joined us.

  “Don’t be a stranger.” she called after us when we left and I didn’t know if she meant Lee or me.

  Lee put me in his silver Crossfire and I buckled up. After he got in, I turned to him. “They knocked Tex out just outside my building,” I told him.

  “Stun gun. He came to and called me. He’s fine.”

  I nodded and began a delayed reaction shiver as Lee turned onto University Boulevard.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I shook my head and then, realizing that he couldn’t see me because he was driving, I said, “No.”

  “Did Vince…?” Lee started.

  I interrupted, “No, they just dropped Tex, grabbed me, put me in a car and took me to Marcus. I didn’t fight or anything.”

  I didn’t know if that was the right thing to do or not until Lee murmured, “Smart.”

  Lee pulled up to my building. The El Camino was still there as was Eddie’s red truck, with Eddie leaned up against it, arms and ankles crossed. The casual posture belied the look I caught on his face when the lights of Lee’s Crossfire hit him.

  Tex was standing beside him.

  Lee stopped a few yards away from Eddie’s truck and he turned to me as I unbuckled my seatbelt, stopping me from getting out with a hand on my arm.

  “It’s unlikely that Marcus will do anything to you. It isn’t his style. He stays focused, doesn’t like mess and his problem isn’t with you. If you have to have criminals, then you want the kind like Marcus. He took you so it’d get back to your Dad and if your Dad thought you were in the line of fire, it would smoke him out.”

  I felt added relief with his assurance and Daisy’s. At least relief for me, Dad was another story.

  Someone opened my door but Lee wasn’t finished so I didn’t turn away.

  “Vince is another story. He’s lookin’ for an excuse at payback for Einstein’s. Vince isn’t the kind of guy who’ll take a blow like that to his reputation without gettin’ even.”

  My relief was instantly swept away.

  “Stay careful, close to Eddie and if you can’t be close to Eddie, then call Tex or Duke. If you’re stuck, phone me and I’ll send one of my guys. Yeah?”

  I nodded.

  He stared at me.

  “I’m being serious,” he said and he sounded serious.