Rock Chick Reckoning

by Kristen Ashley

  Lee flipped the phone shut and addressed the group, “The girls are going home. Then I want everyone in the field. Bobby, Matt, Duke, Tom and Dad will stay on Stella and the band. Matt, you’re responsible for getting Stella home. Dad, arrange police escorts for every band member when the gig’s over. Yeah?”

  Malcolm nodded.

  “Fuck!” Duke exploded. “How did we miss this?”

  “It’s my fault,” I whispered.

  Lee’s eyes sliced to me. “Get that out of your head. Finish the gig,” he ordered then his gaze moved through his men as Hector and Darius arrived at the huddle from wherever they’d been. “Luke, you got Ava and Ally. Darius, you got Shirleen, Daisy, Lana and Chloe. Hector, you got Jet and Roxie. Vance, you got Jules and Indy. Mace, you’re with me. Let’s go.”

  They went except Mace who looked at Matt. “I gotta know you got this.”

  Matt nodded. “I got it.”

  Mace’s eyes went to Tom and he skewered Tom with what could only be described as a look.

  Tom said, “We got it. Go.”

  Mace looked at me and I started babbling, “It’s my fault. We didn’t think. We didn’t catch it. Everyone was caught up in my shit, your shit, Dixon, your Mom, Chloe. I knew I should have waited until all this was over. If something happens to Tex –”

  His finger went to my lips, effectively quieting me then down and his hand curled around my neck. He stared at me as he gave me a neck squeeze.

  Then he was gone.

  Fear streaming through my system, my eyes were locked on the backstage door Mace went through following Lee.

  “It’s all my fault,” I whispered.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  No More Fucking Hugging

  Jules

  My cat Boo and I didn’t sleep well, tossing and turning all night, waiting for Vance to come home or phone to say everything was okay.

  He didn’t.

  The alarm went off and I got out of bed, fed Boo and did my morning business. I was standing, hips against the counter, eating slightly toasted toast (I was trying, with limited success, to learn how to cook, I’d tried but never got the hang of making toast and since the morning sickness was sticking with me, slightly toasted was a lot better than fully burnt) when Vance walked in the backdoor.

  His eyes cut to me and he said, “Hey, Princess,” before he turned to deactivate and reactivate the alarm.

  I waited and he came to me, put an arm around my waist, brought me to him and touched his lips to mine.

  I knew this wasn’t good. If the news was good, he wouldn’t have had to put his arm around me before giving it to me.

  After he’d lifted his head, he said softly, “We got nothin’.”

  I closed my eyes and opened them when Vance’s arm went tighter around my waist.

  “I gotta shower and get to the office. We’re havin’ a briefing and we’re all goin’ back out.”

  I nodded and asked, “Do you know what this means?”

  He shook his head. “Sid’s usually communicative, let’s people know what he wants or what he’s done and why. No word.”

  “Do you think Tex is all right?”

  His face went tight and I had my answer before he said, “Sid doesn’t mess around. It’s not lookin’ good, Jules.”

  I bit my lip and tried not to cry.

  “Hank says Roxie’s a mess,” Vance told me. “Can you take some time today, get to her?”

  I swallowed back my tears and nodded.

  Tex was Roxie’s uncle. He’d been estranged from his family for decades but through letters, since she was a kid, they’d been close. Eight months ago, she’d done for Tex what Stella had done for Mace last night. She’d brought him back into the family fold.

  Vance kept talking. “I’m gonna be busy, Princess, so you need to call the real estate agent. Put in an offer on that house.”

  “It can wait,” I said.

  His arm got tight again and his hand came to the side of my face. “It’s the only place we’ve seen we both like. It’s right. You’ll still be close to Nick and I’ll be close to the office. I don’t want to lose it, make the offer.”

  “I can’t think of anything but Tex right now. There’ll be another house –”

  “Let us worry about Tex. You take care of our family.”

  “Crowe –”

  His body shifted back a few inches and his hand went to my belly. He liked to put his hand there, these days he slept with his hand there.

  It should probably be said I liked it when he put his hand there. Maybe even more than he liked to have it there.

  “I want to be settled before he comes, Princess,” Vance said quietly. “Make the offer.”

  My eyes narrowed at what he’d slipped in, thinking he could get away with it.

  We’d been having an ongoing argument about the baby’s sex since I hit my second trimester. Neither of us wanted to know (for certain) so we hadn’t asked the doctor.

  For some reason (probably hormones), this argument honestly annoyed me. Vance (and now Nick was in on the act) thought it was hilarious. In fact, they both brought it up regularly and it had advanced. Now we were fighting about names.

  “It’s not a he. It’s a she. And her name is going to be Rebecca Ann, for Auntie Reba.”

  His lips formed a small smile, his hand left my belly, he got close again and both his arms went tight around me.

  “As much as I’d like you to have a girl to name after your aunt, it’s gonna be a boy. And we’re namin’ him Max,” Vance returned.

  See what I mean?

  “It’s a girl but if it should be a boy, we’re naming him Harry,” I shot back.

  “I’m not namin’ a kid Harry.”

  “Yes you are. Harry’s a good name.”

  “Harry’s a name for someone else’s kid not my kid.”

  “Crowe –”

  His face came close. “You know I enjoy fightin’ about this with you, Jules but I got shit to do.”

  My body got still and I nodded. His mouth came to mine and he gave me a brief kiss. Then he walked away, hands at his belt.

  “You want toast?” I yelled to his departing back.

  “I’ll make it,” he yelled back, disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.

  “I’m thinking that’s a good choice,” I told Boo who was sitting on the kitchen floor, his big, black, bushy tail sweeping widely, giving me a kitty pouty face, not at all pleased that Vance had come in and given me all the attention.

  “Meow,” Boo agreed.

  * * * * *

  I hit King’s Shelter, getting there by police escort, something which, hormones or not, I found annoying, since, in my day (as in, a few months ago), I could kick some serious ass and I no sooner got through the door when May was bearing down.

  May was a volunteer at the Shelter and even though she was thirty years older than me, she was my closest friend. She had a tough hide, a soft center (literally and figuratively) and a heart of gold.

  “We got a problem,” she announced.

  I opened my mouth to ask but I saw what the problem was immediately.

  Roam was in the room.

  “I’ll take care of this,” I told May and stalked to Roam.

  The minute I made it to him, I demanded, “What are you doing here? You should be in school.”

  Roam was with Clarice who was a runaway too but now she spent a lot time with the tutors, a lot of time with Daisy and, even though she was just seventeen, was more like a volunteer than one of the kids. She kept the kids in line, helped to get them off the streets, quietly fed info to the social workers and sometimes talked the kids into sessions with the tutors.

  Roam and Clarice were talking with a couple of other kids, both of whom were new around the Shelter so I didn’t know them very well.

  Roam’s eyes came to me and he got up from where he was sitting on the back of the couch.

  “Law,” he said and that was it.

  He walk
ed several steps away and I assumed he expected me to follow.

  When he stopped and gave me a look, I realized I was not wrong.

  Roam had been one of my kids. In a way, even though he was sixteen now, living with Shirleen and growing up fast, he still was one.

  A special one.

  Seven months ago, he took a bullet to save my life. In turn, I took two to save his and killed a man. We didn’t talk about this but, obviously, we were close. With May and Sniff, he’d stood up with me at my wedding.

  Vance had taken both Roam and Sniff under his wing and when they weren’t at school, out on dates with girls, doing homework or being given tough love by Shirleen, they worked the surveillance room at Nightingale Investigations. It was unusual but sometimes they went on ride-alongs with Vance and lately Luke had been taking them out too.

  However, Roam calling me by my street name and then arrogantly expecting me to follow him smacked way too much of the Crowe Effect. In fact, it was so Hot Bunch-like that I was thinking maybe he should have his time at Nightingale Investigations curtailed.

  Even though I wanted to say something, I followed him. The kids at the Shelter respected him. He’d been out on the street a long time and made it through. He’d lost his best friend to bad drugs and he’d taken a bullet for me. Now he was in a good home, getting an education and, there was no other way to say it, he was a Nightingale Investigations Apprentice. The Nightingale Men had a badass reputation. Roam hanging with them was huge.

  When I made it to him, in a low voice, I snapped, “Why aren’t you at school?”

  “May have a line on Tex,” he replied.

  I blinked but the rest of my body froze. I came unstuck, grabbed his arm and pulled him further away.

  May came up to us and got close. “What’s goin’ on?”

  I ignored May, my eyes glued on Roam. “Talk.”

  “Some kids saw somethin’. They know who Tex is, gave me a call. Sniff and I snuck out last night, took Shirleen’s Navigator and started checkin’ things out. Sniff’s watchin’ the building the kids said they took him into. I been makin’ the rounds, askin’ questions. I think it might be true,” Roam answered.

  “Have you told Vance this?” I asked.

  “Didn’t want to look the fool if it wasn’t gonna –” Roam started but I interrupted.

  “Call him. Right now. Tell him everything you know.”

  “I still haven’t made certain –” Roam began again.

  I leaned in. “You know better than that. It doesn’t matter. Any lead needs to be followed.”

  He looked at me a beat, nodded then yanked out his phone, took two steps away and hit a button. I watched him put the phone to his ear and then he started mumbling into it.

  “That boy,” May said and she sounded both proud and exasperated.

  “Yeah,” I agreed and both May and I kept our eyes on Roam.

  I felt my ass vibrate just as I felt my stomach churn.

  I was looking forward to having Vance’s baby, really looking forward to it. Because once I had our baby then I wouldn’t be sick all the fucking time (amongst other reasons).

  I pulled the phone out of my back pocket and swallowed my nausea.

  The display said, “Sniff calling”.

  My eyes flew to May, I flipped open the phone and put it to my ear.

  “Talk to me,” I demanded and I heard panting but no words. “Sniff?” I called sharply, saw May’s eyes go narrow and felt Roam’s slice to me.

  “Law?” Sniff said through the panting.

  I started moving to the door. “Keys,” I snapped at May and her body jerked then she started running toward the kitchen where she kept her purse.

  Into the phone, I asked, “Where are you?”

  “Runnin’ from the building. Tex is with me. It… fuck, Law, he blew it up,” Sniff told me.

  I stopped moving. “What?”

  More panting but he talked (Sniff talked a lot, it would take more than running from an exploded building to get him to shut up). “Tex blew up the fucking building. It was insane.”

  “Give me that fuckin’ thing,” I heard Tex boom through his own panting and then I heard him in my ear. “Jules?”

  At the sound of his voice, my hand went to my throat, tears hit the backs of my eyes and I shifted my body until it was close to a chair. I was sinking into the chair when I asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Fuckers conked me a good one. I got a splittin’ fuckin’ headache,” he answered. “We need a ride,” he said this last like he’d been at a party and the designated driver ditched him and he was partially annoyed but still enjoying the party.

  In other words, Tex was all right.

  May was running up to me.

  I turned to her and shook my head.

  “Where are you?” I asked Tex.

  I heard scraping on the mouthpiece then, “Where are we, kid?”

  “Commerce City,” Sniff replied and then I heard him giving some streets and cross streets. My eyes moved to Roam who’d come close and I snapped my fingers for his phone.

  “Hang on, Tex,” I said and then snatched Roam’s phone out of his hand and put it to my other ear. “Vance?”

  “You got me, Princess,” he said.

  “I’ve got Tex on my phone. He’s fine. He’s with Sniff.” I gave him all the info I had.

  Vance repeated the streets in my ear, likely he did this for the benefit of whoever he was with. Then he clipped, “Roger that, Jules. You still got him on the line?”

  “Yeah. He’s on Sniff’s phone.”

  “Get off. Darius is closest. He’ll call Sniff.”

  “Okay.”

  “You said he blew up a building?”

  “That’s what Sniff said.”

  Silence for several beats then, “Christ, we got it on police band now.”

  Then he started laughing.

  “Crowe! There isn’t anything fucking funny about this!” I yelled and everyone turned to listen.

  “You’re right.” He was still laughing then he said, “Out.”

  Disconnect.

  I flipped Roam’s phone shut and went back to mine. “Tex, you there?”

  “Where the fuck else would I be?” Tex boomed and even though this was rude, it was Tex and he was alive and well enough to be rude so I could have shouted with joy.

  “Vance knows where you are. Darius is in the area. You’ll have a pick up soon. Keep the line open for Darius’s call.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Disconnect.

  I looked at May but it was Roam who said, “Law, you shouldn’t say fuck.”

  I growled.

  Then I felt it coming, ran to the bathroom and puked.

  * * * * *

  About an hour later, Bobby came to get me and Roam. Stella and Ava were already in his Explorer.

  We all went to Fortnum’s.

  Tex was behind the espresso counter when we got there. Roxie was close by his side. Jet, Indy and Ally were all behind the counter with them. Lee, Eddie, Hank, Sniff and Darius were all standing in front of the counter. Duke and Jane were standing at the end. There were no customers, Fortnum’s was officially closed.

  Tex swung a portafilter at us the minute we entered the store. It was still full of used coffee grounds. The grounds flew across the room and splattered next to a table.

  “If you girls get near me, I swear to God, I’m gonna rip someone’s head off!” he boomed. “I’m all right. No more fucking hugging!”

  We all reared back and Ava even put her hands up.

  “All right, all right. No hugging,” Ava said and we cautiously moved into the store.

  Roam went to Sniff. They didn’t hug either, just did some complicated handshake and then moved away from the adults.

  “Tex, I’m happy you’re alive and all but I kid you not, you toss a portafilter filled with grounds around one more time, I’m gonna rip your head off,” Indy snapped.

  This made Tex lose his scowl and grin at
Indy.

  “What happened?” I asked when I got close to the counter.

  “He hasn’t said,” Ally informed me.

  “I’m gonna tell the story once. Daisy and Shirleen ain’t here. If I told it to Indy and Jet when I got here, I would have had to tell Ally when she got here and then Roxie when she got here. Now you. Then Daisy and then Shirleen. You’re gonna have to fuckin’ wait,” Tex boomed.

  “He blew up a building!” Sniff shouted, deciding he liked the adult conversation better than the teenage one.

  Ava and Stella both gasped. Obviously, they hadn’t had the full brief yet.

  “You blew up a building?” Stella stared wide-eyed at Tex.

  “Morons took me to a building with chemicals,” Tex explained.

  “He built a bomb!” Sniff shouted, coming to the group at the front of the counter.

  Everyone’s eyes moved to Tex and he shrugged then said, “They’d locked me in. I had to get out somehow.”

  “So you blew up the building?” Stella asked.

  “I just meant to blow open the door. But, like I said, the place was filled with chemicals,” Tex replied.

  “So once you blew open the door, the entire building blew up,” Stella said, clearly not able to take it in.

  Tex shrugged again. “Shit happens.”

  The bell over the door went and Ally shouted, “We’re closed!”

  Everyone turned to the door as the unwitting male customer muttered, “But, it’s Friday. Everyone’s open on Friday.” He pointed at Tex. “And it says in the papers his coffee is the best in Denver. Maybe even America.”

  “He just blew up a building,” Ally told the customer. “He might still be contaminated with chemicals. Like the sign on the door says, we’re closed.”

  At Ally’s words, the customer’s eyes grew round and then moved through all of us.

  Finally, he breathed, “It’s true, everything they say about all of you is true.” His eyes focused on Stella. “Oh my God. You’re Stella Gunn.”

  “Dude. Do you not know what ‘closed’ means?” Ally snapped.

  Lee walked toward the customer and his eyes skittered to Lee.

  “Wow, I know you. Saw your picture in the paper. You scored the redhead and you own Nightingale Investigations,” the customer said, wide eyes on Lee and I couldn’t help it, I had to laugh a little because he was looking at Lee like he was an honest to goodness movie star. “Are you gonna, like, throw me out?” he asked Lee as if he wanted him to do it.