Rock Chick 03 Redemption (19 page)

“You repeat any of this in the station, I’l deny it.” It was my turn to stare at him.

He continued. “Lee’s got one of his boys lookin’ for him.

Not only that, he’s put a bounty on Flynn so not only is Ike lookin’ for him,
and
the cops, but also every bounty hunter in about eight states. Lee’l probably get him before we do.

Hank has given Lee orders and Tex has agreed,” he paused and watched me. “Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I didn’t so I shook my head.

“Flynn’s going to the holding room before he’s turned over to the police. Vance has cal ed dibs. Vance gets first crack after Tex has his shot. Hank’s bowed out but you know that by now.”

Oh, I knew that last bit, for certain. Hank had been pretty clear that morning.

I also understood what Eddie was tel ing me. Bil y was going to this “holding room” and they were going to beat the going to this “holding room” and they were going to beat the shit out of him. I felt badly for Bil y, but I figured what comes around, goes around.

“Do you understand now?” Eddie asked.

I nodded my head.

“You got anything to say about that, say it now, to me. I won’t like it but I’l put in your word. Right now, it’s up to Tex and Vance to take into consideration what you have to say.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’l talk to Lee about havin’ Flynn taken directly to the cops, no holding room. You should know, I doubt he’l listen.

It wasn’t easy for him to watch his brother, or Tex, go through that.”

Well, poor Lee.
I thought.

It wasn’t a nice thought, but then again, I wasn’t having one of my better days. In fact, I wasn’t having one of my better weeks.

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You think I’m going to ask you to protect Bil y?”

“That’s right,” he replied.

I turned ful y to him. It kind of hurt my ribs, but I did it al the same. I wanted to have his ful attention. “First off, he tried to strangle me, then he took a switchblade to the sweater I was wearing, then he hit me, then he dragged me through Hank’s house.”

Eddie’s eyes had been guarded, but the guard slipped at my words.

I ignored it and carried on.

“Then he kicked me in the fucking ribs, threatened to rape me on Hank’s bed and kidnapped me, bound my wrists, drove like a fucking crazy man for two days, tied me to the steering wheel any time he left the car and made me go to the bathroom with my hands tied while he watched.” Eddie’s guard was gone, now, his eyes were glittering.

“That’s just plain rude,” I told him. “I won’t even get into the two bad guys with guns or sitting on a stinking bathroom floor handcuffed to a fucking sink not to mention the fact that I didn’t get a shower in three days. I threw away my cutest pair of Lucky jeans because of that guy!” My voice was getting louder, it was fil ing the cab, and I didn’t care.

I threw up my hands and looked at the ceiling of the truck. “I mean, jeez! I broke up with him, like, I don’t know,
years
ago! A woman locks you out with your suitcases in the hal , get a fucking
clue!
”

Okay, now I was shouting.

“Roxanne –” Eddie said.

I ignored him.

“Then, Uncle Tex is back here, al freaked out and Hank… whatever. And Lee’s boys are running al over the fucking Bible Belt,” I stopped and looked at him. “Are Nebraska and Kansas in the Bible Belt?” I asked but I didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyway, doesn’t matter. I don’t know what this holding room is, but I don’t care. Do whatever. Bil y’s a memory. I just don’t want to know.” Then I turned, opened my door and jumped out of the truck.

It would have been a great exit, except I kind of wobbled on my heel a little bit when I landed.

I started walking without waiting for Eddie, but he caught up to me.

“Hang on there,
Chica
,” he said, grabbing me by the waistband of my skirt. It was quite a catch since my skirt was so tight. He must have had a lot of practice doing that.

I stopped and glared at him. “What?”

He looked down at me, his eyes stil kind of glittery and I could tel he was making up his mind about something.

Final y he said, “I think I need to have a chat with Hank.”

“Don’t do me any favors,” I snapped. “Hank’s a memory too. I’m going to file charges, get my car and blow this crazy burg. Denver is Looney Tunes Town. I don’t care if it’s October and feels like July and I can see the mountains every day. This place is nuts and since I’m half MacMil an, coming from me, that’s saying something.”

Once I finished, I pul ed away and stomped into the station.

My Mom would have been proud.

* * * * *

The room was fil ed with desks, chairs, couches and people. Most of the people stared at me openly when I arrived. I ignored this, straightened my shoulders and fol owed Eddie to a desk. Al around me was a hive of activity, people walking around, talking, phones ringing, doors opening and closing.

Eddie sat me next to a desk so I could talk to a nice, older man named Detective Jimmy Marker.

I told my story while Eddie stood beside us, watching I told my story while Eddie stood beside us, watching and listening.

Every once in awhile I’d look at Eddie. Sometimes I scowled at him. Sometimes I’d raise my brows in the silent question of, “Don’t you have anything better to do?” After about the third eyebrow raise, he smiled at me like I was funny.

Fucking, crazy, Denver men.

Around about the end of when Detective Marker was taking my statement, I felt Eddie tense.

I scowled up at him, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking toward the door.

I fol owed his gaze and stopped breathing.

Hank, Lee and Vance were standing in the door, al of them looking at me.

Hank’s eyes were blank. Lee’s were the same.

Vance grinned at me.

With a super human effort, I ignored Hank and Lee and grinned back at Vance.

“Excuse me,” Eddie murmured and walked away.

I turned to Detective Marker. “Do you have everything you need?” I asked.

“Yep,” he said, but he was looking at Hank too and, for some bizarre reason, he was smiling, smiling huge, like he found something supremely hilarious.

I was so total y right about Denver being a loony bin; everyone was crazy.

“You have my card?” Detective Marker asked after he’d looked back at me.

I nodded. “I may be on the road, you’l have to cal my cel I nodded. “I may be on the road, you’l have to cal my cel if you need anything else.”

“You’l come back to testify?” he asked.

I gave him a look.

“You’l come back to testify,” he muttered.

I got up, shook his hand, hooked my purse over my shoulder and walked across the room.

Everyone in the room watched.

Hank, Lee, Eddie and Vance were in a huddle. Vance broke off and walked over to me. The other three turned to look.

“Hey, girl,” Vance said when he arrived in my space, seriously in my space.

I didn’t back away.

“Hey. I need a ride back to Tex’s. Can you take me?” I asked him.

“First, I’l take you to lunch.”

I didn’t want lunch. I hadn’t had breakfast or even any coffee but my stomach was clenched tight knowing Hank’s eyes were on me. I was torn between throwing myself at his feet and begging him to understand, and jumping on him and scratching his eyes out.

Instead, I kept my eyes on Vance and said, “Sounds good.”

Vance turned to The Huddle.

“Keys,” he cal ed to Lee.

Lee threw him a set of keys and Vance caught them. I avoided Hank’s gaze.

Then Vance grabbed my hand and we walked out.

I was concentrating so hard on not tripping or doing anything else idiotic that I didn’t realize the pulse of the room had changed when Vance grabbed my hand.

I also didn’t catch the look on Hank’s face when he saw Vance take my hand, which was good because if I had, I would have tripped for sure.

* * * * *

Vance took me to Lincoln’s Road House, a motorcycle bar skirting an off-road on I-25.

He settled me at a high barstool at a table. I glanced around, thinking that perhaps I should have changed my outfit. Denver was definitely a jeans town and, at Lincoln’s Road House, jeans were practical y required.

I noted that optional were black leather chaps.

Vance bought me a beer, a pop for himself, got some menus and sat across from me.

“How’re you doin’?” he asked, watching me closely.

“My life’s a total shambles, my body stil aches and I’m pretty certain I’m going to have a scar on my face to remind me daily of this precious time in my life,” I told him. “How’re things with you?”

“Better than you.”

“Vance, honey, that isn’t saying much.”

He smiled.

I crossed my legs, looked at my menu and noticed Vance move out of the corner of my eye. I glanced at him but he was looking over my shoulder.

I turned around and saw Mace enter the bar from the back.

Mace did a chin lift to Vance, got himself a beer and then came over and sat beside me.

He gave me a once over and said, “Nice outfit.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“I thought you were on a stakeout,” Vance said to Mace.

“Matt relieved me. I hate stakeouts. Fucking boring. Any word from Ike?”

Both Vance and Mace’s eyes slid to me.

I was taking a pul from my beer and I waved my free hand at them. I set the beer on the table and said, “I know about the holding room and the planned ass-kicking. I’m al right with it.”

Mace looked at Vance.

“I think I like her,” Mace remarked.

“Take a number,” Vance replied.

Good God.

“Is anyone going to feed me?” I blurted to stop them talking about liking me.

Vance did his shit-eating grin, then we ordered.

My purse rang so I opened it and grabbed my phone. It said “Annette Cal ing”. I flipped it open.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” she said back.

Oh no.

Annette didn’t give her normal greeting. This meant something was wrong.

I got tense. Since I got tense, I felt both Mace and Vance get tense.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“Wel , Jason and I are on our way out there. We’re in bumfuck Iowa, goddess almighty. Iowa.”

She stopped, as if there were no words for Iowa, so I prompted, “And?”

“Wel , we went by your place and it was kind of trashed.” I got even tenser. Vance and Mace were watching me.

“Trashed?”

“Yeah. Your laptop was there and it didn’t look like anything was missing but a lot of stuff was broken, your furniture was slashed. I’m no expert but it looked like someone was looking for something. I got most of your clothes and some other stuff I thought you might want.” I closed my eyes, put my elbow on the table and my head in my hand.

“Thanks, Nettie.”

“We’re gonna see if we can power through. We’l get a hotel or something when we get there. I’l cal you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Be careful and… thanks.”

“Later.”

Then she disconnected and I flipped the phone shut.

Vance and Mace were stil watching me.

“Trashed?” Vance asked.

“My loft. A friend went by to pick up some of my stuff.

She said it looked like someone was looking for something. She said nothing was missing that she could tel . She even got my laptop so they couldn’t have been there to rob me,” I told him.

Vance looked at Mace.

Mace peeled off mumbling, “Gotta make a cal .” I ignored Mace and asked Vance, “Should I be worried?” He stared at me.

“I should be worried,” I said.

His hand came out and grabbed mine. “It was probably the people after Flynn. They already proved they have no interest in you. You likely have nothin’ to worry about.” I nodded but I didn’t much appreciate him using the word

“likely”.

Then I saw Vance looking over my shoulder again. He let go of my hand but dropped his head and smiled at the table when my phone rang again.

It said “Indy Cal ing”.

I took a deep breath and answered it.

“Where the fuck are you? I cal ed home a fuckin’ mil ion times,” Uncle Tex boomed.

“Sorry, Uncle Tex, I should have cal ed you. I went with Eddie to the station to press charges against Bil y. Now, I’m having lunch at Lincoln’s Road House with Vance and Mace.”

I felt the hairs rise on my neck and turned. That’s when I saw Mace standing in the back doorway talking with Lee, Eddie and fucking Hank.

“Fuck,” I said, turning around.

Vance was smiling at me.

“There’s nothing to smile about!” I hissed at Vance.

Vance’s smile went wide.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” Uncle Tex boomed in my ear.

“Nothing,” I answered, the hair raise going to goose bumps as I felt Hank’s eyes on my back. “Where are you?”

“At Fortnum’s, spent al day listenin’ to fuckin’ Indy, Al y and Jet goin’ on ‘bout how you’re stil hung up on that stupid, weasely motherfucker that kidnapped you. Told ‘em they were al fuckin’ nuts,” he said. Then he asked, “You aren’t, are you?”

I blinked at the table just as the waitress came and set down our food.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Apparently, Hank told Lee and Lee told Indy and Indy told every-fuckin’-body that you’re stil in love with that fuckin’ asshole.”

My body went completely stil .