Rock Chick 02 Rescue (18 page)

Both of them stared at me.

I stared back.

“Wel !” Indy nearly shouted.

I gave them an abbreviated version of the Eddie Date.

They looked at each other then turned to me.

“More,” Al y said.

I sighed and gave them the longer version, including Mom and Trixie, Blanca and Eddie’s siblings, details on Eddie’s “Sleep with You/Keep You Safe/Wear You Down” Speech and maybe got a little carried away and shared a bit much about that morning’s activities.

When I was done, both of their mouths were open and their eyes were glazed over, just like I expected I looked when I was in an Eddie Daze.

I nodded in understanding at their reaction.

“I know,” I said.

“If you hens are finished pecking over Eddie’s carcass, we could use a hand back here.” Duke yel ed.

* * * * *

for the occasion and played it loud.

Normal y, “work” at Fortnum’s didn’t seem like work. It was more like hanging out with your friends al day, which was sometimes interrupted by something that felt kinda like work.

Just after noon, the crowd significantly died down and Tex turned to me.

“Let’s go, Loopy Loo. I got a plan to get your Dad’s friend talking.” He turned to Al y, “We’l take the ‘stang.

You’re drivin’.”

I gave him a look.

“Does this plan involve your shotgun?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said and I felt some relief. Then he said, “At least Plan A doesn’t.”

Uh-oh.

“What about Plan B?” I pressed.

He started walking toward the door. “Let’s just hope Plan A works.”

Wonderful.

We al got into Al y’s brand-new Mustang convertible, Indy, Tex, Al y and me, and rol ed out to Lakewood. Al y parked outside Bear’s house and we barely cleared the Mustang when Bear appeared at the door, turned and careful y closed it. He met us halfway down the walk.

“I haven’t seen your Dad,” Bear said by way of greeting.

Not good.

“Bear…” I started but then the door opened and Lavonne appeared.

Lavonne dyed her bobbed hair an ultra-fake-looking black. Her roots were steel-gray, she was two inches shorter than me and at least thirty pounds lighter, if not more. She was petite, wiry and had a two pack a day smoker’s voice.

“What’s goin’ on out here? Jet! Ohmigod! Look at your hair. It looks great!”

She rushed forward, always a bundle of energy, and gave me a tight hug.

“It’s been too long,” she said and then her pleasure at seeing me started to dissolve as she looked around, took in Indy, Al y and especial y Tex. Everyone stared at Tex. Tex was a sight to see.

Then her gaze settled on Bear.

“What’s goin’ on?” she asked again, reading the situation like only a mother, or the wife of Bear, would.

“Nothin’,” Bear said.

“I’m lookin’ for Dad,” I said at the same time.

Lavonne looked at me.

“Your Dad was here just this morning. Hasn’t he been to see you?”

I looked at Indy. Indy looked at Al y. Al y looked at Tex.

Tex looked at me.

“What’s goin’ on?” Lavonne asked for the third time.

“Can we come inside?” I said.

Lavonne’s mouth tightened, she turned and we al fol owed her inside.

The inside of Lavonne and Bear’s house could not have been more different from the outside. Lavonne had strict rules about what was a woman’s domain and what was a man’s. The man tended the yard, garbage and car. The woman tended the house, food and laundry.

Lavonne’s living room was neat and tidy and overly decorated in hearts. There were bent twig hearts on the wal s tucked with dried flowers, heart wreaths, little painted-wooden hearts, heart toss pil ows on the couch, heart frames fil ed with pictures of her kids.

I did a round of introductions, Bear sat on the sofa, Indy and Al y took armchairs and I stayed standing. Tex positioned himself close to me, like a guard. Lavonne stood by Bear and lit a cigarette.

Everyone listened to my latest tale of woe.

Then Lavonne’s hand streaked out and she flicked Bear upside the head using her middle finger propel ed by her thumb.

“Yo woman!” Bear yel ed, arching away from her.

Lavonne turned to me and said, “Ray’s been stayin’ here the last two nights. I didn’t know any of this was goin’ on.” Lavonne’s tone said Lavonne was pretty unhappy.

Then Lavonne’s hand came out and she flicked Bear again.

“I said yo!” Bear shouted.

She had one hand on her hip, the other one holding the cigarette aloft and the glare she directed toward Bear was evil.

“What’s this al about, Bear? And I’m warnin’ you, you spil or this time I ain’t leavin’. This time, I’m packin’
your
bags.”

This was clearly not an idle threat because, without any delay, Bear started talking.

“Gambling.” Bear looked up at me, “Your Dad’s been gambling. Got himself in a financial situation, so he went to Slick, who’s a loan shark.”

I sank down on the arm of one of the armchairs, next to Al y, hopping to get my heart started again.

“He had a windfal a couple days ago, bought himself into another game to make back the money he owes Slick.

Instead, he lost and now he owes Marcus.” Tex, Al y and Indy looked at each other.

I didn’t know what their look meant but I’d worry about that later. I already had too much to worry about.

The windfal Dad had was my hard-earned five hundred bucks.

I felt like crying.

“How much does he owe this Marcus?” I asked.

“Fifteen grand.”

Al y’s hand came out and grabbed mine.

Fifteen grand? How did five hundred pocket money become a debt of fifteen grand? That was forty-five thousand dol ars in total. Even if I started stripping, sold everything I owned and sold my plasma every month for a year, I couldn’t come up with forty-five thousand dol ars.

Lavonne flicked Bear again.

“Why didn’t you tel her this yesterday? And where’s Ray now?” she snapped.

“Ray asked me to keep it quiet and he’s out tryin’ to fix it.” Bear’s eyes swung to me, “I swear, Jet, he’s tryin’ to fix it.”

I stood up and shouted.

“How? Gambling? Stealing? He’s sure as hel not going to get a job waiting tables at Bennigan’s and make that kind of cabbage!”

Bear stood up too.

“He’s tryin’ to do right!”

Lavonne reached high and flicked him.

“Don’t yel at Jet,” she snapped.

Everyone looked at Bear and Bear’s face got red, then he exploded.

“Why is everyone mad at me? I didn’t get forty-five K in the hole playin’ poker. It ain’t my fault.” Then he decided the smart way forward was to deflect attention from himself,

“Anyway, Jet’s workin’ at a titty bar.”

Damn.

Everyone held their breath as Lavonne’s wide, angry eyes turned to me.

“Excuse me?”

“Lavonne—” I started but she interrupted me.

“You’re workin’ at
a titty bar
?”

Wonderful.

“I’m not dancing, just waiting tables,” I assured her.

Lavonne didn’t feel assured.

“A titty bar’s a titty bar. You’re not the type of girl who works at a titty bar. I know your mama didn’t raise you like that,” she retorted.

I pul ed my back up.

Firstly, there was nothing wrong with working at a titty bar. It was good, honest work and good, honest people worked there (okay, maybe Richie, one of the bouncers, was a bit of a jerk). Secondly, on her dresser, Mom had a framed picture of Lottie sprawled across the top of a Corvette with her naked boobs pressed against the hood and her ass in a glorified thong pointed skyward. Mom total y raised us like that.

“There’s nothing wrong with working at a titty bar,” I said.

Lavonne deftly sidestepped my defense of titty bars.

“Your mother know about this?” Lavonne asked.

I nodded.

“What’s she say?”

I hesitated, sighed and sat back down on the armchair.

Then I gave Lavonne the rest of the story.

When I was done, she walked to a little desk in the corner (which had hearts carved into it) and took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. Then she went back to the desk, popped her smoke between her lips and spoke with the cigarette bobbing precariously.

“You write down your address and phone number on that sheet. Girl, I
cannot
believe you did not tel me Nancy had a stroke eight months ago. What must Nancy think, none of her friends poppin’ ‘round?” She was digging through her desk and grabbed something and started writing. “Always took too much on yourself, even as a little kid. Never sharin’

the burden. Lettin’ people get away with murder. That father of yours takin’ advantage, Lottie off enjoyin’ herself without a care in the fuckin’ world while you mopped the kitchen floor. You’re fuckin’ Cinderel a, is what you are.” She ripped a check out of a checkbook and handed it to me, taking the cigarette from her mouth and letting out an enormous plume of smoke, “‘Cept Cinderel a didn’t have a choice, you do.” I took the check and looked at it. It was for five hundred dol ars.

“Lavonne! I can’t take this!”

Lavonne smashed the cigarette out in a heart-shaped ashtray and crossed her arms on her flat chest.

“You can, you wil , you’l cash it and you’l use it.” I stared at the check, then I stared at her.

“I know you don’t have this kind of money.”

“Yes I do. It’s my Christmas Club. Been savin’ up al year to buy this moron a flat screen TV. After today, he ain’t gettin’ no flat screen TV.”

Bear col apsed on the sofa and put his hand to his forehead.

Lavonne nodded to me, “Merry Christmas.”

I tried to hand the check back to her.

“Real y, I can’t.”

“Your mama know Ray’s in town and al that’s happenin’

to you?” She asked.

Uh-oh.

I shook my head slowly.

“She’l go on not knowin’ if I see that check’s been cashed.”

Wow. Lavonne was
good
.

“I don’t know what to say,” I told her.

Her face softened the tiniest bit and her lips turned up.

“Say thank you and keep yourself safe. If we see or hear from Ray, we’l cal you.”

“You too?” Tex boomed and everyone jumped.

Surprisingly, I’d forgotten he was in the room. He was looking at Bear, his brows were knit and his eyes were narrowed.

“What?” Bear said.

“You see her Dad or hear from him, you cal her. Yeah?” Bear waved his hand, stil coping with the loss of his flat screen TV.

“Yeah,” he said.

I wrote down my address and phone number and gave it to Lavonne and she walked us to the door.

“I’l pop by and see Nancy, soon as I can,” Lavonne told me.

I turned and smiled at her. “She’l like that.” Lavonne and I hugged, everyone said good-bye and we got in the Mustang.

“I think I want to be her when I grow up,” Al y said.

“Except, without the good-for-nothin’ husband.” I smiled at Al y and my cel phone rang. I pul ed it out of my purse and looked at the display.

my purse and looked at the display.

It said, “Unknown number”. I flipped it open anyway, hoping it was Dad.

Before I could say a word, I heard, “Where are you right now?”

This was said by Eddie, or, I should say, a not very happy Eddie.

I panicked and to buy time, I said, “Um.” But I drew it out as long as I could.

Indy was sitting next to me in the backseat, passenger side. There came a knock on her window and everyone jumped.

My head swiveled around and so did everyone else’s.

Through the window, I saw a pair of narrow hips wearing jeans. My heart stopped, thinking it was Eddie, then Lee leaned over, looked through the window and crooked a finger at Indy.

Lee looked about as happy as Eddie sounded on the phone.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

“Holy shit,” Indy whispered.

She was right. It was a holy shit moment. Not to mention, obviously Lee saw us and cal ed Eddie. This was not good.

At least, it appeared not good for Indy.

Wel , the good news (for me) was, Eddie was on the phone instead of with Lee.

Then there came a knock at my window.

Everyone’s head swung around and, through my window, I saw a pair of narrow hips wearing jeans and a familiar silver belt buckle.

“Get out of the car, Jet,” Eddie said into my ear and then there was a disconnect.

My heart stopped. Unfortunately, I’m afraid, “holy shit” didn’t cover it.

“How’s it hangin’ boys?” Tex asked when he swung out of the car.

Al y got out too and left the driver’s side open. Her seat was pul ed forward, a man’s hand came in and grabbed mine and I was “helped” out of the car.

I no sooner got my sandals on the sidewalk when I was tugged forward by a fast walking, pissed off Eddie Chavez.

I passed a good looking black guy, lean, tal , with twists in his hair, looking at me with a grin on his face that went from ear to ear. I didn’t get time to say hel o as Eddie kept pul ing me along.

I looked over my shoulder. I don’t know why, maybe to shout “help”, and I saw that Lee was pul ing Indy in the opposite direction.

Wonderful. Now I’d got Indy in trouble.

Eddie stopped a couple houses down, turned and pul ed me around so his back was to everyone and he was in my way.

“What are you doing here?” we asked in unison.