Rock Chick 02 Rescue (40 page)

My stomach clutched and I ignored his instructions because I was in sort of a mini-freak out. Mace could put any girl in a mini-freak out,
especially
tel ing her to flirt with him and
most especially
using a soft voice.

“What?” I asked, sounding stupid.

His eyes shifted and he lifted a chin to the bartender.

“Two beers,” he said.

I shook off the freak out and leaned into him.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered.

He circled me, getting close, cutting me off from my posse and forcing my back to the room. He leaned against the bar, looking, for al the world, like a guy on the prowl with me being the prowlee.

“Lee got word shit’s goin’ down tonight. He put together a team.”

No.

No, no, no.

No shit going down and no team.

I could just about handle my friends offering moral support when they were having fun while they were doing it.

I didn’t need the Wild Bunch out there getting paid overtime on Lee’s nickel. That was one favor too far.

The bartender deposited our beers on the bar and Mace slipped him a bil , then he ignored the drink and I did too.

“If this is dangerous, we’l leave,” I told him.

He shook his head.

“Finish what you start,” he said. “We have it covered.”

“You have
what
covered?”

“Don’t know, when we do, it’l be covered.” Eek.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“You’re here to talk to your Dad. Lee’s out there, somewhere, and so are Vance and Matt. I’m assigned to you. Something happens, I grab you and we go to the safe point.”

Safe point?

Safe point?

This did not sound good.

In fact, it sounded real y not good.

I opened my mouth to speak but he wasn’t finished.

“Something happens and I have to grab you, you come with me, no argument, no struggle, no worrying about your friends or I’l neutralize you, no hesitation. Got me?” Oh… dear… Lord.

I was pretty certain I didn’t want Mace to neutralize me. I didn’t know how he’d do that and I didn’t want to learn.

I decided to pul out the attitude. “I’m cal ing it off. No neutralizing, no worrying about my friends and no owing Lee the overtime he’s paying you,” I said.

He watched me for a beat and something happened to his expression. His face became hard but the look in his green eyes went soft. I watched, fascinated, and I felt the change throughout my entire system.

“Get that out of your head and focus. This is voluntary overtime, for al of us.”

I stared, trying to process his words but he didn’t give me a chance.

He got closer and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“Babe, watching you these past months has been like watching a flower bloom. Don’t disappoint us.” Then he was gone.

I stood and stared in the space he’d been occupying.

“Um…
hello
?” Tod said to me, drawing out the “hel o”.

“Um…
hello
?” Tod said to me, drawing out the “hel o”.

I snapped to and stared at them al . They were al looking at me.

“Mace was just here,” I said.

“He was?” Indy asked looking around.

I couldn’t believe they hadn’t seen him but I ignored that as there were slightly more pressing things at hand.

I told them al what he said.

They al continued to stare at me.

“We gotta go,” I declared.

They looked at each other.

“We ain’t gonna go, Sugar. He’s right, finish what you start,” Daisy said.

Lottie was watching me, then a slow smile spread on her face.

“I couldn’t put my finger on it but it’s true. You
are
a flower. I thought it was the hair but it isn’t the hair, it’s
you
.” My sister.

“Pu-lease,” I muttered and rol ed my eyes.

She just nodded, looking al happy in the face of certain danger.

My eyes moved to Indy. “What the hel did he mean, watching me these past months has been like watching a flower bloom? Who talks like that? And, anyway, he barely comes into Fortnum’s.”

“Um, I kinda forgot to tel you.” Indy was shifting uncomfortably and it worried me.

“What?” I asked.

“Lee has surveil ance on Fortnum’s, cameras and bugs, twenty-four seven. He put it in when I was going through my drama and never took it out. The boys at the office watch for security purposes and… um, for kicks.” I stared at her.

“You’re joking,” I breathed, at the same time silently asking God to make Indy tel me she was joking.

She shook her head.

I knew it was selfish, but I real y wished God would pay more attention to me.

I was processing this, thinking about al that went down at Fortnum’s, Eddie Torture, me running and hiding from Eddie, Dad’s serenade, Lottie and me wrestling.

“Holy crap,” I breathed.

Indy bit her lip.

Daisy tensed.

“We got the high sign,” Daisy whispered.

I didn’t have time to worry about being on show, nearly every day, for the Wild Bunch.

It was confrontation time.

We al shuffled around mental y preparing.

“Everybody got their stun guns?” Tod asked.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on Dad,” Lottie said.

“Let’s rock,” Indy said.

Dear Lord.

* * * * *

“They’re on a bathroom break. Ray’s at the table, get in there,” she said.

Daisy nodded and everyone stepped aside to let me go first.

I looked at Shirleen.

“Thank you,” I told her, and there was a lot of feeling in it.

She turned her eyes to me and her face was gentle.

“Child, you got nothin’ to thank me for. You get a chance to do a good deed, you do it. That way, when you need a good deed done, it’l come back to you. Karma.” I wasn’t certain I wanted to have a discussion about karma at that particular moment and luckily Shirleen didn’t wait for my comment, she stepped aside.

I walked into another dark, smoky, sweat-smel y room.

Dad was alone, sitting at the table, looking dirtier and far more worn down than he had a week ago.

“Dad,” I cal ed.

He looked up, his eyes grew bright and my heart clutched.

Then he caught sight of my careful y closed face, the brightness died and he stood up.

“Princess Jet,” he said, then his gaze went beyond me and his eyes grew bright again, “Lottie!” He looked like he was going to go for her but her body language didn’t invite approach.

I spoke. “You gotta get out of town, Dad. This has got to stop. Mom’s in a safe house and I’m staying with Eddie because it’s too dangerous to be at home. Eddie’s sorting things out but the more trouble you cause, the harder that’s going to be for him. You have to go.”

I sounded calm, cool and col ected.

Inside, I was anything but. I wanted to start bawling. I wanted to stuff him in a car and go on the run with him. I wanted to get him to a Gambler’s Anonymous meeting. I wanted to put my arms around him and have him dance me around, singing Paul McCartney songs. I wanted to ask him why he left Mom, Lottie and me. I wanted to know why he was a bum.

Instead, I stood and stared at him.

“I’m gonna sort it out, Princess Jet. I’m workin’ on it.”

“You aren’t going to sort it out gambling and stealing.

Someone shot at me and someone else wants to rape me.” His lips pressed together.

“That’s not gonna happen, Jet, I’ve got my eye out for Fratel i.”

“Yeah, right,” Lottie mumbled.

I looked over my shoulder at her. She was standing, one foot out, arms crossed on her chest, face angry. The rest of the posse stood behind Lottie, their eyes not on Dad, but on me. Tod gave me an encouraging smile and winked.

I looked back to Dad and saw him try his smooth-it-over smile.

“You girls gotta give me some time. I’l hit it big and I’l take you to the French Riviera.”

Without hesitation, Lottie said, “We’ve heard that before.”

She was right, we had. We’d heard it a lot. I’d just never known what he thought he was going to hit big.

Dad’s face got tight and he threw Lottie an angry look.

“Dad… ” I started.

“Give me time!” he yel ed and both of us jumped.

Dad was a good ole boy, he didn’t yel . Ever.

“I’l sort it out,” he went on, his face getting red. “You don’t know, you don’t fuckin’ get it. I’m gonna come back, but only when I hit it big. Only when you girls and Nancy can be proud of me, when we can live large, like you deserve.” His words hit me like he was pelting me with rocks.

I mean real y, was he crazy? What kind of fucking nonsense was he on about?

I put both hands on my hips and leaned forward.

“It’s too late! The time to do that was fourteen years ago.

You’ve been gone half my life!” I shouted, “We’ve moved on. It’s over! You’ve got to get out of town, Dad, and stay gone. For your own good, but especial y for ours.” He flinched like I’d hit him.

“You don’t mean that Princess Jet.”

I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean a word of it. I wanted him to come back, I wanted to live large with Mom and Lottie and Dad al together again.

But that was a dream and I knew dreams didn’t come true.

Dad taught me that.

I didn’t get time to go back on what I said, soften the blow or finish my point.

It was at that moment, I found out what war felt like.

* * * * *

You would think that in the middle of bedlam you would lose track, but I remembered every moment in a way I knew I’d never forget.

There was the time when it was just me, Dad, Lottie and the gang standing in the smoky room, Shirleen had closed the door on us.

Then the door was opened and Slick was there, Slick and his friends. Slick had apparently gone to ground and gathered reinforcements; too many, too much for al of us.

He’d also decided that tactical y a knife was not the chosen weapon, he went with guns.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, Dad had decided to arm himself as wel .

Eddie was right. The stun gun in my purse wasn’t shit when bul ets started flying. It wasn’t like the movies, there were no clever comments to give you the chance to prepare. Slick was done fucking around and that was that.

They fired upon entry and Dad yanked his gun out of his waistband and randomly returned fire shouting, “Girls, get down!”

I threw myself at Lottie and we both went down. I rol ed away from the legs charging in the door, taking her with me.

We ended faced down and started to crawl, low on our bel ies, Lottie moving underneath me. I held most of my body over her.

There was more gunfire, a lot of it, too much. It was so loud it rang in my ears and I could smel the gun powder up my nose.

Then I heard shouts, screams, running footsteps, thuds of flesh against flesh. I saw Lee, running low, snatching up Indy on the go as if she weighed no more than a feather. He turned and they vanished.

I saw Matt, crouched low with Daisy in a fireman’s hold over his shoulder. Then, quick as a flash, they disappeared around the corner of the door.

Then a hand wrapped around my ankle and I was pul ed back, my arms let go of Lottie and I rol ed, thinking Mace had got to me but it wasn’t Mace, it was Vince.

Just my
fucking
luck.

He pul ed me to my feet, an arm around my waist and started running, me tucked under his arm. I noticed he jumped over a prone Shirleen, lying on her side in the hal .

Fuck!

I didn’t let the surprise at seeing him get to me and I didn’t let my worry for Shirleen break my focus.

This was about life, death and rape. I wanted no part of the second two and the first one was just getting interesting and I wasn’t about to let it go.

I twisted, struggled and screamed at the top of my lungs.

That’s when Mace arrived.

I saw him, Vince saw him and Vince stopped. He jerked me upright and pul ed me back against his body, an arm around my rib cage.

“Not another step,” Vince said and I felt the cold against my temple.

Mace froze.

Mace was carrying a gun, held up and pointed at us, left hand to his right wrist, head cocked to the sight of the gun but his eyes shifted to my temple.

My eyes slid there too.

I could see Vince’s gun held to my head.

Wonderful.

Now, at this juncture I had two choices. I could get dragged out of there and hope someone found me and took care of Vince before I got raped and possibly kil ed.

Or I could fight, maybe get kil ed but at least I wouldn’t spend the last hours of my life being scared out of my mind and violated.

No choice, real y.

I brought my head forward, then back with a vicious snap. I cracked my skul against Vince’s chin and for some reason, it didn’t hurt.

The gun fired and I felt the burning pain at my temple.

Now
that
hurt.

I thought surely I was dead, but my limbs were stil taking orders from a brain that was stil working and positioned in my skul and I noticed Mace move, fast as lightning.

Vince’s arm around me went slack when he went into defend mode, forgetting me when faced with an aggressor who, one second, was five feet away, the next second, on top of us.

Mace grabbed me and threw me free and since apparently I could run, I did.

I heard a struggle, a grunt of pain but I kept going and didn’t look back.

I went down running, doing a sliding skid on my knees, stopping next to Shirleen. I had time to get my hands on her and noticed she was breathing when a strong arm went around my waist. I was pul ed to my feet and redirected.