LaTeesha’s makin’ chicken and dumplin’s. You’re eatin’
chicken and dumplin’s.”
“I like chicken and dumplin’s,” Roam put in.
“See? We’l be fine,” LaTeesha finished.
“Yeah, we’l be fine ‘cause I got myself a shotgun and I bought you that .38 last year for Christmas,” Smithie told LaTeesha. “That’l make us just fine.”
“I’m not hearing this,” Eddie muttered and walked out the door.
“Smithie, I want your address. You just got put on the drive-by route,” Lee said to Smithie and he walked out, Smithie fol owing him muttering what I thought was, “Damn straight”.
After that, the Hot Bunch filed out. Luke and Vance after giving Ava and Jules some PDA. Hector after asking me if I knew about the meeting on Thursday with Dixon Jones.
LaTeesha fol owed Matt who was going to take her to Lee and Smithie. Roam and Sniff fol owed Bobby who was going to take them to the TV in the safe room.
This left the room fil ed with Rock Chicks, Tex and Duke.
And for some reason everyone had eyes on me.
I didn’t think this was a good thing.
Therefore, to deflect attention off me, I turned to Roxie and said, “Congratulations, Roxie. That’s cool.” She smiled and said, “Yeah.”
“Ava, sugar, go get Stel a a cup of coffee,” Daisy said softly and a chil ran up my spine as Ava nodded and took off on her errand.
“What’s up?” I asked as I realized I’d failed at deflecting attention off of me.
“You hear from Mace, darlin’?” Tex asked and I stared at him.
Shitsofuckit.
I had to lie.
“Erm…” I said instead of flat out lying.
“I’m not sure I agree with this,” Al y put in, her voice far softer than normal and that chil that went up my spine chased its way back down.
“I don’t wanna talk about Mace,” I tried to waylay whatever they had planned but Daisy got up, walked to my chair and pul ed me out of it.
“I think you need to be on the couch for this one,” she said to me as she walked me to the couch.
Not good.
“Listen, guys, seriously, Mace and I are over and –” I started again but Daisy ignored me and pushed me down onto the couch.
While Daisy was doing this, Jet pul ed Daisy’s chair close to me and sat on it. It wasn’t her actions that made me stop talking. It was the look on her face.
“Sometimes a Rock Chick needs a little help from her friends,” Jet said quietly.
“And sometimes her friends need to know when to back off,” I replied just as quietly.
Not being a bitch or anything but whatever this was, it was unnecessary.
Of course, they didn’t know that but stil .
“Yeah, and now isn’t one of those times,” Duke put in, sitting down beside me, his arm coming to rest on the back of the couch behind me, his big body turned to mine.