I put my face into his neck and right at his ear, I whispered, “You know Stel a’s right.”
Lee’s body went solid.
Then he muttered, “Shit.”
“We can’t give up,” I went on.
Lee didn’t answer.
“We do this, he wins,” I told him.
Lee stil didn’t answer.
“This isn’t who we are, Lee,” I finished.
“Somethin’ happens to you –” Lee started.
I pul ed my head back and looked at him.
“Nothing’s gonna happen to me,” I promised.
He stared me in the eyes. His weren’t hard to read, he was angry but I could tel he was also relieved.
Like I said, Lee was not a man who gave up.
Then he bent his head and touched his lips to mine.
When he was done kissing me, he said, “Damn straight.” I felt something unknot in me. I hadn’t even noticed it was there but it had been tying me up al day.
Lee moved me to his side.
Al the Rock Chicks and their Hot Bunch Boys were in heated conversations.
“Do we need a vote?” Lee asked the group, cutting the conversations short.
Silence.
“I got things to do,” Lee reminded them.
“I’m in,” Hector said immediately, his eyes on Stel a.
“Me too,” Darius put in.
“In,” Ike added.
“God damn it,” Luke snapped.
“Luke?” Lee asked.
Luke looked at Lee then turned his head and tilted it down to look at Ava. She licked her lips and shrugged. He touched his forehead to hers, closed his eyes for a brief second then pul ed back.
“In,” he said.
“Vance?” Lee prompted.
Vance turned his eyes to Jules. She wrapped her arms around his waist from the side.
“Fuck,” Vance muttered. “Yeah.”