“Hank?”
Hank looked down at Roxie. “You’l go to Brownsburg?” he asked.
“If you want me to,” she replied.
Hank did a slow blink and an intake of breath.
“We’l talk about it later,” he murmured to Roxie and in a louder voice, he said, “In.”
“Eddie?” Lee asked.
“In,” Eddie said instantly and Jet smiled and leaned into him.
“Mace?” Lee asked.
“Out,” Mace replied.
The air in the room went stil and Stel a went rock-solid.
They were stil standing together but Stel a’s fingers were wrapped around Mace’s forearm and he was leaned over, his chin on her shoulder.
“Sorry?” Lee asked.
“Out,” Mace repeated.
“Out? ” Hector exploded, obviously not happy and everyone’s eyes turned to him in surprise. Then al eyes went back to Stel a and Mace like at a tennis match.
This was because Stel a whipped around, Mace jerked back his head but didn’t move his arm so it was wrapped around her shoulders and she was tight against his front.
She put her hands to his waist and her fingers curled into the material of his t-shirt.
“He kil ed Linnie,” she said, her head tilted back to look at him.
“Yeah, and he’s not gonna kil you,” Mace replied.
That was when Stel a lost it.
“He murdered my friend!” Stel a shouted.
“Yeah, and he shot you!” Mace shouted back, right in her face and the room went stil again at his raising his voice to Stel a, clearly angry, super angry, super-tal -muscled-hot-guy angry but Stel a didn’t even flinch. Furthermore, Juno didn’t move except to rol to her side and stretch out, oblivious to the tension in the room.
“So?” she fired back, completely unfazed by his anger.
“That’s not gonna happen again.”
“Okay, I’m happy not to get shot again. What I’m not happy about is letting Linnie’s murderer get off scot free.”
“The cops’l assign someone else and Sid’l f**k up somewhere along the line and someone wil take him down,” Mace told Stel a.
“You sure about that?” Stel a asked.
“Not as sure as I am about the fact that you’re not gonna be running through machine gunfire again.” Even though she was stil plastered front to front with Mace, Stel a turned her heard to look at Lee.
“Do I get a vote?” she asked.
“We know your vote, honey,” Lee said softly.
“Do I get special dispensation, being shot and al , to cast Mace’s vote for him?” Stel a asked Lee.