He didn’t answer.
“Uncle Tex. I’m okay,” I repeated.
Stil no answer.
“She needs rest, I don’t think she’s slept in days,” Vance said.
I was kind of getting tired of these men talking about me like I wasn’t there. Unfortunately, I was so dog-tired physical y, I didn’t have the mental capacity to cal them on it. So, instead, my head, stil pressed against Uncle Tex’s chest, nodded and I pul ed a bit away.
“Don’t know how to thank you,” Uncle Tex said, obviously to Vance.
“We’l talk about that later,” Vance replied.
Uncle Tex let me go and looked at Vance. I saw that Vance and Uncle Tex were staring at each other and the air around us had somehow changed.
“You got an idea of what you want?” Uncle Tex asked, not beating about the bush, and I hoped that whatever answer Uncle Tex was looking for was the one that Vance gave.
“Yeah,” Vance replied.
“Money?” Tex asked.
Vance’s face got tight and I could tel , right off, that wasn’t the right thing to say.
So could Uncle Tex and he changed tactics.
“Roxie?” Tex said but he wasn’t addressing me, he was talking to Vance.
My eyes got wide and I stared at Vance, waiting for his answer.
I might have been tired and just rescued from a kidnapping and I was certainly thankful to Vance for everything he’d done and he was cute and al (real y cute, super cute, actual y cute wasn’t the word, hot was more the word) but I sure as hel wasn’t going to be handed over as a gift of gratitude for saving my hide.
And anyway, if anyone could hand me over, it was me and I was done with men. Total y and completely. I was looking forward to a life as a cat lady. I was going to get a dozen cats and a f**king great vibrator, maybe one of those rabbits I heard about, and that was it.
Vance’s voice broke into my lonely, but satisfied, plans for the future.
“I’l get what I want from Lee.”
“Money,” Tex said decisively and he sounded disappointed.
Vance looked at me. Then he looked at Tex. He was deciding if he should share.
Then, he decided. “I want five minutes in the holding room with Bil y Flynn before they turn him over.” I looked between the two men. I didn’t know what “the holding room” was but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
Holy cow.
I held my breath.
For the first time, Uncle Tex smiled and whatever was in the air evaporated. “You’l have to stand in line,” Tex told him.
“I think I’ve earned one of the first cracks,” Vance said.
Holy cow. Holy cow. Holy cow.
“Vance –” I started but stopped when his eyes locked on me.
He wasn’t hiding his reaction again; he looked angry, beyond angry. I realized immediately that he actual y had been control ing his reaction. This was his real reaction and it scared the living daylights out of me.
“A man raises a hand to a woman, he needs a lesson,” Vance said.