This didn’t work. He shook his head in an annoyed way, let me go, we got out of the Bronco and walked up to the office.
However angry he was, he held my hand the whole way, now, how bizarre was that?
* * * * *
I took in Shirleen’s raised brows but pretended I didn’t see them.
Shirleen saw my pretending and thought it was bullshit.
“All right, tell Shirleen, what in the f**k is goin’ on?” She lifted her hand and her thumb jerked to the door Hector just walked through. “That boy has been in a foul mood all day. Now, foul moods aren’t unusual with Hector, he’s moody but he’s edgy. A boy’s edgy, you gotta give him room for the moods; it comes with the territory. If he’s good at his job, would put down his life for the boys and he ain’t difficult to look at, like Hector, you do things like that. But this is different. Everyone’s been givin’ him a wide berth all day. Even Luke, Vance, Lee and Mace and those boys ain’t scared of nothin’.”
I had to admit, I kind of felt better that badasses Luke, Vance, Lee and Mace also thought Hector’s “foul” mood was worthy of wide berth and I wasn’t a total wuss.
I looked at Shirleen and realized she actually expected an answer.
“Um…” I hedged.
“Ain’t no ‘ums’ with Shirleen. He’s pissed way the f**k off and you look like, like… I don’t know what you look like but somethin’ ain’t right.”
“Well…” I started then I stopped.
She waited.
I stayed silent (really, what could I say?).
“That’s it,” she announced. I watched as she stabbed a button on her phone with a frosted-apricot fingernail and I heard a dial tone coming from the speaker. Then she hit another one and the speed dial engaged and a rapid succession of tones could be heard then a ring then two then a voice came on the line.
“How’s it hangin’, sugar?” Daisy answered the phone.
“Shit’s gone down with Hector and Sadie. Sadie’s standin’ here, cat’s got her tongue and Hector’s gone electric,” Shirleen declared and I was also quite pleased I wasn’t the only one to feel Hector’s angry electric current, it made me feel less of a freak.
“Oh shit,” Daisy’s voice said.
Boy, she could say that again.
“Powwow. Fortnum’s. Tomorrow at noon. We’re gonna get this shit sorted,” Shirleen decreed and I felt panic seize me as I hadn’t planned for this either.
“But, I –” I started and Shirleen’s hand whipped up, palm out to face me and, since she was scaring me a little bit, my mouth snapped shut.
“Gotcha, I’ll get the phone tree activated,” Daisy’s voice said.
Phone tree?
The Rock Chicks had a phone tree?
Battle stations!
“Really, I –” I started again but stopped when Shirleen’s brows snapped together (so much for my puny battle stations) and Daisy’s voice came over the phone.
“No back talk, comprende?” Daisy warned. “Be there or face Rock Chick consequences.”
I had no idea what Rock Chick consequences were but, then again, I didn’t want to know.
“Oh, all right,” I gave in.
How bad could it be, a powwow?
I’d survived worse, heck, I was surviving worse at that very moment!