All right.
I’d had enough.
This was not happening.
I’d had a tough day. A tough week! A tough f**king life!
I was going to take no more.
“Is that so? Well I have a message for him too,” I snapped back.
Jerry’s hands went tight on my arms, so tight, they hurt.
“Quiet and listen to me.”
“Last warning, stand back.” Daisy got in closer.
I ignored her and leaned in. “No, you listen to me. No messages, no nothing. My father doesn’t exist anymore. You tell him that.” Then, for good measure, I used one of Hector’s badass lines, “Got me?”
Jerry ignored my fairy princess/bimbo groupie badass and returned, “Sadie, I’m warnin’ you, Seth is losin’ patience with you.”
Ice Princess gave him a Chill Factor Sub-Zero Glare. “Do I look like I care?”
He leaned in and we were nose-to-nose right before he said threateningly, “Girl, you better care.”
“Take your hands off her.” I heard Eddie say from behind Jerry and I looked around to see him standing there, feet planted wide, arms loose at his sides and looking unhappy.
Jerry let me go and turned to Eddie. Then he gave an amused hoot.
“Detective Chavez,” Jerry said in an ugly voice. “Now I’m confused. I thought it was your brother who was tappin’ her ass.”
I gasped.
“Uh-oh,” Ava said from beside me as Eddie’s body went visibly taut.
Jet, Daisy, Ava and I huddled as Eddie warned Jerry, “You got one second to disappear.”
“Yeah?” Jerry taunted, pretending to look around. “You sure you wanna try to get a piece of me? I don’t see Nightingale at your back.”
“Eddie, let’s just go,” Jet put in.
“Move away,” Eddie told Jet, not taking his eyes from Jerry.
“Eddie –” Jet kept trying.
“Jet,” Eddie clipped and that was all he had to say. Jet shuffled us all back, we moved as one in our Rock Chick huddle, all of our eyes locked on Eddie and Jerry.
“Fuck, you think you can get a piece of me.” Jerry sounded amused.
Eddie didn’t say a word, he didn’t move, his eyes didn’t leave Jerry.
“This is gonna be fun,” Jerry went on and Eddie still didn’t reply, pushing Jerry to ask, “You gonna stare at me all night?”
Eddie still didn’t move.
But he did speak.
“No, I’m gonna ask you what Townsend would think if he knew you been meetin’ with Donny Balducci.”