I decided this wasn’t going very well. “There are things you don’t understand.”
“Right.”
Time to play peacemaker. “Luke, seriously, I don’t want to be Yoko Ono.”
“Come again?”
“I don’t want to be the one who breaks up the band.”
More silence then, “Babe.”
I felt relief sweep through me. His “babe” was amused. He understood.
Then he continued talking. “Mace heard how you took down Warren and his girls and saw you floor Jermaine. He and I agree you’re ready to be full-time in the field. No more training. It’s showtime. You’re ride-along with me tonight.”
He wasn’t asking. I didn’t know how Vance would feel about this but I hoped I could talk him into it because I really, really wanted to do ride-along.
“What time?” I asked.
“Pick you up at nine.”
“Gotcha.”
“Out.”
He disconnected.
* * * * *
I had a morning from hell, phone ringing off the hook, kids all over me wanting dirt on my now famous takedown of the furry pimp and his whores, word as usual travelling fast, the two skanks obviously had been talking; appointments stacked up, I didn’t have a chance to breathe.
May had been busy in the kitchen and I didn’t have the opportunity to corner her to ask her opinion about Nick’s “teasing and jacking Vance around” concerns.
I escaped at lunch, doing a run at Chipotle for Andy and me. I stormed through the doors at King’s carrying a bag full of two fat, foil-wrapped burritos.
“Hey Sugar!” Daisy called.
My head swung toward the couches and I saw Daisy sitting with Clarice. They both were wearing identical, fluffy, ice-blue, angora, v-neck sweaters, black (Clarice) and white (Daisy) cle**age bursting forth in abundance.
“Please tell me you paid for those,” I said, walking up to Daisy and Clarice.
“I quit shop-liftin’ when I was thirteen. It lost its allure after a three month stint in juvie. Gettin’ Clarice here to turn over a new leaf. That right Clarice?” Daisy turned to Clarice.
“Unh-hunh,” Clarice answered.
I wondered about Daisy’s ability to be a mentor to a sixteen year old runaway. I didn’t know that much about Daisy but with what I did know, I decided she’d probably be a kickass mentor.
I looked at Daisy. “I need a powwow,” I told her.
Daisy and Clarice stared at me.
“What kind of powwow?” Daisy asked.
“Apparently Vance and I aren’t broken up. There was a misunderstanding. He was giving me space. He’s sleeping at my house right now.”
Daisy’s eyes got huge. Then they got bright. Then she jumped up from the couch and grabbed onto my forearms with both of her hands and jumped up and down, her enormous head of teased-out platinum blonde hair bouncing with every jump (I didn’t look at her cle**age and luckily she didn’t either or there might have been blackened eyes).
“Yee-ha!” she screamed.