He looked good.
He also looked unhappy.
Before I could say anything May advanced on him, arm up, finger pointed. She got right into his space and poked him in the chest.
Uh-oh.
That was spitting in the eye of the tiger if I ever saw it.
“What you doin’ about this, boy?” she snapped.
Um.
Yikes.
May called Vance “boy”. I wasn’t sure that was good.
Vance didn’t respond; he just looked down his nose at her.
I wasn’t sure that was good either.
“My girl’s been marked for rape and torture and you swing by to pick up your Arby’s roast beef and cheese?” May continued.
“It’s covered,” Vance replied.
May’s back was to me but I saw her body go rigid. “Covered?” she shrieked.
Time to intervene.
“May,” I said as I pushed through Duke and Heavy and headed toward Vance and May. “It’s okay,” I told her when I arrived. “I told Vance last night I was off the streets. He’s giving me a panic button and I’m checking in regularly.”
“Panic… checking…” May spluttered, “I do not believe what I’m hearing. What kind of lame-ass bullshit is this?”
I noticed with dismay that Roam, Sniff, Clarice, Indy and Jet had all joined our party.
“Jules has tracking devices on her car and in her bag. Her house is wired and under surveillance. I’m giving her a panic button and I know her schedule for the day. She checks in whenever she arrives somewhere,” Vance explained and I thought it was rather nice of him, he didn’t have to. Then his eyes cut to me. “Which you didn’t do when you arrived at Fortnum’s.”
Whoops.
That explained his unhappy face.
“That’s what I’m sayin’. Lame-ass bullshit,” May kept at it, luckily taking me off the hot seat for not calling in.
“May, I can take care of myself,” I put in.
“Yeah, maybe you can. Maybe you can’t. You’re dating one of the baddest badasses in Denver and he’s workin’ with the rest of the baddest badasses. Indy, Jet and Roxie got bodyguards. What are you? Chopped Liver?” After delivering this tirade, May turned back to Vance. “She look like chopped liver to you, boy?”
Oh no, there was the “boy” comment again.
“May, I think it best you don’t call Vance ‘boy’ anymore,” I whispered to her.
“He is a boy to me!” May shouted back at me.
I stepped away a bit.
“Jules didn’t want a bodyguard,” Vance informed May.
“Yeah, well, she didn’t want a boyfriend either and you took care of that,” May shot back.