“Vance. We…” she stopped. “Jules, remember I told you yesterday he was the one who rescued me when my ex kidnapped me?”
I nodded.
“Well after he brought me back, he went after my ex, Billy, when Billy got away. Tracked him for days. In the end, during the big face down when Billy caught up with us at Daisy’s party, Vance shot him in the hand.”
I stared. I’d heard the story but I didn’t know it was Roxie’s boyfriend or Daisy’s party.
Wow.
I shook off my wonder at this news and focused on Roxie. “You said ‘us’,” I told her, getting closer but not touching her, “did you see that happen? The shooting?”
She nodded.
“Roxie, that must have been tough,” I said softly.
She blinked at me. “I’m not crying because of that.”
This surprised me. “Why are you crying?” I asked.
“I’m crying because of something Hank told me, the reason why Vance went after Billy. See, when Billy kidnapped me, he beat me up pretty badly, broke some ribs. When Vance found me, I was a mess. He didn’t take to that very well, said any man who raised his hand to a woman had to pay. Hank told me he went after Billy because Vance came from a violent home. His Dad put him out of the house when he was ten because Vance tried to get in between his Dad and his Mom when his Dad was beating her. This all fits together and it makes me happy he found you but it also makes me sad that he had to live through that before he did.”
“My God, I didn’t know that,” Ally said from behind me.
“I did,” Indy replied quietly.
“You went through a lot with this Billy,” I said to Roxie, ignoring her words about Vance.
That was another thing I didn’t need. Knowing why Vance was turned out. Knowing he’d witnessed his mother’s abuse. Knowing he’d had enough strength of will, sense of self and capacity for love at age ten to go against his father in an effort to protect his mother.
I didn’t need that at all.
So I rolled it up in a big old ball and threw it in the high, chain link fenced compound that stood behind my emotional Rottweiler.
“Jules, did you hear what I said about Vance?” Roxie asked, taking me from my thoughts.
“I heard you. I know about Vance. I know he was a street kid and he’s an ex-con and recovering alcoholic.”
“Holy shit. I didn’t know that either,” Ally said again.
“I did,” Indy repeated.
“How do you know all this shit?” Ally asked.
“Lee told me,” Indy replied.
“That boy has a big mouth,” Daisy put in.
“He does not,” Indy defended Lee.
“He tells you everything,” Jet entered the conversation.
“Of course he does. We don’t have any secrets,” Indy replied.
“Oh please. You lie to him all the time,” Ally returned.
“Okay then, Lee doesn’t have any secrets,” Indy retorted.
“Excuse me girls, but can we get to the topic at hand here?” May cut in and looked at me. “When’re you gonna see him again?”