“Shit, Jules. Now you’re gonna have every f**kin’ asshole on the street callin’ you out. It’ll be like the Wild Fuckin’ West. You learn quick and you’re gettin’ strong but you go up against one of them motherfuckers without surprise on your side, they’re gonna wipe the floor with you.”
My back went straight. “Heavy, don’t worry about it,” I said.
“I do worry about it,” he retorted.
“Well, don’t,” I told him.
“I know you got Nightingale’s team at your back. They’re good but they got business to attend to, they can’t protect you every minute of the f**kin’ day,” Heavy went on.
“Vance won’t let anyone hurt her,” Indy decided to share, her face happy. Then she confided, leaning toward Heavy, “They’re going out.”
I looked to the ceiling, took in a deep breath and let it out on a loud, long sigh.
Damn.
When I looked back at Heavy he was staring at me again. “He f**k you yet?” Heavy asked.
“Uncle Charlie!” Indy snapped.
“Heavy!” I said at the same time.
Heavy kept his eyes on me. “Girl, that boy is a player. P-l-a-y-e-r. It wears a skirt, has a pretty face, long legs and a sweet ass, he’ll charm it then he’ll f**k it. You got all ‘a those in abundance.”
Indy was glaring at Heavy with her hands on her hips.
My eyes narrowed on Heavy. “Do not refer to women as ‘it’,” I warned. “This conversation is over.”
Heavy opened his mouth to speak.
“Over! O-v-e-r,” I snapped in my word-is-law voice, using his own word-spelling tactic against him to make my point and then I walked toward the garage door. “Let’s train.”
* * * * *
My phone rang in the car while I was pulling the keys out of Hazel’s ignition. Indy and I were parked in the lot outside of Zip’s.
The display said “Unknown caller”. I flipped it open.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” It was Vance.
My heart did a funny flip. I mentally told it to behave.
“Well, hello to you too,” I replied.
“Where are you?” he repeated.
“At the library,” I lied.
“You’re sittin’ outside Zip’s.”
At his words, I looked around but didn’t see any Harleys or black Explorers.
I caught Indy’s eye and she mouthed, “Who is it?”
I mouthed back, “Vance.”
“Jules,” Vance said in my ear.