girlie in black flats. You wear black flats when you’re eight and ninety-eight, not anytime in between.”
“Tod…”
“Huh!” he snapped, giving me The Hand.
I knew better than to argue with The Hand.
So, if something went down and I couldn’t run, at least I’d die dressed to the nines from top to toe.
* * * * *
We went straight to the bar when we got there and I scanned the crowd for any sign of Darius or angry black women.
Luckily, the coast was clear.
The bartender came right up to us. “Shirleen said to wait until she gives you the high sign,” he told Daisy and Daisy nodded.
Then she turned to me. “You ready for this, Sugar?” No. I wasn’t ready for it. I had a lot of things to say to Dad but had no idea how to say them. And what would it matter anyway? Vince was stil going to be after me. I was just going to have to go with the moment.
“Ready as I’l ever be,” I told her
She squeezed my arm. “That’s my girl.”
The troop turned to the bar to order drinks and I stood just outside the clutch.
“Buy you a drink?” I heard a man ask and I turned to look.
My eyes hit a well -defined col arbone and muscular throat above a navy henley so I looked up.
Mace was standing there.
“Say yes and then look like you’re flirting with me,” he ordered in a soft voice.
My stomach clutched and I ignored his instructions because I was in sort of a mini-freak out. Mace could put any girl in a mini-freak out, especially tel ing her to flirt with him and most especially using a soft voice.
“What?” I asked, sounding stupid.
His eyes shifted and he lifted a chin to the bartender.
“Two beers,” he said.
I shook off the freak out and leaned into him.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
He circled me, getting close, cutting me off from my posse and forcing my back to the room. He leaned against the bar, looking, for al the world, like a guy on the prowl with me being the prowlee.
“Lee got word shit’s goin’ down tonight. He put together a team.”
No.
No, no, no.
No shit going down and no team.
I could just about handle my friends offering moral support when they were having fun while they were doing it.
I didn’t need the Wild Bunch out there getting paid overtime on Lee’s nickel. That was one favor too far.