I felt it safe to smile back at her. Anyway, she was kind of funny and seemed sweet when she wasn’t being scary.
“If you girls are finished reminiscing, maybe I can ask Jet a few more questions?” Marcus butted in.
Marcus was saved the edge of Daisy’s tongue when a knock came at the door and Louie stuck his head in.
“Nightingale’s here.”
Thank you, God.
I did a mental sigh of relief.
Marcus closed his eyes in frustration.
Daisy clapped her hands.
“Lee’s here! I haven’t seen him in ages.” The door opened al the way and Lee walked in.
His eyes hit me in a way that told me he was surveying both my physical and mental well -being. He seemed okay with what he saw which assured me I did not look nearly as freaked out as I real y was. Then he looked at Daisy.
“Daisy,” he said.
“Lee, Sugar Bunch, lookin’ good, as usual.” She winked at him.
His lips twitched.
“Let me guess,” Marcus said to Lee, “this one has your protection too. What? Are you building a harem?” Lee shook his head.
“I’m running this errand for Eddie.”
Marcus, who seemed to have accepted his fate, went scary tense again. I had the feeling he didn’t like Eddie.
“What’s it got to do with Chavez?” he asked Lee.
“Jet,” Lee said, and he wasn’t talking to me, he was talking to Marcus, my name was the answer to Marcus’s question.
“Shit,” Marcus said and looked at me like I was now a pain in his ass. His eyes swung back to Lee. “You tel Chavez I want my fifteen grand.”
“Take it up with McAlister. And some advice, Marcus, keep Jet out of it. It took a lot to talk Eddie from comin’ here himself with a couple of uniforms. You don’t want that kind of trouble.”
“I got trouble with you over this?” Marcus asked and the tenseness was stil there.
“Keep Vince under control and your focus on McAlister. If he makes good, keep him away from your tables. You do that, you have no trouble with me,” Lee answered.
I looked at Daisy. Daisy was watching this like a hawk.
She caught me looking at her and she came forward and hooked her arm through mine. “I’l walk you to the door, Sugar,” she said and propel ed me out of the room.
“I’m sorry you got woken up in the middle of the night,” I said to her as we walked from the big room down the hal .
She waved her hand. “Happens al the time.” Um… eek!
Then she went on, “You must’ve just come off shift and, no doubt, dead on your feet.”
I nodded.
She stopped at the front door and her face got serious.
“No harm wil come to you, I’l see to that. But your Dad better get his shit together. I’m not sayin’ this to scare you, Sugar, I’m tel in’ you like it is. Comprende?” I nodded again.