Rock Chick Reborn (Rock Chick #9)(39)

They said nothing.

“Am I heard?” I asked.

“You’re heard, Shirleen,” Roam rumbled.

“Yeah, you’re heard,” Sniff put in.

I looked to Roam. “That report, son, I read it. Nothin’ else to say but to share the fact I got so much pride for you, it hurts me inside havin’ to contain it and not let it explode all over the place.”

“Shirleen,” he whispered.

He wasn’t hiding anything right then. The goodness coming to me from him came strong and pure.

God, I loved that boy.

Sniff punched his own heart with his fist twice then reached out and punched Roam in the arm with it. “Way to go, my brother.”

I loved both of them.

“Piss off,” Roam muttered.

And a little bit more eked out.

He was embarrassed.

I fought grinning as I ordered, “Don’t tell your brother to piss off.”

“He’s annoying,” Roam returned.

“He’s proud of you too,” I shot back.

“I totally am,” Sniff stated.

Suddenly Roam pushed up from his lounge and clipped, “Shut up.”

“Don’t tell me to shut up when—” Sniffed started.

He stopped talking when Roam pointed in his face then pointed to the ceiling and hissed, “Shut up.”

Sniff shut up, tensed, then both boys shot off the couch like rockets.

My heart dropped to my feet.

“Stay down here,” Roam ordered quietly as he and Sniff swiftly made their way to the stairs.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Got your phone?” Sniff asked as answer.

“No,” I told him.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to me.

Oh no.

“Boys,” I snapped in a whisper.

Roam was four steps up, Sniff two down from him, when Roam halted and turned to me.

“Stay. Down. Here. And quiet,” he commanded on his own whisper.

If I wasn’t so freaked, I would lament all the time I allowed that boy to hang with the Hot Bunch learning to be so damned bossy.

Instead I was freaked.

Because something was up.

And in the life of the RCHB, something being up could be anything.

I mean, I’d shot a man in my own home because the RCHB (that time it was mostly HB with the RC dragged in) had some big shit going down.

Was I going to let my teenage boys slink, unarmed, up to face uncertain anything and wait downstairs for them?

Hell no.

I started to follow when I heard squealed, “Well look at you, sugar bunches of love! You get more handsome each time I see you!”

Daisy.

Daisy had broken into my house.

As fast as my high heels would take me, I stomped up my stairs.

Nope.

Not Daisy.

The Rock Chicks.

Every one of them.

Daisy. Indy. Jet. Roxie. Jules. Ava. Stella. Sadie. Ally. And Annette thrown in, I hoped, for comic relief.

Because we’d need some comedy.

Seeing as I was about to lose my mind!

“Did you all break into my house?” I asked furiously.

“Well no, sugar,” Daisy answered calmly. “You gave me your key to check on things when you had that staycation that time Vance and Jules took the boys campin’ for spring break.”

Shit.

“I—” I began.

“Zip it,” Ally ordered.

I stared daggers at her and would learn quickly I should not have wasted time staring daggers and instead should have maybe gone for my stun gun when I found myself bum-rushed by ten Rock Chicks through my great room, down my hall, into my bedroom.

“All’s good, just Rock Chick business,” Jet called behind her to my boys before she slammed the door, turned to rest her back to it and glared at me. “Two dates and no spill?” she whisper-hissed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I mean, are you seriously serious?” Roxie demanded.

I crossed my arms on my chest. “Can’t do a freeze out and spill.”

“Oh. My. Goddess!” Annette screeched. “This room is fuckin’ phat! I mean, I can see myself . . . everywhere.”

She did a whirl, checking herself out in a variety of directions.

What could I say? It was my bedroom. I decorated in glamor.

And glamor meant mirror.

“Annette,” Ally clipped.

Annette stopped whirling and grinned at me. “Even your furniture has mirrors. And you got yourself a purple padded headboard. Sah-weet.”

“It’s lavender,” I corrected.

“Whatevs,” she replied. “It’s sah-weet!”

“Can we stop talking about Shirleen’s headboard?” Indy asked.

“Unless that headboard’s seen some action,” Ava added.

“What kinda girl do you think I am?” I asked. “We’ve only had two dates.”

“A healthy, red-blooded one,” Ava answered.

“Have you kissed him?” Roxie asked.

“Have you slept with him?” Ally asked.

“What’s he look like?” Stella asked.

“Is he tall?” Sadie asked.

“Is he hot?” Indy asked.