Wild Wind: A Chaos Novella (Chaos #6.6)(47)

So he knew she couldn’t afford the price tag on that truck.

But he could.

In other words, maybe they wouldn’t be listing it on their website soon.

She folded in her car, which was nothing exciting. She’d stuck with Honda, and it was a solid ride, probably got great gas mileage. But it was seriously not Archie.

She’d kill it in that Bronco.

She blew him a kiss as she drove away.

This meant he was smiling when he got a chin jerk from Dog as he headed back into the garage.

Approval.

He already knew that.

He got a shit-eating grin from Shy.

Again, approval.

And again, he knew that.

He joined Joker at the car they were now working on.

Joker said nothing.

“So?” Jagger pushed.

Joke looked to him. “You already know she’s the shit, you don’t need me to confirm it.”

Jag tilted his head to stretch his neck and felt something pop.

Joke heard it.

“Your mom’s gonna dig her, man,” Joker went on.

He focused on his friend.

“I got—” He cut himself off.

“You got what?” Joker prompted when Jagger didn’t say more.

Jag coughed when he didn’t need to and said, “Nothin’. She wants to test drive the Bronco. Tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Joker said, bending back over the engine, nodding distractedly, head back in the engine. “She’s the shit.”

They got about an hour’s worth of work done before Jagger got a string of texts.

The first from his mom.

The last one was not, and that was the one that spurred him to action.

The ones from his mom started with, So, you’re blowing your mother off but your girl has lunch with your brothers?

He suspected it was Dog’s big mouth that caused that. No doubt Dog told Sheila, and then Sheila got right on with his mom.

Even if he meant to reply, which he didn’t, not until he figured out what to say, she shot off another text before he could.

Tack’s been in touch.

Shit.

Tack told her Jag had reached out, then canceled.

His mother wasn’t stupid. They were close. Even not being around him, she’d sense something was up.

The next was, I get when it’s new and you want it all to yourself.

Okay, that was a good excuse, and maybe actually part of why he was hoarding time with Archie.

Then came the next, But I sense that isn’t it. Word is, you’ve known this girl over a decade.

Not exactly.

But still…

I don’t know what’s happening with you. The next began. And went on with, What I hope you know is the path is always clear to me.

He was about to text back, I know and then some words about how she could chill (even though he knew she’d never chill, at least he could try) when he got a text from Archie.

Shit is real, baby. Mal came in and he’s being a little dick. Something has gone down. He won’t talk. I think I need you.

He had no idea why she would need him.

He just saw that she needed him.

So to that, he texted back.

Be there in twenty.

Then he got on his bike.





Jag parked at the back of S.I.L., hoofed it around the side of the building and went in, almost immediately hearing a whistle.

He looked right, saw Joany up behind the cash register, ringing someone up.

She jerked her head toward the bookshelves.

Jag nodded, even though he didn’t know if she was directing him to Archie or Mal, and scanning for either, he moved that way.

He didn’t have to find Archie, she found him, coming quickly out of the homewares section with Fabe at her side.

Jag had met Fabe. A very tall, skinny Black dude with a fade at the sides of his head, twists at the top, a bent toward electronic music and a vibe that Jag couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Bj?rk was playing, and Jag wouldn’t put it past Archie to throw that on. Joany, no way in fuck. Fabe, definitely.

Fabe seemed like a pretty laidback guy, usually.

Now he looked pissed.

Shit.

“Hey, honey,” Jag greeted Archie. Then to Fabe, “Yo, dude.”

“Yo,” Fabe bit off.

Archie gave Fabe an I’m sorry look then turned to Jag.

“Okay, well, we’ve had a bit of a name-calling incident.” Archie explained Fabe’s attitude and the I’m sorry look.

“I’m getting smoothies. Do you want a smoothie?” Fabe asked Archie a question Jag didn’t understand since they had a soda fountain stocked with ice cream, so who in their right mind would go and get a smoothie when they could be sucking back a malt?

She shook her head.

Fabe looked to Jag and arched a brow.

Jag shook his head.

Fabe stormed off.

Jag turned to Archie. “What happened?”

“Fabe was trying to do a man-to-man with Mal to get him to talk and Mal called him a poof.”

“Poof” was better than some things Mal could have called him.

Regardless, he shouldn’t be saying shit like that at all.

Jag shouldn’t be, but he was curious.

“Is Fabe, uh…?”

Archie rolled her eyes and told him, “He’s pan.”