Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(112)

“Do you women always talk like that?” he asked, referring, I knew, to the sex chat.

“Um…” I hedged, because, wel , we did.

“I don’t wanna know,” he cut in.

“Good choice,” I whispered.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

* * * * *

The apartment was dark, it was late and Juno and I were in bed when we heard the key in the lock. Juno was sleeping. I was not.

I was planning.

I rol ed when I heard the door open and the alarm start beeping. Juno lifted up and then jumped off the bed. Then I heard the code being entered and Juno’s tags jingled as she walked across the room.

I got up on an elbow, pul ed my hair out of my face and cal ed, “Mace?”

“Yeah, babe,” Mace cal ed back quietly.

I felt my heart flutter then settle. Not that I thought anyone was breaking in, just that I was glad he was home. I was glad to hear his voice say “yeah, babe” like he came home and said that to me every night. I was glad because I thought there was a possibility that he could be coming home and saying that to me every night.

“Just checking,” I told him. “Everything okay?”

“As okay as it can be.”

That wasn’t a great answer but at least no one had been shot at.

“Are you coming to bed?” I asked.

“In a minute,” he replied.

I listened to Juno’s tags jingle louder than normal knowing Mace was giving her a rubdown. Then I listened to Mace move around in the dark, listened to him taking off his clothes, listened to the soft rustle as his clothes hit furniture.

He walked into the bathroom, the light went on a second before he shut the door.

I lay back in bed and Juno jumped up and started to settle at the foot.

Then I took a deep breath, quit planning my upcoming War with Mace’s Demons Strategy and thought about my night.

Hector had walked me up to my apartment and he’d given me a cel phone to use, saying my cel and land line may be being monitored by Mace’s Dad.

I found this creepy as al get out but then again, Mace’s dad was a creep so that wasn’t a surprise.

Then, to my shock, Hector stayed. I thought this was a nice thing to do. I wasn’t a person who couldn’t be alone but at that moment I didn’t want to be alone. Normal y, I would choose a Rock Chick to be with me during this, my first, important maneuver in my War with the Demons but since I didn’t have that luxury, Hector would work.

I looked at the piece of paper Hector had given me and saw that Mace’s Mom’s name was Lana. I thought that was a beautiful name. She’d kept the last name Mason so I was guessing she never remarried. I supposed if you were screwed over by the Supreme Asshole of Al Time, you wouldn’t be keen to jump back into the game.

I dialed her number, got cold feet and hoped she wasn’t home.

I had absolutely no idea what to say.

Then I got worried she wouldn’t be home and I had absolutely no idea how to leave a message.

“Hel o?” I heard in my ear.

Oh shit.

Too late.

My eyes flew to Hector. He was standing beside me as I sat in my armchair.

He gave me a nod.

“Um, Ms. Mason?” I said back, dipping my chin to look at my knees and I heard Hector’s boots on the floorboards as he walked away.

“Yes?” she answered.

“This is Stel a. Stel a Gunn. You don’t know me. I’m a friend of your son’s. I’m a friend of, um… Kai’s.” Sheesh but it was weird cal ing Mace “Kai”.

Silence.

Or, I should say, loaded silence.

“Hel o?” I cal ed.

“Kai?” she asked and the way she said his name made it sound beautiful. She had a gorgeous voice, soft, feminine, melodic. I liked her just by the sound of her voice.

But I real y liked her by the way she said her son’s name, like it was magic.

“Yes, Kai,” I told her.

“Is he al right?” I heard a tremor of fear sift through her voice.

“Yes,” I said quickly then I went back on that word. “No. I mean, he’s fine but he’s not fine.”

Effing hel , this was hard.

Get on with it! My brain shouted at me.

I don’t know how! I shouted back.

Well, think of something! My brain wasn’t having any of it.

“I don’t understand,” Lana said in my ear. “You’re the girl in the papers, right?”

Oh hel , she’d seen the papers.

Beautiful.

I wondered what she knew.

“Yes,” I told her. “We’re kind of… erm, special friends.” Special friends?

I was such an idiot!

“I was getting that from the papers,” she said softly then she informed me, “You’re very pretty.”

That was a nice thing to say so I smiled at the phone.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

What now?

Bloody, effing hel .

“He doesn’t know I’m cal ing you,” I told her.

Silence again.

I took a deep breath and forged ahead. “I know about Caitlin. I just found out.”

More silence, again it was loaded.