Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(139)

“Law,” he said and that was it.

He walked several steps away and I assumed he expected me to fol ow.

When he stopped and gave me a look, I realized I was not wrong.

Roam had been one of my kids. In a way, even though he was sixteen now, living with Shirleen and growing up fast, he stil was one.

A special one.

Seven months ago, he took a bul et to save my life. In turn, I took two to save his and kil ed a man. We didn’t talk about this but, obviously, we were close. With May and Sniff, he’d stood up with me at my wedding.

Vance had taken both Roam and Sniff under his wing and when they weren’t at school, out on dates with girls, doing homework or being given tough love by Shirleen, they worked the surveil ance room at Nightingale Investigations.

It was unusual but sometimes they went on ride-alongs with Vance and lately Luke had been taking them out too.

However, Roam cal ing me by my street name and then arrogantly expecting me to fol ow him smacked way too much of the Crowe Effect. In fact, it was so Hot Bunch-like that I was thinking maybe he should have his time at Nightingale Investigations curtailed.

Even though I wanted to say something, I fol owed him.

The kids at the Shelter respected him. He’d been out on the street a long time and made it through. He’d lost his best friend to bad drugs and he’d taken a bul et for me. Now he was in a good home, getting an education and, there was no other way to say it, he was a Nightingale Investigations Apprentice. The Nightingale Men had a badass reputation.

Roam hanging with them was huge.

When I made it to him, in a low voice, I snapped, “Why aren’t you at school?”

“May have a line on Tex,” he replied.

I blinked but the rest of my body froze. I came unstuck, grabbed his arm and pul ed him further away.

May came up to us and got close. “What’s goin’ on?” I ignored May, my eyes glued on Roam. “Talk.”

“Some kids saw somethin’. They know who Tex is, gave me a cal . Sniff and I snuck out last night, took Shirleen’s Navigator and started checkin’ things out. Sniff’s watchin’

the building the kids said they took him into. I been makin’

the rounds, askin’ questions. I think it might be true,” Roam answered.

“Have you told Vance this?” I asked.

“Didn’t want to look the fool if it wasn’t gonna –” Roam started but I interrupted.

“Cal him. Right now. Tel him everything you know.”

“I stil haven’t made certain –” Roam began again.

I leaned in. “You know better than that. It doesn’t matter.

Any lead needs to be fol owed.”

He looked at me a beat, nodded then yanked out his phone, took two steps away and hit a button. I watched him put the phone to his ear and then he started mumbling into it.

“That boy,” May said and she sounded both proud and exasperated.

“Yeah,” I agreed and both May and I kept our eyes on Roam.

I felt my ass vibrate just as I felt my stomach churn.

I was looking forward to having Vance’s baby, really looking forward to it. Because once I had our baby then I wouldn’t be sick al the f**king time (amongst other reasons).

I pul ed the phone out of my back pocket and swal owed my nausea.

The display said, “Sniff cal ing”.

My eyes flew to May, I flipped open the phone and put it to my ear.

“Talk to me,” I demanded and I heard panting but no words. “Sniff?” I cal ed sharply, saw May’s eyes go narrow and felt Roam’s slice to me.

“Law?” Sniff said through the panting.

I started moving to the door. “Keys,” I snapped at May and her body jerked then she started running toward the kitchen where she kept her purse.

Into the phone, I asked, “Where are you?”

“Runnin’ from the building. Tex is with me. It… f*ck, Law, he blew it up,” Sniff told me.

I stopped moving. “What?”

More panting but he talked (Sniff talked a lot, it would take more than running from an exploded building to get him to shut up). “Tex blew up the f**king building. It was insane.”

“Give me that f**kin’ thing,” I heard Tex boom through his own panting and then I heard him in my ear. “Jules?” At the sound of his voice, my hand went to my throat, tears hit the backs of my eyes and I shifted my body until it was close to a chair. I was sinking into the chair when I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Fuckers conked me a good one. I got a splittin’ f*ckin’

headache,” he answered. “We need a ride,” he said this last like he’d been at a party and the designated driver ditched him and he was partial y annoyed but stil enjoying the party.

In other words, Tex was al right.

May was running up to me.

I turned to her and shook my head.

“Where are you?” I asked Tex.

I heard scraping on the mouthpiece then, “Where are we, kid?”

“Commerce City,” Sniff replied and then I heard him

“Commerce City,” Sniff replied and then I heard him giving some streets and cross streets. My eyes moved to Roam who’d come close and I snapped my fingers for his phone.

“Hang on, Tex,” I said and then snatched Roam’s phone out of his hand and put it to my other ear. “Vance?”