Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(36)

“You know who I am.” Mace confused me further by saying.

saying.

“I do?” Eric’s tone was bel igerent.

“He does?” My tone was bewildered.

“You do,” Mace answered, his eyes never leaving Eric.

Eric turned to him and something changed in the room.

Something lead singers in rock bands wouldn’t get. Only hot guys who deal in the world of crime and punishment would get it. So I didn’t get it.

“Yeah, I do,” Eric replied, his tone now dangerous and I felt something not happy crawling along my skin at this admission. “What I wanna know is, what the f**k are you doin’ here?”

“I could ask you the same f**kin’ thing,” Mace returned.

This did not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Most especial y because they both looked like they were about to rip each other’s head’s off and, outside the obvious, there was more to it, I just didn’t know what it was.

“Erm… boys?” I cal ed.

Eric tore his gaze from Mace and did a head-to-toe of me, his eyes snapping back to the bandage peeking from under my shorts.

Then his gaze cut back to Mace.

“So she did get hit,” Eric said to Mace.

What?

He knew I was shot?

What was going on?

“She got hit,” Mace replied.

“And you were there,” Eric went on.

Mace’s jaw got tight. “Yeah”

“Fuck! ” Eric exploded again. “Back off, Mason. I’ve got this covered.”

I watched, stil total y confused as Mace zoomed straight from barely control ing his anger to holding onto his anger by a thread and I knew this was not a good thing.

“You got what covered, exactly?” Mace asked.

“Stel a,” Eric responded.

“Why don’t you explain that to me?” Mace’s thread was unraveling.

“How ‘bout you explain to me why you think you deserve an explanation?” Eric shot back.

This could go on al night.

“Excuse me!” I yel ed. “I am in the room.”

“Quiet, Stel a,” Mace said to me without looking away from Eric.

Oh no.

He was not getting bossy on me again.

“Don’t tel me to be quiet. What’s going on?” I shouted.

“He’s a Fed,” Mace answered.

My breath, which had come back, decided to go on vacation again. My guess, Las Vegas.

My eyes slid to Eric.

“A Fed?” I breathed with the last remnants of breath I had.

I knew something was not right about him, he told me he worked construction.

Eric’s teeth were in a clench.

“That’s right,” he said between them, his eyes reluctantly leaving Mace and coming to me.

“You work for –” I started.

“Yeah,” Eric cut me off.

“He’s on assignment,” Mace shared.

A muscle in Eric’s jaw leaped.

“Assignment?” Now I was sounding stupid but there was no other way to be.

“Sidney Carter,” Eric bit off.

Oh my God. Eric was after Bad Guy Sid too.

Then it hit me, if Eric was after Sid, then he was with me because…

Effing hel .

I started to back up.

“Stel a.” Eric turned away from Mace and started toward me.

“Don’t f**kin’ get near her,” Mace warned.

Eric stopped and turned back to Mace. “Do we gotta take this outside?”

“Works for me,” Mace replied immediately.

“No!” I shouted and Juno woofed, sensing the degradation of the atmosphere and not pleased that Eric had decided against a more thorough welcome. Juno wasn’t used to being ignored. “You two aren’t taking anything outside. You’re going to tel me what’s going on.

Starting with you.” I nodded at Eric.

Eric turned back to me, took a step, caught my look, clenched his teeth again and stopped.

“I can’t say much,” he started then I reckon he got a load of my new look and went on, “Stel a, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I can’t say much.”

“Okay, just tel me what it has to do with me.” Eric glanced back at Mace then to me. “I’m guessin’ you know.”

“Lindsey,” I said.

“And Mason,” Eric went on.

What?

“Mace?” I asked.

Eric continued, “We got a guy on the inside. They knew Sid was feeling the heat and was gonna retaliate. We knew who the targets were. We knew you were one of them. We knew why and we knew about the operation the other night.” I went back a few more steps, too stunned by this news to let the heat of anger sweltering off Mace to register on my brain. The backs of my legs hit the edge of one of the platforms and I sat down with no grace whatsoever.

Eric started toward me again but, quick as lightning, Mace moved and got in his way.

Eric stopped and glared at him.

I looked around Mace to Eric. “You knew?”

“Fuck,” Eric muttered.

Then, not thinking (yes, again), I jumped up, stormed forward and rounded Mace, shouting, “I got shot!” Mace’s arm tagged me around the middle and pul ed me, hard, into his body.