Rock Chick Redemption (Rock Chick #3)(49)

Mace did a chin lift to Vance, got himself a beer and then came over and sat beside me.

He gave me a once over and said, “Nice outfit.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“I thought you were on a stakeout,” Vance said to Mace.

“Matt relieved me. I hate stakeouts. Fucking boring. Any word from Ike?”

Both Vance and Mace’s eyes slid to me.

I was taking a pul from my beer and I waved my free hand at them. I set the beer on the table and said, “I know about the holding room and the planned ass-kicking. I’m al right with it.”

Mace looked at Vance.

“I think I like her,” Mace remarked.

“Take a number,” Vance replied.

Good God.

“Is anyone going to feed me?” I blurted to stop them talking about liking me.

Vance did his shit-eating grin, then we ordered.

My purse rang so I opened it and grabbed my phone. It said “Annette Cal ing”. I flipped it open.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” she said back.

Oh no.

Annette didn’t give her normal greeting. This meant something was wrong.

I got tense. Since I got tense, I felt both Mace and Vance get tense.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“Wel , Jason and I are on our way out there. We’re in bumf*ck Iowa, goddess almighty. Iowa.”

She stopped, as if there were no words for Iowa, so I prompted, “And?”

“Wel , we went by your place and it was kind of trashed.” I got even tenser. Vance and Mace were watching me.

“Trashed?”

“Yeah. Your laptop was there and it didn’t look like anything was missing but a lot of stuff was broken, your furniture was slashed. I’m no expert but it looked like someone was looking for something. I got most of your clothes and some other stuff I thought you might want.” I closed my eyes, put my elbow on the table and my head in my hand.

“Thanks, Nettie.”

“We’re gonna see if we can power through. We’l get a hotel or something when we get there. I’l cal you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Be careful and… thanks.”

“Later.”

Then she disconnected and I flipped the phone shut.

Vance and Mace were stil watching me.

“Trashed?” Vance asked.

“My loft. A friend went by to pick up some of my stuff.

She said it looked like someone was looking for something. She said nothing was missing that she could tel . She even got my laptop so they couldn’t have been there to rob me,” I told him.

Vance looked at Mace.

Mace peeled off mumbling, “Gotta make a cal .” I ignored Mace and asked Vance, “Should I be worried?” He stared at me.

“I should be worried,” I said.

His hand came out and grabbed mine. “It was probably the people after Flynn. They already proved they have no interest in you. You likely have nothin’ to worry about.” I nodded but I didn’t much appreciate him using the word

“likely”.

Then I saw Vance looking over my shoulder again. He let go of my hand but dropped his head and smiled at the table when my phone rang again.

It said “Indy Cal ing”.

I took a deep breath and answered it.

“Where the f**k are you? I cal ed home a f**kin’ mil ion times,” Uncle Tex boomed.

“Sorry, Uncle Tex, I should have cal ed you. I went with Eddie to the station to press charges against Bil y. Now, I’m having lunch at Lincoln’s Road House with Vance and Mace.”

I felt the hairs rise on my neck and turned. That’s when I saw Mace standing in the back doorway talking with Lee, Eddie and f**king Hank.

“Fuck,” I said, turning around.

Vance was smiling at me.

“There’s nothing to smile about!” I hissed at Vance.

Vance’s smile went wide.

“What the f**k are you talkin’ about?” Uncle Tex boomed in my ear.

“Nothing,” I answered, the hair raise going to goose bumps as I felt Hank’s eyes on my back. “Where are you?”

“At Fortnum’s, spent al day listenin’ to f**kin’ Indy, Al y and Jet goin’ on ‘bout how you’re stil hung up on that stupid, weasely motherf*cker that kidnapped you. Told ‘em they were al f**kin’ nuts,” he said. Then he asked, “You aren’t, are you?”

I blinked at the table just as the waitress came and set down our food.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Apparently, Hank told Lee and Lee told Indy and Indy told every-f*ckin’-body that you’re stil in love with that f**kin’ *.”

My body went completely stil .

Then, slowly, I turned around and looked at Hank.

Or, to put it more truthful y, scowled at him, eyes narrowed and everything.

Hank caught my scowl and raised his brows.

My eyes narrowed to slits.

Then I turned back to the table.

“No… I… am… not… in... love... with... Bil y… f*cking…

Flynn,” I enunciated every word.

After I finished, Vance actual y threw his head back and laughed. I scowled at him too.