Rock Chick Redemption (Rock Chick #3)(59)

Al the girls’ faces were frozen with incredulity at the yel .

“That’s my friend, Annette,” I told them, broke away and walked to the front.

Annette and Jason were standing a few feet inside the door. Jason was Annette’s partner, same height as Annette, light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He always smiled like he meant it and was never in a bad mood.

Annette and Jason looked at me when I arrived and I realized Jason could have bad moods under extreme circumstances because the minute he saw me, his face went hard.

Annette stared.

“Hey,” I said, smiling at them.

Annette looked at Jason, then turned on her heel and walked out the door.

On the sidewalk outside, hands clenched and arms straight, she threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs. Then she started kicking the sidewalk like she was kicking dirt and punching the air like she was hitting a punching bag, al the while emitting loud, nonsensical, angry mutterings.

I turned to al the folks in Fortnum’s.

“She’s a little crazy,” I said.

No one said a word, they were al staring out the door.

Annette walked back in.

“I’m gonna kill that motherf*cker,” she announced.

“I think that’s the consensus,” I told her.

“No, no, no. I’m gonna rip his dick off and shove it up his nose and parade him through the streets na**d and dickless and then cut his head off.”

The entire store was silent.

“Annette, honey, I thought you were a pacifist,” I reminded her in a placating voice.

“Have you seen your face?”

“Um… yeah. It’s already a lot better.”

At my words, her eyes bugged out.

Holy cow.

Wrong thing to say.

Quickly, I said, “Let me introduce you to everybody.” I did the introductions. Annette gave Uncle Tex a big, old hug and when I finished with Hank, she looked him up and down, turned to me and nodded while she said, “Nice.” Hank’s arm slid along my shoulders and he pul ed me into his side.

Annette and Jason took this in and Annette smiled huge.

Then she said, “Very nice.”

I looked up at Hank and his lips were twitching.

Shit.

Then, Jason came forward, took my hand and said, “Do you mind?” to Hank. He pul ed me away from Hank’s arm and into both of his own. Then he gave me a tight hug, shoving his face in my neck.

The room, having recovered from Annette’s outburst, went silent again.

I felt the tears hit the backs of my eyes and slid my arms around him.

“Jason, I’m okay,” I whispered. “I’m fine, I’m here. It’s over.”

He didn’t let me go. I heard Annette give a loud, hiccoughing sob (Annette was a crier, just like me) then her arms came around both of us.

We stood like that for a while and then I heard Hank say softly, “Jason, Roxie’s got three cracked ribs.” Jason’s arms loosened and he and Annette stepped away. Immediately, Hank slid his arm across my shoulders again and pul ed me tight to his side.

“Annette tel s me you’re a cop,” Jason said, looking at Hank.

Hank nodded.

“You’l get him?” Jason asked.

Hank nodded again.

Jason looked at him for a few beats, then he nodded too and I watched the tension ebb from his body.

Everyone was quiet after that.

“Al righty then!” Indy said into the ensuing silence, “Why don’t we al get lunch?”

“That sounds great, I could eat a horse but gotta unload the car first. We got a boatload of your shit,” Annette said to me. “The old Subaru is draggin’.”

“You can take it to my place,” Hank told her.

I froze.

No. No way in hell. I thought.

“No,” I said out loud.

“Cool,” Annette ignored me. “Should we fol ow you

“Cool,” Annette ignored me. “Should we fol ow you there?”

“We’l al go,” Al y, al of a sudden, was there. “Many hands make light work.”

“No,” I repeated, slightly louder this time.

“Let’s go, I’m starved. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can eat,” Eddie said as he and Jet walked up to us. He had Jet in a hold much like the one Hank was using on me.

“No,” I said again, even louder.

“Where are we going to lunch? I vote Las Delicias,” Indy put in.

“We had that yesterday,” Lee said.

“Every day is Las Delicias day,” Indy smiled to him.

“No!” I said for the fourth time and it was nearly a shout.

Daisy linked her arm in mine, pul ing me away from Hank. “You can ride with me, Sugar. We got shit we haven’t talked about yet.”

It was Hank’s turn to freeze.

“Don’t worry, Hunkalicious, we’l be right on your tail,” Daisy told him and guided me to the door.

“Don’t mind Tex, Jane and me, we’l just stay here and work!” Duke shouted to us as we walked out the door.

“Thanks, you’re a dol ,” Indy shouted back.

I looked back in dread at Uncle Tex but he was grinning.

Daisy took me to her Mercedes, which was parked in the back while everyone scattered to their own vehicles.