Rock Chick Redemption (Rock Chick #3)(70)

Bitch. I thought.

“Hi. I’m Roxie,” I said.

“I know,” she said this like it was a joke.

“Breakfast,” Luke cut in, clearly having other things to do and those did not include common niceties like introductions or hanging around listening to Dawn being a bitch.

“Um…” I was feeling funny about giving her my order.

“Coffee?” Luke cued me.

“Yes… a skinny caramel latte?” I asked, unsure.

His eyes moved to Dawn and so did mine. She’d lost her smug smile and looked peeved. It was pretty clear she didn’t feel like running out to get me a caramel latte.

“What else?” Luke asked, looking back to me.

“I don’t know. A scone, a muffin… something like that,” I felt tremendous pressure. Perhaps I should order plain fruit and unsweetened granola and ask them where I could do my morning yoga (though I didn’t practice yoga).

“Got that?” Luke asked Dawn, he was done and it was time to move on.

She nodded, grabbed her purse out of the drawer and skedaddled, walking like she was on a catwalk, one foot in front of the other, her ass swaying under the skirt of her expensive, tailored suit.

Bitch. I thought again, watching her go.

“No comparison,” Luke said after the door closed behind Dawn and I turned to him.

“Excuse me?”

“Dawn’s a man eater. You’re not. No comparison,” Luke answered and I didn’t know how to take that.

“Is that good?”

The half-smile came back.

“Most men prefer to do the eating.”

Holy f**king cow.

“Uncle Tex told me you were shot,” I blurted out, desperate to get off the subject of Just Plain Hot Guys eating anything.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“How’re you feeling?” I asked, although it was a stupid question. He looked healthy and fit, very healthy and fit.

“Alive,” he answered.

That kind of said it al .

“Wel , I’m glad for that,” I told him because I couldn’t think of anything better to say.

Before he could answer (not that he was going to answer), the door opened.

I turned and saw Lee and Marcus come in.

“Oh shit,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

Luke got close, I could feel his heat against my back.

I stood stock-stil .

Marcus’s eyes settled on me.

“Roxie,” Lee said, walked to me and bent to kiss my cheek.

Wow.

A cheek kiss from Lee.

It was a multiple “holy cow” day for sure.

“Hi Lee,” I whispered.

Lee’s eyes moved to Luke, crinkled at the corners to show his amusement, just like his Dad’s, and he stepped aside.

“Did you meet Marcus yesterday?” Lee asked, his eyes moving to me.

I shook my head.

“Marcus, this is Roxanne Logan,” Lee introduced us.

Marcus put out his hand and I took it.

Before he could say anything, I said quickly, “I’m so sorry I got Daisy shot at. I like Daisy. She’s been real y nice to me. She’s wise and she’s funny and she has interesting taste in clothes.” Marcus looked at me and didn’t say anything so, of course, I carried on like the idiot I was. “And I’m sorry about her Mercedes getting bul et holes in it. It wasn’t her fault. She’s a good driver. I mean, she kept her cool, kind of, except when we were playing chicken and…

um… other times.”

Oh my God, someone had to stop me from talking.

I went on. “And if she ever gets shot at again, I’m sure she’l probably get away.”

Luke’s hand settled at the back of my neck.

I shut up.

The hand stayed there.

“Daisy tel s me you’ve had it rough,” Marcus said.

I nodded. Luke’s hand tightened.

Marcus stared at me and a shiver slid across my skin.

He was handsome, that was certain, but there was a hardness behind his eyes that was chil ing.

“Your troubles are over,” he said with a finality that caused the shiver to go into a ful body tremble.

I blinked at him.

“Let’s go to my office,” Lee cut in, his eyes were now serious and they were on Luke.

Marcus stil had hold of my hand. He gave it a firm squeeze that felt like a promise. Then he let go. Lee touched my shoulder and they walked out of the room.

Luke’s hand came away from my neck and I turned to him.

“What just happened?” I asked him.

“Marcus entered the picture,” Luke answered.

“What?”

“Three things,” Luke said immediately, surprising me. I wasn’t sure he could enumerate three things in Luke Speak. He went on, proving he could. “One, the police can track down your trouble, that trouble is put away and it’s over. Two, we can do it, your trouble is taken to the holding room, taught a lesson, then handed to the police and it’s over. Three, Marcus can do it, that trouble is dead. I’m hopin’ for number two.”

I focused on number three.

“Dead as in, not-breathing-anymore dead?” I asked.

“That’s the only kind of dead there is,” he replied.