Rock Chick Regret (Rock Chick #7)(62)

Finally, I asked him to find a way to sign over Art to Ralphie and Buddy without a dime needing to change hands. It would be my thank you for taking care of me. It wasn’t much, but it was the only good thing I had to give.

I wanted no memory of my old life. I was going to pack up my suitcases, board a plane and set up a new life far away where no one had heard of Seth Townsend. Where no one knew who I was, what I was or what had happened to me. And where I could find some peace to decide who was the new me, get used to her and, if I was lucky and I could forget Ralphie, Buddy, Daisy, Hector and all that came with them and, maybe, I could be content.

I heard the doorbell ring and I pulled in my breath. Hector was there to take me out to dinner.

“I’d prefer to have a chat about this,” Aaron said to me as I listened to far away, muted male voices.

“My mind’s made up,” I told Aaron.

“Please, Sadie, as a friend of your family, a particular friend of your grandmother’s, afford me this one courtesy,” Aaron pushed it.

“Sadie!” Buddy called up the stairs. “Hector’s here.”

Darn it!

I had to get off the phone before someone came up to get me and I had no idea how I was going to get away alone to talk to Aaron. In my current circumstances with Hector’s edict being followed to the letter by Ralphie and Buddy (and, by the way he was acting, Ralphie had appointed himself my personal, very well-dressed, completely unskilled, g*y bodyguard), it was impossible.

Why did everything have to be so difficult? It was my money and my property, for goodness sake!

“Sadie!” Buddy called.

I put my hand over the mouthpiece and yelled, “Coming!”

“Sadie?” Aaron said in my ear.

I took my hand off the mouthpiece. “Either you do it or I hire someone else to do it,” the Ice Princess told Aaron. “Your choice but I want it done and I want it done as fast as possible.”

I heard Aaron sigh, I knew he was going to give in and I felt a quick charge of relief.

“I’ll see to it,” he assured me.

Thank God. One thing checked off the to-do list.

“Thank you, I’d be grateful for that.”

“Sadie!” Now it was Ralphie yelling from closer to the door and I knew he was climbing the stairs. “Double H is here.”

I covered the mouthpiece again and shouted, “I know! I’ll be right down!”

“Seems you’re busy. I’ll let you go,” Aaron said. “Stay well.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

Then I heard the disconnect.

I had the phone in the receiver and I was snatching up my purse when Ralphie burst in.

“Ralphie!” I whirled to the door. “I said I was coming.”

“I thought you were climbing out the window,” Ralphie retorted.

I wished I’d thought of that and made a mental note to remember it in case I needed it in the future.

“Get a move on, sweet ‘ums. I think I already taught you this all important lesson but I’ll repeat as necessary. We don’t keep hot guys waiting at the door. Skanky guys, yes. Slimy guys, definitely. Hot guys, um… no.”

I gave Ralphie a glare, my glare deflected off Ralphie’s grin and pinged around the room until it disintegrated.

I squared my shoulders, found My Ice and headed out my bedroom door.

* * * * *

It was debatable whether one could call Hector and my “just the two of us” date “enjoyable”.

Firstly, I dressed in my armor, head-to-foot (but not toe) silvery-gray. I had on a shimmery, boat-necked, long-sleeved, tight-fitting, knit shirt with a small, delicate pendant of diamonds shaped in the form of a flower hanging from a platinum chain at my neck and matching drop earrings. This was paired with a slim-fitting, just-above-the-knee, somewhat-shimmery, silvery-gray skirt with four, precise kick pleats, one at the front and back of each of my knees. Elegant, gray, patent leather pumps with a spike heel and black toe, a couple of scent-refreshing sprays of my signature perfume, a quick shake of my fingers coated in my favorite pommade (to define and separate the curls and waves) through my otherwise unencumbered hair and my black trench coat completed my ensemble.

When I walked downstairs and Hector, wearing jeans, boots, a skintight white, long-sleeved t-shirt and black leather jacket (what a pair we were!), saw I changed out of my nice but somewhat casual day wear into Ice Princess Gear, he gave me a little, amused grin and shake of his head.

I ignored him, bestowed goodnight kisses to my roommates and swept, head held high, out the door.

Secondly, Hector informed me in the Bronco that Buddy had given the police the keys to my storage facility. The “lab boys” found nothing to place Ricky at my apartment such was the immaculate cleaning job Ralphie and Buddy did, but they did find traces of blood and hairs on my couch and mattress. Some of it, he explained, they figured was mine, some of it, they hoped, would belong to Ricky.

I hoped so too but I didn’t share.

However, I did wonder how this was going to affect the auction of my “estate”. I didn’t share that either.

Lastly, Hector took me to a Mexican restaurant off Broadway, down south in Englewood. It was called El Tejado and it was not the kind of place where you wore a shimmery, silvery-gray outfit and little diamonds shaped as flowers.