Rock Chick Regret (Rock Chick #7)(95)
Eddie took in a breath, he didn’t like what he was going to have to say next, he didn’t like to owe markers to anyone who was dirty, but he knew he had to say it.
His eyes moved to Lee. “You need to go to Marcus and Vito. They need to make their protection of Sadie official. Townsend and any of his crew that are out there need to know what they’re up against if they’re thinkin’ retribution against Hector or Sadie.”
Lee simply nodded.
“This just keeps getting uglier and uglier,” Hank muttered.
Hank was right but Eddie, thinking about his brother’s woman, her mother dead, taking her life in her own hands to be free of her father, ending up beaten and raped by one of his competitors and Sadie’s response to this latest news, still hoped Hank was wrong.
As for the unsettled feeling he had about Hector and Sadie, the way they behaved and the way he saw them looking at each other, Eddie knew it was time to talk to Jet.
* * * * *
Buddy
“Double H is here,” Ralphie whispered from his position at the window and Buddy looked to his lap.
Sadie’s head was there, her magnificent hair fanned out everywhere and she was asleep. YoYo was on her side and asleep too, tucked in the crook of Sadie’s lap, Sadie’s hand on the dog’s belly.
Sadie had come home from work with Ralphie, her face pale, her eyes dead, a look that seriously alarmed Buddy. It didn’t help that Ralphie was giving Buddy faces saying, nonverbally, all was even more unwell in the World of Sadie.
She’d tried to make a go of it, pretend excitement for YoYo’s arrival (as was her way), but Bex showed up with the dog, took one look at Sadie and asked, straight out, “Oh God, Sadie girl, what’s happened now?”
Sadie pulled in her lips, trying for control (this lasted about a second). Then she snatched YoYo out of Bex’s arms, cuddled the dog against her face and burst into tears.
Through her blubbering, she told them a crazy story about her father killing her mother, something about “amazing ‘f*ck-me’ sex” with Hector (she said they had sex four times, which had to be a crazy story, four times in one night and all of them “amazing” was impossible and if it was true, Hector Chavez was legend material) and ended on some incomprehensible nonsense about her need to learn Greek.
They calmed her down, made her eat and then Buddy gave her two Tylenol PMs and sent her to the couch with Veronica Mars.
When Bex left, Buddy and Ralphie followed and they all had an impromptu conference on the front stoop about what to do.
Ralphie had a plan.
It was a bad plan.
Buddy and Bex didn’t like it but Ralphie was adamant and he talked them both around (as was his way).
Then Ralphie called Hector and told him to hold off coming over until they knew Sadie was “visiting dreamland” (Ralphie’s words) and they could talk.
Hector didn’t like it but Ralphie was adamant and talked him around.
Now Hector was there and Buddy still didn’t like the plan but he’d been watching Hector closely now for over a month.
Buddy didn’t know Hector well but there were a few things he did know.
He knew (because a friend of his at Denver Health told him) that Hector had spent the night in her room in a bedside vigil after she’d been raped. Hospital gossip spread it around that this hot, Hispanic guy had brought her in, gone berserk when they’d tried to separate them and ended up having to be physically removed from her examination bay. He’d lied to the staff, telling them he was her partner. After that was over, he and his friends had spent a month sitting outside the brownstone, making a statement to anyone who might want to come after Sadie. When he finally deemed it time to make his move, he went against what Buddy was certain was his nature and took it slow, showing patience, restraint and understanding. But also, Buddy noted, a sense of humor, consideration and a gentleness that Buddy thought was almost unreal.
Ralphie adored him and, talking with Bex about it, she agreed with Buddy’s assessment of Hector’s behavior and admitted she even trusted him and Bex didn’t have a high opinion of men, what with working at a rape crisis center that was a job hazard.
Even so, they were about to break Sadie’s confidence and Buddy didn’t like doing it.
And he hoped to all hell that they weren’t about to break her heart.
Buddy moved Sadie’s head, slid out from under her and carefully tucked a pillow under her, hoping he wouldn’t wake her. She moved, Buddy sucked in breath but she just curled her knees up higher, pinning YoYo, who didn’t mind and simply snuggled closer. She tucked her hands under her cheek in prayer position and stayed out.
Buddy let out a sigh.
At that point, Ralphie and Hector walked in the room.
Hector’s eyes immediately went to Sadie.
“She’s asleep,” Buddy whispered then, “kitchen.”
Hector’s gaze sliced to him and he didn’t even try to hide his look of tender concern.
At his look, Buddy knew.
Thank Christ, he thought.
They went into the kitchen and Ralphie closed the kitchen door as Buddy got three Fat Tire beers from the fridge.
He opened the beers while Hector asked, “How is she?”
“A f**king mess.” Ralphie answered and Buddy shot him a killing look. “What?” Ralphie responded to the killing look. “She’s been crying her eyes out and blathering on about learning to speak Greek. What’s that all about?”