Rock Chick Renegade (Rock Chick #4)(36)

When we got to the blue room, May closed the door behind us and this time everyone settled into a seat like they were going to spend the day doing girlie talk in a counseling room at a shelter for runaways. Daisy, Ally and Roxie sat on the couch, Indy, Jet and May pulled chairs around to face it. Daisy patted the arm of the couch next to her and, with no other option (like running, screaming, from the room, which I wanted to do but thought might be rude), I sat on it.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We just came to see how you’re doing,” Indy answered. “You okay?”

I looked at her confused, not knowing what she was really asking. “Yeah,” I said.

“We heard about last night… and, um, the night before,” Jet put in.

I switched my gaze to Jet. “What’d you hear?”

“That you’re one kickass bitch, that’s what we heard. You crazy or somethin’?” Daisy asked, clearly not in the mood to beat around the bush like the other women.

“No,” I said, my eyes narrowing as I looked down at her.

Daisy took my narrowed look and it bounced off her like she was made of Teflon. “All right, Sugar, I believe you,” she said then giggled and it sounded like tinkly bells.

“We hear you’re going out with Vance,” Ally put in.

My eyes moved to her. “Not exactly,” I replied.

They all looked disappointed.

“Yes you are,” May threw in. “You had a date with him last night.”

They all perked up.

“You had a date last night with Vance?” Indy asked.

I opened my mouth to say something when Roxie cut in. “That is so cool!” Then she leaned toward me. “What’s a date with Vance like?”

“It wasn’t exactly a date,” I told her, feeling weird, mainly because this was weird. “We watched Monday Night Football with my uncle and then talked.”

They all looked disappointed again.

“You were necking with him like a teenager in this very room just a couple of hours ago. I saw you my damned self,” May carried on spilling all my secrets.

I widened my eyes in a “shut up” look at her and noticed the hot chicks had all gone perky again.

“I bet he’s a good kisser,” Ally said.

“I bet he’s a good everything,” Daisy put in. “You get anything else from him?”

Was this really happening? I didn’t even know these people.

“Um…” I muttered. It wasn’t any of her business but I didn’t want to appear rude.

“Oh come on, share. You’re among friends,” Ally said even though I knew her less than the other four and I didn’t know the other four at all.

I didn’t do girl talk at least I hadn’t really done it since college. I didn’t know where to begin and anyway, it was important to note (again), I didn’t even know these people.

“Maybe you should understand something,” Indy said, watching me closely, “Lee and I are getting married.”

I just looked at her. I didn’t know how that information made anything more understandable. “Congratulations,” I said.

“Eddie and I are living together,” Jet put in.

I looked at her guessing she was talking about Eddie Chavez and wondering why she shared this information.

She kept talking. “We met, like, five months ago. Then I had this situation where a loan shark was after my Dad but came after me, then some other guy tried to rape me and then –”

“I’m still sorry about that, Sugar,” Daisy cut in.

“It wasn’t your fault, Daisy,” Jet assured her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Still, he was workin’ for my husband. I feel responsible,” Daisy went on.

“Don’t,” Jet said on a dazzling smile.

I watched this conversation wondering if maybe they were a little crazy when Roxie butted in.

“I’m living with Hank, Lee’s brother. We met each other less than two months ago. I moved from Chicago. My ex was kind of a jerk –”

“Kind of? He was a first class jerk,” Ally threw in. “He was more like a grade A prime ass**le.”

Roxie smiled at her. “Yeah, well, anyway,” she looked back at me, “the point is he kidnapped me and then, after I was rescued, he stalked me. It was a nightmare. Vance was the one who rescued me. Tracked me down and found me handcuffed to a sink in a sleazebag motel in Nebraska. He was very cool about it, took me to an outlet mall on the way home and everything and I didn’t even have to ask.”

I nodded, not knowing what to say, stalking ex-boyfriends, kidnapping, ra**sts, outlet malls. It was too bizarre for words.

Indy smiled at me. “We know you know Lee. Well, Lee, Eddie and Hank, they’re all part of our tribe. Vance is too. What we’re saying is, you get sucked in by one of the boys, you’re part of our tribe too.”

“We’re the Rock Chick Welcome Wagon,” Ally put in on a grin.

“See, these guys move kind of fast,” Jet added.

“It can make you dizzy,” Roxie said.

“So you need your girls around you,” Indy finished.

I looked to May to see how she was taking all of this and she was smiling at me like a loon. Maybe she was a loon, maybe all of them were loons.