Rock Chick Renegade (Rock Chick #4)(55)

Heavy opened his mouth to speak.

“Over! O-v-e-r,” I snapped in my word-is-law voice, using his own word-spelling tactic against him to make my point and then I walked toward the garage door. “Let’s train.”

* * * * *

My phone rang in the car while I was pulling the keys out of Hazel’s ignition. Indy and I were parked in the lot outside of Zip’s.

The display said “Unknown caller”. I flipped it open.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” It was Vance.

My heart did a funny flip. I mentally told it to behave.

“Well, hello to you too,” I replied.

“Where are you?” he repeated.

“At the library,” I lied.

“You’re sittin’ outside Zip’s.”

At his words, I looked around but didn’t see any Harleys or black Explorers.

I caught Indy’s eye and she mouthed, “Who is it?”

I mouthed back, “Vance.”

“Jules,” Vance said in my ear.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“I’m standin’ in your living room, waitin’ to take you out to dinner.”

Whoops.

“Um…” I said.

“What’d I say about how I felt about bein’ stood up?”

“You said you’d call,” I told him.

“I got busy but our plans didn’t change.”

“Vance, I hate to tell you this but they were your plans.”

He was silent. I didn’t take this as a good sign.

Finally, he warned in a low, quiet voice, “Don’t make me come after you.”

Yikes.

I bugged my eyes out at Indy. She bit her lip on a smile.

“How did you know where I was?” I asked, deciding to change the subject.

“I planted a device in your car,” he told me.

I sucked in breath and this time, my eyes, still on Indy, went wide in shock.

Her smile faded and she mouthed, “What?”

“You planted a tracking device in my car?” I said slowly.

Indy put her hand to her open mouth.

“And in your bag,” Vance said.

“I do not believe you,” I hissed.

“Jules, get home.”

“I’m shooting then I’m going out for drinks with the girls,” I told him.

“Jules –”

I cut him off. “When’s this meet with Darius?”

“God dammit, Jules –”

“Forget it, I’ll ask Indy to call Lee. I’ll see you there.” I flipped the phone shut and looked at Indy. “Can you call Lee –?” I started.

She was nodding, already digging through her purse.

“I’m on it,” she said.

* * * * *

When we walked into Zip’s, Indy had her phone to her ear and she stood just inside the door while I approached Zip who was behind the counter.

“Girl, you are loco,” Zip shouted at me the minute he saw me.

“Now… Zip,” I said placatingly, arriving across the counter from him.

“Do not ‘Zip’ me. You’re f**kin’ loony tunes. It’s like you sent out an engraved invitation to every f**kin’ * on the street, ‘You are cordially invited to try and kick my ass.’ Shee-it.”

“Zip, let me –”

“And you got the Nightingale Boys backin’ you. Christ Almighty, girl. Those boys’re crazier than you.” His eyes went beyond me. “Fuck, is that Indy Savage?” Zip asked, staring at Indy.

“Yes –” I began.

“Oh no. No, no, no. I don’t want Lee Nightingale on my ass. You are not draggin’ her into this. She’ll recruit Chavez’s woman and Nightingale’s sister and it’ll be the Rock Chick Renegades against the Denver Drug Dealers. I see rivers of blood and pissed off bad boys denied their pieces of ass and they’ll come after me. No f**kin’ way, I won’t be a part of it.”

I couldn’t help it, he was being so dramatic I had to smile. “Zip, listen to me. Indy just wants to see me shoot. She’s not ‘into this’. Please, Zip, she’s just…” I hesitated and stared at him. “A friend,” I finished.

Zip went silent and watched me. He knew enough about me to know the importance of what I’d just said.

Then he said, “Crowe f**ked you yet?”

“Zip!” I snapped.

“Well, has he?”

“That’s none of your business.”

He dropped his chin and shook his head. “He has,” Zip said to the display case like I was his twelve year old kid and he was disappointed in finding me in the garage stealing a smoke. Then he looked up at me again. “Girl, you’re cruisin’ for a broken heart and a bullet-ridden body. God damn.” He reached into the case and pulled out a box of ammo and slammed it on the counter, indicating my tongue-lashing was over. “Get her glasses and ear protectors. Three’s open. God damn.”

Indy took her phone away from her ear, flipped it shut and approached us, smiling at Zip.

“Hey Zip,” she said.

“God damn,” he replied

Indy threw me a look. I mouthed “not now” and I walked her back to the range.