Rock Chick Revenge (Rock Chick #5)(150)

Tex scowled at Daisy, completely unimpressed.

“We have no leads. It wouldn’t hurt, a quick stop to the mall,” Sissy pointed out and I couldn’t stop my smile. Sissy going head-to-head with Tex meant the old Sissy I knew was back. Three weeks ago, Sissy probably wouldn’t have had the gumption to say “boo” to Tex.

“What’re you grinnin’ about?” Tex demanded, his scowl now directed at me. “A second ago, you were thinking of cuffin’ Luke to the bed to get ahead of him in this hunt.”

“Luke?” Olivia cut in, staring at me. “Big Momma told me Luke Stark paid her a visit this week. We talkin’ ‘bout Stark here?”

“Yeah,” I told her.

Her eyes got big again. “You seein’ Stark?”

My smile grew wide. “Yeah.”

“Shee-it, girl. I seen him around. I seen him lots. That boy is fine. That boy’s ass, hon-nee, that ass could win awards. You sure bounced back from Jeremiah all right. Good for you,” Olivia smiled back.

“Are we goin’ to the mall or what?” Daisy asked.

“I could go to the mall,” Olivia said.

The Rock Chick party stared at her.

“I could join the hunt for Jeremiah too, wouldn’t mind takin’ that boy down,” Olivia went on and then turned to her girls. “He’s the one stole from Big Momma.”

“Rat-bastard,” one of her girls muttered.

“That’s what I’m saying,” I muttered back and got a bunch of big, white grins.

Shirleen, who’d missed all the action and not only didn’t look like she cared but didn’t bother to ask, hoofed up to us.

“We got a situation,” she announced and everyone’s eyes swung to her. “Smithie’s cornered in someone’s yard by a couple of German Shepherds. Any of you good with dogs?”

Crap!

This just keeps getting better all the time, Bad Ava took that opportunity to chime in.

Oo, puppies! I love puppies! Good Ava exclaimed.

“I’m good with dogs,” Sissy said.

“Right, let’s go,” Shirleen didn’t waste any time. She waved at Winnie and took off toward her Navigator. Everyone followed suit except I leaned over and gave Winnie a kiss on the cheek and Olivia gave her a big hug finished with a kiss on the top of her head.

“Be safe,” Winnie called after us as we walked through her yard.

“We goin’ to find Jeremiah after this dog business?” Olivia asked, following us.

“Yeah, after the mall,” I told her.

Daisy pulled up short and gave Olivia a look. “We good?”

Olivia shrugged. “I’m over it. The man took Big Momma’s money, she almost lost her house. Fuck that. This hunt takes priority.”

“I hear you,” Daisy said.

I could swear I heard Tex growling to the heavens.

“Can I ride with you?” Sissy asked Olivia. “I’m thinking, once I divorce my stupid, cheating husband, I’m going to get a Lexus. I’ve never been in one but they’re sweet. I’d like to experience the ride.”

“Get yo’ skinny white ass in there,” Olivia answered, which Sissy took as a yes.

Olivia, her posse and Sissy all scrunched into the Lexus, the rest of us shoved into the Navigator. Shirleen pulled out and Olivia tailed us.

“Let me get this straight,” Tex boomed from the passenger seat. “Now Dexter has got Lee and his boys, Ava and the girls, the Zano family and four crazy black women after him. Indy and Ally are at a prison on a fool’s errand ‘cause that boy ain’t gonna talk. Smithie’s pinned in a yard by dogs and after we do a dog rescue we’re goin’ to a lingerie department?”

“That’s right,” Daisy said.

He blew out a huge sigh. “Shee-it,” he muttered (but it still came out as a boom).

* * * * *

Shirleen hadn’t gotten the story exactly right.

Smithie wasn’t cornered by two German Shepherds. Smithie was treed by two German Shepherds.

By the time we got there Smithie was perched on a stout limb twelve feet up and the two dogs were at the trunk, snarling and barking so viciously, white slobber was lapping at their doggie lips.

Ee-yikes!

Sissy valiantly tried cooing at them, one of the dogs broke off still snarling and chased her to where we all were standing behind a ten-foot chain link fence at the side of the house. She rushed through the gate and Jet threw it closed behind her.

Luckily, the dog preferred Smithie-meat likely noticing that Sissy didn’t have as much juice on her bones and ran back to the tree.

“Motherf*ckers!” Smithie yelled at us. “Do somethin’! I been up here an hour.”

“That isn’t true. He’s only been up there half an hour. Forty-five minutes, tops,” Stevie corrected.

“Anyone tried to stun gun the dogs?” Daisy asked.

“You wanna walk up to one of those dogs and stun gun it? I don’t think so,” Tod put in.

“We should have brought Tasers,” Roxie said.

“Indy and Ally have the Tasers,” Jet reminded her.

“Maybe we should call the fire department,” I suggested.

“You wanna explain to the fire department why a black man with no connection to the owners of this house is in their yard?” Duke asked.