Rock Chick Revolution (Rock Chick #8)(72)

I kept staring at her.

“You need to take them to Thornton to the haunted house thing where Billy caught up with Roxie,” Daisy advised. “The haunted house ain’t runnin’, but they still got all the buildings there.”

“Phat!” Annette shouted. “I’ll add that to our itinerary.”

“I’m not part of no tour!” Tex boomed, and the five women again turned to him, lifted their cameras and started taking photos. “Put down those f**kin’ cameras!” Tex roared on a ferocious scowl.

The women dropped their cameras again, but they weren’t offended or frightened. They were all smiling, giving each other happy looks, and two of them were even giggling.

I remained focused.

“Annette, you can’t do Rock Chick Tours,” I told her.

“Bitch, I so can,” she told me. “I got the idea when the articles came out. I set it up, then Roxie told me about the book yesterday so now I have to do it.”

“I’ve read the book, like, five times,” one woman said.

“I’ve read it three,” another woman put in.

“You’re my favorite character, Ally,” a third told me.

I was her favorite character?

“I read it last night,” Daisy said, moving into their huddle. “Stayed up all night. My favorite part was when Lee caught Indy and Tex during their B&E. Laughed myself sick, and when I did I woke Marcus. He was not happy.”

The women closed ranks on the huddle and one remarked, “My favorite is the living room tussle.”

“Mm-hmm, that one’s good too,” Daisy agreed.

“The Head Olympics discussion and the ensuing wrestling match,” another one said, and Daisy emitted her tinkly bell laugh.

“Oo, sugar, that one’s way good,” Daisy again agreed.

“Ohmigod,” the woman breathed to the one at her side, “Daisy called me ‘sugar’.”

“Sure I called you sugar, sugar,” Daisy said on a huge bright smile.

The woman lifted her shoulders up to her ears and her eyes went dreamy, not like Daisy was calling her sugar, but like Channing Tatum had just kissed her cheek.

I looked to the ceiling.

Then I looked to Annette.

“Does Roxie know about this?” I asked.

“No,” she answered.

“Indy?” I went on.

“No,” she said.

“Anyone but Daisy, Tex, Jet and me?” I pressed.

“No,” she repeated.

“Do you see how this might not be taken positively?” I kept going.

“No,” Annette replied.

I drew in breath.

One of the women moved to the coffee counter and declared, “I need a Tex coffee.”

“Me too,” another one said as she followed.

“Totally!” a third one cried.

“Tex, will you be in a picture with me holding one of your coffees?” the fourth one put her life in her hands to ask as she approached.

Tex’s angry glower shifted to me and he boomed, “Do something!”

All the women looked to me.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

The women looked to Tex.

“Something!” he shouted.

The women looked to me.

“Tex, they’re buying coffees. And it’s likely they’re gonna tip. That’s more cat treats for the kitties,” I pointed out.

The women looked to Tex.

“The cats got enough treats.”

The women looked back to me.

“You do realize that you’re giving them the show they came for and if you just shut your trap and made them coffees, it would probably be over a lot faster.”

The women looked at Tex.

Tex’s mouth snapped shut.

Finally.

Still behind the counter, Jet moved toward the group of women, introducing herself with, “Hi, I’m Jet.”

One woman breathed, “Jet.”

The other four lifted their cameras and started taking pictures. Jet looked startled a moment, then she smiled her killer smile that took your breath away and more flashes lit the scene.

I felt Annette get close and I looked at her.

“Can you call one of the Hot Bunch and ask them to drop by?” she asked, might I add, insanely. “They don’t have to say anything. Just stand there so the girls can take their picture.”

“Do you want to survive until tomorrow?” I asked back.

“Yes,” she answered.

“Then no. I can’t call one of the Hot Bunch so he’ll drop by and pose for pictures.”

“Bummer,” she muttered.

“And just a reminder,” I started. “The place is bugged. This means Lee probably already knows this is happening. And the rest of the Hot Bunch. And that means I’ll say good-bye now because you’re probably gonna disappear in the night and never be seen again.”

“That. Would be. The bomb!” she exclaimed. “Tell your brother, if he sends someone to kidnap me, I pick Luke. But if he’s busy, Vance. No, wait!” she yelled. “Hector!”

“Hector?” one of the women called from her place at the coffee counter, but her eyes were scanning the space. “Where’s Hector?”