Rock Chick 01 (43 page)

If he was anyone else, he’d have his walking
orders. Since he was Lee, and he loved me, and he wanted (or, more
to the point, was
going
) to marry me, I was willing to be
pretty fucking angry for awhile and then carry a mean grudge.

I couldn’t stay with anyone I knew because
Lee knew everyone I knew. This meant hotel, which was easy
pickin’s. He’d probably get Brody to write some program to hack
into the computer register of every hotel in Denver and find me in
half an hour.

No, I needed to be clever. Unfortunately, I
wasn’t that clever.

Around eleven thirty, Duke staggered in
looking hungover because he was. Duke being hungover and Tex
banging on the espresso machine was not a good combination, so,
fifteen minutes later, Duke took off for some hair of the dog.

The coffee crowd was long gone and Tex
snatched up the poster I’d pulled down and I watched him stalk
outside with a staple gun to put it back on the pole. It was then I
got a brilliant idea and followed him out.

“Hey Tex,” I said.

“What?” He stapled the semi-mutilated poster
so many times it was going to have to wear off the pole.

“Would you mind if I crashed at your place
tonight?” I asked.

“Don’t you have a place?”

“I can’t go to my place,” I told him.

“Doesn’t your boyfriend have a place?”

“His place isn’t an option.”

Tex stopped stapling and turned to me. He
watched me for a couple of seconds, ciphering something in his
head, came to a decision and then shrugged.

“You can share the couch with Tiddles, Winky
and Flossy.”

“Thanks.”

I had to admit, I really liked sleeping with
Lee. His body was comfy warm but strong and solid so I felt cozy
and protected all at the same time. I didn’t think Tiddles, Winky
and Flossy were going to have the same effect but it was just one
night, I’d cope.

* * * * *

It was three o’clock and Duke hadn’t come
back. Jane was off doing whatever Jane did when she wasn’t at
Fortnum’s (I imagined her tapping away at an old electric
typewriter like Angela Lansbury). I was sitting behind the book
counter reading through a magazine someone had left behind and Tex
was sitting in the middle of one of the couches, looking wild-eyed
and frightening.

“This is boring,” Tex said.

I looked up from the extraordinary tale of
the courage of a young man faced with a rare form of cancer and
then looked back down without answering.

What could I say? It
was
boring.

“Do something,” Tex demanded.

I looked up again.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, something. Isn’t it on
someone’s schedule today to kidnap you and hold you hostage?”

Oh, dear Lord.

“All the bad guys are either dead or behind
bars,” I told him.

“Bummer.”

Great.

The door opened and Mr. Kumar came in, behind
him shuffled in scary, living-dead Mrs. Salim.

“We came to sell you back your book,” Mr.
Kumar announced.

Double great. That triumph was
short-lived.

“That’s cool, Mr. Kumar but I don’t buy them
for as much as I sell them,” I told him.

Mr. Kumar nodded. “It’s like a rental.”

I looked at him.

I could live with that.

Mrs. Salim shuffled into the bowels of the
bookstore.

“She wants another one,” Mr. Kumar said.

My day brightened.

“That’s cool too,” I told him.

“Hey, Kumar. You want coffee?” Tex
called.

“Hello Tex! No, no coffee. I’ll take some
tea, though.”

“No tea,” Tex said.

I turned my head and looked at the gazillion
boxes of Celestial Seasonings lined up on shelves on the wall.

“We have tea,” I told Tex.

“Okay, then,
I
don’t make tea.”

I sighed and went behind the counter and made
Mr. Kumar some tea.

I was handing him a cup when the door opened
and Ally and Kitty Sue walked in.

“What’s shakin’?” Ally asked then spied Tex
and Mr. Kumar. “Hey Tex. Mr. Kumar.”

“Do you want coffee?” Tex barked.

Both Ally and Kitty Sue took a step back.

“He’s replaced Rosie. He’s a java idiot
savant,” I told them.

“Yeah, I’ll take a coffee,” Ally said (which
was smart).

Tex lumbered behind the counter and started
banging away.

“Girl’s Night Out still on for tonight?”
Kitty Sue asked me.

“Yep,” I said.

“I’ll take some of that action,” Tex
said.

We all looked at him.

“It’s
Girl’s
Night Out, Tex,” I
explained.

“So? What? Are there rules?” Tex asked.

“Yes. The rule is, it’s a night out,
for
girls,
” I answered.

“Woman, you think I’m missin’ another bar
fight or quick draw, you’re crazy. I’m comin’ out with you
tonight.”

Kitty Sue’s face got pale.

I figured it was best to give in before Tex
gave Kitty Sue a heart attack.

“I’ll ask Tod and Stevie too, even out the
numbers.”

The door opened and a short, slight,
dark-haired man walked in with fashionably mussed hair and a
well-tailored suit. He was carrying a bright greeny-blue Tiffany’s
bag.

“Is there an India Savage here?” he
asked.

My heart stopped.

It had to be a gift from Lee. He said he
didn’t do hearts and flowers but that was before he told me to
change my clothes in front of Eddie. This must be an apology gift
and any apology gift in a Tiffany’s bag was The Apology Gift to
Beat All Apology Gifts.

I didn’t know what I was all bothered about,
it wasn’t like Lee hadn’t given me gifts before. Last Christmas he
bought Kitty Sue, Ally and I a day at the Tall Grass Spa in
Evergreen. He’d also bought me a black belt with matte silver
rivets and big square buckle last year, a special gift for my
thirtieth birthday. Usually, he got me select pieces of silver
jewelry from Cry Baby Ranch or gift certificates from Wax Trax.

Tiffany’s didn’t seem his style but I wasn’t
going to complain.

Before I could get to the Tiffany Guy, Tex
was there, snatching the bag out of his hand. Tiffany Guy stayed
rooted to the spot, staring at Tex in horror.

“What is it? Is it ticking?” Tex boomed.

“Tex, give that to me,” I said, rushing
over.

Tex shoved the bag under his sling and pulled
the tiny blue box out of the bag. He defiled all that was Tiffany
and, using his teeth, he tore open the little, white, satin bow and
shook out the case, snapping it open.

I skidded to a halt beside him and stared at
a pair of diamond stud earrings,
huge
diamond stud
earrings.

Wow, Lee must be really sorry.

“There’s a card,” Tiffany Guy said, gingerly
taking the bag from under Tex’s sling and pulling out a little
white card and handing it to me.

I slid it open, pulled out the card and saw
one word scrawled on it.

It said,
Terry
.

I felt my stomach roll.

“Put them back,” I said to Tex.

“What?” Tex was dazzled by the diamonds.

“Put them back.” Tex didn’t move, so I
shouted, “Back, back,
back!
Put them back!”

“Cripes, woman, don’t get your panties in a
bunch. I’ll put ‘em back,” Tex replied.

“I want you to take them back,” I told
Tiffany Guy.

“I can’t take them back. I have express
orders
not
to take them back,” Tiffany Guy returned.

“You have to take them back!” I shouted.

“I can’t,” Tiffany Guy said back.

I snatched the box out of Tex’s hand and
pushed it toward Tiffany Guy. He put his hands up and took a step
back.

“Take them!” I yelled, jerking my arm toward
him.

“No, I can’t. We were told not to accept a
refusal.”

“Take them!” I shrieked.

“For God sake, take ‘em, man, she’s gonna
blow,” Tex boomed.

He didn’t take them so I threw the box at
him. It bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. We were all
staring at it when I heard the tone from my cell.

I felt something on my arm and looked down at
Zombie Mrs. Salim. She was holding onto my arm and looking into my
eyes. Her fingers squeezed my arm with surprising strength and I
felt a weird sense of well-being steal over me.

It was then I realized I was totally freaking
out and I took a deep breath, nodded to Mrs. Salim and picked up
the box. I snatched the bag out of Tiffany Guy’s hand and put them
back in the bag and set them on the book counter.

Whatever.

I’d give them to charity or something.

“Indy, it’s Lee,” Ally was standing by me now
and she was holding out my phone.

How could I forget? The place was wired and
had cameras. Command Headquarters had informed Lee of the latest
delivery.

I took the phone from Ally and snapped it
shut.

Ally stared at the phone, then at me.

“Did you just hang up on Lee?” she asked.

“Yep,” I answered.

Ally stared back at the phone, then back at
me.

“You just hung up on my brother?” Ally asked,
sidling into bitch smackdown mode in defense of her sibling.

“Ally,” Kitty Sue said placatingly.

“We’re on a break,” I told Ally.

“You’re on a break? You’ve been together a
week!” Ally yelled.

“We’re on a break,” I repeated.

“I don’t believe this,” Ally snapped, her
hand at her hip, countdown to bitch smackdown mode hitting
critical.

“Ally,” Kitty Sue put in, “it’s none of your
business.”

“What do you mean it’s none of my business?
Lee’s my brother, she’s my best friend.”

“She means it’s none of your business,” I
told Ally, “back off.”

“Back off? Did you just tell me to back off?
I’ve been waiting twenty-two years for this!” Ally was back to
yelling. “You can’t be on a break. That’s ridiculous! Hank’s never
gonna get married, there’s no one perfect for him. You’re perfect
for Lee and you won’t sort it out with him. I’m never gonna get a
niece named after me.”

“For God’s sake, Ally, make your own babies,”
I yelled back.

“No please, don’t do that. Not until you’ve
found someone special,” Kitty Sue threw in.

“Um… I don’t mean to interrupt your asinine
conversation but, are we gonna let those diamond earrings just sit
on the counter?” Tex asked.

“What’s happening?” Duke had walked in and
was surveying the scene.

I didn’t know what to do. My life had never
been this out of control before. I didn’t know how to deal. I
needed space. I needed time. I needed rock ‘n’ roll.

“Duke, you okay to close?” I asked Duke and
he nodded. In turn, I addressed everyone (but Ally, of course).
“Kitty Sue, please help Mrs. Salim find a book. Mr. Kumar, the
tea’s on the house. Someone put those earrings somewhere safe and
if Lee or one of his boys comes to get them, give them to him. Tex,
can I borrow your car?”

He tossed me the keys. “Bronze El Camino,
parked out back.”

I stomped outside and slid into the El Camino
and stared in shock at the 8-track player. After a moment, I
noticed there was a huge, leatherette case on the passenger side
floor and I popped it open.

That’s when I hit the mother lode.

I ran my finger down them, Carlos Santana,
The Eagles, Heart, War, Neil Young, George Thorogood, Thin Lizzy,
The Allman Brothers Band, Molly Hatchet, BTO… it was rock ‘n’ roll
nirvana.

A yanked Free out of the case and slammed it
into the 8-track. I turned on the car, rolled down the windows,
turned up the volume, pulled my gold Elvis shades down over my eyes
and peeled out of the alley, down Bayaud and onto Broadway. I
screeched passed Lee who was slamming the door to the Crossfire
which was parked in a spot right in front of Fortnum’s.

“All Right Now” was screaming from the
windows.

Bliss.

Say It Ain’t So, Tex

Tex and I were on our way to Twin Dragon for
Girl’s Night Out Does Chinese.

I’d spent the afternoon at Flat Iron Crossing
Mall.

The next best thing after rock ‘n’ roll to
calm a girl’s soul was retail and Auntie Anne’s pretzels, both of
which I exercised in therapeutic proportions.

Since it wasn’t safe to go home (because, by
now, Vance likely had the whole place wired direct to Command
Headquarters), I bought myself a new outfit for Girl’s Night Out,
including underwear and makeup.

I called Tod and Stevie and invited them and
Tex called me to tell me Kitty Sue gave him a ride home.

I took a shower at Tex’s with a cat lying on
the toilet seat watching the whole show. I put on my new red, satin
drawstring pants, a bronze silky camisole with sequins stitched
across the neckline and strappy bronze sandals. I figured red and
bronze were the way to go when going to Twin Dragons as I’d fit in
with the decor.

Tex was driving, I was shifting.

“What’s with the earrings?” Tex asked.

“The earrings are bad news,” I told him.

“Not a lot of women would think that about a
pair of diamond earrings.”

“I’m not ‘a lot of women’,” I said.

“You can say that again.”

We stopped at a light, I downshifted and
explained.

“There’s a war going on. You know that creepy
guy who looks like Grandpa Munster who came in yesterday morning?
Him against Lee. Who will win me. Bookies are taking bets on
it.”

“So creepy guy is tryin’ to buy you with
diamonds,” Tex deduced.

“Yep, and a seventeen hundred dollar dress
from Saks.”

“What’s Lee giving you?”

I counted and then told him, “Six of the best
orgasms I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Too much information,” Tex said.

We shot forward from the light and I shifted
to second.