Rock Chick 07 Regret (79 page)

Jerry was looking pale.

Light, luckily, for me, was beginning to dawn.

“He was working with Donny Balducci,” I told Glover and Cordell.

Jerry’s eyes came to me. “Shut your fuckin’ mouth.”

Oh my.

I decided, since things seemed to be a bit confused and Cordell and Glover weren’t paying much attention to me, that I should start moving slowly toward the door.

So that’s what I did.

But I kept talking.

“The Caymans accounts,” I said to Jerry as it hit me. “The Balduccis wanted the money in those accounts. Revenge against my father. You were going to get your share, weren’t you?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jerry shouted, starting to come toward me but Cordell and Glover moved, fencing him in, so he stopped.

“Mickey Balducci killed my mother,” I announced to the room. “My father avenged her death. The Balducci Brothers wanted retaliation. Jerry was working with them.”

Cordell and Glover didn’t move but Jerry’s eyes were locked on me and his face twisted with rage.

“You fuckin’ bitch,” he hissed and I kept moving slowly to the door but, for some bizarre reason, Jerry lost it, totally and completely and he kept talking. “I was Seth’s boy.
Me
. Then fuckin’ Chavez comes along and Seth thinks his shit don’t stink. ‘Hector this…’ and ‘Hector that…’ like he fuckin’ walked on water. Everyone knew, once Bernie left and Seth settled on his new boy, that new boy would get you. Everyone. We all worked on it, we all wanted it. We knew the only one Seth would trust with you, the only one Seth would trust to take care of you, was his boy. The one who’d take his place when he retired. That was
me
until fuckin’ Chavez came along.”

I couldn’t help myself, his words shook me so much, I’d stopped and was staring at him, mouth open.

“Then Chavez fucked us,” Jerry snapped, his eyes moving to Cordell and Glover. “He fucked you too. Made Seth look the fool and he fucked us all.”

“Don’t know about you but I’m still gettin’ paid,” Glover returned.

“You dumb fuck, Seth isn’t eligible for parole for years, do you think –?” Jerry started but Cordell interrupted him.

“Yeah, and for those years he put you in charge, he made you his boy again and now
you’ve
fucked him. So, tell me Jerry, who’s the dumb fuck?”

Then Glover remarked, his voice full of disbelief, “Shit, Jerry, you roofied Sadie? Jeez, Seth’s gonna be pissed.”

“Like I said. Dumb fuck,” Cordell put in.

“Fuck you!” Jerry shouted in Cordell’ face.

“Blow me,” Cordell returned.

Oh my.

This wasn’t going well for Jerry but also (more importantly) I had no idea what it meant for me.

Then everything happened at once.

Jerry charged Cordell, I could tell it was not to fight him but so he could get by him and get to me.

I came unstuck and ran to the door, got my hand on the knob but it flew open when I did. I wheeled backwards, lost balance and landed on my behind.

Marcus and African-American Hottie were in the room, guns up and shouting.

Cordell and Glover twirled, pulled out their guns and started shouting back.

Jerry jumped across the bed, toward
me
.

I got on my feet, twisted, grabbed the first thing I could find, which was a lamp, and twisted back to see he was nearly on me.

“Stop!” Marcus yelled but Jerry didn’t stop.

I swung the lamp just as a shot was fired. I hit Jerry in the shoulder with the lamp and he went down but his hands went to his thigh where blood was coming from a bullet wound.

“Stay down,” Marcus ordered, advancing, gun on Jerry as African-American Hottie was still in an armed faceoff with Cordell and Glover.

I stood, clutching the lamp and breathing like I’d run a race.

“Sadie, you okay?” Marcus asked.

I slammed the lamp down and then put my hands back to my hips.

“No. I. Am.
Not.
I’m
sick
of being kidnapped. Hector’s probably out of his mind!” I screeched.

Marcus kept his eyes and gun on Jerry but I could swear his lips twitched like he was fighting a grin.

Now, really, seriously, by all that was holy, somebody,
please tell me
, what on
earth
was funny about
this?

I looked at African-American Hottie and he looked like he was amused too.

“What’s fucking funny?” I shouted.

“Maybe you should sit down, love,” Marcus suggested.

“I don’t want to sit down. I want coffee. And brioche with marmalade,” I snapped back then I looked back at African-American Hottie and realized he was still in an armed faceoff and I should probably do something about that. “Um… African-American Hottie?” I called. “They’re good. They’re with me.”

Cordell, who was also African-American, had his eyes locked on African-American Hottie and he asked, “Is she talkin’ to you or me?”

“I’ve no fuckin’ clue,” African-American Hottie replied.

“I know
your
name, Cordell. Blooming heck, I’ve known you for years. I’m talking to the
other
African-American Hottie in the room,” I explained.

Marcus (I’m not joking) started laughing.

Laughing!

“My name is Darius,” African-American Hottie said.

Without anything else to say (and not wanting to be rude), I replied, “Hi, Darius.” Then I waved for good measure.

“Who
are
you?” I heard said from below me and I looked down to see Jerry staring up at me like he’d never seen me before.

And that’s when I knew.

I knew
exactly
who I was.

So, because I knew, I told Jerry, “I’m Sadie.”

* * * * *

The police arrived then the hotel management and security arrived. I redid my belt, put on my shoes and I was sitting in the hotel room desk chair, handcuffs finally off, just about to put a cup of coffee to my lips when Hector, Eddie and Lee arrived.

Hector stopped just inside the door, his eyes scanned the room, found me, did a head-to-toe, then they moved to Jerry now on the bed with hotel towels wrapped around his leg and a uniformed officer guarding him.

Hector didn’t order everyone out and he didn’t move. His body was solid and his eyes were scorching and that scorch was directed at Jerry.

Then I saw his jaw clench and a muscle move in his cheek.

Oh my.

I put my coffee cup in its saucer on the desk and moved swiftly across the room toward Hector.

I got within touching distance, Hector’s hands came to my hips but he didn’t look at me, his dark, angry eyes were locked on Jerry.

“I’m gonna fuckin’ –” he started but I pressed into him and put my hand over his mouth and muffled the rest.

“The police,” I warned but his hand came from my hip, his fingers curled around my wrist and he pulled it away. Before he could speak, quickly I said, “I’m all right, I’m fine. Everything’s okay.”

His scorching eyes turned to me.

My free hand went to the side of his face.

“Babe, I’m okay,” I whispered.

He looked at me for a second then two then three, his eyes scanning my face, reading me.

I got up on my toes and pressed even closer to his heat.

“Hector, baby, I’m okay,” I repeated softly.

Suddenly he let go of my wrist, his arms went around me, crushing me to him and his mouth came down on mine in a long, hard, closed-mouthed kiss.

When his mouth detached from mine, his face went into my neck and his arms got even tighter.

“Fuck,” he said against my neck.

My arms wrapped around his shoulders and I held him close thinking it was best not to tell him, just yet, that I couldn’t breathe.

Finally, his arms loosened, his head came up and I pulled in a deep breath.

“Sorry, Chavez, we need to ask Sadie some questions,” a uniformed officer said from our side just as the paramedics came in with a gurney.

Hector nodded, we moved away so the paramedics could see to Jerry and I sneaked a peek at the bed while we moved.

Jerry was glaring at Hector, eyes filled with hate. His obvious emotion made me sad, angry and happy. I couldn’t process this, it was too complex, so I decided not to think about it until… well, never. I thought it best never to think about it.

Ever.

We moved into the hall (unfortunately, away from my coffee) and I noted the Hot Bunch were amassing there. Darius was, obviously, a part of the rescue effort. Lee and Eddie had come with Hector. Luke was now with them, the elevator pinged and Vance and Matt walked out of it, their eyes coming directly to me as they moved down the hall toward us.

The uniformed officer had to wait while the Hot Bunch did their Sadie assessment. I got hugs, cheek kisses, temple kisses and there were a lot of set but relieved male faces and firm, clenched, square jaws. I noticed they looked tired, none of them had shaved and none of them were wearing fresh clothes. Mace and Bobby showed up in the meantime and both of them (even Bobby) engulfed me in bear hugs.

The elevator pinged again and Detective Marker walked out when the uniformed officer asked, exasperated, “Do you guys mind if I talk with Sadie?”

I was feeling weird. A good weird.

No, a
great
weird.

Not that they’d obviously had a tough night looking for me.

But, (I hated to admit it but had to) because they’d spent a tough night looking for me.

And they were relieved they found me alive, well and none the worse for wear.

They cared and they didn’t mind who knew it, not the hotel staff and customer onlookers, the police or the paramedics.

Tough guys or not, I was one of them.

I wasn’t Ms. Townsend anymore.

I was Sadie, Rock Chick.

How great was
that?

“You get her statement?” Detective Marker asked, coming up to me with a smile.

“Tryin’,” the uniformed officer replied.

“Well, fuck boy, get it so she can go home,” Detective Marker snapped.

The officer looked at the ceiling.

I pressed into Hector, his arm went around my neck and he pulled me deeper into his side, partially into his front.

The officer asked me questions and I answered, telling my story.

I was, of course, not thinking clearly, considering all that happened. If I was, I might have asked for privacy before I shared in front of Hector how I duped Jerry. The Hot Bunch clearly found my tactic amusing. Hector, I could tell by the electric current whipping around the hall, absolutely did not.

I hurried through the rest, the officer finished with some questions, Detective Marker asked a few more and finally the officer flipped his notepad closed, nodded and took off.

The Hot Bunch and Marcus had been joined by Tom, Hank and Monty by this time. I got a couple more hugs and cheek kisses and we all stood around in the hall with Detective Marker.

“So it goes.” Detective Marker looked at me, “The Balduccis are all talkin’. Pointin’ fingers at each other. It’s confusin’ as hell and most of
it’s
lies but far’s I can read it, they been gettin’ pressure from outside factions.” Detective Marker’s eyes slid to Hector then to Marcus and I could tell he was lying when he went on, “Don’t know who. Don’t care.” His eyes came back to me. “Those boys never trusted each other anyway. For weeks they been establishin’ and breakin’ allegiances to each other and outside the fold. Marty was the smart one, pullin’ ahead of the pack, feignin’ loyalty to the brothers but makin’ outside deals. Donny felt the pressure, allied with Ricky and he knew where Jerry’s head was at regardin’ Seth and you. He used it, fed Jerry some of Marty’s potions so he would take out Harvey, the weak link, but also so he’d cast suspicion on Marty. Don’t know where Glover and Cordell fit into all this but Cordell has always been loyal to Seth, I’m surprised he was involved.”