I watched the door close behind him then I turned to Vance. “I have to get to work too,” I told him, feeling weird at what he’d witnessed, weird as in exposed.
He nodded, his arm came around me and pulled me to his body. Clearly Vance didn’t feel weird.
“Don’t forget, you’re trainin’ with Luke at five thirty,” he reminded me.
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I have to go to the mall. Buy a party outfit.”
Vance grinned. “Not sure Luke will accept the mall as an excuse.”
“I’m not sure I care if Luke will accept it or not.”
“Five thirty,” Vance said, still grinning.
“Crowe, I need to go to the mall.” It sounded almost but thankfully not quite like a whine.
He didn’t answer my question, instead, he said, “I’ll meet you at your house in time to take you to the party.”
“We don’t know when or where that’ll be.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out.”
I was sure he wasn’t wrong. Most of the party planners were in the very same room and he worked with their boyfriends.
“All right,” I gave in.
“Pack a bag. I want you at my place tonight.”
That got a Grade Three flutter right off the bat. I wanted to see where Vance lived. I knew I shouldn’t want to but I did. I also wanted him to “want” me at his place. I knew I shouldn’t want that either but I did.
And it was my birthday so I should get what I wanted.
It was then my emotional Rottweiler started panting and whining.
Damn.
“Vance –” I started.
“Pack a bag.”
My eyes narrowed. “Seriously, you’re going to have to do something about that macho-speak.”
“Jules, pack a bag.”
I frowned at him. He stared at me.
Then I gave in.
“All right,” I said.
He kissed me again softly and I was a bit disappointed at getting a soft, sweet kiss. Not that it was a bad kiss, not at all, but it was my birthday.
When his head moved away, he was wearing his shit-eating grin like he knew my thoughts.
“Later, Princess,” he said.
Then he was gone.
No sooner had he vanished then the Rock Chicks descended.
“Let me see that bracelet,” Indy said, grabbing my wrist. “That’s gorgeous! I want one!”
“I see you didn’t break up with Vance last night,” Jet said, smiling at me.
“I did,” I told her, “he just kinda ignored me.”
She was still smiling.
Whatever.
“I have a problem,” I told them, “I need to go to work and I need to train with Luke at five thirty and then there’s the party and somewhere in between, I need to go to the mall and get a party outfit.”
“You have a lunch hour?” Indy asked immediately, dropping my wrist.
“You’re training with Luke?” Ally asked, eyes wide.
“Yeah, but it’s only an hour,” I told Indy, “and, yeah, but against my will,” I told Ally.
“Doesn’t matter,” Indy said, “meet us at Cherry Creek Mall. By Aveda. Noon. We’ll sort you out,” Indy said.
“But –” I started.
“Noon,” Indy repeated.
“I wanna train with Luke,” Ally put in.
“Everyone wants to train with Luke,” Jet replied.
We all looked at each other. Then we all started giggling.
Once we were done giggling, Indy and Ally went back to work but Jet walked me to the door checking out my bracelet.
I looked at her.
I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to ask. I wanted to know but I didn’t want to know.
Oh hell, I just went for it.
“Jet?”
Her head came around to look at me. I stopped and so did she.
“Yeah?”
“What’s it mean when I guy holds your hand?” I asked.
Her fingers were around my wrist, they moved to wrap around my hand. “It means he likes you,” she replied.
“What’s it mean when he’s a guy like Vance?” I went on.
Her hand squeezed mine. “It means he really likes you,” she repeated.
“What’s it mean when he’s a known player and a guy like Vance?” I kept at it.
She reached out and grabbed my other hand. “Jules, it means he really, really likes you,” she said softly.
I sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
She smiled at me. “I told Roxie and I’ll tell you, trust me on this, don’t fight it,” Jet said.
My voice got low. “I have to.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I just do,” I lied. I knew perfectly well, I just didn’t want to share.
She nodded. “I understand.”
I blinked at her. “You do?”
“I’ll tell you about Eddie and me sometime. Actually,” she said, her eyes getting bright, “I take that back. Fight it. It’s much more interesting that way.”
“For who?” I asked.
“All of us,” she grinned, “including you.”
Hmm.
That did not sound good.
* * * * *
The girls (and boys) and I swung into the doors at King’s only ten minutes late from my lunch hour.
We’d just conquered Cherry Creek Mall and in the trunk of Hazel I had a new party outfit (with shoes); a new nightie to take to Vance’s on my sleepover; two new sets of very sexy underwear; a cute pair of cords I didn’t really need; a couple of t-shirts I really didn’t need; a fantastic new blouse I really, really didn’t need; and a serious new pair of ass-kicking boots.
This was accomplished because it wasn’t just Indy, Jet and Ally who met me at the mall, Roxie, Daisy, Tod and Stevie had come with.
I stood in different fitting rooms in different stores and they threw clothes at me. In came clothes, out went clothes. Some would go scout other stores and whisk me away on the trot if they saw something I had to try on.
I didn’t need to train with Luke that evening. I’d had the workout to end all workouts at the mall.
But my party outfit was killer and the shoes were amazing.
We’d all just made it through the door when May came trotting up to us, hands moving around in circles at her side, highly agitated about something.
Oh crap.
The minute she made it to us I asked, “Where are Roam and Sniff?”
“What?” she asked, her eyes bright. “They’re in with a tutor, you gotta –”
“They’re okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, hon, you gotta –”
“You look like something’s wrong. What’s wrong?”
“I’m tellin’ you, you gotta –”
“Is it one of the other kids?” I cut in.
She put her hand to my mouth. “Hush, girl. You gotta come with me.” Then she grabbed my wrist but stopped and stared down. “Ooo, look at that pretty bracelet!” she exclaimed.
“May! What’s going on?” I clipped.
She snapped to and said, “Right.” Then she dragged me through the rec room, turning around towards my posse. “Hey ya’ll,” she said as if she wasn’t acting bizarre in the extreme.
“Hey May,” they said, almost in unison.
May took us down the hall into the shared office space. When the nine of us burst through the door everyone in the room looked up and stared.
I wasn’t paying attention to anyone. On my desk was a beautiful bouquet of the most exquisite pale pink roses.
I smiled, May let go of my wrist and I walked forward.
“Holy crap,” Indy breathed.
“Good God,” Roxie whispered.
They all followed me to my desk and we stood staring in silent awe at the roses, such was their magnificence.
I dumped my purse on my desk breaking into the Rose Stupor and Jet s
aid, “I would never have thought Vance was a flower type of guy.”
“Me either,” Ally put in, “more like, edible undies.”
“Ally!” Tod snapped. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking,” Ally defended herself.
“They’re not from Vance,” I told them.
Everyone looked at me.
“They’re not?” May asked.
I reached for the card and shook my head. “They’re from my Uncle Nick. He knows pink roses are my favorites.”
I was a little surprised. Nick was super generous but a specially designed bracelet must have set him back a whack. A dozen pink roses especially roses like this, perfect, so pale pink they were blush, every bloom total perfection must have cost some serious cake. They weren’t even a traditional bouquet with all that baby’s breath in a heavily cut, glass vase. There were just the roses with thin spikes of green shooting out here and there bending around the blooms and a simple, cylindrical vase that was pure class. The bouquet was a work of art.
“Well, that’s damned disappointing,” Daisy muttered from beside me as I gently touched a rose.
“Your uncle is feeling generous this year,” Indy smiled at me.
“Probably thinks she won’t see another birthday,” Stevie murmured.
“Shh, Stevie,” Jet shushed him.
I slid my fingernail under the heavy cream paper of the card’s envelope and pulled it out.
Then I froze.
There was only one letter on the card, nothing else. In black, bold pen it said, “V”.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
“What?” someone said (I was too freaked to distinguish voices).
“What is it?” someone else asked.
I swayed a bit, all of a sudden light-headed and someone else yelled, “Grab her! She’s going down!”
I was pressed into my office chair, my mind started clearing and I heard Roxie say, “Get her some water.”
Tod picked up a manila folder from my desk and started fanning me with it. “Deep breaths, girlie. Deep breaths. Do you think she should put her head between her knees?” he asked Jet.
May swiped the card from my fingers. She looked at it and a slow smile spread on her face.
“These ain’t from her uncle. Praise be to Jesus.”
“Let me see that,” Daisy snatched the card out May’s hand. “It just says ‘V’,” she told everyone, her eyes big and happy. She looked around the gang. “How hot is that? That boy’s got class.”
They were all looking at me grinning like fools.
“I told him,” I whispered and then stopped talking.
“What’s that, Sugar?” Daisy asked.
I cleared my throat and looked up at them. “I told him about Nick giving me pink roses on my sixteenth birthday and how they were my favorites. It was a few months after my Auntie Reba died and how Nick and I had the first good night since she…” I stopped again and looked around them. “I told him,” I repeated.
“Righteous,” Ally said softly.
I felt something hit me then, something terrifying, a delayed reaction. I grabbed my purse, pulled out my phone and shot out of the chair.
“Jules –” Indy said my name, her grin had gone uncertain.
“I need his number,” I announced.
“What?” Roxie asked.
“Give me his cell number!” I shouted. “Who’s got his number?”
Everyone started pulling out their phones.
“I have his number,” Indy told me.
“I don’t have his number,” Daisy said, but she was still digging through her purse as if she could help.
“I wish I had his number,” Tod put in.
“Here it is,” Indy said and recited the number.
I punched it in then walked out of the room, down the hall and saw the blue room’s blind was closed. I went to the yellow room, it was free so I walked in, shut the blinds, closed the door and put my back to it. Then I hit the green button.
It rang, once.
“Yeah?”
“Vance?”
“You called me, Princess, who else would it be?” he asked, his amused voice was silk.
“We have to stop seeing each other,” I told him.
Silence.
I waited. Then I waited some more.
My emotional Rottweiler had torn free of his chains and he was barking, snarling, drooling, jumping around and ready to attack.
When he still didn’t say anything, I called, “Vance?”
“Why?” he asked.
“What?”
“Why?” he repeated, this time there was impatience in his tone.
“This isn’t going to work,” I said, as if that was an explanation.
“Why?” he obviously realized it wasn’t an explanation.
Because I like you a lot. Because you’re beautiful and strong and make me feel things I can’t allow myself to feel. Because you listen to me in the moonlight like every word I say forms a drop of nectar. Because you’ve lived a shit life and come out the other side to be someone amazing. Because now you live a dangerous life with a scar on your back to prove it and I can’t afford to lose anyone else that means something to me, I thought.
“I can’t explain it,” I said.
“Try.” His voice was beyond impatience now, it was short and clipped.
“Okay then, I’m not going to explain it because I don’t have to. It just isn’t going to work.”
More silence and I could actually feel the anger coming through the phone.
Then he said, “You’re mine tonight.”
My belly fluttered. “Vance.”
“Tomorrow it’s over. Tonight you’re mine.”
“That isn’t smart.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“I really don’t think –”
“I’ll be at your house at five to eight. We’re on the Harley tonight. Pack a bag.”
“Really, I think, after the party –”
“You’re in my bed tonight. I want your scent on my sheets.”
Oh my God.
“Vance,” I said again, this time it sounded like a plea.
“Five to eight,” he repeated.
Then he disconnected.
I stood there, back to the door and kept the dead phone to my ear.
Then I slid down the door, ass to the floor, knees pointed to the ceiling, hands on my knees and I stared into space, forcing my mind blank, telling myself I could do this and tomorrow it would be over and my life would be back to normal.
Myself didn’t really believe I could do this and it didn’t much like the idea of normal.
Chapter Fifteen
You Got a New Partner Now
I was on my back on the mat on the floor in the “down room” at the Nightingale Investigations office.
It was a big room with a couch, TV, treadmill, weights and an exercise bike and the guys used it for down time or when they were hanging around on call (only the bad boys at Nightingale Investigations would call a room with workout equipment the “down room”).
And of course the mat on the floor where Luke was kicking my ass.
“You’re not focused,” Luke said, standing over me, staring down at me, hands on his hips.
He was right, I wasn’t focused. My mind was everywhere but there. Heavy would be disappointed.
Luke was good. He knew far more moves than Heavy, was stronger, faster and constantly surprising me. Still, even as a novice I knew more than I was showing.
“Get your head in the game,” Luke continued, bending and offering me his hand to help me up for about the twenty-fourth time.
I nodded mutely, locked my fingers around his wrist, put my other hand to his forearm and then I gave a solid jerk, hoping to take him by surprise and take him down just once for the sake of my pride.
His feet were planted. He stood strong only his arm and shoulder moving with my jerk which
was disappointing. The corner of his lip went up on one side, he yanked me up and I found my feet. I immediately shifted my weight to one leg, threw my other calf around the backs of his and tagged him behind the knees. They buckled but he released my hand, his other arm went around my waist and he twisted.
We both went down, his arm tightened around my waist, the other hand went out to shield our fall. I landed in a poor strategic position on my back, him on top of me, his full weight pressing me into the mat. My legs were incapacitated and if he hadn’t cushioned our fall my head would have slammed against the mat and his weight would have knocked the wind out of me.
His head came up and he gave me a half-grin. “Better,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said back.
“You’re still fucked.”
“I kinda noticed that,” I told him.
“Don’t go out on the street with your mind on the mall.”
“My mind isn’t on the mall. I’ve already done the mall and my party outfit is brilliant.”
He just stared at me looking like he might laugh and I noticed his dark eyes weren’t brown or black like I thought. They were a deep, dark blue.
Wow.
“You wanna get up?” I asked, pushing thoughts about his eyes to the very back recesses of my mind so as never to pull them up again and placing my hands on his biceps to push him.
“Not particularly,” he said casually like he could lie on top of me all night which he probably could.
Hmm.
Not good.
“Well, I want you to get up,” I said.
“It’s good to want things.”
“Luke, get off me.”
“How solid are you and Vance?” he asked.
It was my turn to stare. “Why?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Why?”
“‘Cause I’m thinkin’ not many men want their woman roaming the streets at night lookin’ for trouble, no matter if she can handle a gun and herself. I don’t see a good future for you two unless you get your ass back to that Shelter and your mind on what you really can do to help those kids.”
One thing you could say for that, it sure was honest.
“Well, then you’ll be pleased to know we broke up today. We’re only going to the party together because we made a deal.”
I passed the torch and it was his turn to stare then for some strange reason he started to look a little angry.