Rock Chick 08 Revolution (60 page)

It was him that pulled me closer when he said, “All right, honey.”

I kept snuggled close as I moved on to the hard part. “There’s
something else I need to tell you when you’re in a sweet, waking up Sunday
morning mood.”

His eyes came alert and his lips muttered, “Oh shit.”

Oh yeah, oh shit.

“Okay, there hasn’t been a good time to tell you this because there is
no good time to tell you this, but also things have been kinda busy, so I’m
picking now because you need to know,” I explained.

“Just tell me, Ally,” Ren demanded.

“I know who wrote that book. She’s a member of the Fortnum’s family.
Her name is Jane,” I said quickly.

“Fuck,” he growled, “Seriously?”

“I don’t know if you’ve met her but—”

“Does your brother know?” he cut me off to ask.

“Which one?” I asked back.

“Either one, Ally,” he clipped, impatient.

“Um… well, yeah. Both of them do.”

“And what’re they doin’ about this shit?”

“Nothing.”

Ren stared at me a beat before he asked, “Nothing?”

“She’s a member of the family, honey,” I said quietly.

“Who’s tradin’ on the private lives of that family,” Ren returned.

“Who’s weaving fairytales,” I countered and slid up so we were eye to
eye. “She’s wanted this her whole life.”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

“It’s beautiful, Ren. All of it. Why shouldn’t the world know?”

His head jerked against the pillow and he clamped his mouth shut.

“I’m not mad,” I told him. “None of the girls are mad. Neither Hank nor
Lee freaked about it. And I want you to try to dig deep in you to find that to
give to Jane because I care about her. And I believe in what she’s doing.” I
shot him a smile. “Everyone should know how righteous we are.”

“Does it matter to you that I don’t want everyone to know how righteous
I am?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “And if you dig deep and find that you can’t get
there, you tell me. I’ll do what I can. In the meantime, I think we both need
to read Indy and Lee’s book so we know exactly what we’re dealing with.”

He drew in a breath before he murmured, “That I can do.” My lips
started turning up again, but his arms gave me a squeeze. “I don’t wanna do it,
babe. That kind of book is not my thing and there are things about your brother
and his woman I do not want to know…” He paused. “Like everything.”

I again had to fight my lips turning up as he carried on.

“But I should know how bad it is before I make a decision.”

“Or how good it is.” I gave him an alternate option.

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

I let loose my grin.

Ren caught it. The irritation leaked out of his eyes and he sighed.

Loved my man.

“I need to call, Lee, baby,” I reminded him.

“Right,” he replied and rolled to his back, taking me with him. He let
me go to reach to my jeans on the floor where he pulled out my phone, settled
back in bed and handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I muttered and went about engaging Lee.

After two rings, my brother answered with an, “Ally.”

“Yo, bro,” I replied. “Do you have some time for me this morning? It’s
important.”

“Need to talk to you, too,” he stated.

Interesting.

My curiosity peaked, I asked, “About what?”

“About Indy,” he answered. “Last few days, morning sickness hit. It’s
not good. It’s gonna be tough for her to be at the store. I know you’re workin’
a case, but with Indy in this state and Jet gettin’ to the point where she
shouldn’t be on her feet for hours, she needs you. Indy feels shit she can’t
take Jet’s back, but when she’s pukin’ half the time, she can’t do it. She
won’t ask, but I will. She needs you.”

“Of course,” I said instantly. “I’m going to the store anyway. But need
to talk to you.”

“About what?” he asked my question.

“Face to face, bro.”

“Shit,” he muttered.

“It’s not bad.” I thought on that statement and changed my tune. “Well,
it’s not good. Actually it
is
bad,
but I’m hoping it can be fixed.”

A pause before he asked, “You want me to come to you or you to me?’

“You’re close to the store, and I’m going there anyway so I’ll come to
you.”

“Text me when you’re on your way and I’ll meet you at the store.”

“Copy that.”

“Later, Ally.”

“Right back at ‘cha, Lee.”

We disconnected and I looked to Ren. “Indy got hit by morning sickness,
so I’m gonna be needed more at the store.”

“I take it that means there’s no time for a quickie,” Ren remarked.

Alas, that was what it meant.

I frowned at him in disappointment.

He grinned at me, curled up and gave me a light kiss.

When he was done, he whispered, “Go get ‘em, baby.”

I bent my neck, kissed his throat, gave him a smile then jumped out of
bed in order to do what I did.

That was go and get ‘em.

* * * * *

Lee studied the note from Meena.

We were at Fortnum’s standing way at the back in the religion section.
We were there because we needed optimum Fortnum’s privacy and this was the best
there was. The religion section, right or wrong, didn’t see a lot of action.

Lee looked from the note to me.

“This is not good,” he stated.

“I know,” I replied.

“Ally—”

I leaned into him. “I need your help.”

He stared at me.

I kept talking. “It’s bad there, Lee. The vibe is total shit. The girls
are scared out of their minds. Roam has seen Steiner take money from dancers
and
waitresses. I haven’t seen anyone
else in the club who was giving me the willies, but my guess is that when Meena
said there were eyes all around, she didn’t just mean Steiner and his partner.
Something has to be done about that, and
soon
.
Smithie’s in danger and, bottom line, this is bigger than me.”

Lee just kept staring at me.

So I kept talking.

“If you don’t want to take the case, then I need some of your guys. I
need more of Brody’s time. I’ll pay them and—”

Lee cut me off. “It’s not about the case.”

“Then why are you hesitating?” I asked. “This is Smithie.”

He stared at me another beat and right before I lost my patience, he
stated, “We’ll get into the why later. Right now, I’m gonna make some calls and
get some boys in the field, focus Brody. I’ll call you when we got something
and we’ll have a meeting. Yeah?”

We’d have a meeting?

We?

Me, my brother,
and his team?

I didn’t ask. I didn’t do cartwheels. I didn’t grab him and do a girlie
hug.

I just nodded and said, “Yeah.”

“Roam and Sniff off this thing?” he asked.

“Darius called them down when Gibbons entered the picture,” I answered.

“Good,” he muttered, looked at the note again and back at me. “Got shit
to do. Keep your phone on you.”

I nodded.

He gave me nothing; not a look, not a smile, not a thing, and he was
gone.

I wandered out of the books, got to the front and saw Daisy with her
Juicy Couture covered ass in a couch with a laptop on her lap surrounded by
Jet, Roxie, Stella and Sadie (not in Juicy Couture, and Stella’s awesome rock
tee was making me nostalgic for my collection that was destroyed by an
explosion).

Time to hit some concerts.
Then again, it was always time to hit some
concerts.

Daisy looked up and spied me.

“Sugar, get over here!” she called excitedly. “Roxie’s put some website
ideas together and brought them in.”

“They’re all the bomb,” Stella said as I moved that way, curious to see
and also feeling that feeling I was getting to know and oh-so-definitely loved
flowing through me.

“I don’t know how you’re gonna pick,” Jet told me.

Sadie moved to an armchair so I could squish between Daisy and Stella.

“Here’s one,” Daisy stated then clicked. “And the next.” Another click.
“And the third,” she said. “Aren’t they
amazing?
”

They were.

Every one.

Totally.

I looked across Daisy to Roxie. “They’re righteous.”

Roxie grinned. “I’m pretty pleased with them.” Her eyes moved to the
screen. “Though, you need a name. It’s hard for Ava and me to come up with
looks and color schemes if you don’t have a company title.”

“Rock Chick Investigations,” I announced and felt all eyes on me.
“Colors, hot pink and black.”

“
Aces,
” Sadie breathed.

I looked at her and grinned. “I know, right?”

“That’s perfect,” Jet said.

“Hot pink and black, like the book,” Roxie pointed out.

I moved my eyes to her and nodded.

As if on cue, Tex boomed from behind the espresso counter, “Loopy Loo!
B.A.! You feel like workin’ or you gonna hen peck all day?” He looked to Duke
who was beside him. “And where’s Jane? Indy’s at home hurlin’. Loopy Loo’s in
the bathroom all the time. We need fuckin’ help.”

He stopped booming long enough to point at me before he started up
again.

“You! B.A.! You got a man in your bed now, you get pregnant, I’m
quittin’.”

The customer waiting at the end of the counter for her coffee turned to
me and immediately begged, “Please don’t get pregnant. My life sucks. All I
have to look forward to every day is this crazy guy’s coffee. If he quits, what
will I do?”

“I’m not getting pregnant,” I assured her and she looked visibly
relieved. I then turned my attention to Tex. “And you’ve only got two
customers. You and Duke can handle it.”

“I got two customers, but I’m low on mugs. You want me to fill ‘em, you
wash ‘em. I don’t wash. I fill. That’s the deal,” Tex shot back (loudly). “So
get to clearin’ and cleanin’.”

This was true.

Still, I was doing something.

I was also curious.

“What’s with the B.A. shit?” I asked.

“Bad,” Tex pointed at me, “
Ass.
”

Holy crap!

I loved that!

I was Fortnum’s own Mr. T, except white, female and without the Mohawk.

Righteous!

“You know,” Jet put in. “Because Indy’s not here doesn’t make you the
boss. If anyone’s the boss, it’s Duke.”

Tex turned to Duke and declared (again loudly), “I don’t wash.”

“Man, been workin’ beside you two years. I know you don’t wash. I don’t
care that you don’t wash. What I do care about is you shoutin’ at me when I’m
two feet away. And don’t shout at the girls either. They’ll get to the
empties.” Duke shook his head. “Jesus. You just got married a few days ago.
You’d think connin’ a good woman into takin’ your name would get you to cool
it.”

“You got married?” the customer Duke was handing coffee asked Tex and
didn’t wait for an answer before she said, “Congratulations.”

“Shut it,” Tex boomed.

“Tex!” Jet snapped.

“What?” he snapped back.

Jet gave up on Tex and looked at the customer. “I’m sorry.”

“He’s told me to shut it three times this week,” the woman replied then
took a sip of coffee, lifted her paper cup and let that say what she needed it
to say (and it said it) before she wandered out of the store.

Tex piped down and I turned my attention to Sadie when she asked,
“Where
is
Jane anyway?”

There were some looks and no one said anything so I waded in. “Do you
all know?”

“About the book?” Jet asked and I nodded.

“Yep,” Stella said.

“Mm-hmm,” Roxie mumbled.

“Hector told me this morning,” Sadie added.

“Marcus told me last night. Shocked the shit outta me at first, then I
got it,” Daisy said.

I tested the waters. “Are any of you angry?”

“Hell no,” Stella answered right away. “My record company is beside
themselves. They say those books are gonna sell a shit ton of records. Mace is
still pissed though. First he was pissed because the books existed. Now he’s
pissed because he can’t say anything. Then again, Mace has a short fuse and he
gets pissed a lot.”

This was true, but the sultry grin on her face said, at least for her,
this wasn’t a bad thing.

“I know,” Jet put in. “Anyone but Jane, those guys would lose their
minds. Jane, though, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. So what do you do?”