Rock Chick 08 Revolution (68 page)

Before they could get into it, I kept at it.

I looked to Liam. “A bad guy was touching me. Your father had already
been shot in both legs and slammed in the head with a tire iron but he still
got him off me. He barely got a hand on me and your father dragged himself to
me and pulled him off. I was drugged. I couldn’t defend myself or help him. But
he kept him off me even when that asshole stabbed him. He kept him off me until
help came. Blood pouring out of him and he kept him
off me.
”

“Ally—” Malia whispered, her voice pained, but I kept my eyes glued to
Liam.

“Look around you,” I ordered. “All these people,
this,
” I jerked my bloody hand in the air, “
that’s
your father.” I looked to Malia. “I don’t know what went
down with Eddie and Lee. What I know is, if Darius makes it through this, he’s
gonna stay away. From you. From his son.” I swung an arm out behind me. “From
everybody.”

I took a step toward her. Liam put an arm around her waist and pulled
her back just as Lee put an arm around mine and stopped me.

Time to wrap up.

So I whispered my plea, “Don’t let him,
please
.”

“Zano, a little help,” Lee said about two seconds before Lee released
me and immediately two arms clamped around me. One at the chest. One at my
belly.

Ren’s lips at my ear, he said in his sweet voice, “All right, baby,
that’s out. Now come sit with me.”

I drew in a breath.

It failed to calm me.

But I’d laid it out. That was all I could do. I had nothing left in me.

“Don’t let him,” I repeated to Malia.

Before I could turn back to my seat, Malia moved forward and caught my
hands.

Even them being bloody.

“I talked with Liam this morning and he wants to meet his dad,” she
whispered.

Oh.

Well.

Shit.

Apparently my dramatic speech was unnecessary.

Whatever.

“Well, uh… that’s good,” I muttered.

Her head tipped to the side and a ghost of a genuine smile played at her
mouth even as her hands squeezed mine. “I see you haven’t changed.”

“Nope,” I agreed, and my gaze went to Liam. “Though I’m not usually
this crazy.”

Liam looked like he didn’t believe me.

“Yes, she is,” Eddie said.

I glared at Eddie.

Ren pulled me away, but I got a squeeze back to Malia before I let her
go.

He took my hand and I walked stiffly back to our seats with my man.

Once I sat, I gave Duke a look.

He gave me a chin lift.

Jeez.

Even Duke did the chin lift.

Well, again, whatever.

I gave him one back and watched his face get soft.

Shirleen caught my hand.

I looked at her profile.

She didn’t look at me.

But I saw the tear slide down her cheek.

And I saw her lips trembling.

So I held my man’s hand and I held my friend’s hand.

But it was Shirleen’s shoulder I laid my head on.

And she rested hers on mine.

* * * * *

Half an hour later…

For the fiftieth time (maybe an exaggeration), I caught Vito looking at
Ren. And for the fiftieth time (okay, so maybe the twenty-seventh), I saw Ren
avoiding his uncle’s eyes.

So I turned to my man.

I found his ear with my lips. “Go to him.”

He shook his head and I pulled back slightly to look at him.

“Now’s not the time,” he told me.

“Now’s the perfect time,” I contradicted.

He dipped close. “Ally, baby, that’s done.”

“Part of it’s done. But the family part will never be done.”

Ren’s jaw got hard.

“Go to him,” I encouraged.

“Honey—”

I lifted a hand to his cheek. “You have a window of opportunity. It’s
fucked up
why
you have it, but you
have it. He feels this, what’s happening right now. He wants to come to you but
he’s too stubborn. So you have to take this opportunity and go to him.”

“Babe—”

Urgently, I whispered, “Life’s too short.”

His beautiful eyes moved over my face. Then he nodded, leaned in for a
quick kiss and straightened out of his seat.

I watched him walk to his uncle. Angela’s face lit up with hope and Dom
led Sissy closer.

Five minutes later, Vito pulled Ren in for a back pounding hug.

I looked away, and as I did I caught Hank’s eyes.

He smiled at me.

My brother had a beautiful smile.

I smiled back.

It was small, but this time it wasn’t fake.

* * * * *

An hour later
…

After Lavonne and Bear, friends of Jet’s and Nancy’s, showed with five
pizzas that only Roam and Sniff touched (and also Tex, Dom and Smithie)…

After Sniff’s girlfriend showed (and she was cute and way into him as
he was way into her), she got close to her boyfriend, stuck there and made me
nearly smile (nearly) when I caught Shirleen staring at them. She caught me
staring at her and she rolled her eyes…

After four of Roam’s girlfriends showed (yes,
four
), that he somehow corralled and got them out of there so if
there was a drama, it didn’t happen close…

After there was a slightly elevated conversation between Stella, Hugo
and Pong when they evidently learned I’d been stripping and were aggrieved
Stella hadn’t shared that intel with them…

After all that, a man in scrubs and a white lab coat walked through the
door.

“It’s been explained to me that you’re all here for Darius Tucker,” he
announced. “Is there immediate family?”

“Me,” Dorothea chimed in, but her voice sounded croaky. So she cleared
her throat as she walked his way, for once not longingly staring at Liam Clark,
who for some reason she didn’t approach. Then again, Malia and Liam steered clear
of her, too. Her throat cleared, she repeated more strongly, “Me. I’m his
mother.”

Shirleen got up and moved in behind her sister.

And Ren’s hold on me got tighter when Malia, who was standing to the side
with Liam, Indy, Lee, Jet and Eddie, broke free and edged near.

I held my breath.

“He made it through surgery,” the doctor told Dorothea, and I let out
my breath. It caught again when he went on, “However, there was a great loss of
blood and quite a bit of damage, including head trauma. He’s in critical care.”

I clenched my teeth when the doctor lifted a hand and curled it on
Dorothea’s shoulder.

That was not a good sign.

His voice dropped quiet (another not good sign) when he went on.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Tucker. Although he survived surgery, we still have
concerns. He’s not conscious, but it would be good if you didn’t delay visiting
him.”

Definitely
not a good sign.

I heard sobs (probably one of them Roxie; she cried all the time) and
felt the vibe—already low—plummet, as everything leaked out at me and I
collapsed into Ren’s side.

Dorothea nodded, her chin lifting to hold it together, her body stiff.

“Can I… can we…?” Malia started, her hand going out behind her toward
Liam. She took two steps forward, her eyes on Dorothea. “Can Liam and I visit
with him?”

Without delay, Dorothea raised her hand toward Malia.

Malia walked to her, took it and turned back to Liam. “Baby?”

Eyes never leaving his mother, probably knowing all eyes were on him,
without hesitation, Liam moved to her.

A good kid.

Darius’s kid.

We all watched them follow the doctor.

For some reason I didn’t get and I didn’t try to process, I searched
the room until I found Jane.

She was already looking at me.

She smiled and shook her head.

Even after this, she still believed in fairytales.

I wanted to believe.

Boy, did I want to believe.

But I had to admit, I was losing faith.

* * * * *

“Baby.”

My eyes fluttered.

“Ally, honey, wake up.”

I lifted my head from what, I noted from looking around, was Hank’s
thigh. It had been some time, I’d finally cleaned Darius’s blood from my hands
and I was curled up on the chairs of the hospital waiting room with Hank
providing my pillow. Ren was crouched in front of me.

I shook sleep away, got up on a hand and focused on my man. “What?”

“Darius is awake, honey. And he’s asking for you.”

No longer even slightly sleepy, I surged to my feet.

Lee and Eddie were standing at the door. Lee stretched a hand to me. I
hustled to him and took it. Quickly, both of them flanking me, me holding my
brother’s hand, we moved into the hall and stopped at the elevator.

“Is there a change in his condition?” I asked, looking up at Lee.

He looked down at me. “No, honey. He’s just awake.”

“Isn’t that good?” I asked.

“No clue, Ally,” Lee answered, his hand tightening in mine.

I looked to Eddie.

He smiled at me, but I knew it was totally fake.

I knew this because there was no dimple.

The elevator doors opened and no one spoke as we rode up to the
critical care unit. We were expelled into the hall and Lee guided me to where
Dorothea, Shirleen, Malia and Liam were huddled with Indy and Jet.

Before I could say a word or take in the vibe, a nurse appeared and
asked me, “Are you Ally?”

I nodded.

“Follow me,” she said.

She seemed to be in a hurry. I didn’t like that. Still, I followed her
and did it quickly.

She instructed me to wash my hands. Impatiently, I did. Then she gave
me a gown. More impatiently, I pulled it on.

Then she led me to Darius in his hospital bed.

His eyes were closed like he was sleeping. But other than that and all
the tubes and shit sticking out of him, and of course the bandage wrapped
around his head
—
not to mention,
Darius didn’t wear hospital gowns (as in,
ever
,
and I loved him but it was not a good look, on
anybody
)
—
he looked
like just Darius.

I got close to his bed, bent down and grabbed his hand.

“Darius?” I called softly. “It’s Ally. I’m here.”

His eyes opened and he focused on me.

I forced a smile, but as much as I fought it, I felt it trembling.

“How you doin’, bro?” I asked.

It was then he spoke.

And he did it to rasp:

“Jesus, Ally. You’re a pain in my ass.”

* * * * *

Lee

Standing in the hall with Indy, Eddie, Jet and Darius’s family, Lee Nightingale’s
body jerked and his head twisted around when he heard his sister burst out
laughing.

Epilogue

Righteous

Six years later…

“She’s faking it,” I mumbled, doing so with my mouth barely moving.

“Shut it, Ally.” I heard Sniff’s voice coming from the bud in my ear.

“Totally faking it,” I kept at him, succeeding in not smiling, but
doing this since I had lots of practice.

We were discussing Sniff’s love life. And teasing him about it.

Totally lots of practice.

Suffice it to say, Roam nor Sniff had found their Rock Chick
equivalents.

But they’d been practicing for the time they made that discovery.

Copiously.

“Sniff’s convinced he gives good lovin’,” Roam put in.

“That’s ‘cause I do,” Sniff’s deep pissed-off voice clipped. “No
complaints so far.”

“And
that’s
because they’re
faking,” I said.

“Cut the chatter on the line,” Luke butted in, ending our fun.

I pressed my lips together in a further (successful) effort to fight my
smile and did a scan of the club. I was in an LBD, strappy sandals and had big
hair.

In other words, I was a honey trap who would, eventually, withhold the
honey.

The skin at the back of my neck prickled when I saw him.

“Got eyes on him. He just entered,” I muttered, the microphone in my
cleavage picking up my voice.