Then his face got serious. “We’ve got information.” Shit.
Maybe I wanted to talk some more about me being in love with Hank and not being boring, whatever the hel that meant.
“What?” I asked in spite of myself.
“You know a man named Desmond Harper?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Big player in Chicago. Mostly drugs. Flynn was a cog in his very large wheel. Flynn stole from him, big take. Harper is not happy.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
“He wants his money back.”
“How much?”
“Half a mil ion.”
“Fuck! ” I shouted and everyone at the espresso counter looked over at us. “Half a mil ion dol ars?” Lee dropped his foot and turned to me. “Roxie, calm down.”
“Half a mil ion dol ars and he bought me cheese puffs and took me to that sleaze bag motel? I’m gonna f**king kill that motherfucker!” I yel ed.
“Roxie –”
I slammed my fists on my knees. “The least he could have done was bind my wrists with velvet rope. He sure could have afforded it. Stupid jerk.”
“Roxie.”
“Do you know…?” I interrupted conversational y, wel , more like loony-tunes conversational y, but stil . “He never paid any rent. Never bought groceries. What a dick!”
“Roxie.”
“What? Was he sel ing drugs?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Lee answered. “Listen to me, Roxie –” I rambled on. “Probably. Probably to little kids. How could I have been so f**king blind? ”
“Please listen to me.”
“I’m an idiot. I’m ten times an idiot. God, I could just die.” Then I forged ahead because the last comment was too close for comfort these days. “Not die die, as in not-breathing die, but die figuratively, if you know what I mean.” Lee was grinning.
“What?” I asked as if I hadn’t just been on a long-winded rant.
“Definitely not boring.”
I made a noise that sounded like “harrumph”.
Lee took his opportunity.
“I have good news.”
I nodded. I very much wanted to hear good news.
“Marcus set a meeting with Harper. He flew out to Chicago last night and spoke with him this morning. Harper now knows you aren’t involved. Not only that, Marcus has warned him off. He’s given you his protection and whether you, or Hank, want it, it’s now there.”
I took in a deep breath and let it free.
Maybe Marcus was gray too.
“Now I have some bad news,” Lee said.
I tensed. I very much did not want to hear bad news.
“Vance and Mace have been in the wind.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“After the car chase, Vance came to me to tel me he was going to ground hoping to find out what the f**k was going on with you. I assigned Mace to move with him.
They’ve been tracking and listening. Preliminarily, their assignment was to find out as much as they could, and ferret out Flynn or anyone else who came to town lookin’ for you. They got tuned into Desmond Harper at about the same time the police did.”
I nodded.
“Flynn’s been making Harper unhappy for awhile. Now, Harper’s not unhappy, he’s angry. When his boys got nabbed, something else he’s not pleased about, he assigned two more to come after Flynn.”
I nodded again.
“And Flynn is after you.”
I blinked then asked. “And?”
“They figure they’l get Flynn when he comes after you again. No matter Marcus’s warning, Harper isn’t cal in’
them off. You could get caught in the crossfire.”
“No,” I breathed.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re protected. Luke’s assigned to you. Vance is stil out there, trying to find Flynn. He’s good, Roxie, very good. Because of that, I’ve pul ed Mace.” I started to panic. “Lee, I need to go. I need to get out of here, I can’t ask you to –”
“You go I’l come after you personal y.”
My breath caught at his tone. There was no doubting he meant it
“But, this is a lot, you’re doing too much,” I argued.
“It’s a family thing.”
I stared at him. “I’m not family.”
He gave me a look.
Then his eyes, dark brown, warmed into melted chocolate. I watched him, mesmerized and he reached out and playful y tugged a lock of my hair. He got up, walked to Indy, wrapped an arm around her and kissed her upturned lips. He spoke softly to her for a second and then he was gone.
“Guess we’re done talking,” I said to Indy as she sat beside me.
She put her hand on my leg. “Welcome to the family,” she said in a teasing voice.
Jeez.
There was no shaking these guys, any of them.
“You okay after last night?” I asked.
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah. I guess Lee isn’t mad at me for putting you in danger,” I said.
“You didn’t put me in danger and anyway, Lee likes you.
He told me that Vance told him you were a rock after he found you. Other women, they’ve had other…” she stopped.
“Let’s just say, you impressed them.”
I stared at her, floored.
“Want a coffee?” she asked.
“I want a drink,” I answered.
“Whisky?” she teased.
I hit her in the arm jokingly. She got up to get a coffee and I sat watching her go, not quite able to shove down the warm feeling stealing over me.
* * * * *
It was nearing closing time when my purse rang. I was sitting behind the book counter with Duke.
I grabbed my phone, flipped it open and put it to my ear.
“Hel o?”
“Hey Sunshine.”
My heart fluttered.
“Hey Whisky,” I said softly.
“How’s your day?” he asked.
“Pure and complete lunacy. But I now know how to make espresso drinks. Yours?”
“We’re close to something. I’ve spent the day putting an operation together, we’re goin’ in tonight. It’d be good if you didn’t get shot at or attacked in the middle of it.” I smiled at the phone. “I’l do my best.”
“Good. Lee and Indy have got a key to my place. Ask her to give it to you. There isn’t much food in the house, there are delivery menus in one of the kitchen drawers.”
“Thanks, but Luke and I are going to Smithie’s tonight.