The only thing I knew was that, for me, it was about him saving my life and me being alive.

Then Mace broke the moment.

“You tel Chavez I kissed you, we’re disappearin’ in Mexico where no one can find us.”

Sweet Jesus.

He said “us”.

I couldn’t blame that on the Smithie’s uniform.

“What was that about?” I whispered.

He was quiet for a beat.

“I’m just glad you got a face left to kiss.” Hmm.

Guess, for Mace, it was the thril of me being alive.

Yeesh, men were so weird.

He let me go and I dropped my hands. He yanked his tshirt out of his jeans, pul ed a penknife out of his pocket, cut away the hem and pressed it against my temple. This must have meant he didn’t have tissues in the glove box.

I took over with the pressing, he turned away and buckled up.

I put on my seatbelt too and off we went.

He drove to the parking lot at the Kmart strip mal off Alameda and Broadway by Indy’s house. There was a clutch of vehicles parked haphazardly, close to the entrance off Alameda, al SUVs except for the red Dodge Ram.

I scanned the huddle of people, counting. Lottie was there, her arms wrapped around her middle, standing next to Vance. Indy was being held by Lee. Tod had hold of Daisy. Matt was leaning against one of the SUVs.

No Dad.

Everyone was alive and breathing and I appeared to be the only member of the walking wounded.

Eddie was close to Indy and Lee, pul ing a hand through his hair, but when our lights flashed into the lot, his head jerked around. He started walking toward us before Mace had a chance to get close.

Mace swung the truck around, positioning my door close to Eddie and stopped. I didn’t even get a chance to put a hand out when the door swung open, the interior lights went on and Eddie saw me.

“Dios mio,” he said, soft and quiet.

“It’s nothing, just a—”

He didn’t let me finish. He reached around, released the belt, pul ed me out of the cab and into his arms which went around me so tight, I could barely breathe.

“Graze,” I finished on a poof of expel ed breath.

He leaned back, took my hand away from my temple and looked at my wound.

“We’re going to the hospital,” he said.

“Eddie, it’s nothing, I just need to clean it and…” His eyes cut to mine and I quit talking.

“We’re going to the f**king hospital,” he repeated in a voice you just did not argue with, even me, and I seemed to be able to argue with Eddie al the time.

“Okay,” I replied.

He moved away, his arm around me and everyone crowded in.

Tears started fal ing from Lottie’s eyes, Indy’s face went so pale, it shone in the dark and Tod cursed.

Daisy snapped, “That just cuts it. I’m done f**kin’ around with this business. Sugar, you had it your way now I’m cal in’

Marcus. This means war.”

Eddie didn’t break stride, even with the threat of Marcus entering the mix. He ignored her comment and kept on going, straight toward the truck. He bleeped the locks, opened my door and helped me in. Before he closed it, Lee was there.

Eddie looked at him.

“I’l wanna know how you let this get out of hand,” Eddie said to him and I could tel he was angry and placing blame square on Lee’s shoulders.

A muscle jumped in Lee’s cheek, he gave one nod, accepting blame.

“No,” I said. Eddie started to close the door but I put my foot out to stop it.

“No,” I said again.

“Move your leg, Chiquita.” There was no anger when he addressed me, he was back to using his soft voice.

“You aren’t blaming Lee and you aren’t blaming Mace, you aren’t blaming anyone. Mace told me shit would go down, I told everyone else and we decided to stay. It’s my shit that brought everyone out in the first place. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me.”

Eddie wasn’t listening to me. Eddie was focused.

“Move your leg,” he repeated.

Then I thought about what I said.

“Actual y, if there’s anyone to blame, it’s my Dad,” I amended.

Eddie’s eyes cut to me.

“Mi amor, I’m askin’ you, move your leg.” I scanned the crowd and saw Lottie was standing behind Lee, next to Indy.

“Our Dad is a f**king shithead,” I told her.

Seriously, if there was an f-word moment in my life, this was it.

“Jet, let Eddie take you to the hospital,” Lottie said.

It was al hitting me, delayed reaction.

“He thought he could gamble himself into the big time and we’d al ‘live large’. What kind of stupid, f**king moron is he?” I asked her.

“Jet, get to the hospital,” Lottie repeated.

“I’ve been working since I was fourteen f**king years old and he gambled away every f**king dol ar I ever gave him.

What a f**king dick!”

To punctuate my point, I brought my hand down on the window ledge and then shouted, “Ow!” mainly because it hurt.

I looked at Eddie. “I hurt my hand,” I informed him unnecessarily.

His dimple appeared first, then his lips formed a grin.

“Maybe we’l get the doctors to look at it after they check the bul et wound to your head.”

I blinked at him, then nodded, “That’s a good idea.”

“You gonna move your leg now?” he asked.

“Sure,” I answered, the soul of amenity and then I moved my leg.

He slammed the door and walked around the front of the truck.

Everyone was gathered at the side. Mostly they looked shel -shocked. Except Daisy, she looked pissed, right the hel , off. And not Lee and his boys, I noticed they were al trying to hide grins.

Eddie got in and started the truck.

To let them know everything was al right, I flashed a To let them know everything was al right, I flashed a smile and gave a jaunty wave as Eddie pul ed away.

* * * * *

It wasn’t until a lot later that I saw (regardless of the fact that it was just a graze) the amount of blood that had leaked down my face. I was sitting on the end of a bed in the emergency room at Denver Health and the nurse was cleaning me up. “That’s a lot of blood,” I remarked, staring clinical y at the towel she was using as if it was someone else’s blood.