Then still in the ultra quiet, lethal voice, he said, “I keep hearin’ that line coming from you and then the minute I get my mouth or hands on you, somethin’ different happens. Ava, you’re the hottest f**kin’ piece I’ve ever touched. I find out that heat isn’t just for me, I’m still takin’ my fill. Zano can have you when I’m done.”

I felt pressure crawling up my throat because what he said was just not nice.

I was, of course, forgetting that tough guy Luke Stark was simply giving what he considered were the ground rules for “his woman” going out to dinner alone with another man. The fact that he wasn’t throwing a he-man shit fit was practically a miracle.

Still.

“Lucas Stark, you better watch your mouth,” I hissed.

“You come to me when you’re done,” he repeated.

I did not think so. “I’m staying the night with Sissy and her Dad.”

“You do, it’ll be embarrassing for you when I drag your ass out of there.”

My heart stopped. “You wouldn’t dare,” I breathed.

“Try me.”

I wasn’t going to try him. No way. He’d do it and I knew it.

“You’re a jerk,” I snapped.

“Tonight, you’re mine.”

Disconnect.

Argh!

I turned back to the Rock Chicks and they were all looking at me.

Finally Roxie said to Sissy, “Doesn’t seem like Wednesday’s looking too good.”

“Lee’s got today, he’s going to be bummed,” Indy said.

“I got in on the pool late, my day’s Friday,” Jet put in. “The way this is going, I’m thinking of buying a KitchenAid mixer to match my blender.”

“Oh! I love those!” Daisy exclaimed, turning to Jet. “Which color you gonna get?”

I looked to the ceiling as the Rock Chicks discussed Jet’s forthcoming KitchenAid appliance purchase.

Then I thought, my life sucks.

Chapter Fourteen

You Missed It Again, Babe

After I got off the phone with Luke, I planned my day carefully.

I hung with the Rock Chicks, Tex and Matt at Fortnum’s all afternoon and I made a call to Shirleen. Duke, Indy’s second-in-command, came in and even though I hadn’t seen him in months, smiled at him and yelled, “Hey Duke!” he scowled at me and disappeared in the books.

“What’s that all about?” I asked Indy.

“He’s not a big fan of the ‘during’ part of a Badass Motherfucker Courtship. He prefers the ‘after’,” Indy explained.

I couldn’t say I blamed him.

Detective Jimmy Marker stopped by at Luke’s request. Sissy and I told him about the car chase and the recent kidnapping attempt and I took that opportunity to explain that my first kidnapping was a “misunderstanding” – news that made him stare at me hard.

He gave me a lecture about talking to the cops next time I nearly rolled my car over onto I-25 while being pursued by a bad guy. Then he and Duke carried on a loud conversation about “how these boys need to get their heads examined”. Then Detective Marker left.

Matt and I dropped Sissy at her Dad’s and we both stayed while Sissy told her Dad the latest story. Then we stayed while Sissy’s Dad hit the roof. We left after he calmed down.

Sissy walked us to the door and gave Matt a look. Matt correctly interpreted this look and stepped outside of hearing distance.

I turned to Sissy. “What?”

“Remember when you pretended not to care when you didn’t have a date to the senior prom?”

Oh no, where was she going with this?

“Yeah.”

“Well, tonight you’re going out with one of the hottest guys we know and then you’re going home to the hottest guy ever. How’s them apples?” She gave me a big smile, so pleased for me she didn’t seem to remember she got punched in the face that day for the first time in her life.

I shook my head. “You’re a dork.”

“And you’re a knockout.”

I shoved her shoulder. She shoved mine back.

After a few more shoves, Matt and I left.

Matt took me to Luke’s loft and I held my breath until the elevator doors slid open and we saw Luke wasn’t there. As the place was under surveillance, Matt didn’t stick around. He was itching to get into the search for Bobby. I spent a few moments sending good vibes to Bobby and encouraging vibes to the Nightingale Boys to find him, and fast. Then I called Shirleen as scheduled.

“Shee-it,” she answered instead of saying hello. “You still gonna do this?”

“Yes,” I told her.

She sighed. “I’ll be there in ten.”

I’d called her from Fortnum’s and as she was my Rock Chick and Badass Motherfucker Courtship Mentor, she was bound by Rock Chick Law to help me (yes, it was weird but at that point it worked for me).

She picked me up in her Lincoln Navigator (seriously, Lee had to pay his employees well if his receptionist had a Navigator) and took me to my place. She hung out watching TV while I got ready for my date with Ren.

Halfway dressed, my phone rang.

I looked at it scared to death it would be Luke. It said “Dom calling”.

What the hell?

“Yes?” I answered.

“Ava, don’t hang up,” Dom said quickly.

“You’re a dickhead,” I told him.

“Our last thing didn’t go too well…”

I wanted to shout “Ya think?” but he kept talking.

“I’m sorry about that but Ava, you gotta listen to me. There’s some serious shit goin’ down. You and me, we gotta get out of town, you gotta meet me at –”

“Fuck that, Dom. You’re nuts.”

“No, this is some serious shit.”

“Yes, it’s your serious shit. Keep me out of it,” I snapped.

“That’s what I’m tryin’ to do,” he snapped back.

“Can you please tell me why I’m in it?”

“They’re tryin’ to get to me.”

“No kidding, they’re trying so hard, they nearly kidnapped Sissy this morning. Punched her in the nose, blood everywhere. We thought it was broken. She was a mess.”

Silence.

“Dom?”

“What’d you just say?”