“Wel , Jason and I are on our way out there. We’re in bumfuck Iowa, goddess almighty. Iowa.”

She stopped, as if there were no words for Iowa, so I prompted, “And?”

“Wel , we went by your place and it was kind of trashed.” I got even tenser. Vance and Mace were watching me.

“Trashed?”

“Yeah. Your laptop was there and it didn’t look like anything was missing but a lot of stuff was broken, your furniture was slashed. I’m no expert but it looked like someone was looking for something. I got most of your clothes and some other stuff I thought you might want.” I closed my eyes, put my elbow on the table and my head in my hand.

“Thanks, Nettie.”

“We’re gonna see if we can power through. We’l get a hotel or something when we get there. I’l cal you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Be careful and… thanks.”

“Later.”

Then she disconnected and I flipped the phone shut.

Vance and Mace were stil watching me.

“Trashed?” Vance asked.

“My loft. A friend went by to pick up some of my stuff.

She said it looked like someone was looking for something. She said nothing was missing that she could tel . She even got my laptop so they couldn’t have been there to rob me,” I told him.

Vance looked at Mace.

Mace peeled off mumbling, “Gotta make a cal .” I ignored Mace and asked Vance, “Should I be worried?” He stared at me.

“I should be worried,” I said.

His hand came out and grabbed mine. “It was probably the people after Flynn. They already proved they have no interest in you. You likely have nothin’ to worry about.” I nodded but I didn’t much appreciate him using the word

“likely”.

Then I saw Vance looking over my shoulder again. He let go of my hand but dropped his head and smiled at the table when my phone rang again.

It said “Indy Cal ing”.

I took a deep breath and answered it.

“Where the f**k are you? I cal ed home a f**kin’ mil ion times,” Uncle Tex boomed.

“Sorry, Uncle Tex, I should have cal ed you. I went with Eddie to the station to press charges against Bil y. Now, I’m having lunch at Lincoln’s Road House with Vance and Mace.”

I felt the hairs rise on my neck and turned. That’s when I saw Mace standing in the back doorway talking with Lee, Eddie and f**king Hank.

“Fuck,” I said, turning around.

Vance was smiling at me.

“There’s nothing to smile about!” I hissed at Vance.

Vance’s smile went wide.

“What the f**k are you talkin’ about?” Uncle Tex boomed in my ear.

“Nothing,” I answered, the hair raise going to goose bumps as I felt Hank’s eyes on my back. “Where are you?”

“At Fortnum’s, spent al day listenin’ to f**kin’ Indy, Al y and Jet goin’ on ‘bout how you’re stil hung up on that stupid, weasely motherfucker that kidnapped you. Told ‘em they were al f**kin’ nuts,” he said. Then he asked, “You aren’t, are you?”

I blinked at the table just as the waitress came and set down our food.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Apparently, Hank told Lee and Lee told Indy and Indy told every-fuckin’-body that you’re stil in love with that f**kin’ asshole.”

My body went completely stil .

Then, slowly, I turned around and looked at Hank.

Or, to put it more truthful y, scowled at him, eyes narrowed and everything.

Hank caught my scowl and raised his brows.

My eyes narrowed to slits.

Then I turned back to the table.

“No… I… am… not… in... love... with... Bil y… fucking…

Flynn,” I enunciated every word.

After I finished, Vance actual y threw his head back and laughed. I scowled at him too.

“Didn’t think so,” Uncle Tex said.

“Get my car back, Uncle Tex. I’m leaving the minute I get home,” I demanded.

“No, darlin’. You gotta straighten things out with Hank.”

“Not a f**king chance.”

Tex was silent.

“You sure?” Uncle Tex final y asked.

“Very sure,” I replied.

More silence.

Then he said, “How’re you feelin’ about Vance?” Lord have mercy.

“Good-bye,” I said.

Before I could hang up, he said on a rush, “You stay the night, we’l cal your Mom.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“We?” I asked.

Mace sat down next to me, threw Vance a look and then started eating.

Uncle Tex said in my ear, “Yeah, you ‘n’ me.”

“You’l talk to her?” I said low.

He paused. Then he said, “Yeah.”

Instantly, I agreed. “I’l stay the night.” I felt like doing cartwheels but Uncle Tex had moved on.

“Have fun with the boys. You’re cookin’ dinner tonight.”

“Fine by me. We’l celebrate. I’l make something fancy.”

“Sounds good. I’m feelin’ like fat, juicy pork chops with that rice with the vermicel i stuff in it, like on TV. The San Francisco treat.”

I watched Vance eat a fry, stuck in a moment of stupefied silence.

Once I tugged myself out of my silence, I asked, “The San Francisco Treat?”

“Yeah,” Uncle Tex said, “I’l go to the store.”

“I was thinking something fancier, like, beef wel ington.

That’s everyday food, not food you eat after talking to the sister you haven’t spoken to in decades.”

“Fuck that. Next thing you’l want champagne instead of hooch. I’l go to the store, you get home in time to cook.

And, since you’re with Vance, give him a good look-over. If you don’t like what you see, have a look at Mace. I don’t know Mace al that wel but he seems a good sort.”

“You are joking, right?”

“Fuck no. Those boys are the shit. Hank would have been my choice but he f**ked it up. Matt and Bobby are taken, Ike’s on the road and he’s a scary motherfucker. You don’t like Mace or Vance, I’l introduce you to Luke. Lee says Luke’s a serious badass but he’s been recoverin’

from a gunshot wound so I haven’t seen him in action. Stil , I heard Indy sayin’ she thinks he’s cute. You’l just have to go easy on him for a while.”