Ever.

We moved into the hall (unfortunately, away from my coffee) and I noted the Hot Bunch were amassing there. Darius was, obviously, a part of the rescue effort. Lee and Eddie had come with Hector. Luke was now with them, the elevator pinged and Vance and Matt walked out of it, their eyes coming directly to me as they moved down the hall toward us.

The uniformed officer had to wait while the Hot Bunch did their Sadie assessment. I got hugs, cheek kisses, temple kisses and there were a lot of set but relieved male faces and firm, clenched, square jaws. I noticed they looked tired, none of them had shaved and none of them were wearing fresh clothes. Mace and Bobby showed up in the meantime and both of them (even Bobby) engulfed me in bear hugs.

The elevator pinged again and Detective Marker walked out when the uniformed officer asked, exasperated, “Do you guys mind if I talk with Sadie?”

I was feeling weird. A good weird.

No, a great weird.

Not that they’d obviously had a tough night looking for me.

But, (I hated to admit it but had to) because they’d spent a tough night looking for me.

And they were relieved they found me alive, well and none the worse for wear.

They cared and they didn’t mind who knew it, not the hotel staff and customer onlookers, the police or the paramedics.

Tough guys or not, I was one of them.

I wasn’t Ms. Townsend anymore.

I was Sadie, Rock Chick.

How great was that?

“You get her statement?” Detective Marker asked, coming up to me with a smile.

“Tryin’,” the uniformed officer replied.

“Well, f**k boy, get it so she can go home,” Detective Marker snapped.

The officer looked at the ceiling.

I pressed into Hector, his arm went around my neck and he pulled me deeper into his side, partially into his front.

The officer asked me questions and I answered, telling my story.

I was, of course, not thinking clearly, considering all that happened. If I was, I might have asked for privacy before I shared in front of Hector how I duped Jerry. The Hot Bunch clearly found my tactic amusing. Hector, I could tell by the electric current whipping around the hall, absolutely did not.

I hurried through the rest, the officer finished with some questions, Detective Marker asked a few more and finally the officer flipped his notepad closed, nodded and took off.

The Hot Bunch and Marcus had been joined by Tom, Hank and Monty by this time. I got a couple more hugs and cheek kisses and we all stood around in the hall with Detective Marker.

“So it goes.” Detective Marker looked at me, “The Balduccis are all talkin’. Pointin’ fingers at each other. It’s confusin’ as hell and most of it’s lies but far’s I can read it, they been gettin’ pressure from outside factions.” Detective Marker’s eyes slid to Hector then to Marcus and I could tell he was lying when he went on, “Don’t know who. Don’t care.” His eyes came back to me. “Those boys never trusted each other anyway. For weeks they been establishin’ and breakin’ allegiances to each other and outside the fold. Marty was the smart one, pullin’ ahead of the pack, feignin’ loyalty to the brothers but makin’ outside deals. Donny felt the pressure, allied with Ricky and he knew where Jerry’s head was at regardin’ Seth and you. He used it, fed Jerry some of Marty’s potions so he would take out Harvey, the weak link, but also so he’d cast suspicion on Marty. Don’t know where Glover and Cordell fit into all this but Cordell has always been loyal to Seth, I’m surprised he was involved.”

“I think Jerry lied to him about what he was doing. Neither he nor Glover seemed to know what was happening. They didn’t even know Jerry roofied me. They thought they were doing something for me on my father’s orders,” I told Detective Marker.

Detective Marker nodded. “At least that makes sense,” he said then he got closer. “Ricky, Donny and Jerry obviously are goin’ down. But you gotta know, we don’t have shit on Marty, nothin’ that’ll stick anyway. He’s doin’ okay and he’ll be released without charge.”

Well, wasn’t that just great?

Still, I had to worry about a mean, crazy, f**king Balducci.

I moved closer to Hector and his arm got tighter around my neck.

Detective Marker’s eyes took in Marcus and the Hot Bunch then they came back to me. “Marty’s always been the brains of the bunch. Don’t suspect he’ll be stupid enough to do anything with the kind of protection thrown down around you. Regardless of this shit, Seth cuts a menacing figure, even in prison. Word on the street isn’t just that you got the protection of Chavez, Nightingale and the Denver Police Department but Marcus and Vito. Donny and Ricky are crazy motherfuckers but Marty’ll think twice.” Detective Marker glanced at Marcus again then to me. “He’s not in a good position, part of the pressure the Balducci boys got means that their men and their contacts have been warned off in no uncertain terms or recruited away. He’s marked and not in a good way.” He got in even closer and muttered, “Your boy’s done good.” He nodded to Hector. “It’d be practically impossible for Marty to build up business again.”

That made me feel the eensiest bit better and made me think perhaps I should buy Hector an island.

Detective Marker looked straight at Hector and I didn’t know if he was talking to Hector or me when he finished, “Keep safe anyway.”

The elevator pinged and out surged a bevy of Rock Chicks led by Daisy, Shirleen and Kitty Sue (Rock Chick, The First Generation, according to Kitty Sue’s stories). The paramedics wheeling Jerry on the gurney had to fight through them as I was surrounded, hugged, kissed, there was relieved laughter, a few teary eyes then Tex showed up, wild-haired, wild-eyed, obviously having been on the Sadie Hunt. He boomed, “Outta my way!” He shoved in and hugged me so tight both my feet came off the floor. Ralphie and Buddy were there, Tod and Stevie, Duke and Dolores, Malcolm, Blanca showed up with Gloria, Nancy arrived with Jet’s sister Lottie.

Everyone.

All my friends (and Lottie, who I hadn’t met yet).

In the hallway of a hotel.

Genuine, honest to goodness friends.

Mine.

I was sucked down, deep, deep, deepest, into the warm, clear, comfortable, snugly, safe waters and somewhere, I knew my Mom was smiling.

“Christ, can I get to my f**kin’ girlfriend?” Hector clipped (loudly and irately), the crowd stilled, even the hotel onlookers and lingering police, and then parted. He and I had become disengaged but now he came through, grabbed my hand and tugged me away.