my purse and looked at the display.

It said, “Unknown number”. I flipped it open anyway, hoping it was Dad.

Before I could say a word, I heard, “Where are you right now?”

This was said by Eddie, or, I should say, a not very happy Eddie.

I panicked and to buy time, I said, “Um.” But I drew it out as long as I could.

Indy was sitting next to me in the backseat, passenger side. There came a knock on her window and everyone jumped.

My head swiveled around and so did everyone else’s.

Through the window, I saw a pair of narrow h*ps wearing jeans. My heart stopped, thinking it was Eddie, then Lee leaned over, looked through the window and crooked a finger at Indy.

Lee looked about as happy as Eddie sounded on the phone.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

“Holy shit,” Indy whispered.

She was right. It was a holy shit moment. Not to mention, obviously Lee saw us and cal ed Eddie. This was not good.

At least, it appeared not good for Indy.

Wel , the good news (for me) was, Eddie was on the phone instead of with Lee.

Then there came a knock at my window.

Everyone’s head swung around and, through my window, I saw a pair of narrow h*ps wearing jeans and a familiar silver belt buckle.

“Get out of the car, Jet,” Eddie said into my ear and then there was a disconnect.

My heart stopped. Unfortunately, I’m afraid, “holy shit” didn’t cover it.

Chapter Nine

For Me, If It Can Get Worse, It Will

“How’s it hangin’ boys?” Tex asked when he swung out of the car.

Al y got out too and left the driver’s side open. Her seat was pul ed forward, a man’s hand came in and grabbed mine and I was “helped” out of the car.

I no sooner got my sandals on the sidewalk when I was tugged forward by a fast walking, pissed off Eddie Chavez.

I passed a good looking black guy, lean, tal , with twists in his hair, looking at me with a grin on his face that went from ear to ear. I didn’t get time to say hel o as Eddie kept pul ing me along.

I looked over my shoulder. I don’t know why, maybe to shout “help”, and I saw that Lee was pul ing Indy in the opposite direction.

Wonderful. Now I’d got Indy in trouble.

Eddie stopped a couple houses down, turned and pul ed me around so his back was to everyone and he was in my way.

“What are you doing here?” we asked in unison.

Eddie took a step closer, eyes glittering.

“Me first,” he said, looking down on me.

“I was visiting some friends,” I answered and it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Eddie’s eyes narrowed.

“So, this doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that your Dad’s been spending the night here?” Eddie asked.

Dear Lord, how did he know that?

I decided not to ask and not to answer. Instead I thought maybe I should try being vague; I hadn’t tried that tactic before.

“Um…” I mumbled.

I saw his jaw clench and I was pretty sure he was about to yel .

Count vague out.

“It’s my Dad, Eddie,” I said quietly.

Then (I swear I couldn’t help it), tears fil ed my eyes.

Maybe I could have control ed myself, but Eddie’s hand wrapped around the back of my head and he pul ed my face into his chest.

He smel ed good, he felt hard and strong and, being held against his chest like that, I could pretend he was the only thing in the world. I felt safe, maybe for the first time in my life, definitely for the first time since I was fourteen. So, I grabbed onto the material of his t-shirt at his sides and let the tears flow.

“I take it you know about Marcus and the extra fifteen K?” Eddie asked.

I didn’t know how he knew about that either but I was crying so hard, I didn’t have the voice to ask so I nodded my head.

He said something in Spanish and his other arm wrapped around me, but he kept his hand in my hair, my head held to his chest.

When I got myself somewhat together, I said, “My life sucks.”

His arm around me tightened.

“I have to agree with that, Chiquita,” he murmured.

“I… I… don’t think I can fix this, Eddie,” I stammered against his chest, admitting out loud what I’d been thinking for days, burrowing closer and wrapping my arms around him. “I keep trying to think of a way out, but I can’t.”

“Let me handle it,” Eddie said.

My head came back and I looked up at him.

“How’re you gonna do that?”

Then I looked around me and realized he hadn’t answered my previous question so I pul ed back a bit and Eddie’s hand fel from my hair to wrap around my back.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was lookin’ for Ray.”

Not good.

“Why?” I asked.

“A variety of reasons,” he answered.

Now Eddie was being vague.

“Those would be?”

He lifted his hand and placed it on my cheek, his thumb wiping my tears away. Then he ran his knuckles down my other cheek on the same errand. He watched his hand work and then his eyes came to mine.

“There’s this girl, see, I wanna get to know her, not to mention do other things with her. Until this mess is sorted out, gettin’ what I want is more of a chal enge than I normal y like. So, I’m gonna sort it out.”

I felt a thril race through my bel y.

“But, don’t you have a job?”

“They let me go my own way.”

The Denver Police Department didn’t let Eddie go his own way. Indy told me that Eddie just went his own way and then put up with the consequences.

“Let me do this for you, Chiquita.” His voice was soft.

“It’s a family problem, I can’t ask you…” I stopped as it hit me, “What’s Lee doing here?”

We both looked over Eddie’s shoulder. Lee and Indy were two houses down on the other side of Bear and Lavonne’s, both with hands on their h*ps and it didn’t look like a loving conversation.

Eddie looked back at me.

“Lee’s workin’ a connected job for some clients. I pul ed him in the Ray search.”

My eyes bugged out. “I can’t afford Lee!”

“You don’t have to afford Lee. He’s mi hermano and Indy’s your friend and his woman, this is a freebie.” Indy’s your friend and his woman, this is a freebie.”

“I can’t…”

“Would you stop saying ‘I can’t’?” he said.