Though, from the many, many accounts of his escapades, he would have been pretty good at a life of crime.

I was listening in a drunken stupor-esque glaze of horror to one of Eddie’s aunties talking about one particular time (there were several) when Eddie stole a car, when a hand (there were several) when Eddie stole a car, when a hand wrapped around my arm.

I turned, then looked down to see Eddie’s sister, Gloria.

She said something in Spanish to the auntie and then led me away.

I looked over my shoulder.

The auntie seemed somewhat perturbed to be interrupted while scaring the bejeezus out of me, so I turned back to Gloria.

“I think that might have been rude,” I said.

“You should thank me. I’m saving you,” Gloria replied.

“They’re trying to scare you. See if you got grit. Any girl of Eddie’s has to have grit. You looked ready to bolt.” She wasn’t wrong, I was ready to bolt.

“You need another margarita,” Gloria decided.

That was the only thing I didn’t need.

“I’m already two sips away from blotto.”

In fact, I was finding it difficult to walk straight and could no longer feel my tongue.

Gloria laughed, “You need to be two drinks into blotto to deal with my family.”

I was thinking she wasn’t wrong about that either.

She led me to Indy and Al y and I col apsed in an unoccupied chair. Gloria whisked away my margarita glass and headed toward the nearest ful pitcher.

“You okay?” Indy asked. She was smiling.

Drunk or not, I didn’t find anything amusing.

“My life sucks.”

She laughed.

“This is the new definition of trial by fire,” Al y remarked, glancing around.

“You got that right, sister,” I said, Gloria handed me a fresh drink and sat down with us. “I’d rather be shot at,” I finished.

“The night’s stil young,” Al y said.

I wished she wasn’t speaking the truth.

A peel of female cackles tore through the crowd and I looked over to where Mom, Trixie and Ada were sitting with Al y’s Mom, Kitty Sue, Blanca and some of Eddie’s aunties.

“Your Mom’s having a good time,” Indy said.

“You meet her?” I asked.

“Yeah, she’s sweet,” Indy replied.

“She’s the devil,” I said.

It was our turn to dissolve in peels of female cackles.

It was when I stopped giggling and was brushing a tear of hysterical hilarity from the corner of my eye when I noticed Eddie’s gaze locked on me. He was standing with his brother, Carlos, and Lee and Hank and he had a beer in his hand.

He looked hot.

“Eddie’s hot,” I said to no one in particular.

Everyone looked at Eddie, his lips twitched and he turned away.

“You got that right, sister,” Al y said.

I sighed a dreamy sigh. “He’s so out of my league. What am I doing?” I asked, again, to no one in particular.

Everyone looked at me.

“You’re joking, right?” Gloria asked.

“You’re joking, right?” Gloria asked.

I shook my head, crossed my legs and belted back half my margarita.

“We had sex today. A lot of sex. It was f**king amazing, definitely worth the f-word.” I realized who was in our circle and turned to Gloria, “Sorry.”

“Don’t mind me,” she said, grinning at Indy.

“I’m seriously screwed, in more ways than one.” Then I giggled to myself and luckily, everyone giggled with me.

“Maybe that margarita wasn’t a good idea,” Gloria remarked.

My purse was laying in my lap and it started ringing. I handed my margarita to Indy and dug out my cel .

“Probably Tex, he’s pissed at me that he missed the shoot out.”

Gloria’s eyebrows rose to her hairline and I flipped open my phone.

“Hel-lo?” I sing-songed.

“Nice dress,” a male voice I knew too well because the memory of it was burned in my brain, said in my ear.

I sobered immediately and my entire body stil ed.

“Maybe I’l make you wear it when I do you,” Vince said.

Chil s raced down my spine, bile came up my throat and my voice went on vacation.

How he got my phone number, I’d never know. I didn’t even want to know.

“I’l shove it up around your hips…,” he paused. “Oh, now, that’s sweet. Here comes your wetback boyfriend.” My head came up and I saw Eddie walking my way.

Dear Lord.

Vince could see us.

I stood on shaky legs and looked around in a panic, trying to find where Vince was hiding. The yard backed up to an al ey and had houses on either side. There were people everywhere. The shakes in my legs hit my torso and I wrapped my arm around my stomach.

“Yeah. I’m watchin’ you bitch. Waitin’ for my moment. I don’t give a f**k what protec—”

The phone was ripped away from me and Eddie was there. He put the phone to his ear and listened for a minute.

Obviously, Vince wasn’t done talking.

Eddie’s faced changed to an expression I’d never seen before. It was beyond what he wore last night. It was beyond anything. It was indescribable.

He flipped the phone shut and stared at the ground for a second, his jaw working.

I held my breath.

Then he turned and, with a vicious side arm throw, he threw my phone across the yard. It slammed into the margarita pitcher with such force, the glass pitcher exploded, and so did my phone, bits of it went through the glass and skipped across the table and most of the yard.

Everyone went silent and turned to look.

I stared in the direction of my phone.

“Eddie,” It was Lee, standing close, his voice low, his eyes serious.

I realized my mouth was dry and I swal owed.

Eddie’s eyes went to Lee.

“Fratel i,” was al he said.

A muscle moved in Lee’s cheek.

“Mi hijo.” Blanca was there and speaking quietly in Spanish to Eddie. He responded in Spanish and his mother’s startled eyes came to me. “Sí,” she said.

Eddie turned to me. “Your mother stays here tonight, tomorrow she moves to Tex.”

It wasn’t the time for discussion and certainly not the time to argue. Eddie was beyond angry: I was scared speechless. Trixie and Ada arrived, Mom leaning on Trixie, al of them looking worried.

I nodded.

“You’re with me.”

I nodded again.

“The party’s over,” he finished.