Eddie’s jaw worked.

Then he asked, “He say anything else?”

I shook my head but looked away and said, “Just stuff about what he was gonna do to me.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said and my eyes moved back to him, “he told me that too.”

It was clear that none of this did anything for Eddie’s mood.

“I’m sorry about al of this. You can’t…” I stopped, my eyes dropping, not knowing what to say and I took a step away but he caught me by the waist and pul ed me back.

“Jet, look at me.”

I looked at him.

“He isn’t gonna touch you.”

He said it in a way that made me believe it.

His hand went up my side and then pul ed down my zipper.

“No one touches you,” he said and pul ed my skirt up my hips, bunching the dress at my waist and then up, yanking it off. “No one, but me.”

His eyes weren’t warm and liquid, they were hard and glittery.

I had the feeling this was more than just about Vince; this was about anyone, anywhere. This was about me being branded in an entirely different way.

The breath in my lungs started to burn.

“Oh… kay,” I said and that one word shook.

He pul ed off his t-shirt then his hands came around me and unhooked my bra. He slid the straps down my arms and tossed it aside. I wanted to cover myself with my hands but I didn’t figure that was a good move.

“Are you angry?” I asked.

He was looking at my body but his eyes came to mine.

“Yeah,” he said, “I’m angry.”

His hands pushed down my panties until they fel to the floor

He lifted me up by my bottom and I had no choice but to wrap my arms and legs around him. He twisted and put a knee to the bed, planting me on it and then settling on top of me.

“Maybe we should talk,” I whispered.

“Now she wants to talk,” he muttered into my neck, his hand between us, working the buttons at his fly.

I felt a different kind of flutter in my bel y.

His mouth came to my ear and his fingers touched me between my legs and I caught my breath.

“In a minute, I’m gonna f**k you so hard, neither of us are gonna think about this and after, we’re gonna be so exhausted, we’l sleep. Tomorrow, we’l talk. Does that work for you?”

I bit my lip and nodded my head.

It so worked for me.

“Good.”

Then he did what he promised.

* * * * *

I woke, it was stil dark and I knew something wasn’t right. Eddie wasn’t in bed with me and I heard voices in the other room.

I threw my legs out of bed, felt on the floor for anything to put on and my hand found Eddie’s sweater. I pul ed it over my head and walked to the door.

It was closed.

It hadn’t been closed when we went to sleep.

I started to open it, it came ajar an inch and then I stopped and listened when I heard Eddie talking.

“...This shit,” he finished.

There was a pause.

“I can take care of this for you,” another man said.

There was no answer.

“Give the word, Ed. I’l take care of Fratel i.” My breath stuck.

“Darius, you’re not going to whack Vince Fratel i for my girlfriend.”

Eek!

Eddie cal ed me his girlfriend!

“No, I’l have Fratel i whacked because he’s an ass**le.

I’l be happy to give the order. I’l be beside myself with f**king glee.”

Oh… dear… Lord.

I knew what “whacked” meant, I watched TV (or I used to).

There was another pause and I could feel the negative waves pounding against the door.

“You forget, mi hermano,” Eddie said softly, an edge of warning in his voice, “I’m a cop.”

Silence and more negative waves.

“The offer’s on the table,” Darius final y said.

“That’s where it’s gonna stay,” Eddie replied.

More silence while I imagined Darius shrugging.

“Don’t tel Smithie any of this shit. He’s told you he’s ready to cal in his marker for Jet, I don’t want him to take that offer you just gave me,” Eddie said.

You could have blown me over with a feather.

Darius was the “brother” that owed Smithie a favor.

How smal was Denver? And if it was that smal , why couldn’t I find my Dad?

Then Eddie asked the same question. “Any hint of McAlister?” Eddie asked.

“The guy’s slippery. I know he was at a table the other night, did well , not well enough to pay off Marcus but he paid him al the same. I’m guessin’ with whatever he stole from King.”

King?

Who the heck was King?

He had to be the guy who shot at me.

“What’d he get from King?” Eddie asked.

“The cops don’t know?” Darius sounded surprised.

“He’s shut tight. Not sayin’ anything. Asked for an attorney immediately.”

“Not smart, shootin’ at a cop’s girlfriend,” Darius remarked.

Yes, it was the guy who shot at me.

And there it was again, someone cal ing me Eddie’s girlfriend.

Dear Lord.

“Whatever it was, it was worth twenty large. That’s al I know.” Darius said.

Twenty large?

Holy cow.

I’d probably shoot someone if they stole something from me that was worth twenty thousand dol ars.

Wel , probably not, but I’d consider it.

“Slick stil in the picture?” Eddie went on.

“Slick’s taken to ground. Slick’s got the DPD and Nightingale Investigations al over his ass. Slick ain’t showin’ his face for a good long time. Thirty K or no.” Final y, a piece of good news.

“Where does Marcus stand in this?” Eddie continued.

“He’s cut Vince loose. Either that, or lose Daisy. Ain’t no way he’s losin’ Daisy,” Darius answered.

I was shocked.

What happened to war?

Not, of course, that I wanted war.

“Vince

is

renegade?”

Eddie

asked,

sounding

incredulous.

“Vince is on a mission and Vince is on his own.” I didn’t take this as good news.

“That’s too bad, I wanted Marcus tied to this,” Eddie said.

Eddie didn’t take it as good news either, but for a far scarier reason.

Darius laughed.

“You’l have to nail him some other way, Ed. Word is, Daisy likes Jet, and Marcus wants Daisy happy. You know how it is.”