“I was on a stake out, nothin’ was happening, it was becoming clear nothin’ was gonna happen and it was boring as hel . Although I would rather have come home to you jazzed like you were the other night, you didn’t interrupt anything.”

Wel , that was a relief.

I decided to hit on topic number two. I didn’t know how to broach it so I decided just to be direct. “You have to quit spending money on me.”

He rol ed me over to my back, his body mostly on me.

“Chiquita…”

“No, real y. I know you want me indebted to you but it’s getting ridiculous. The car was too much, the coffee maker…”

He started laughing. Not out and out but his body was moving with it.

I wasn’t sure what was so damn hilarious. According to Daisy, coffee makers were pretty serious and Daisy knew just about everything.

“What’s funny?” I asked, “No, wait. I’l tel you what’s not funny and this is not funny. I’m being serious.”

“You real y have a problem with that coffee maker, don’t you?” Eddie asked.

“Eddie—”

“Cállate, mi amor.” he said and there it was again. I could hear affection in his voice. I wasn’t ready for amused affection, not when we were discussing something as important as coffee makers.

“Don’t tel me to shut up,” I said to him.

His knuckles ran down my jaw and he looked into my eyes; his were stil ful of laughter. “I know you work hard for your money. But you should know that it means more to you than it probably means to me.”

“Money means a lot to everyone and I know you aren’t rol ing in it so you have to stop blowing it on me.” The laughter died out of his eyes.

I had, of course, in the throes of performing my Jet Chat, forgotten that Eddie was a Mexican-American man and they tended to be both proud and macho and I’d just stepped al over both of those.

Stil , I didn’t care. This was going a lot further and a lot faster than made me comfortable. In fact, this happening at all made me uncomfortable. I had to set the brakes, pronto.

“We’re not talking about this, Chiquita,” he said to me.

“Yes we are,” I shot back.

His eyes started to get a little glittery.

“Okay then, we are,” he said.

Uh-oh.

I didn’t think I had control of the Jet Chat anymore.

“Time for our chat,” he announced.

I was right, I didn’t have control of the Jet Chat anymore.

The Jet Chat had just taken a scary turn down the road leading straight to the Eddie Chat.

Damn.

“I think I need coffee before our chat,” I said hoping to buy time.

“After. We’re gonna get a few things straight, you and me.”

Damn, shit, f**k and hel .

I wasn’t doing very well with things crooked between Eddie and me. I real y didn’t want things straight. I didn’t know for certain how I wanted things. What I did know was how I didn’t want them and that was Relationship Overdrive while the rest of my life was chaos.

“Eddie…”

“I know the meaning of that ‘Eddie’,” he said, “and you can save it. You’re not getting out of this.” Exactly how did he have me so figured out?

I gave up and glared at him.

He ignored The Glare.

“See, even with bul ets flyin’, I’ve had the chance to get to know you. Cal me crazy but I’d like to do it better.” My glare deepened.

He continued to ignore it.

“That said, bul ets are flyin’, one nearly blew your pretty face off last night, so, I gotta tel you, I’d like it a f**k of a lot more if you saw your next birthday. The way I see it, that gives you two choices. First choice, you cool it with this ‘get control of my life’ business and let me keep you safe, which means you do what I say and you don’t go out on the town with your gang in high heels. Second choice, you go your own way. You do that, I have Lee pick you up and put you in his safe room until I sort this shit out. If that means we’re over, I’m wil in’ to take that chance, knowin’ after it’s done you’l be somewhere alive and breathing even if you’re doin’ it in someone else’s bed.”

I gasped through The Glare and said, “Eddie…”

“No ‘Eddie’. You choose, right now, door number one or door number two, no discussion.”

Real y.

I did not think so. He was not going to lie there and give me an ultimatum.

I pushed him off, sat up, taking the sheet with me, and turned to him but he sat up too so I lost my leverage.

So be it, I was used to no leverage.

“There’s always room for discussion,” I told him.

“Not this time,” he returned.

I narrowed my eyes at him and then said something immensely stupid. Do not ask me why, I just did. Maybe it immensely stupid. Do not ask me why, I just did. Maybe it was my newfound attitude; I didn’t have it under control just yet, it leaked out wil y-nil y at the worst possible times.

(In my defence, Eddie was being kind of bossy.)

“Door number three is I do what I want and get Daisy to help me avoid you while I’m doing it. And door number four is turn tail and run, escaping it al by talking Mace into helping me and Mom disappear in Mexico like he said last night.”

Eddie’s eyes were no longer a little glittery, they were ful -on glittery.

“I’m sorry?”

Um… maybe it was time to put away the attitude and keep my mouth shut.

“I’d like to hear that part again about Mace helping you disappear.”

I didn’t actual y think he’d like to hear it again so I decided not to say it again.

“Tel me about Mace,” he persisted.

“No,” I said.

“I think I missed something, maybe we should go back over that kiss you shared,” he suggested and I could feel the negative vibes rol ing off him in waves, pounding against me.

“Eddie.”

“For f**k’s sake, Jet!” he exploded and I’d never heard him talk so loudly. I mean, I’d heard him yel but this was a roar. “You were shot last night.”

“Believe me, I know!” I yel ed back (but mine wasn’t as good).

“You are not puttin’ yourself out there and you are not goin’ anywhere near Mace again,” he shouted.

“You can’t tel me what to do!”

His eyes narrowed.

“You better f**king believe I can.”