“I wouldn’t want to meet up with her in a dark alley, and I know how to protect myself,” Dee said.
Knowing the woman had been on the run from her family for ten years, Maria could just imagine. “So, they both had issues with the police right before that. And we know that Devon could take care of herself in a fight. One way or another, she was surprised.”
Maria pulled out her notepad and made a few marks. May leaned over and frowned. “What the heck is that?”
“Shorthand. Or a kind of shorthand. My father made it up. We were the only two who knew it.”
“Oh.”
“So do you know if Lisa had issues with the police before this?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Do you, Dee? Did she mention it?”
Dee shook her head. “She was really a loner. She hooked up, don’t get me wrong, but she didn’t share a lot about her background. Unless it interfered with work, she didn’t tell me anything.”
“Do you think it could be the same policeman?” May asked.
Maria thought about it but dismissed it. “Probably not. If it was, it would have been picked up on way before this. But it is a connection outside of the club. Coincidences, no matter how small, are always important.”
She finished her notes then set them aside. She looked down at the plate that was still half full of food. “If I keep eating like this, I’ll have to go on a fast when I get back to DC.”
“Do you like living there?” May asked.
Maria shrugged. “It’s where work is.”
“So you don’t have someone you live with there, a roommate?”
Maria swallowed the bite of pork. “Nope.”
Dee sighed, aggravation easy to hear. “What May is trying to ask is if you have a significant other?”
Maria frowned. “No.”
“Oh.”
Dee rolled her eyes. “May is a little protective of Rome, just so you know. Probably because he has a crush on her.”
“He had a crush on me,” May said, turning her attention to Maria. “I would say that he definitely doesn’t anymore.”
Maria wanted to disappear. Just looking at May, she knew the kind of woman Rome usually was attracted to. Petite, exotically beautiful…not something anyone in his or her right mind would call Maria. She pushed that aside. She couldn’t think about what Rome liked or didn’t like, not right now. Sure they had a night that blew her mind. Hell, her body was getting hot just thinking about it. But it was probably pretty stereotypical for him.
“Are you asking if my intentions are honorable?” Maria asked, hoping that her tone was filled with just enough amusement that she hit the right note.
May studied her for a second, then two, and then her shoulders relaxed. There was something that moved over her face, but she said nothing about it. “Sure. Rome’s a big boy, he can handle himself.”
“Speaking of which, I need to get going. We’re supposed to meet up to go over some of this stuff.” She slipped out of the booth. “How much do I owe?”
May shook her head. “On the house, sistah.”
“Oh, well…I guess I should get going.”
With that she fled the restaurant, ready to get back to the investigation and away from May’s probing questions. She didn’t want to ask the questions of herself, so she definitely didn’t know how to answer May. Maria was pretty sure if she spent too much time thinking about what had happened the night before, she might get too upset thinking that she only had a short time to experience Rome.
· · · · ·
“What the hell was that all about, May?” Dee asked.
May was still looking at the door where Maria had escaped. And that was the right word. She had acted as if the dogs of hell were following her out the door.
“She’s an odd one.”
Dee snorted. “Fine one to talk.”
May turned her attention back to Dee. “No, really. Can you imagine having to follow your father around while he hunted up crazy people? That’s no life.”
“True. But I can’t say much about it considering my family.” She paused. “You worried about Rome?”
May shook her head. “I was a little worried at first. When you told me his reaction, then what happened last night, I was really concerned. But, I am pretty sure he’s safe from her.”
“How can you be so sure?”
She thought of the way the woman looked when May talked about Rome. “Did you see the way her face got all dreamy? They only had one night together, and that woman is hooked.”
“Well, Rome does have a reputation.”
“Yeah, and one of the things is that he never gets really attached to women. From what you told me about last night, he is very attached to Maria. I just don’t want to see him go.”