Rock Chick 07 Regret(101)

“All right,” I responded, making my slow way toward Hector who was waiting for me, holding open the door.

“Noon,” Shirleen repeated to my back.

That back went straight, my head whipped around and, for the sake of my pride, I snapped, “All right!”

This, for some bizarre reason, made Shirleen grin.

“Well, all right,” she muttered through her grin.

Blooming heck!

Why was my life so difficult?





Chapter Sixteen



Uglier and Uglier



Sadie





“Have a seat, Sadie,” Tom said on a welcoming smile when I entered Lee Nightingale’s office for the second time in my life.

They were all there, Tom, Eddie, Lee, Hank and Vance. They were all standing and they were all looking at me with carefully closed faces.

Oh boy.





Time for Pretend Sadie.

I stopped by one of the chairs in front of Lee’s desk and I felt Hector close behind me. I took a deep breath, did a group scan, playing it safe, beginning the game and allowing myself a small, friendly smile.

Then I looked at Lee and announced, “I’ve changed my mind.”

Lee’s brows went up.

I continued, “See, I figure you won’t let me pay you and that isn’t fair. You and Hector and everyone are doing so much for me, I can’t ask you to do more.”

Lee smiled and I found myself momentarily taken out of my role and staring (he really had a nice smile).

Then he started talking. “Sadie, the Rock Chicks are a permanent red line item on my budget. They have been for months. We’re used to takin’ this kind of hit.”

I had to admit, I hadn’t prepared for that either, especially his assumption that I was a Rock Chick.

His assumption gave me one of those weird, happy glows, the kind I couldn’t allow myself to feel or all would be lost.

Oh well, I had to power through.

“Even so, I think I’d prefer to hire someone else. This is making me uncomfortable,” I replied what I thought was nicely but firmly. “So, if you have a recommendation for another PI, I’ll give them a call.”

Immediately I saw that my nice but firm didn’t work.

Instead, Lee shook his head (still smiling) and Hector’s hands came to my shoulders.

“Sadie, sit down,” Hector said softly in my ear.

I twisted to look at him. “No, really, I –”

“Sit,” he interrupted.

Sweet, Pretend, Guarding-Her-Heart Sadie slipped and I glared at him.

My glare deflected off his Cool, Collected, Macho Man Shields and pinged around the room, unnoticed by anyone.

“Sadie, honey,” Tom said, I turned to him and saw he had his hand held out to me. “Come and sit.”

Not wanting to be a bitch because Pretend Sadie was not a bitch and anyway, he’d called me “honey” and that was so nice, the weird, happy glow I was trying to ignore came back against my will, I walked to him, put my hand in his and we both sat, facing each other.

“I need to tell you something,” Tom informed me, keeping hold of my hand.

The weird, happy glow vanished.

Oh no.

I didn’t like the look on his face and I didn’t like that he felt he needed to keep holding my hand.

Furthermore, Pretend Sadie didn’t like the vibe in the room at all and she wanted to run.

However, Ice Princess Sadie never ran. Ice Princess locked firm hands on Pretend Sadie’s arms and held her in place.

With Ice Princess in control, I felt it safe to say to Tom, “Okay.”

He squeezed my hand then he took a deep breath and launched in.

“Eighteen years ago, your Mom came to me,” Tom started.

I blinked and then stilled, knowing intuitively (from years of practice) that this innocuous statement was going to get worse.

Way worse.

I wasn’t wrong.

Tom continued, “Lizzie knew what your father did and she didn’t like it. She didn’t want you growing up in that life. She also saw your future and she didn’t like that either. She wanted to get you, and herself, out. She told me the only way to do that was to put your father in jail. She told me that she couldn’t run, taking you with her because he’d never let either of you go. She knew this because she tried on several occasions but he always found you both and brought you back.”

I pulled in my lips and I felt myself starting to breathe heavier, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest, something hot and hard forming there.

My Mom had tried to escape.

She’d tried to escape!

And she wanted to take me with her!

Oh my God!

I couldn’t believe it!

Tom went on, cutting into my fevered thoughts, “She wanted to inform on your Dad, to give me what I needed to take him down. I tried to talk her out of it. Your father wasn’t as powerful then as he was when Hector got him. But he’d done well, he was top man for Luther Diggs and what she wanted to do was dangerous.”