Rock Chick Redemption

by Ashley, Kristen

  “What the heck…?” he started to say but didn’t finish.

  Carl came barreling up the stairs at the same time the head of security came into the room through the exit.

  Billy saw them, pushed off the wall, tore through the bloody surgeon and me and took off, not back to the stairs, not through the doorway at the end, but he threw himself out a window.

  The bloody surgeon ran to the window, Carl and the security guy ran to the door, I ran to Indy.

  She was halfway up the stairs. Ally was with her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked when I got to her.

  “Fine,” Indy replied.

  I stopped, realizing my body was in full tremble and I was struggling to catch my breath.

  “Are you okay?” I asked again, staring at her.

  She took me into her arms. “Honey, I’m fine.”

  I kept trembling.

  “You sure you’re okay?” I asked again, tears in my voice, tears burning my eyes, tears crawling up my throat.

  Ally’s arms came around us both.

  “I’m fine, perfectly fine,” Indy assured me.

  I kept trembling.

  “Shh, girl. You’re safe,” Ally whispered.

  The lights came on and we stood there. We heard footsteps and then the others were there. Annette joined the huddle then I felt Jet burrow in. I don’t know how we did it but we managed to do a group hug on the narrow stairs.

  All except Daisy and Jason.

  “God fucking dammit,” I heard Jason yell.

  “What the fuck good are you!” Daisy shouted at her bodyguard.

  I ignored them and held on to my friends, crying and trembling.

  * * * * *

  Hank opened the door to his house one-handed, his other one held mine.

  Shamus came at us but before he could do his doggie welcome, Hank commanded, “Stay!”

  Shamus skidded to a halt and sat, his doggie head swinging in confusion back and forth between the two humans.

  Hank pulled me inside, locked the door and walked me into the kitchen. Only then did he drop my hand.

  He went to the light switch.

  I went to the freezer.

  I grabbed a towel and put ice in it and then put it on my hand.

  After he turned on the light, Hank shrugged off his jacket and threw it over a dining room chair, gave Shamus a head scratch and then walked to me. He stopped close, then his hand came up and he pulled something from my hair. It came back down and there was a piece of straw between his fingers.

  “Wrestling in the hay bales,” I said, staring at the piece of straw.

  When I looked to Hank, his mouth was tight.

  Billy escaped. It wasn’t hard. It was pandemonium; people everywhere, milling about and not knowing what was going on as the lights had come up. He’d easily slipped away.

  They closed early and the cops came. I talked to the people who ran the haunted house, including the guy who was head of security. Carl had already told them my story and they were kind and understanding. It was close to closing anyway, they promised me, no harm done. They seemed more worried about me than anything. The monster who got hit in the nose had only had it bloodied, not broken.

  Malcolm and Detective Marker came together and got there quickly, using a Kojak light.

  Malcolm walked right up to me, kissed the side of my head, then put his arm around my waist and didn’t let go. I was leaning into him when Hank arrived.

  Hank came up to us interrupting our conversation, pulled me away from his father, turned me into his arms and held me, tight. “How’re your ribs?” he asked.

  I nodded that they were okay but didn’t answer verbally. I was lost in his arms, taking what I could, wrapping my own around him.

  The rest of the interview went on with Hank’s arms around me and my cheek resting against his shoulder.

  Lee and Eddie showed simultaneously. There were a lot of meaningful glances with glittering angry eyes between the men.

  Indy went home with Lee, Jet with Eddie, Ally went back with Carl. I gave Indy, Jet and Ally hugs before they went.

  Daisy took Annette and Jason back. Hank and I walked them to the limo. People were standing around it, staring at Daisy like she was an unknown rock star, likely mistakenly thinking this fuss and muss was about her. I gave out more hugs and they left. Daisy and Jason still looked pissed. Annette looked worried.

  Hank put me in his 4Runner and we drove home without a word exchanged between us, both of us lost in our thoughts.

  There, in his kitchen, I looked at Hank.

  “He could have hurt Indy,” I said.

  “Yeah, but he didn’t,” Hank replied.

  “He could have.”

  “He didn’t.”

  “Hank –”

  “Let me tell you something about Indy.”

  I closed my eyes and looked away.

  “Look at me, Sunshine.”

  I opened them and looked back.

  “You said you’d die, you’d go with him, before you let anyone get hurt. Remember that?” Hank asked.

  I nodded.

  “There’s no way in hell India Savage would let that happen.”

  “I barely know her,” I whispered.

  “You’re wrong about that,” his arms slid around me. “You know her because she’s just like you,” he said.

  That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me.

  Tears filled my eyes.

  “Whisky,” my voice broke on his name and I shoved my face in his chest. I dropped the ice on the floor and clutched onto his sweater at either side of my face.

  Then it hit me and it hit me hard. I pushed away, out of his arms and stomped my foot. “That fucking asshole!” I screamed.

  Shamus woofed.

  My eyes turned to the dog. He was standing at the edge of the cabinets, his body tense, staring at me.

  “Sorry Shamus,” I said.

  At his name, his tail started wagging and he came and pressed against me. I leaned down to give him a body rub and picked up the ice. I tossed it underhand into the sink and kept rubbing Shamus’s body but looked up at Hank. “I’m going to fucking kill that motherfucker,” I announced.

  Hank stared down at me.

  “He pushed Indy down the stairs,” I continued.

  “Roxie, calm down.”

  “I’m not going to fucking calm down. I’m going to hunt that bastard down and murder him.”

  “Oh fuck,” Hank rocked back on his heels, his eyes went to the ceiling, his hands went to his hips.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothin’.”

  “What?” I asked, louder.

  His eyes came back to me. “You aren’t huntin’ anyone down.”

  “Well… no,” I said, staring at him like he was crazy. “I was just saying that because I’m mad as hell. I wouldn’t begin to know how to hunt him down.”

  “Let me handle it,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “Seriously.”

  I straightened from the Shamus Body Rub and Shamus sat on my feet.

  “I said okay.”

  “Indy comes to you with any bright ideas, you say, I’m handling it.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Jet, Daisy, my fuckin’ sister, come to you with grand schemes, you tell them I’m handling it.”

  “Okay,” I repeated, my brows drawing together, thinking maybe he’d gone a little round the bend. “Whisky, are you all right?”

  “I know how those women work. You want to get even with Flynn, you’re angry and they’ll talk you into it.”

  “Hank, I said I wasn’t going to –”

  “It won’t even seem that way. They’ll make it seem like it’s your idea.”

  “Whisky.”

  “Tex either.”

  Good God.

  “Hank, I said oh…kay.”

  “Promise me.”

  Jeez!

  “Hank!”

  “J
ust do it, Sunshine.”

  I sighed. He had gone round the bend.

  “Okay, I promise.”

  He stared at me a beat then he took in a breath. Then, his fingers slid into my hair on either side of my head and he did a little shake. Pieces of straw came out, not a lot, four or five and I watched them float down.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I watched the straw settle on his tiled floor.

  He used his hands on my head to tilt it up to face him. “I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry again.”

  He didn’t say this nice or sweet. He said it angry.

  I swallowed and stared.

  Then I said, “Hank?”

  His hands went to the sides of my neck. “You aren’t the cause of this, Flynn is. Got me?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m not angry at you. I’m just angry,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said, for like the billionth time in the last five minutes.

  He moved on to another subject and I had to admit, I was relieved.

  “How’s your hand?”

  “It hurts like a mother,” I told him.

  I watched as his anger slid away and he smiled at me. I smiled back. We shared a moment of happiness at the thought of me getting my own back, even a little bit, with Billy. His arms came around me and he pulled me to him, his hands drifting down my back, fitting my body to his.

  Shamus backed out from between us and sauntered to his doggie bed in the TV room. He was a smart dog; quickly learning the drill between Hank and me.

  “How’s everything else?” Hank asked, his voice had changed, sounding slightly husky.

  I didn’t have to ask what he meant; his hands and tone were doing the talking.

  I tilted my head back to look at him and slid my arms around his waist. “I’m fine.”

  “You owe me,” he said.

  I blinked at him then remembered.

  “Oh. Yeah.”

  He gave me a light kiss. “Let’s get you a hot shower, some ibuprofen and we’ll go to bed.”

  I nodded.

  “Then you can erase my day,” he told me, turning and tucking me into his side, his arm around my shoulders.

  We started walking to the bedroom.

  “Maybe you should erase my night,” I told him.

  “No, I’m thinkin’ you should erase my day.”

  “My night was worse than your day,” I said.

  “I had a full shitty day, you just had a half a shitty night.”

  This was true.

  “Okay, I’ll erase your day,” I said.

  He hit the lights as we walked out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tangerine and Chocolate Wedding

  I was lying on my belly, my arms around a pillow, fast asleep, when I felt the sheet slide down my back, low, lower, lowest, to come to rest at the top of my behind.

  I twisted my head around sleepily and looked at Hank’s shadow in the dark.

  “Whisky?” I called, still groggy.

  “Quiet, sweetheart. I want to check something.”

  Then the light went on.

  I blinked at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. His eyes were on my back.

  “That’s a new one,” he muttered to my back.

  I looked over my shoulder. I couldn’t see much of anything.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  His hand came out and his finger traced something that ran across my lower back. “You were movin’ like you were tender last night. Now I know why. The mark hadn’t formed then but now you’ve got another bruise.”

  “Oh,” I turned around, snuggled back into the pillow and explained. “Billy dropped me when Indy jumped him on the stairs. I landed funny.”

  I closed my eyes, thinking that was that and deciding I’d catch a bit more shut-eye.

  Hank had different thoughts.

  He tagged me at the waist, gently moved me around and then slid me across the bed, pulling me upright. I was sitting, facing him, the side of my hip against his.

  I brought the sheet with me and I pulled it up to cover my breasts.

  “What?” I asked when I looked at him.

  “Don’t get used to this shit. This isn’t your life. After this is over, you go back to normal,” he replied.

  I watched him and felt my gut twist. It was time to begin to show him what he would not be missing when I went away.

  “Hank,” I said quietly. “I don’t have a ‘normal’. I’ve been with Billy for seven years.”

  I thought he’d look at me in disgust, horror or, at the very least, shock. Instead he wrapped his hand around the back of my head, tipped it down and kissed my forehead. Then he let go and looked me in the eyes. “Then I’ll show you normal.”

  I stopped breathing.

  Hank didn’t notice.

  He got up and went to his dresser.

  “Hate to tell you this Sunshine, but I can’t leave you home so you’re gonna have to walk Shamus with me. Get dressed, we gotta get this done. One of the cases I’m working is heatin’ up and I need to get to the station.”

  Then he sauntered into the bathroom like he hadn’t just rocked my world.

  I stared after him.

  I still wasn’t breathing.

  “You have your choice today,” Hank called from the bathroom. “Fortnum’s or Lee’s offices. Both are safe but you can’t leave either.”

  Then I heard an electric shaver.

  I let go of my breath.

  Shamus ambled over and sat down beside the bed and stared at me, tongue lolling and looking like he was smiling. I grabbed his head, kissed the top of it and gave him a head rub. He leaned up and licked my cheek.

  Hank walked out of the bathroom, still shaving, and looked at me and Shamus.

  “Sunshine,” he said, his voice low with warning, telling me to get a move on.

  “All right, all right! I’ll get dressed,” I sounded uppity.

  I’d think about his complete non-reaction to my dire admission later. I had a decision to make. Crazy Fortnum’s and what might happen there while Lee’s boys were watching or Lee’s offices, meaning Dastardly Dawn, the boring room and Diablo, better known as eight hours of my life sucked away.

  I pulled the sheet with me when I got up and wrapped it around me in a voluminous toga. Then I stomped, with a fair bit of attitude (just to make a point, even though there was no real point to be made), out of the room to the other bathroom.

  Shamus followed me.

  What I didn’t know was, so did Hank’s eyes.

  And another thing I didn’t know, he was smiling.

  * * * * *

  I picked Fortnum’s and I regretted it the minute I walked through the door.

  “Get over here!” Tex boomed at me.

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  Hank’s hand slid around my waist and his fingers gripped me reassuringly.

  “What?” I snapped at Uncle Tex.

  “You know what. People are shootin’ at you. A week ago, you were kidnapped! What’s goin’ on in that fuckin’ head of yours?” Tex shouted.

  There were over a dozen people in line, waiting for coffee or sitting in the couches and chairs. Duke was behind the espresso counter, so was Jet. Jane was at the book counter.

  They all started to stare.

  “It wasn’t my fault!” I returned.

  “Not your… not your fuckin’…” Tex spluttered. “You have no business goin’ to a goddamned haunted house when you got lunatics chasing you. I’m callin’ your mother!”

  My body went still. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

  “Don’t you dare call my mother!” I yelled.

  Everyone’s eyes went to Tex.

  “I’m callin’ Trish. No!” Tex’s voice blasted across the room when I opened my mouth to speak. “Shut your pie hole. I don’t want to hear it.”

  There was a collective gasp and everyone’s gaze came to me.
>
  My eyes narrowed and I leaned forward. Hank’s fingers were biting into my waist now, not for assurance but to keep me from launching myself at Uncle Tex.

  “You did not just tell me to shut my pie hole!” I shouted.

  The eye swivel went to Tex.

  “You heard me right, girl,” Tex boomed.

  I turned to Hank.

  “Take me to Lee’s office,” I demanded.

  “Don’t you do that, Nightingale. I want her here so I can keep an eye on her,” Tex bellowed.

  Hank was grinning.

  “I’m thinkin’ I don’t have to worry about Tex giving you any crazy ideas,” Hank remarked.

  I frowned at him.

  He gave my still-frowning mouth a light kiss then started to leave.

  “Don’t expect me to erase your day tonight!” I shouted at his back.

  He turned at the door and winked at me.

  Then he was gone.

  I turned to the woman nearest me and said, exasperation dripping from my voice. “Men!”

  She was staring at me. “Are people really shooting at you?”

  I looked at her. “Well… yeah,” I admitted.

  “Honey,” was all she said on a shake of her head, that one word speaking volumes, then she turned back in line.

  * * * * *

  Annette, Jason and Daisy strolled in two hours later.

  I was sitting on a couch, nursing my second coffee. Uncle Tex was experimenting on me. The first one was an almond mocha with cinnamon sprinkled on the coffee grounds before brewing. This one was snickerdoodle with a hint of vanilla. Both were divine.

  “That space across the street is phat,” Annette announced, throwing herself on the couch next to me. “We’ve put in an application. I’m, like, jazzed.” She turned to Tex and yelled, “Americano, big man!”

  “Gotcha!” Tex boomed back, scowled at me, apparently not over it yet, and then started banging on the espresso machine.

  Daisy sat across from us while Jason went to the espresso counter.

  “There’s some space for let down the street. I’m thinkin’ of startin’ a beauty parlor, like in Steel Magnolias, except not in a garage. I gotta find somethin’ to do with my time. I thought I’d do charity work but I’m doin’ this fundraising party and the women on my committee all got sticks up their asses. They wouldn’t know fun if someone beat them over the head with it, and believe me, I’ve thought about it.”

  I believed her. I also believed she might be moved to do it.