13. “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves”
THIRTEEN
“SISTERS ARE DOIN’ IT FOR THEMSELVES”
(EURYTHMICS/ARETHA FRANKLIN)
I sure was glad Javi cured my hangover, because that meant we could make out in his truck before he dropped me off at work, and I wouldn’t gag or worse, throw up all over him.
I bounced inside, waving behind me the whole way, while Javi grinned at me the whole way.
I hummed through storing my bag in my locker and putting on my server apron.
Then I bounced through the kitchen, singing, “Hi, Lucia!”
She was salting something in a big pot, so, as per protocol, she ignored me.
I hit The Surf Club and immediately had five pairs of friend eyes on me.
I would understand why when Jessie begged, “Please tell me Javi didn’t take it there last night. You were totally wasted.”
And my good mood evaporated.
“We haven’t known him for very long,” I began, “but has he once given you the impression he was that guy?”
“Fuck, I fucked up again,” Jessie muttered.
“Uh…yeah,” I agreed. “And for the record, if he did take it there, I would have been okay with it because I want it, and he wants it, but he didn’t.
I mean, I tried. I was all over him when we got back to his place.
He shut me in his bathroom with my toiletries and his tee, and by the time I got ready for bed, I was also ready to pass out, which was what I did. ”
“He had to shut you in his bathroom?” Shanti asked, her voice shaking with laughter.
I refused to be embarrassed by that and just nodded.
“How sweet,” Willow cooed.
“Totally,” I agreed, then turned squinty eyes on Jessie.
“You attacked him?” she asked.
“I tried,” I replied.
Her lips curled up in a smile.
I rolled my eyes.
“You know, I might be girlie, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak and need to be protected,” I kept at her. “And Javi might be a big guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s a predator.”
Now Jessie looked like she was getting mad. “I didn’t say he was a predator.”
“No, but you get what I mean. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re all grown up,” I retorted.
Jessie planted her hands on her hips. “Do not stand there and be mad at me for worrying about you when not too long ago, you were mad at me. And, I’ll add, you threw a fair amount of attitude when I didn’t share something with you that was mine to share when and if I wanted to share it, and you did that because you were worried about me ,” Jessie returned.
Bah!
She had me there.
We did a friend face off.
This lasted all of two seconds before Raye inched up and said, “My favorite part about last night, outside of learning Alexis and Jacob are engaged, was Javi carrying you out of the courtyard like you were a football.”
Everyone laughed.
Yeah, including me, because it was funny, but also it was Javi Sweet.
“My favorite part was you telling Martha you loved her, and then spending ten minutes trying to make her tell you she loved you back,” Luna put in.
“Oh yeah, that was good too,” Raye said.
We all laughed at that as well.
By the by, Martha never caved.
I still knew she loved me.
Just…in her way.
“Women!”
At that, we all jumped and looked to see Tex just in from the coffee cubby, glowering at us.
He had to say no more. Everyone got to work, me trailing Raye behind the bar.
She was eyeing me speculatively. “Are you not hungover?”
“Javi gave me some hydration thing. It works miracles.”
“I need to find out what that is.”
“I’ll ask Javi.”
She smiled.
I noted, “No one has said anything about the Kev/Trev situation.”
She became all business and nodded. “Yeah, we need a confab about that. For once, he’s not returning Willow’s calls.
After straightening up your pad, Luna, Willow and I swung by his place last night, but he wasn’t there.
Cap nor Eric are sharing anything they’re learning.
Titus says we’re welcome at his garage anytime, but if he knows something about this sitch, he refuses to say. And Arthur also doesn’t know anything.”
“So…no leads?” I asked.
Raye shook her head. “None.”
“Are we giving up?”
Her eyes lit. “No. We’re meeting Shanti’s cousin at some bar for wings and football tomorrow at one to see if we can pump him for any information.”
I suspected my eyes lit too, but I couldn’t be sure.
Okay, call my crazy. For sure, this was definitely our most dangerous assignment yet.
But I was into this Angels thing.
However, since I had rent to pay, it was time to let that go and get to work.
This, I did.
* * *
It happened maybe half an hour later.
It was closing in on the time Willow would be leaving, since she left a couple of hours before Raye and Luna because she came in a couple of hours earlier in order to make muffins and other stuff for the coffee cubby.
He might have known this.
He might not.
What he didn’t know was, Tex was our first line of defense, and he was just inside the front door.
So when Kev showed, no longer looking like the boy next door, sandy-haired, semi-hot guy, and instead looking manic and like he hadn’t had a shower in a millennium, he skidded sideways to a halt just beyond the coffee cubby, his crazed gaze darting through SC, until it hit on me.
“What the fuck?” he shouted.
That was when all our customers turned to look at him.
It was also when Tex came lumbering in.
Kev’s body jolted when he saw a huge man with wild hair and a long beard wearing a flannel shirt that was buttoned all the way up, even if it was ninety plus degrees outside, bearing down on him.
That was when Kevin started running.
But he’d spied Willow in those mere moments, so he ran toward her.
She ran away.
Kevin chased her.
Tex chased him.
They did this weaving in and out of the tables, basket chairs and bean bags of The Surf Club.
People were crying out, cowering in their seats, though some were raising their phones to film the action as Byron took off from his table and ran after Tex still running after Kevin, who was chasing Willow.
While turning in circles watching them, I caught sight of Tito sitting in his “office,” iPad up, finger poised to poke at it, sunglasses trailing the action, but not moving from his spot.
I suspected he thought Tex had this.
But Tex didn’t have this, mostly because Willow was a wily one. She was good at being chased and not getting caught.
However, this had to end, and we had to get our hands on Kevin and find out what was happening with this mess.
On this thought, I didn’t know what came over me, but I stepped up on an empty chair, then up again on a table, and as Willow passed and Kevin hurtled after her, I launched myself, arms out, through the air, and landed on top of him.
We both went down, both with grunts, but his was louder since he landed hard, and I landed hard on top of him.
I was pretty sure the cute flirty skirt of my cute flirty dress sailed up exposing my cute flirty panties, but I couldn’t have a mind to that because, instantly, we started scrambling.
He twisted, grabbed hold and pulled my ponytail.
I screeched, and along with the pain, some instruction Tex gave us yonks ago hit my brain, so I yanked up a knee, hitting Kev square between the legs.
He let out an agonized “ Oof! ”
Byron and about five male bystanders did the same in sympathy.
Kevin rolled to his back, but he did this with his knees curled up over both his hands cupping his junk, and I took this opportunity to pull myself to my feet and make sure to smooth my skirt down.
He was in this position for one point seven five seconds before Tex got hold of the back of his collar and hauled him to his feet.
Kevin didn’t seem to mind this. Even still recuperating from my blow, his gaze sought Willow, who was standing behind a wall made of Raye, Luna, Jess and Shanti.
“Babe,” he pushed out, “we gotta get outta here.”
“She’s not your babe,” Shanti snapped.
“Tex, take him to the interrogation room,” Raye bossed.
The interrogation room?
Tex had the same question, seeing as his head cocked to the side.
“The staff room,” Raye explained.
Tex grinned a scary grin and frog-marched Kevin to the staff room.
All the Angels followed.
“I’ll man the bar,” Byron called.
Aw, that would be a huge help!
Really, Byron was a mass of surprises.
Jessie tossed him a salute and we kept motoring.
We hit the staff room, Tex threw Kevin on the bench in front of the lockers and ordered, “Sit. Stay.”
Kevin pulled a face at Tex (though he sat and stayed), then he looked for Willow and again found her behind a wall of Angels.
“Seriously, baby,” he said. “We don’t have time for whatever this shit is. We gotta go.”
“First, she broke up with you. So whatever shit you’re into, she’s not a part of it,” Raye stated.
“Yeah,” Luna backed her up.
“Second, outside of that dating app scam you have going, you’re going to tell us right now why your bestie got dead, and our bestie got her apartment tossed,” Raye went on.
“Totally,” Jessie backed her up.
But Kevin turned accusing eyes to me, like I’d ratted him out on that dating app scheme.
“You’re so clueless, you don’t realize we’ve been following you for weeks and have witnessed you pull that shit repeatedly,” Shanti told him.
Kevin’s face got white as a sheet. “You’ve been following me?”
Raye leaned forward and snapped in his face.
“Let’s stay on target here,” she commanded.
Man, we’d never done an interrogation before, but so far, she seemed really good at it.
“You’re wasting valuable time,” Kevin warned.
“Explain,” Raye returned.
Kevin turned to Willow. “I was only doing that until I could land a real gig. You know, like a job.”
“She knows, like, what a job is, asshole,” Shanti said. “Since she has two of them and more than once she worked them covering your ass.”
“Butt out of this, Shanti,” Kevin hurled. “It’s none of your business, and newsflash, it never was.”
“Newsflash, motherfucker,” Shanti returned, “a mister screws over a sister, it’s always the sister’s business.”
“Mm-hmm,” Luna backed her up.
“She’s got that right,” I stated.
“For freakin’ sure,” Jessie underlined it.