22. “Independent Women, Part 1”
(DESTINY’S CHILD)
I t was Friday and I was rushing out the door to jump into Javi’s truck so he could take me to work.
Let me catch you up on the last few days.
Therefore, our new fun morning ritual had to change.
I again reconfigured mine to add sex (still fun) and making a to-go smoothie for Javi (also fun, just not nearly as much).
But even though Javi wanted me to hang at his until he could come pick me up and take me to work (so I couldn’t go to any of my classes), I was able to get back to my yoga mat and spend some time journaling about how awesome my new boyfriend was (among other things).
Dad was still calling (a lot) and had left three voicemails.
Since I hadn’t figured out what I was going to do about him, I hadn’t listened to the voicemails yet.
Not a word from Mom.
I had no idea if Javi had found the time to have a chat with my dad, and I didn’t ask. He said he would do it. I didn’t figure he’d waste time. But, call me chicken, I didn’t want to know how it went.
Though, my guess was, he did not or Dad wouldn’t be calling me.
I’d interrogated Raye and Jessie about this, and they yet again shared my instincts were correct and to “just let him do what he has to do.”
“With them, the protective instincts are strong, they are. At your peril, stop them, you will,” Jessie Yoda’ed me.
Truth told, way down deep inside (not to mention on the pages of my journal), I admitted that I liked the idea of Javi inserting himself between me and the toxicity of my family.
It gave him something, it shielded me from something bigger, and it felt good, for the first time in my life I had someone on my side.
And I loved the idea of Dad seeing big, strong, handsome, together, protective, loving Javi taking my back.
Onward from all of that, our investigation was at a standstill.
Luna, Shanti and Tex had not found anything that would indicate Trev had a video setup in his bedroom, even if we knew from what Javi told me, at some point he did. So either the killer, the cops or the Nightingale team had taken it, or prior to his demise, Trev had dismantled it.
No word on Trev’s cell or laptop.
Arthur had not been able to crack the Sun Dial LLC web o’ shell company lies.
This gave us something to think about since it seemed Arthur could do just about anything, and for him not to be able to crack that was a little troubling.
Javi gave me further intel that they were holding Kev at a “safe house,” because they were concerned if they let him loose, he’d be as dead as Trev.
What he didn’t share was double-fold: what happened to the dudes they picked up outside Titus’s and if they’d learned anything more than we had.
Though, considering the bodyguard situation was continuing, we didn’t think so.
Last, Persia and Lotus, two of our ladies-of-the-evening crew, had cop clients, and they did their best. However, from their best we learned the extent of how far our reputation had reached in the Phoenix Police since both the gals only started to do some digging, and the cops shut them down immediately.
They were more worried about what would happen if an Angels’ informant got info from them to pass on than they were about being officers of the law and paying for sex from a sex worker.
Though, it was super nice Persia and Lotus gave it a go.
It was appearing more and more like the guys could stop their bodyguarding duties because no one’d had their house tossed or been chased by a BMW in days.
Actually, it was appearing like this was going to be the first case we couldn’t crack.
I was upset about this.
I mean, first, I’d only met Trev briefly, and even if all evidence was suggesting he was a massive douche canoe, no murder should go unsolved.
And second, although I didn’t want the Hottie Squad to have to adjust their lives around keeping us safe for months on end, if everything went back to normal, then I didn’t get to ride to and from work with Javi. And I wouldn’t “have to” stay in his house anymore.
Make no mistake, I loved my apartment at the Oasis. I missed it. I’d had a blast making it just as I wanted it.
Though, it went without saying, I preferred making dinner, eating it, then going to bed with Javi, and waking up next to him too.
“Lolita,” Javi called.
I’d gotten into his truck, given him a quick kiss, and he’d set us on our way while I thought on all of that, so his calling my nickname took me out of my reverie.
“What?” I asked, turning to him.
“Got something on your mind?”
I narrowed it down to, “Our case is going nowhere.”
“Mm,” he hummed.
“Yours?”
“We don’t have a lot more than you,” he surprisingly admitted.
“Which means the cops don’t either,” I surmised.
He grunted.
I took that as a yes.
I sat to face forward and harrumphed.
“Sometimes, mysteries go unsolved, babe,” Javi shared his wisdom.
“I’m not sure the Angels are all fired up to have one of our cases go bust,” I told him. “I mean, we were helping innocent people on the others, and one could say Trev is far from innocent, but the dude got his throat slit.”
“Sorry, lil’ mama,” he murmured, and I felt a little better after he said it, though mostly because, at the same time he did, he ran his finger down my thigh.
He then changed the subject.
“Weekend’s nearly here. You in for us hauling all your shit back to your pad—” Oh God! He was moving me out already! “—and me hauling some of my shit too so we can give your pink bedroom a go for a while?”
I bounced in my seat this time when I looked at him.
“Are we gonna be like Eric and Jessie?” I asked excitedly.
He shot me a grin, knowing exactly what I was saying, before looking at the road.
“They’re playing it smart, as far as I can see.
They got deep fast, but made no major decisions, no one giving anything up they can’t get back easily.
He’s got shit at hers. She’s got shit at his.
The cat doesn’t mind travel. They lay down their heads every night, maybe in a different bed, but it’s still together.
They’re giving themselves time to feel things out and make sure it’s what it is.
They fit. So, yeah, I think we should do this like Turner and Jess. ”
I got my awesome pad, and I got his too!
And we were laying our heads down together every night!
Perfect!
I stretched across the cab to give him a loud smack on the cheek.
He chuckled as I sat back.
“A belated yes to we’re hauling some of my stuff and your stuff to my pad,” I confirmed.
“Got that,” he replied, even his voice smiling.
Man, I so loved us .
We were totally adorable!
When we made it to the suicide lane in front of The Surf Club, I saw from Tex’s shoe polish that he didn’t feel like being original today. It was a drawing of a hairy, angry man’s face and the words, Today’s Tex Special, The Textual .
It might not be original, but it was popular, considering there was a line out the door.
Though, there usually was.
I was so getting one of Tex’s coffees that morning.
Javi parked around the back. After a quick make-out session, I bopped out of the truck and then bounced into SC, waving at him the entire way.
I did the bag-stowing, apron-tying thing and called, “Hey, Lucia” to her as she had a face full of steam coming up from a pot she was sniffing (again, she ignored me).
I hit the main part of the Club, called greetings, braved the grumpy Tex Groupies by jumping the queue to get myself a Textual and got to work.
It took half an hour before stuff started to kick off.
That being Tex booming, “Do you women have phones ? What? You show in town and don’t tell me you’re gonna show?”
I looked toward the coffee cubby only to gasp, because Indy (Rock Chick book one), Ally (book eight), Roxie (book three) and Roxie’s bestie, Annette (no book, but she featured hilariously through most of the others) came strolling in.
We’d intermingled, not copiously, but we all went up to Denver for New Year’s.
It had been a total blast.
Nothing pulled a long-distance girl gang together better than cocktail attire, cocktails and lots of lip syncing.
Annette took a look around then shouted, “Oh my fucking God.” She then did a Molly Shannon, vintage SNL Superstar lunge with arms up and concluded, “This place is so phat .”
“We need to put plants in Fortnum’s,” Indy decreed, also looking around.
“You also need a mural,” Roxie said. “That is kick-freaking-ass.”
“Yo, bitches,” Ally said in the general direction of the Angels.
“Oh my God,” Raye replied as we all made our way to them. “What are you guys doing here?”
We did the whole hug thing then we did the whole huddle thing.
“Tex and Nancy have decided on a house,” Roxie shared. “Their offer was accepted. They move in in twenty days.”
“And we’re nosy, so we’re here to see what it looks like,” Indy put in.
“I can’t believe the pics they sent,” Ally added.
“Tex and Nancy have decided on a house?” Luna asked.
“Tex! Dude!” Jessie shouted. “You picked a house and didn’t tell us?”
“Didn’t tell the Rock Chicks either!” Tex bellowed back.
“He didn’t. Nancy told Jet,” Indy confirmed. “Jet would be here too, but the boys have something going on and she couldn’t get away.”
Jet, another Rock Chick (book two), had three boys. In other words, for the most part, her hands were full.
“Did you bring your men?” Luna inquired.
Annette slung an arm around Roxie and Ally’s shoulders. “Girls’ trip, bitch.”
We all got that, considering how big we were smiling at each other.
“This calls for a cocktail,” Jessie decreed.
“Not here for five minutes, and day drinking is on offer,” Annette declared. “This might make me open another store. Head South.”
Annette, by the way, owned a head shop in Denver (Head West), also one in Chicago (Head East). Annette was kind of a pot-and-hippie paraphernalia mogul.
“If you leave us too, I’ll be pissed,” Indy snapped. Then, loudly so Tex could hear, “No more deserters!”
“You girls stop being boring, I’ll go back to Denver,” Tex boomed back.