Page 48

“What the hell?” Martha demanded.
Patsy made the same gurgling noise the register guy did at Thai Chili 2go.
Javi ignored them and looked at me. “The boys are gonna go in and see what they can get out of the place. You’re with me.”
“What boys?” Raye asked.
“I’m with you?” I asked a far more pertinent question.
“You’re staying with me until we figure this shit out,” Javi answered my question.
My stomach dropped and it was both pleasant and terrifying.
“She can stay with me and Eric,” Jessie stated.
Javi turned on her, and when she and the others caught sight of his face, something, from their reactions, I was glad I couldn’t see, Linda’s eyes rounded, Patsy bit her lip, Martha narrowed her gaze, and Javi said in a vibrating voice, “She’s with me.”
“Okay, hermanito, I’ll back off,” Jessie muttered, exchanging glances with Raye and Luna, then sending another one that screamed I’m sorry! to me.
I knew she didn’t mean she was sorry about caving to Javi. She meant she was sorry about what happened at the motel.
She and I should have a chat about that, but at that moment I had to stay focused.
“I get to say where I’m staying,” I put in.
“No, you don’t,” Javi denied.
Before I could argue, Raye reiterated, “What boys?”
“Our boys,” Javi told her. “We just took over this case from you.”
Uh-oh.
“Did not!” Raye snapped.
“Talk to your man about it,” Javi said. “Or better, talk to Mace about it. See how he feels about you women wading into this shit, whatever this shit is.”
“It’s our case,” Raye retorted.
“Case?” Martha asked. “Case?” Martha shouted.
Needless to say, the other residents at the Oasis didn’t know about our Angels business.
“Not me you gotta convince,” Javi told Raye, ignoring Martha and going to our bag of food.
He snatched it up, then he snatched my hand up, and me and my chicken bites were being dragged through the packed-like-sardines people to the door.
I didn’t fight him. Too much was going on. I didn’t have it in me.
This meant, after I was in his truck, we were on the road for about five minutes, and my chicken bites ran out, visions of the state of my apartment started dancing in my head, and I said a shaky, “Javi.”
“Keep it tight and stay with me, baby, just a few more minutes,” Javi urged.
I really wanted to be strong and “keep it tight.”
But my cute little glass mushroom was broken!
And someone had been in my place!