When he settled on his back, his arm around me, me tucked to his side, my cheek on his shoulder, I belatedly found my voice and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Go to sleep, Sadie.”

“I –”

“Sadie, go to sleep.”

“But –”

“Please, mamita, I’m wiped.”

I snapped my mouth shut.

Well, so much for siccing the Ice Princess on him to get rid of him.

That was my last thought before I gave up the struggle and, within minutes, I fell asleep.

Chapter Ten

Powder Room

Sadie

“Wakey wakey, kids. Time for coffee,” Ralphie said and I opened my eyes.

I could see the coffee table and Ralphie’s legs in his robe walking across the living room. Again, since this wasn’t my normal upon waking vantage point, I assessed my situation.

I was on the couch, my legs bent, something heavy was resting on my waist and there was immense heat coming at me all down the back of my body.

It would seem Hector and I were spooning on the couch. Sometime during the night, I’d moved from having my back pressed to the couch and my front tucked into Hector’s side to being in front of Hector at the front of the couch.

How I slept through that I had no idea.

The arm around my waist curled around more, slanting across my midriff and I was pulled up to sitting. Then two hands came to my waist and I was pushed to a standing position in front of Hector. Hands to my shoulders, he turned me to face him and before I could say “boo” his head descended, he brushed my mouth with his, giving me a soft, sweet, morning kiss. His head lifted, he turned and left the room.

Frozen to the spot, breathing nowhere near normal, I heard the powder room door open and close.

My body jerked out of its stupor and I ran upstairs to my bathroom.

I forced my mind to still as unbidden thoughts of last night rushed into it, thoughts of crazy Marty, incarcerated Harvey and still-at-large Ricky and also thoughts of Hector coming to my rescue.

Instead, I forced myself to think about my most recent predicament and I decided to take it one step at a time. Each step taken would get me through, for now.

I’d think of all the rest of it… later.

First, brush teeth then floss teeth and then wash face. After that make sure I didn’t look like a fright and then put on something so I was wearing more than just silky, lacy pajama bottoms and a camisole but not something that would make me look like I was embarrassed or a prude because that would show weakness and my father told me (time and again), even if you had a weakness, you should never, never expose it.

Finally find my Ice Princess, click her into place and then… proceed.

I took a deep breath, forced all other thoughts out of my head and I went through my mental morning to-do list.

By the time I walked into the kitchen I was fresh-faced, fresh-breathed, I’d put on my full-length, cream, cotton, waffle-weave robe (but I didn’t close the front because that might show I lacked confidence) and I was certain sure I could handle whatever came at me.

Hector was sitting on a stool at the island, so was Buddy, both of them had a steaming mug of coffee resting in front of them. In the air I could smell the brioche toasting and Ralphie was at the counter manning the toaster.

“Hey there, sweets. Coffee?” Ralphie asked me, twirling a knife in the air.

“I’ll get it,” I replied and moved into the room not looking at Hector.

Hector, by the way, was one of those things I was going to think about later.

I made my coffee (dash of milk, one sugar, just like Hector).

“Double H is staying for brioche this morning,” Ralphie informed me happily, like this was akin to William Shakespeare rising from the dead for the sole purpose of eating brioche with us while reciting a couple of his sonnets.

“That’s nice,” I said but it didn’t sound like I meant it. It sounded cold and uninterested and Ralphie’s head snapped around so he could look at me closely.

I gave him a look that said, “What?”

He gave me a look that said, “You know what!”

“A few things we need to go over,” Hector said into Ralphie and my non-verbal exchange, apparently oblivious to my cold shoulder.

Unable to do anything else, I turned Ice Princess eyes to Hector.

He wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Ralphie. “From here on in, Sadie goes to and from work with you. She isn’t alone at the store and she doesn’t go anywhere unless she’s with one of you or one of the men. She needs to go somewhere and she doesn’t have someone with her, you call me and I’ll take her or arrange an escort.”

Well maybe it should be said at this juncture that I wasn’t certain sure I could handle whatever came at me.

I stared at Hector.

What was he on about?

“Why?” Buddy asked, also wondering what Hector was on about.

“Sadie got a threatening phone call last night from Marty Balducci,” Hector replied.

“What?” Ralphie screeched.

Buddy stood up, body tense, eyes swinging to me.

My Ice Princess took a hike and now I was staring in horror at Hector.

What was he doing? I wasn’t going to tell them about the call! Telling them about the call would take me one step closer to using them up.

I didn’t want them worried. Or, more worried.

If he told them this, he would use them up. He couldn’t use them up!

“She got a –” Hector started to repeat but I came to and frantically acted to put a stop to his words.

“No!” I shouted, interrupting him and quickly I advanced across the kitchen.

Hector black eyes came to me and he stood as I approached.

“I need to talk to you a second,” I told him.

“Sadie, they need to know –” Hector started but I’d made it to him.

I reached up, put my healthy hand over his mouth and put my casted hand into his chest. Then I pushed him toward the door, Hector walking backward, me moving forward, my hand still over his mouth.

He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, pulled it from his mouth and halted at the door, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere.

I changed tactics, immediately twisted my hand so it was holding his and I walked around him, tugging him behind me and praying he’d change his mind and come with me instead of resisting. I didn’t want to engage in a kitchen tussle with Hector in front of Buddy and Ralphie, firstly because it would be embarrassing, secondly because I’d lose.

He came with me (thank goodness!) and I pulled him into the living room, my step stuttered and I had to make a quick decision.