“Crowe,” I said low and quiet, a warning in my voice.

He ignored my warning and his face dipped close to mine. “Shut up,” he said but he said it through one of his grins.

“Don’t tell me to shut up,” I flashed.

He just kept grinning.

Whatever.

“Are we going to do this or what?” I asked.

Instantly, his eyes went serious but he didn’t let me go.

“We get there, you let Darius talk first. You let him have his say and you listen. Then you let Lee guide the conversation and you take cues from Lee. Yeah?”

“I’m not stupid,” I told him.

“I know you aren’t,” he surprised me by saying.

I blinked at him. “Really?” I blurted, then I wished I hadn’t because his eyes got soft again and I was having trouble channeling my head-crackin’ mamma jamma with his soft eyes on me.

“Really,” he said quietly.

“I thought you thought I was a little crazy.”

“Crazy. Yeah. Stupid. No.”

Hmm.

That was mostly good.

What was I thinking? I didn’t care if Vance thought I was crazy or stupid.

Before I could purposefully kill the mood, Luke did it for me.

“Fuck. You guys havin’ a sit down with Darius or an orgy in reception?”

I went up on my toes and looked over Vance’s shoulder. Luke was standing in the doorway, arms crossed on his chest. He looked like he didn’t know whether to grin or vomit. A glance at Dawn showed she definitely wished she could vomit and her eyes were on Vance and me.

I smiled brightly at her just because. I felt Vance’s body move with laughter even though he didn’t make a sound.

I turned my head and frowned at him. “What?” I snapped.

His mouth came to ear. “Wouldn’t know, don’t want to know, but I bet she doesn’t taste like cherries.”

That got a belly flutter.

I sicced the Rottweiler on my belly flutter and glared at Vance when his head came away from my neck. “Stop talking to me. I’m trying to channel my head-crackin’ mamma jamma.”

At my words, a hint of surprise passed his face then he got that “you’re adorable” look again and even though I knew he heard me, he asked, “Your what?”

Time to stop speaking.

He watched me a beat and then looked at Lee. “We movin’?” he asked Lee.

“Yeah,” Lee said to Vance and his eyes cut to Dawn. “Dawn, thanks for stayin’ late. We’re done for the day.” Then he looked down at Indy and I watched as his face went soft. “Luke’s takin’ you home.”

“Lee, if you want, I can take Indy home,” Dawn said sweetly, the queen of kindness.

Blech.

It was my turn to consider vomiting.

“I got her,” Luke walked forward without sparing Dawn a glance.

Vance let me go and I turned to Indy just as she arrived at me and gave me a big, surprise, hug. I stood in her arms, uncertain what to do for a second then I hugged her back.

“Good luck,” she said when she let me go and then she got close and whispered, “remember, deep down, he’s a great guy.”

I took a breath and nodded.

Before Indy and Luke left, Luke stopped at the door and sliced his eyes to me. “Tomorrow, five thirty, here, you and me. Don’t be late.”

Then he was gone.

I stared at the door. “What did that mean?” I asked Vance.

“You’re training with Luke tomorrow,” Vance told me.

I totally lost any hold on my head-crackin’ mamma jamma and my mouth dropped open. “No I’m not.”

“I were you,” Lee said, coming up to us, “I wouldn’t be late.”

I stared at the both of them.

Fuck.

* * * * *

Vance followed me to my house on his Harley. We parked Hazel in the garage, I jumped on his bike and we met Lee at a bar on Colfax, the same bar I’d seen Darius in a few days before.

We got drinks, Vance a soda, me a diet soda (even though I wanted tequila, I was still going for a clear head) and Lee a beer.

We stood at the bar, me and the badasses, surveying the room and not speaking.

Vance didn’t get touchy and sexy. This was a different Vance. This was badass Vance. He was relaxed but alert and very serious. We weren’t lovers here, we were partners. How he communicated this, I could not tell you, but he did. I knew it, felt it. Anyone in that bar f**ked with me, they f**ked with Vance.

And it was pretty clear no one wanted to f**k with Vance.

Or Lee.

Me, now that was probably another story.

Still, we were given a wide berth.

After about ten minutes, Lee murmured, “Let’s go.”

I had no idea why he said this, if he got some sign but they moved and I followed. We walked to the back of the bar, down a hall and into a room.

In the room were three people. Darius sitting at a round table, a supplier I’d heard of and seen once or twice but didn’t know his name on Darius’s left and on his right a pretty, middle-aged black woman with tawny brown eyes and a huge Afro.

“Lee Boy! Lookin’ good,” the woman shouted when we walked in, sounding happy and welcoming, like we’d come to her dinner party.

“Shirleen,” Lee said, walking into the room. I followed. Vance followed me.

Lee put his beer bottle down and sat. I put my glass down and sat next to him thinking this was the right thing to do. I rethought it when Vance positioned himself standing behind me and to my right. Instead of looking indecisive and getting up to stand with Vance, I kept my seat.

The supplier’s eyes went to Vance and they got hard and scary and I held my breath.

Vance hadn’t allowed me to bring my gun (even though I was pretty certain he and Lee were carrying, though Vance didn’t share). He said it would send the wrong message for me to walk in armed and since I’d never had a sit down with a drug dealer, and expected he knew what he was talking about, I gave in.

At that moment though, I wished I had it just in case.

Lee felt me tense, his eyes cut to me and, quickly, to my shock, I kid you not, he winked at me.

Lee “Badass Mother” Nightingale winked… at… me.

I guessed this meant everything was all right. I let out my breath and tried to relax.

The seating scenario had us facing off against Darius, Shirleen and the other guy.

“So you’re The Law,” Shirleen said, looking at me. “You’re a tiny little thing. How you flip Jermaine on his back?” she asked.