Eddie moved about an inch, but it was a frightening inch.

He ignored me and his body and face now registered out-and-out hostility, but his voice was stil quiet.

“Yeah? That okay with you? You al right with that?”

“Darius was here the whole time,” Lee said.

“Fuck, Lee. You used my woman as bait!” Eddie shouted.

Eek!

The w-word with an even more scary b-word.

“What are you talking about?” I said.

Lee turned to me and Eddie pul ed a hand through his hair. “I slipped a tracking device in your jeans today at the hospital and Vance told Lottie the plan at Eddie’s place.

Mace had found Vince and we knew he was watching you.

Lottie went out unprotected with her own device. Vince took the bait. Now, it’s done.”

At his words, a red film covered my eyes.

At his words, a red film covered my eyes.

Luckily, I was there to tel you, scary or not, Lee was going to get a dose of Jet’s Newfound Attitude.

“You used my sister as bait!” I shouted, took my life in my hands for the second time that night, and shoved his shoulder.

Eddie grabbed my wrist and pul ed my back to his chest, wrapping my arm around my waist at the front.

“I had her tracked, Lee. She was covered. Wil ie had her,” Eddie ignored me and (selfishly, if you asked me) kept on his own subject.

“Wil ie was five minutes late,” Lee said.

I struggled against Eddie’s hold.

“You used my sister as bait?” I shouted again, feeling, for the first time in my life, that attention should be centered on me.

Lee’s eyes turned to me.

“I was covering your sister.”

Oh.

Wel then.

That was something.

I stopped struggling.

“It’s over,” Darius final y spoke. “What’s it matter how it’s done? Everyone’s breathin’. Quit f**kin’ fightin’,” he said this as if he’d had a lot of practice stopping Eddie and Lee from fighting.

Eddie and Lee stared at each other.

I waited, tense.

Hmm.

They didn’t look like they were ready to stop fighting.

They didn’t look like they were ready to stop fighting.

Yeesh. Men.

“I made chil i,” I blurted out.

Everyone looked at me and, after a second, Eddie’s arm around me relaxed.

“If everyone at Eddie’s hasn’t hoovered through it, there should be some left,” I carried on.

I was trying to diffuse the situation.

It wasn’t working.

“Gotta go,” Darius said, looking ready to fade back in the shadows.

I turned to him. “There’s plenty.”

I saw a white flash of teeth, then he was gone.

See, I was right. Darius was a good guy.

I gave Hank a look communicating without words that life definitely held shades of gray.

Hank just winked at me.

Whatever.

I turned and Eddie’s arm stayed around me but slid around my back.

I looked up at him.

“Eddie, stop fighting with Lee. Let’s go to the hospital and check on Dad and then let’s go home.” I tried to use a sweet, coaxing voice but Eddie didn’t feel in the mood to be sweet-talked and coaxed.

“You wouldn’t have al owed Indy to be put in that position,” Eddie said to Lee, pushing the point.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t,” Lee replied. “Indy would have put herself in it. And, two days ago, when we knew Vince had aligned himself with Slick and we wanted to offer this choice to Jet, you wouldn’t al ow it but I’m guessin’ she would’ve took it.”

I twisted around to look at Lee, my eyes nearly popping out of my head.

What he said surprised me. What surprised me more was that he was right, I would have taken it.

“I would have preferred you to know,” Lee told me.

Wow. That was huge. It was even kind of earth-shattering, not only that I would have taken it but that he thought I would.

“Thank you,” I said and meant it.

At that, Eddie was done. He moved, grabbing my hand and taking me with him.

Guess I was done too.

“Don’t forget the chil i!” I cal ed back to Lee, Hank and Mace.

They’d formed a huddle and turned their heads to look at me, al of them gave me the chin lift and grinned.

Eddie walked me away, far away, to where he’d parked the truck. He helped me in the passenger side and then he got in the driver’s side.

He turned to me before he started the truck.

“You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded and smiled.

“It’s over,” I told him, feeling almost giddy and thinking now was the appropriate time to either burst into laughter or tears, or both.

Wrong again.

Al of a sudden, he yanked me across the seat, twisting me and pul ing me into his lap. His arms went around me, tight, and his face went to my neck.

“Fucking hel ,” he muttered.

He was right, it was the F-word Moment to end al F-word Moments.

“You can say that again,” I said to him.

His head came up and his hand went through my hair, his fingers curled around the back of my head and he kissed me. It wasn’t deep, passionate, ful -on tongue, it was sweet and soft and real y nice.

“I would have taken Lee up on the offer,” I told him after he lifted his head.

“I know, that’s why I didn’t let him give it to you.” Wow, that was kinda earth-shattering too.

Regardless, I pul ed out the glare.

He shook his head, completely unaffected by the glare.

I didn’t push it, now wasn’t the time to argue, especial y with an outstanding issue at hand.

I put my hands to his shoulders, the fingers of one fiddling with the neckline of his t-shirt.

“Um… there’s a slight problem,” I said.

Eddie stil ed.

“You are joking, right?”

Hmm.

Oh well , nothing for it…

“I kinda stole your Mom’s car,” I said.

His hand at my hair slid down my back and he pul ed me deep into him.

“I think she’l forgive you,” he told me.

“I think she’l forgive you,” he told me.

That was a relief.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Empty Space Where My Bag Used to Be The alarm went off, Eddie touched a button and rol ed out of bed.

I snuggled into the pil ow figuring Eddie would give me a reprieve. I mean, I did just survive the most traumatic two weeks of my life, culminating in being kidnapped and nearly raped.