She looked at me and then at the girls. Then she took a deep breath and said, “My day’s Wednesday.”

Everyone looked at each other. Then our eyes went to Sissy.

“What, honey?” I asked.

She looked at me. “In the Ava and Luke do the business pool. My day’s tomorrow. I knew you didn’t do it yesterday. But men like morning nookie. I thought I’d come by early, before anything could happen, take you to the gym. Keep you busy all day. I was protecting my fifty bucks.”

Oh, for God’s sake.

I just stopped myself from doing an eye roll when she continued. “I was trying to be funny. I was going to tease you about it,” she whispered to me. “I didn’t mean anything –”

I interrupted her softly. “I know.”

She nodded and went on, glancing around the Rock Chicks. “I was buzzing up when some big guy came up to me, saw which buzzer I was pressing and asked if I was you. I said no, I was Sissy Vincetti.” She shook her head and looked like she was going to cry again as her eyes moved back to me. “I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have told him my name. Why did I do that?”

I shook my head too, mainly because I didn’t know why she did that and squeezed her shoulder as she took a calming breath.

Then she carried on. “The minute I said my name, he grabbed me. Didn’t say a word, just grabbed me. I started struggling. He pulled me out of Luke’s building and I saw he was taking me to the SUV from Sunday. That’s when I screamed and he punched me in the nose. Then I called your name. He almost had me in the car when Luke got there. He took one look at Luke and ran, leaving his car and everything. Luke told me to wait in the building and took off after him. A few minutes later, Luke came back and we went up to the loft. You know the rest.”

All the Rock Chicks looked at one another.

“I hope Vance doesn’t hear that some guy hit you. If he does, that guy’s f**ked,” Ally said.

“Yeah, Vance isn’t a big fan of that kind of thing,” Jet put in.

“Who is?” Daisy asked.

Jet gave Daisy a look. “I’m just saying, Vance is really not a big fan of that kind of thing.”

“You can say that again,” Roxie muttered.

Sissy turned to me. “Which one is Vance again?”

My purse rang before I could answer Sissy. I pulled out my phone, flipped it open and put it to my ear.

“Yo.”

“She okay?” Luke asked.

I really wanted to smile when I heard his voice but stopped myself just in time.

“Her nose isn’t broken,” I told him.

“I know that. Is she okay?” Luke asked again.

I had to admit, I liked not only that he asked the question but that he knew to ask it.

I looked at Sissy and said, “Yeah, she’s hanging in there. You find Bobby?”

“Not yet, we’re still lookin’.”

Shit.

Luke went on. “You get her story?”

I was beginning to realize that I couldn’t live in a pretend world of happiness and ignore everything that was going on around me. It was one thing when it was happening to me, it was quite another when it was happening to Sissy. Luke had been right again, this shit was not going away.

I got up with my latte, walked to the book counter, leaned a hip against it and told him Sissy’s story. I finished on, “Do you know what’s going on?”

“I’m piecin’ it together but none of what I’ve got is leadin’ back to you.”

“What do you have?”

“I’ll tell you when I get home tonight.”

It was then I remembered I had a date with Ren that night.

Oh crap.

Why was my life so complicated?

“Erm, Luke?”

“Babe, I gotta go,” he sounded distracted.

“No, Luke, wait.”

“What?” Now he sounded impatient. Not a good way to start.

“Um, I have plans tonight. I’ll be… out.”

Silence.

I took this silence as Luke remembering my plans.

Then he said, his voice quiet and lethal, “You come to me when you’re done.”

Ee-yikes.

Luke kept talking, his voice quieter and more lethal. “He touches you Ava, there’ll be trouble.”

Yep, he remembered my plans.

“I’m sworn off men, remember?” I told him.

I heard muffled movement and I should have realized that he was somewhere he couldn’t talk and he was seeking privacy. I should have also realized that this was one of the many warning signs Luke gave me before rocking my world. Instead, like a dork, I just stood there waiting for him to talk.

Then still in the ultra quiet, lethal voice, he said, “I keep hearin’ that line coming from you and then the minute I get my mouth or hands on you, somethin’ different happens. Ava, you’re the hottest f**kin’ piece I’ve ever touched. I find out that heat isn’t just for me, I’m still takin’ my fill. Zano can have you when I’m done.”

I felt pressure crawling up my throat because what he said was just not nice.

I was, of course, forgetting that tough guy Luke Stark was simply giving what he considered were the ground rules for “his woman” going out to dinner alone with another man. The fact that he wasn’t throwing a he-man shit fit was practically a miracle.

Still.

“Lucas Stark, you better watch your mouth,” I hissed.

“You come to me when you’re done,” he repeated.

I did not think so. “I’m staying the night with Sissy and her Dad.”

“You do, it’ll be embarrassing for you when I drag your ass out of there.”

My heart stopped. “You wouldn’t dare,” I breathed.

“Try me.”

I wasn’t going to try him. No way. He’d do it and I knew it.

“You’re a jerk,” I snapped.

“Tonight, you’re mine.”

Disconnect.

Argh!

I turned back to the Rock Chicks and they were all looking at me.

Finally Roxie said to Sissy, “Doesn’t seem like Wednesday’s looking too good.”

“Lee’s got today, he’s going to be bummed,” Indy said.

“I got in on the pool late, my day’s Friday,” Jet put in. “The way this is going, I’m thinking of buying a KitchenAid mixer to match my blender.”

“Oh! I love those!” Daisy exclaimed, turning to Jet. “Which color you gonna get?”