I looked at the display; it said “Buzz Cal ing”. I flipped it open but before I could put it to my ear it was pul ed out of my hand.
My head shot up and I saw Mace, my phone to his ear, his back to me, walking away.
“Erm, excuse me?” I cal ed, getting up from my perch on the arm of a couch and fol owing him.
“Buzz, she’l talk to you tomorrow,” Mace told the phone.
“Yeah. She’s al right.” Then he flipped my phone shut.
Do something! My brain ordered me.
I did something. I poked him in the back. The Tribe had melted from existence (not real y, as people can’t melt, except in movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, they just melted from my mind) and my pissed off vibe came back with a vengeance.
“Excuse me? ” I repeated to his back.
Mace turned. I put my hand out for my phone.
Mace shoved my phone in his back pocket. My eyes fol owed this action then narrowed and shot back to Mace’s face.
“Give me my phone,” I demanded.
“No,” Mace replied.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
“Mace, give me my goddamned phone!” My voice was rising.
Mace leaned into me and responded calmly, “No.”
“I need to talk to Buzz,” I explained with rapidly waning patience. “He’s gonna need me. His girlfriend had her head blown off tonight, for God’s sake!”
“Lindsey’s head was blown off by Sid’s men. She’s the reason they were able to get close to you, watch you, figure you out, find a way to get to you. She’s the reason they knew Buzz would cal you and knew you’d come running when he did. Lindsey got herself kil ed so you could be target practice as a warning to me.”
My mouth snapped shut and I took a step back. I had not put this together but it made sense and the idea that I had anything to do with Lindsey’s death felt like the gut kick to end al gut kicks.
Mace took a step forward and his steps were longer than mine.
“Stel a, I’m not gonna let any of the members of that fuckin’ band of yours put you in harm’s way. No phone. No communication. Not until we know the lay of the land. Your band wants to talk to you, they do it through me.” Oh no. He did not just say what it seemed like he just said.
“Don’t cal them ‘that fuckin’ band’,” I snapped.
Mace was silent.
“And you can’t take my phone!”
Mace remained silent.
“And you aren’t going to order me around and stand between me and my boys!” I went on.
“Wanna bet?” Mace asked.
I stared at him. He stared at me.
He didn’t look blank and broody and that emotional flash didn’t cut through his eyes. He looked determined and angry and I got the weird impression that it didn’t have to do simply with Linnie being dead, me getting shot and us being sequestered at The Castle.
I changed tactics. “God! Were you this overbearing when we were together?”
“I should have been,” Mace fired his shot without hesitation.
My head jerked and my hands formed into fists. I couldn’t believe he just said that. I didn’t even know what he meant by that.
What did he mean by that?
“Girlie, hate to break this up, it’s great for entertainment value alone, but you do know you two have an audience,” Tod cal ed from somewhere behind me.
I sucked in breath through my nose, too angry to be embarrassed.
“Thank God we’re over,” I threw at Mace as my parting shot.
That’s when I saw the flash dart through his eyes again. It was there then gone before I could read it.
“I’m keeping your phone,” Mace informed me.
“Have at it.” I gave up and walked away.
“Have at it.” I gave up and walked away.
That was it. Daisy got busy getting everyone settled and we disbursed.
Juno put her front paws on the pul out bed, taking my mind from my thoughts.
“You can’t get up here. Momma’s got a gunshot wound and there isn’t enough room.”
Juno woofed.
“I know, baby. The floor is cold and hard but it’s al you’ve got tonight. We’l be home soon.”
Juno woofed again.
“Quiet, girl. It’s six o’clock in the morning and there’s a house ful of people trying to sleep.”
A soft woof then Juno plopped down. I heard her big dog groan as she stretched out on the floor. Then another big dog groan slash sigh as she fel to her side.
“You’re such a good dog,” I whispered and I meant it.
I heard an even softer woof and I felt my lips form a smal smile.
I punched my pil ows, rol ed to rest on my unwounded side and laid smack in the middle of the bed. The doctor said the painkil ers might make me drowsy. He was not wrong.
Within minutes, I was asleep.