Without hesitation his hand released mine, his arm went from around my waist, I took a step back but he wasn’t ready to let me go completely.
His hand came to the side of my neck to stop further retreat but his body wasn’t close anymore and my fuzzy brain became sharper.
I looked up at him and said in all honesty, “I can’t deal with this now.”
Hector stared at me a second and I had no idea what he saw but thankfully whatever it was made him nod. His hand squeezed me affectionately at my neck.
Yes, that’s right, affectionately.
“We’ll get the other’s statements,” he told me. “Eddie called a squad car, they took Harvey in. You can come in and press charges in the morning.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t going to press charges not in the morning or any time.
Clearly the Balducci brothers weren’t going to leave me alone while they waited for me to play my card but I couldn’t think about what that meant right now. I’d think about it later when Hector’s hand wasn’t at my neck, I hadn’t survived the latest Balducci Brother Attack and I didn’t have five lemon drops and three shots coursing through my system.
I felt his hand loosening like he was going to let go and quickly, before I lost the courage, I asked, “Are you going to get into trouble?” I paused then went on, “For choking him?”
Hector’s head jerked ever so slightly at my question like it surprised him and his eyes narrowed.
He stared at me again for what seemed like a long time then his face cleared and, I could swear, he was fighting back a grin.
“So that’s what’s in your head,” he murmured as if he was talking to himself and as if whatever he thought was in my head pleased him a great deal. I wasn’t going to think about a pleased Hector until later either.
“Well?” I prompted less quickly and a bit more annoyed this time.
I watched him continue to fight the grin as he replied, “I think I might get away with getting physical when I caught Harvey Balducci in the middle of a kidnap attempt.”
I sighed quietly but with relief. Well, at least that was good news.
Then I asked, “Will Daisy get into trouble for attacking him?”
He shook his head. “As far as any of the witnesses were concerned, Daisy Sloan was simply in on the rescue and, maybe, her nails slipped a bit.”
My eyes got round as I repeated, disbelief dripping from my words at his stunning prevarication, “Daisy was in on the rescue and her nails… slipped a bit?”
It was at that Hector stopped fighting back the grin and let it happen.
I stared. His grin was nearly as good as his smile. Who thought that could even be possible?
Then, before I could answer my own question, his head dipped.
Then, seriously, no kidding, his lips touched mine in a barely-there kiss.
After that, while I was blinking rapidly and trying to remember how to breathe, his head came up and he said, “Time for you to go home.”
All I could think was; he was so right. It was time for me to go home.
Tomorrow I’d think about all of this. Tonight, I was done. So done.
“Time for me to go home,” I agreed.
His grin turned into a blinding, white smile, he leaned in again but only to kiss the top of my head this time.
He took my hand in his and he walked me back into the bar.
Chapter Six
It’s My Lip Gloss
Sadie
“He’s here, he’s here, oh my God, he’s here… and he looks good!” Ralphie chanted, dancing around by the window.
Oh my God.
Hector was here. It was seven o’clock and Hector was here.
I looked at the display on the DVD player. No, it was seven-oh-two.
But Hector was still here.
To take me out to dinner.
And he looked good!
And we were going to “talk”. I knew we were going to “talk” because Hector called Art in the early afternoon and told me so.
I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t even want to go to dinner!
How did this happen?
Oh… my… God.
*
That afternoon at Art I unwittingly answered the phone (as you do when, say, you run a business) and without even a hello Hector said in my ear, “I’m standin’ in the Station, Eddie’s with me and he says you haven’t come in yet.”
Oh my.
“Well –” I started.
He interrupted me, “You don’t come in they gotta let Harvey go.”
I tried again, “I just –”
“They let Harvey go and you don’t tell them what Ricky did to you I still got four Balducci brothers to deal with rather than bein’ down to two.”
My body went tight and I stared unseeing at the counter unable to process his words.
“What?” I asked.
“I think you heard me,” he answered.
I heard him all right.
“I heard you. I just don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean,” he explained but I could tell he was losing patience, “if Ricky and Harvey are out of commission, I just gotta go after Marty and Donny.”
I kept staring at the counter. “Why are you after the Balducci Brothers?”
Silence then a soft, “Mamita, are you shittin’ me?”
Quietly I answered, “No.”