My parents lived in Bonnie Brae, which was just off the very popular ‘hood where I lived, Washington Park. Wash Park surrounded a massive park-slash-hotspot that even in the winter was teeming with activity. It was practically impossible to find a parking spot in Wash Park. Bonnie Brae, unless you were close to Bonnie Brae Tavern, didn’t have the same problem.
But lining the curbs outside Mom and Dad’s house were not only Lee’s Crossfire and Hank’s 4Runner but also a shiny black Caddy, a semi-sporty Hyundai coupe, a Chevy SUV, a Honda Accord and a GMC Acadia.
“There’s a space in front of the Acadia, Zano,” I pointed out, and it was only two car lengths down from Mom and Dad’s, so I wasn’t certain what the big deal was. Still, maybe Ren was feeling nervous so I said, “Sorry that Lee and Hank are here, even though we didn’t know they were coming. But they’ll be cool. And all these cars mean one of the neighbors is having a little get-together.”
“One of your neighbors isn’t having a get-together, babe. The Acadia’s Dom’s. The Honda is Connie’s. The Chevy, Jeannie’s. Hyundai, Ma. And the Caddy belongs to Vito and Angela.”
I stared at the lineup of cars.
Holy shit!
Ambush!
“Are you serious?” I asked, sounding like I hoped to God he wasn’t, mostly because I hoped to God he wasn’t!
“Yes, unfortunately,” he answered, putting on the brakes to swing in in front of the Acadia, which would mean he intended to park.
“What are you doing?” I yelled.
He stopped the car and looked at me. “Parking.”
“Don’t park. Do not park. Drive on. I just got a really bad headache, period cramps and I think that French toast gave me food poisoning. I’ll text Mom. She’ll understand.”
Ren didn’t listen to me. He swung into the spot, and while looking over his shoulder to reverse closer to the bumper of the Acadia, he spoke to me. “Of all that, I really hope you’re kidding about the period cramps.”
Like I’d have sex during a bout of food poisoning.
“Zano!” I snapped.
He put the car in park and turned his attention to me.
“Is this my Ally, scared of nothing?” he asked, sounding slightly pissed, but also slightly teasing, and I knew the former was for his family, the latter for me.
Still, I gritted my teeth.
He reached out a hand and curled it around the side of my neck, and when he spoke again there was no more teasing. “Do you think your mom planned this?”
“Absolutely not,” I answered.
“So I mentioned to Dom at the wedding yesterday I was havin’ dinner with your folks tonight. Dom opened his mouth and Vito did what Vito does. He horned in,” he deduced.
“Probably.”
His voice was just pissed when he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of them.”
“Do that fast,” I ordered, then explained my eagerness for him to be rude, “See, Mom and Dad will be cool with you because I love you. I don’t love Vito and Angela, and Dad really doesn’t love at least Vito. So he’s probably in there, about to have an aneurysm because Mom won’t let him be mean to guests. Even surprise ones. Even ones who engage in criminal activities. And anyway, knowing what you mean to me, he definitely won’t want to be mean in front of your mom and sisters. The problem is, Mom likely instigated the Lee and Hank being here thing without telling us, which means Dad also doesn’t have the upper hand. So he’s screwed, and he won’t like that.”
To all that, Ren’s answer was simply, “Like I said, Ally. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of them.”
He let me go and turned to his door, but a thought occurred to me, I grabbed his wrist and yanked.
He turned back to me.
“You can’t get rid of your mom and sisters, so you just have to get rid of Vito, Angela, Dom and Sissy.”
Something else occurred to me and I yanked again at his wrist.
“No. Not Sissy, because she’s a sister, so you can’t get rid of her, which means we’re stuck with Dom, too. Which also probably means were stuck with Vito. Shit!”
Ren twisted his wrist to grab my hand and hold it tight as he leaned into me, and I noticed his eyes studying me.
Intently.
“You’re freaked,” he whispered, and his voice sent a chill over my skin.
“I… well, a little bit,” I admitted.
“You’re totally freaked,” he stated.
His family was in there with my family, and some of his family engaged in criminal activities and my family was a cop family.
Not to mention, without warning, I was meeting his mother and sisters.
Of course I was freaked.
“Okay, maybe more than a little bit,” I allowed.
His eyes moved over my face in the waning sunlight, the air in the car got heavy then, again with the scary whisper, “My woman doesn’t get freaked.”
Uh-oh.
“Ren—”
“Let’s go,” he clipped.
Before I could say another word, he let me go, turned to his door and angled out.