As Lee parked, I looked to Paris on the Platte, part-bookstore, mostly-funky-coffee-house, it had been around for ages. They made Rosie’s coffee look amateur.
Sitting out front at one of the tables on the sidewalk was Eddie Chavez, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, elbows on the arm rests, hands hanging loose.
Pure cool.
He had on a white thermal, short-sleeved tee, a pair of worn out Levi’s, black cowboy boots and a black belt with a big buckle pressed against his flat abs. He had dark skin, black hair and he was wearing a pair of kickass mirrored shades. Shades I knew hid eyes so dark brown, they were black. He was flashing a grin at us, ultra-white against his skin.
He looked damn good.
I knew Eddie well growing up. He, Lee and Darius hung out together most of the time and I tried my best to be wherever Lee was so I spent a good deal of time with the three of them.
Since then, I’d seen Eddie a lot, he stayed close with both Lee and Hank. He came to Kitty Sue and Malcolm’s parties and he’d come over to Hank’s when we all went over there and watched football. I wouldn’t say we were great friends but I liked him and I knew he liked me.
In fact, I think he liked me, liked me. He could be hilariously suggestive in a flirty way but that wasn’t it, that was just banter.
If Eddie was attracted to you, he didn’t make it obvious by flirting. Eddie wasn’t the kind of guy who flirted a girl into bed. His tactics were more subtle and practiced. He liked to play a game, he liked a challenge. He was the stealth seducer. Eddie showed his appreciation in nonverbal ways, mostly using his eyes and being tactile in a way that kept you guessing, but felt provocative. I expected that was because that’s exactly what he meant it to feel like. There wasn’t a lot that Eddie did that Eddie didn’t mean to do.
I got out of the Crossfire and led Chowleena on her leash to Eddie. The minute Eddie saw Chowleena, his grin widened to a blinding white smile.
“Indy.” His arm slid around my waist, he brought me up against his hard body and he kissed my neck (see, provocatively tactile!). He was four inches taller than me, one of those inches from the heels of his boots.
I sat, Lee sat and Chowleena clicked over to Lee and laid down on his booted feet. Eddie watched, the smile never leaving his face.
His mirrored shades turned to Lee. “A Chow?”
“I don’t wanna hear it,” Lee growled, his voice low and impatient.
Eddie chuckled and I realized that a Chow was not good for Lee’s Badass reputation. Especially not one who’s big, fluffy fur was shaved into a dog version of a lion wearing chaps.
Lee needed a German Sheppard or a Rottweiler, not a Chow wearing fur chaps.
“There’s naked gratitude in it for him,” I blurted in an attempt to save Lee’s reputation.
The mirrored shades turned to me.
“I should hope so.” Eddie leaned in close. “Just for your information, for me, gratitude for hangin’ with a Chow wouldn’t be naked. It would include black lace underwear, a matching garter belt, stockings and stilettos.”
Wow.
I didn’t know, but that seemed pretty brazenly flirty. What did I do with that? Especially from Lee’s best friend, right in front of Lee. And here was me, just having promised not to flirt.
Shit.
I turned to Lee. He was also wearing sunglasses, but his were Top Gun flight glasses, smoky lenses and gold frames. His face was blank but his mouth was tight.
“I don’t have black lace underwear and a matching garter belt,” I told Lee.
Eddie leaned back and chuckled again. Lee’s face didn’t change.
“I have red lace underwear and a matching garter belt,” I said.
This was true, I did.
Eddie quit chuckling.
“And black satin underwear and a garter belt. And then there’s my purple teddy thing with attached garters.” I paused. “I’ll model them all and you can choose.”
I looked at Eddie out of the corner of my eye and the smile was gone.
Then I sat back.
My work was done.
Lee granted me A Smile. It was small but it was meaningful.
“You’ve always been a lucky fuck,” Eddie murmured to Lee.
The waiter came and took our orders. I got my usual, a Café Fantasia, hot chocolate at the bottom, espresso at the top separated by a slice of orange and topped with whipped cream that had teeny sugared-orange sprinkles. Lush.
I ordered a bowl of water for Chowleena.
“You have anything for me?” Lee asked Eddie when the waiter walked away.
“Yep, word is Rick was done by someone from out of town,” Eddie answered.
Lee sat back and his mouth got tight again. “New York?”
“Yeah, but not in the family, an independent contractor. Coxy’s havin’ to hire his guns these days. Gary couldn’t put a bullet in someone’s brain if he had the barrel restin’ against his forehead.”
I thought this was good news. Goon Gary seemed less of a threat if this was true. I was taking my good news as it came these days, no matter how freakishly scary it was.
“There’s talk that there’s two names on his list, Rick was only one of them,” Eddie went on.