Mack winked at her.
Brad rolled his eyes. “Reggie, muzzle Mack before Sam turns his face inside out.”
“Roger that.” He put Mack in a headlock and dragged him away, which the stragglers in the shop found hilarious.
“Be right back, honey,” Sam said to Ivy as he and Axel moved to a quiet spot in the back.
“What do you know?”
“Rumor has it Fletcher’s gonna make a scene at Ray’s with a bunch of his white brothers next week.”
“When? And how do you know this?”
“We think anywhere from Thursday night through Saturday night during Ray’s busiest times. It’s some kind of power play to get rid of the ‘colorful’ crowd at Ray’s. And Daryl told me.”
“He just volunteered the information?”
“Let’s say I promised him he’d be safe from you if he cooperated and laid low until we took Fletcher down.”
“Okay.”
“I let Ray know a few hours ago. He’s beefing up security, whatever the hell that means, until this shit’s over. Thought you’d like to know.”
“Oh, yes. I’m planning to be there every night this week.”
Sam sighed. “Thought so. I’ll be there too.”
“Why?”
Sam glared. “Face it, Heller. You have friends. Deal.” Sam clapped him on the shoulder, told him not to be a dumbass, then left with Ivy.
“Huh.” Axel wondered what to do with himself. He took a list out of his back pocket and scratchedFind Fletcheroff it. Which left him with a therapy session and just eleven more days to figure out how to win his lady.
He eyeballed the firefighters again.
Hmm.
“Yo, Axel. Before you leave, I wanted to talk to you about my car,” Mack said.
“Perhaps I can fit it in. But I need something from you as well.”
* * *
Late Monday afternoon, Rena was well into her third appointment, a simple haircut for a seven-year-old, when one of the stylists came over to her and whispered, “You need to come see this. There’s someone here for you.” She choked with laughter.
God, help me now.“Be right there,” she murmured.
She had one more snip, and the child was finished. “And you look lovely, milady.”
The little girl giggled and stared at herself in the mirror. After a moment, her mother took her by the hand and started out the back exit. “Thanks, Rena. I’ll text you to book our next appointments.”
“Sounds good.” She smiled, wondering what Axel had brought this time, and froze when she reached the lobby.
Three people dressed in fuzzy animal costumes, one a duck, one a dog, and one a rabbit, stood waiting.
The duck nodded, then the rabbit must have pushed a button on a phone because music came out of a small Bluetooth speaker on the counter. “From the Yiffies,” sang the dog.
The three animals started singing some weird song with the lyrics “I love you furry long time” and made suggestive movements that animals likely wouldn’t be making. Then she heard, “Axel wants you, baby, one more time. Come on out tonight and party like it’s 1999.” An amalgamation of song lyrics smashed into one cheesy tune with a continual thread of sexual invitation to fuck a duck, do it doggy style, and go at it like bunnies.
