My lips fail to meet, as if injected with Novocain. In the morning, it’s going to look bad, no matter how much ice I apply.
“In the city. ’orking. ’odyguard.”
“Shit. Stay put. I’ll be right there. Don’t hang-up. Dammit.” He puts the phone on speaker and shouts, “Mia! I need you to sit.”
I picture him calling up the stairs as Kimmy fusses in the background.
He speaks closer to the mic. “Don’t worry, Daddy will be right back, sweetheart.”
Keys rattle, footsteps sound in a hallway, and then his outside door slams. “Where are you?”
“Home.”
“And the mother-fucking mugger?”
“Got a’ay.”
“Why the hell didn’t you shoot him?”
“In the ’ack? Don’t tell Daddy.”
“He’s bound to find out. Hang up with me and call him right now. Dammit, I’m not picking you up until you do. Uncle Mike is scary as shit.”
A few minutes later he knocks on my door. “It’s me, open up.”
His face drops when he sees mine. “Fuck it, cuz.”
After hugging me hard, he lets go, and inspects my shiner, my jaw, and removes my hand holding ice to my lip.
“Did you call your dad?”
I shake my head, no.
He frowns. “If I take you to the emergency room. They’ll ask questions.”
“Can you ’ix it?” I’ve seen Joey come home from his work looking a hell of a lot worse than me. He’s got a professional-looking first aid kit.
“Fuck.” He drives me back to my old apartment where Mia meets me first, Kimmy asleep on her shoulder.
Thank God for the baby, which keeps her from freaking.
“Sit.” Joey whispers as Rose pounds down the stairs and Mia puts my cute little niece down in the bedroom.
When his kitchen spins, I put my head in my hands, which fortunately, are on my knees. So much for the tough detective act.
My older cousin picks up my cell phone and dials my dad. “Hi, Uncle Mike. It’s me, Rose. Sam is at our place. She, ah, slipped on the ice in front of the construction… Huh? No. Yeah, I get it. No. A cut lip and a few bruises… Groceries. Her hands were full, didn’t want the eggs to break. I know… True. Uh-h. No. Joey went and got her. Sebastian’s working in the city. Uh-huh. I will… You’re welcome. You too. ’night.”
I grin, then moan as my lip begins to ooze blood. “Ow.”
“You owe me.” My oldest cousin points her index finger.
“Sure, sure. I’ll be the surrogate mom to your kids. Whatever.”
She laughs but my gullible cousin’s eyes go wide. “No way. That’d be weird.”
“We’re kidding, Mia.” Rose is about to roll her eyes but we all stop what we’re doing when Joey reenters the room with a fishhook.
I almost pass out as he threads the weird looking needle. “You wanna be a private dick? Get used to shit like this. It’s your own damn fault.”
