Page 52
Clint sat across from me while Rock stood and crossed his arms. No one spoke right away. The only sound came from Yarrow and Anise screaming “Marco Polo” to each other somewhere in the backyard.
“You’re moving easier now,” Clint finally said, attempting to break the tension.
Deciding to ramp up the pressure, I asked, “How is Tricky?”
Clint’s soft blue eyes hid his irritation, but I felt his stress. “Didn’t Cher give you those details?”
“Yeah, but she’s overly attached to him. I don’t know if what she said is true.”
Clint nodded slowly before explaining, “He’s still touch and go. One of the bullets nicked his heart. He’s lucky to be alive.”
“What’s up with Cher’s sudden attachment to Tricky?” Rock asked, making me frown. “She dumped him.”
“Well, Mister Heartless,” I muttered, “I guess their near-death experiences have stirred up old feelings.”
“How about you?” Clint asked. “Are you feeling romantic?”
Grinning at his meaning, I got to my point, “York needs to head home for a while, and I plan to go with him. But first, I wanted to make sure it was cool for me to visit Baton Rouge. Legally, I mean, after what happened.”
Clint’s gaze revealed nothing. “When would this happen?”
“I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to remove the stitches and cast. I’ll get one of those flexible walking boots. If I’m healing okay, I plan to hang out at York’s house for a week or two.”
Rock shook his head and grumbled, “That visit seems too long.”
“My parents are coming. It’ll be fine.”
“This isn’t a good idea,” Rock told Clint, doubling down on his negativity. “Those Baton Rouge assholes have a beef with her.”
Rather than bark at Rock and remind him that I wasn’t his fucking property, I calmly explained, “I don’t plan on running around town. I’ll be at York’s place and visit Elle before she leaves town. I’m sure I’ll hit up Lula’s house and see Boone. It’ll just be our people.”
“Uh-huh,” Rock muttered. “Our people who have started spending more and more time in another damn state.”
Holding his gaze, I said with complete sincerity, “I’m not moving there.”
“Oh, you claim that now,” Rock replied immediately. “Elle said a lot of shit, too. Now, she’s fully nested in her new home in another zip code.”
“She had to move for Trent.”
“You’ll be knocked up soon,” Rock said, resting his back against the porch’s pillar and sighing deeply. “Zodiac is stealing our people. Next up, Ojai will start sniffing around the foxes and win one over with his pretty hair and good manners.”
Reaching over to pat Rock’s large hand, I gently mocked, “But only the foxes can be wooed by the Black Rainbow members. Since you’re a well-known misogynist, you should appreciate how you’ll keep the guys in Little Memphis.”
As Rock shot me a dirty look, Clint grinned and said, “York is a good man.”
“Are you saying he isn’t a misogynist like your VP?”
“I’m saying I like the idea of Elle having a fox living in her area.”
“I knew it,” Rock growled at Clint. “You’re only supportive of this shit because you want your sister to have a gal pal.”
Losing his casual demeanor, Clint flashed a dark glare at Rock. “You’d want the same if it was your sister.”
“No,” Rock insisted. “I don’t change my views based on my personal needs.”
I smiled at Clint’s impressive eye roll. “So can I go to Baton Rouge next week?”
“You can only be gone for five days,” Rock replied.
