Page 7 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

In that moment, he gave zero shits about the cuts on her face, the fact he knew she was in the hospital for burn treatment for three days, the fact she probably was still healing in a variety of places on her body now covered with clothes, or the pain all that caused. Even after she’d pulled the shit on him that she’d pulled, he cared when her car exploded, after it exploded, and when she walked toward them moments ago.

Now, he didn’t think about it.

He also gave zero shits that, with Cherry being loud, people were turning to watch.

Something clicked, and when that something clicked, there was no way to turn it off.

That something being about Indy, it’d take an act of God to turn it off.

Therefore, Lee got close to Cherry, bent his head to look down at her, and growled, “What did you call my woman?”

“Lee,” Indy said soothingly, and he sensed her movement to get out of the booth.

He turned only his head to her. “Stop moving.”

For once, she didn’t talk back, just stared at him with big eyes and ceased all movement.

He shifted his attention again to Cherry. “Do you know me?”

In the face of his mood, something that could make grown men quake, she was trying to keep her shit together and put on a brave face, but he could see the apprehension in her eyes.

It came out in her voice too. “Y-yes.”

“So you know, you do not walk up to my woman and talk shit, you do not call her names, not in front of me, not ever, Cherry. Are you hearing me?”

Cherry took a slight step back.

Lee didn’t move, but he did demand, “Answer.”

She tried that little-girl pleading he hated so fucking much when he was with her.

Christ, she was a total fail.

“Lee, she got my car exploded.”

“Indy might not be your biggest fan, but she had nothin’ to do with what happened to you. She might not have the scabs to prove it, but she went through worse than you, Cherry. Far worse. And she isn’t traipsing around town gettin’ up in people’s shit. For fuck’s sake, grow up. Or at least learn the world doesn’t revolve around you and you can’t behave however you like wherever you are. Not when doin’ it is selfish, ugly, spiteful and mean. Trust me, babe, it isnota good look.”

She assumed an expression like he’d slapped her.

Their server, completely ignoring the situation (they were regulars, but even so, nothing got in the way of food being delivered at Las Delicias), landed their order on the table and took off.

As for Lee, he ignored the look on Cherry’s face. She’d earned his words, and if she didn’t know it with the shit she pulled the last time they were together, she wasn’t going to walk away not knowing she’d earned them now.

“Go. Get out of our space,” he ordered. “But mark me, Cherry, if I hear Indy or Ally or any of their posse has any problems with you in the future, I won’t be happy.”

She looked like she was going to say something, wisely decided against it, turned stiltedly, and tried to go for casual as she walked away, but she didn’t manage it.

She also didn’t look at Indy as she did this, so Lee figured she got his message.

Then again, when that switch was flipped, not many people missed his message.

He slid into the booth and turned to his woman to see if she was okay.

The second he did, he had her hand in his face, and as she forked burrito into her mouth with her other hand, she spoke into her phone, which was tucked to her ear with her head tipped to the side to hold it to her shoulder.

“Ally,” she said with a full mouth, then swallowed. “You will not believe what just happened!”

She was okay.

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