Page 62 of Justice for Radar

I endedup in my bedroom, the two men from New Orleans sweet despite their outward appearance.

Collier had rapped on the door after I had calmed down and I had twisted the knob letting him in. He’d sighed and said, “C’mon, Chere, let’s get you to lay down for a minute.” He’d pushed the button on the top of the toilet to flush the mess and had reached down to help me to my feet.

“Sit her down here, my man,” La Croix ordered when we’d emerged and Collier brought me back to my seat at the dining room table off the kitchen. I sank into it, shaking and he put a cold wet cloth to the back of my neck. “Grab me some wet paper towels and get the lady a glass of water,” he ordered and Collier moved to comply.

“Where did you find this?” I asked, stammering.

“Checked the house to make sure we were alone, scored it in your bathroom upstairs,” he said and I nodded, just… numb.

Collier came back with a glass of water and I took it.

“Sip slowly, don’ want to make yerself sick again.”

“Thank you,” I said and I shook my head. “I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me.” They exchanged a look.

“Radar asked us to look after his ol’ lady.” La Croix lifted one shoulder in a shrug as though that should honestly explain everything.

He tipped up my chin and ran the damp paper towel over my cheeks and eyes, wiping away tears.

“Here, blow.” He pinched my nose and with a shaky laugh I complied.

“You must have kids,” I said, and he shook his head but didn’t elaborate.

“We aren’t going anywhere until your man gets here,” Collier said. “Don’t feel like you need to entertain us, but can we pull the bikes into the garage?”

I got up and went over to the garage door and clicked on the light. Both the men at my back looked over my head and I shrugged.

“This was Rodney’s domain… feel free if you can find room.”

Collier gave a low whistle at the two classic muscle cars in the garage and the piles of boxes filling the rest.

“Saw a side gate,” La Croix rumbled. “That lead to the back yard?”

I looked up at him and nodded.

“Well, alright then,” Collier said brightly.

I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.

21

Radar…

“Dude, how is she?” I asked, coming in the back slider with my gear. We’d texted ahead of time, rolled through the neighborhood, didn’t see any kind of surveillance, and when we’d come back around? La Croix had the side gate open to Jussy’s back yard. We’d carefully hopped the curb and rolled through the gate and parked in her back yard which needed to be mowed, the grass yellowed from lack of being watered.

“Sent her upstairs a while ago,” Collier said. “To have a lie down and rest. She took it bad, man.”

“Yeah, I figured. You guys good?” I asked.

“Yeah, man. Go see your woman.”

I gave a nod and was surprised when Atlas was right on my heels. I stopped in the hallway up stairs and looked at him, raising an eyebrow and he lifted a shoulder in a shrug and said, “What? I’m worried about her, too.”

I nodded and said, “I don’t know if she’s like that, man; and I don’t know if sex is the way to go here right now.”

He smiled and shook his head.

“Not here for that, as beautiful as she is – just here for moral support.”

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