We ended up in a guns drawn face off in the middle of a busy, one way, four lane street, right in front of a used bookstore that was the known hangout for Lee Nightingale and his boys.

The rest was history.

* * * * *

“Meow?” Boo asked, staring at me and knowing with feline instincts that my life was f**ked and probably wondering if something happened to me who would feed him.

“Yeah Boo. You called it. Meow,” I answered.

Chapter Two

Levitate

My phone rang and I got up, mentally shook away my memories, dislodged Boo on an angry “Meow!” and walked across the room to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“You’re f**kin’ loco. Loco!” Zip shouted in my ear.

I guessed word of my faceoff with Cordova had made the rounds.

“Zip –” I started.

“You’re off duty. You’re lyin’ low. Least a week, maybe a month, maybe forever,” Zip interrupted me.

“I’m not lying low,” I told him.

Zip talked over me, in full rant.

“It isn’t Cordova. You could handle Cordova, hell, a five year old could handle Cordova. We’re talkin’ Lee Nightingale now. Lee Nightingale. Do you know who was in f**kin’ Fortnum’s Bookstore watchin’ you be a hotshot, shootin’ out Cordova’s tires like you were in a goddamned Hollywood movie?”

“Um...” I said.

“No?” Zip didn’t let me answer. “First off, Lee f**kin’ Nightingale. Then Hank f**kin’ Nightingale. Make matters worse, Eddie f**kin’ Chavez. Two officers of the goddamned law.”

“Zip –” I tried to butt in.

He ignored me.

“And if you already weren’t screwed three ways ‘til Sunday, Luke f**kin’ Stark, Kai f**kin’ Mason and Vance f**kin’ Crowe.”

“Well, I knew about Crowe,” I said.

And I guessed the rest, or some of them.

It wasn’t good that I had the attention of the Nightingale brothers and Chavez, but Crowe had said he’d talk to them. Having Stark and Mace witnessing me face down Cordova was kind of embarrassing. If word was even remotely correct, Stark was one badass mother. Kai Mason, known as Mace, was also known for not being far behind Stark in the badass mother stakes (not to mention he had a reputation for having a seriously short fuse).

“Oh yeah? How’s that?” Zip asked, interrupting my moment of mortified reflection.

“He kinda caught up with me,” I told Zip.

Silence.

“Zip?”

“He there?” Zip asked.

Zip’s question confused me. “Sorry?”

“Crowe, is he with you now?”

“No. Of course not. We had a talk. He let me go.”

“He’s not there?” Zip asked, surprise evident in his tone.

“Um… no.” I drew out the “no” thinking, maybe, Zip had finally lost what marbles he had left.

“You sure he isn’t there?”

That’s when I got a chill up my spine and looked out the front window.

No Harleys in sight.

I let out a breath.

“He’s not here Zip. What are you going on about?”

“Crowe’s got a way with the ladies. You look like you do, which you do, you get in his sights, he’ll nail you faster ‘n snot.”

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.

Pu-lease.

“I hardly think so,” I said.

“Girl, you’re loco. Pure loco. What’d Crowe say during this talk?”

“Not much,” I lied.

I was already freaked out and Zip was pissed off. I didn’t want to get Zip more pissed off which would serve only to heighten my freak out.

“He get a good look at you?” Zip asked.

I would guess the answer to that was “yes” considering his face was an inch from mine and his body was pressed against me.

My belly fluttered just thinking about it.

I ignored the belly flutter (again).

“Yeah. Zip, don’t worry about it.”

“These boys got a way about ‘em, Jules. They don’t f**k around. They see somethin’ they want, they get it. They’re f**kin’ famous for it. A woman don’t stand a chance. He seem interested?”

I had no idea the answer to that and I didn’t care (well, maybe a little but I had bigger fish to fry).

“Listen, Zip, honestly, there’s nothing to worry about. We went our separate ways. I’ll be smarter, I’ll be more quiet. I’ll be –”

“Laid, good and simple. Crowe got a good look at you, you’re his. You’re gonna be f**ked and I mean that literally.”

“Zip!” I yelled, shocked.

He ignored me. “Though, this may not be a bad thing. Crowe won’t want a woman of his gallivantin’ around town, lettin’ off smoke bombs, slashin’ tires and puttin’ herself out there. You’ve been noticed. You’re gettin’ a lot of attention. It makes me un-comfortable. You get me? You were supposed to be invisible, you ain’t invisible. Everyone knows about ‘The Law’. Heavy and Frank and me been talkin’…”

Oh crap. Not Zip, Heavy and Frank talking. That was not good.

Every once in awhile they got worried about me, a lot more often lately. I found ways to calm them down but I didn’t figure this would last forever. I needed them, I had a lot to learn and they could teach me. I also liked them and I liked spending time with them.

They were the closest things to true, good friends that I had. It might be a little pathetic that a twenty-six year old social worker’s friend posse included an old, bald gun shop owner; a guy whose nickname “Heavy” said it all; and then there was Frank who looked like he could hole himself up in a cabin with fifty years of provisions and mastermind a violent world takeover on a computer.

But I didn’t care if it was pathetic, they were my friends and that’s all I cared about.

“Zip, stop and listen to me. Vance Crowe is not in the picture. I’m fine and I’m not stopping.”

“Jules.”

“Zip,” I said quietly and then, with feeling, “No.”

He was silent again. He knew what my quiet voice meant. My word wasn’t law for nothing.

“Zip, I promise, I’ll do better,” I assured him.

He was silent for another beat then he gave in.

“Jules, you be safe, you hear? Keep your eyes and ears open and your head down. I want you in here tomorrow, got me?”