“Darius?” I called softly. “It’s Ally. I’m here.”
His eyes opened and he focused on me.
I forced a smile, but as much as I fought it, I felt it trembling.
“How you doin’, bro?” I asked.
It was then he spoke.
And he did it to rasp:
“Jesus, Ally. You’re a pain in my ass.”
* * * * *
Lee
Standing in the hall with Indy, Eddie, Jet and Darius’s family, Lee Nightingale’s body jerked and his head twisted around when he heard his sister burst out laughing.
Epilogue
Righteous
Six years later…
“She’s faking it,” I mumbled, doing so with my mouth barely moving.
“Shut it, Ally.” I heard Sniff’s voice coming from the bud in my ear.
“Totally faking it,” I kept at him, succeeding in not smiling, but doing this since I had lots of practice.
We were discussing Sniff’s love life. And teasing him about it.
Totally lots of practice.
Suffice it to say, Roam nor Sniff had found their Rock Chick equivalents.
But they’d been practicing for the time they made that discovery.
Copiously.
“Sniff’s convinced he gives good lovin’,” Roam put in.
“That’s ‘cause I do,” Sniff’s deep pissed-off voice clipped. “No complaints so far.”
“And that’s because they’re faking,” I said.
“Cut the chatter on the line,” Luke butted in, ending our fun.
I pressed my lips together in a further (successful) effort to fight my smile and did a scan of the club. I was in an LBD, strappy sandals and had big hair.
In other words, I was a honey trap who would, eventually, withhold the honey.
The skin at the back of my neck prickled when I saw him.
“Got eyes on him. He just entered,” I muttered, the microphone in my cleavage picking up my voice.
“Copy,” Lee came through. “Positions?”
“Check,” Roam said.
“Check,” Sniff said.
“Affirmative,” Luke said.
“Roger that,” Lee said. “Brody, got eyes?”
“Do I ever not have eyes?” Brody asked, offended.
“Appropriate responses are check, affirmative or negative,” Lee growled.
Years of this, my brother still found Brody annoying.
I, on the other hand, found him hilarious.
“Whatevs,” Brody replied. “Affirmative.”
“Roger that. Ally, you’re a go,” Lee told me.
