Hank moved closer to Lee and noted, “Not sure that’s the way to win your way into the family.”
“I pointed in Roxie’s face and told her to shut it, what would you do?” Ren asked what I thought was a valid question.
Hank held Ren’s eyes then he moved his to Lee.
Lee was looking at Hank and he shrugged.
Hank pressed his lips tight and looked at Ren.
Lee returned his attention to Ren.
No one said anything. This lasted a while. Long enough for me to lose patience.
“For God’s sake, yes!” I yelled. “We’re making it official!”
Hank looked to the ceiling.
Lee looked to his boots.
“Explains why apartments are exploding,” Luke commented. “A Rock Chick has set her sights on a hapless male.”
I felt pressure in my head. A lot of it. But I still managed to turn it Luke’s way and declare, “He set his sights on me.”
“Same thing,” Luke muttered, one side of his mustachioed lips tipped up.
“Were you hapless?” I asked.
“Totally,” he replied immediately.
“You do know what hapless means,” I snapped.
“I didn’t say I was hapless now,” he corrected. “I was hapless then, while she was running me through the ringer.”
“I’m thinking Ava saw it the other way around,” I informed him.
“She’d be wrong,” Luke informed me and his eyes went to Ren. “What’ve you had? A year? And the bombs are just starting?” He shook his head, stating eloquently that Ren was fucked. However, he did this without the half-grin thing going.
He was outright smiling.
Ren said nothing.
I glared at Luke then gave up and looked to my brothers. “Are we done here? Because Ren and I have a date.”
“Ally, your apartment just exploded,” Hank reminded me.
This was true.
Therefore I revised, “Are we done here? Because I have to go shopping for a kickass dress and sexy heels, and then Ren and I have a date.”
I felt Ren’s body moving like he was laughing, but I ignored that and raised my brows at my brothers.
“You got a room full of Rock Chicks, plus Tex, Duke, Tod, Stevie, Ralphie, Buddy and Smithie out there waiting to see if you’re all right, and then to get your explanation,” Lee’s eyes slid to Ren then back to me, “about a lot of things.”
“I love them, but I’m not sure that takes precedence over my first official date with my hot Italian American boyfriend,” I replied, and Ren’s body now definitely felt like it was laughing. I ignored this and kept speaking. “However, before we go, I’d like to know why you two were in each other’s faces at my apartment, otherwise known as the crime scene.”
Ren’s body stopped shaking.
That didn’t bode well.
“Thinkin’ you two can talk about that on your date,” Lee returned.
That didn’t bode much better.
This brought me to the hard part, and I braced before asking, “Right, then now I’d like to know if anyone was injured in the blast.”
“Blast was contained to your apartment,” Hank answered. “One of your neighbors got knocked over and sprained a wrist. Shit fell off walls of other units. Yours was pretty much decimated. Other than that, nothing.”
This time when I heaved a sigh, it was of relief.
“So now,” Lee started. “We’re done here.” He looked at Ren. “Except to say, I think you get, we leave her in your care, you better take that seriously.”
“Are you kidding me?” I yelled before Ren could say a word, and Lee looked at me.
“Ally, I’m your brother. Do you think I wouldn’t say anything?”
“I’m thirty-two, not sixteen,” I retorted.
“You’ll always be sixteen to me,” he shot back, and my body jerked as I blinked.
