Page 60 of Liquids

“When’s it happening?”

“Two weeks.” His eyes rove over my face. “Will you come?”

“You want me to come?”

He sticks his tongue in his cheek, and my face flames. He leans over the table. “You know how I feel about you coming, babe,” he grunts as his mouth twists.

Fuck. I don’t need to be thinking about his huge hands and his big … “I thought I distracted you in the last fight. You don’t want me there.”

“I want you there,” he growls. “I want to know you’re watching. I want to be fighting for you.”

My mouth drops open.

He scowls at me as his eyes narrow. “Wanna get you out of here, too. I’m doing this for you.”

21

WHITE WATER

Rig disappears up to Chicago, and I don’t see hide or hair of him for two weeks, and my heart aches with everything he’s said to me over the past few days and how serious he was. Marni’s messages drop in every day with versions of:

You have to go!

If you don’t snag him, there’s no hope for the rest of us!

Followed by outright threats:

I’m never speaking to you again if you don’t go to this fight.

I nearly responded to the last one, telling her it’d be a bonus to not be receiving her texts.

So on the afternoon of the fight, I find myself in my old jalopy on I-57 heading north to Chicago, fingers tight on the steering wheel. Marni is bouncing in her seat by the time we reach the freeway, and Marge, June, and Agnes are tucked up in the back, a plaid blanket over their knees like three old mother hens. I definitely shouldn’t be doing this, but there was no stopping them. I have no clue how they found out what was going on, but they must have a hotline to someone in Marco’s organization, most likely Angelo. It’s amazing the guy manages to keep anything a secret. When they started looking into buses to Chicago, the idea of three old ladies getting lost, ill, or mugged on their way to an underground fight was too much for me, so I said yes to taking them along. I’m probably breaking like a hundred rules for caregivers right now. Let’s just hope the head of the county’s Community Care Program doesn’t catch wind of it and isn’t a big fight fan.

“I haven’t been out of town in years!” Marge exclaims, staring around the Interstate in wonder.

“That used to be McKenzie Autoparts,” June says, pointing at a low-lying building.

“Ooo! Bob McKenzie! What a charmer he was.”

“He couldn’t keep it in his pants,” Marge says. “He slept with the entire town! Well, the female part of it.”

I see the speculative glance June gives her in the mirror, and a reluctant smile curls over my mouth. “A bit like Angelo,” I mutter.

“Is it going to be like this all the way up?” Marni says, glancing over at me.

“Like what?” I ask as she glowers at me.

“He’s not a bad guy, Angelo. It’s just a shame he’s married,” Marni says.

“Who’s married?” June asks, and I smirk at Marni.

“Look, the old garment factory’s gone!” Agnes says.

“Probably knocked down in 1963,” Marni leans over to say in a whisper.

“I heard that,” Marge says.

“Let me look it up on my smartphone,” Agnes adds.