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"Leo?" Dice sounds confused, and I can hear the police speaking in the background.
I lean toward the phone, "Hey, doll." I enunciate the word with meaning, and I hear her sharp intake of breath, "I just wanted to see if your mom needed anything from the store since she can't move well enough to go for herself."
"Motherfu-"
"I make good on my promises." I interrupt her before she can finish her outburst.
Dice speaks to someone in the background instead of replying to me, "No, I told you, I didn't see his face. He wore a ski mask, but he had green eyes and tear drop tattoos under his left eye. Can I go now? My mother needs me."
The cop must have allowed her to leave because she comes back to the phone, "As do I,pendejo."
I almost spit my coffee out but manage to swallow it down.
Miss Garza's eyebrows hit her hairline, "Dicennica Garza! Watch your mouth! Leo came here to check on me, and this is how you speak to him? Sabes mejor que eso."You know better than that."Apologize now."
I can't help but grin at Dicennica getting chastised by her mother, but when Dice grumbles out, "Sorry." I laugh loudly.
"That's okay, Dice, I know you didn't mean it." Raquel nods sharply, like she approves of Dice's fake apology and my sarcastic reply. It makes me wonder how often Dice must apologize for her sassy mouth.
I cut those thoughts off quick; I don't need to be getting hard in front of her mother.
Raquel, oblivious to the tense back and forth, asks her daughter, “What happened at the bank?”
“Nothing, ma. I’ll tell you about it when I get there.” Dice takes a breath and contintinues with a sugary sweet voice, “Listen, Leo, I can get things for my mom myself. No need for you to be there wasting your valuable time.” The sarcasm is not lost on me, but it just makes me like this fascinating woman more.
"Mom, I'll see you soon, keep your phone next to you. I'm just down the street."
Dice hangs up before her mother can reply.
"Forgive my daughter, she's a good girl, but she's too proud to let anyone do things for us." Raquel hands the phone back as a text comes through.
I will hunt you down, that's my promise.
Dice's threatening text has me smiling as I reply to Miss Garza, "It's okay, I get it."
I tuck the phone away and carry the dishes back to the kitchen, so Miss Garza doesn't have to get up. The stove has a couple of burners on to ward off the cool weather outside. Fall in Chicago can get pretty damn cold and we have snow coming in tomorrow.
On the way back to the living room, I stop at the thermostat, "Did your heating go out?"
Raquel waves a dismissive hand, "It went out three years ago, but maintenance hasn't gotten to it. There's a long list of things that need to be fixed in this old building. We're fine with the stove."
I shake my head and pull off the cover. The dial shaft inside has come loose, so the outer dial spins freely without setting the levels. I turn it right until it clicks into place, then put the cover back on. Setting the level and switching it to heat, I hear it turn on.
"Oh, Dios mío!Thank you, Leo! Now we can stop wasting the gas!"
I turn off the stove and walk over to her, "It's no problem.”
What the hell is wrong with me?I came here to make sure Dice understood my threats, yet here I am like a pussy fixing shit for her mother.
Leaning down, I kiss her cheek, "I've gotta go now. No more salsa dancing, yeah?"
Her laughter hits my back as I walk out her door, closing it behind me.
Once I'm in the car, I see a little black Honda pull into the lot and quickly park. Dice jumps out of the car with her bag hanging haphazardly from her shoulder. She looks frantic as she kicks the door shut and makes a run for the stairwell. I can't help but watch her ass bounce as she runs.
She's fucking beautiful.
Her hair is long, almost to her luscious ass, and wavy, but from the way some locks have curled with the weather, I can tell she straightens it.
