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Indy took us to the Einstein’s Bagels on Alameda. Tex got an onion bagel with turkey, sprouts and cream cheese, a bag of chips, a huge cookie and a Rice Krispie treat. Indy and I got Diet Cokes. We sat at a table so Tex could eat.
“You got any more ideas?” Tex asked me, his mouth full.
I shook my head.
He turned to Indy. “You were more fun.”
I’d heard snatches of conversation about Indy’s drama, but never the full story. Since I’d shared my life story, I thought it would only be fair to ask hers. The time was right. Tex had a mountain of food to get through, so I asked.
She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t have anything to hide. She told me the whole thing, with Tex interjecting every once in a while. He’d been more than a bit player in her drama. He’d gotten himself shot while protecting her, which explained the sling he’d worn when I first met him.
They’d only known each other a few weeks longer than I’d known them, which was surprising. I thought they’d known each other for years.
After she was done, I didn’t know what to say. Her story made Slick and his knife seem tame. Then again, she had Lee and his army of hotties backing her up.
Tex wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and threw it on the table. “I gotta go home, play with the cats.”
Tex was a kind of nutcase Renaissance man—by day a coffee genius, by night a cat sitter. Apparently, he always had dozens of cats coming and going at his house. According to him, sometimes, if he didn’t like the feel of the cat’s owner, he wouldn’t let them have it back.
I didn’t find this surprising. Not a lot of people would argue with Tex, even if he was essentially stealing your cat.
We all got up when I noticed Tex tense and look behind me.
I turned and saw two men I’d never seen in my life standing there. They looked like they’d seen the movieReservoir Dogsand decided to base their wardrobe on it. Both slim, both dark-headed, wearing black suits, thin black ties and white shirts.
“You lookin’ for Ray McAlister?” The taller of the two asked Tex.
Oh no.
This just got worse and worse.
Who weretheseguys?
“What’s it to you?” Tex answered, obviously not feeling the need to be gracious and polite.
They looked at each other.
I was closest to them and Tex grabbed hold of my T-shirt and pulled me backwards and to the side and put himself between the bad guys and me.
“There’s no need to get testy, we just asked you a question,” the shorter of the two said to Tex, trying diplomacy.
“Yeah, we’re lookin’ for him. These two are Girl Scouts and he owes them cookie money,” Tex returned, not feeling diplomatic.
They looked at each other again.
“I’m not sure we like your attitude,” the taller man noted.
Tex stared at him. “What’s the deal with you? You got two bodies and one brain?”
It was like Texwantedthem to get angry.
If that’s what he wanted, he got it.
The taller guy stepped closer. “Fuck you.”
Uh-oh.
“Fuck you back,” Tex replied.
