Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 121755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Still, everyone needs friends,” Harlow muttered.
Since she was our leader considering she started this Angels gig, Raye took control. “Right, Shanti, you’re not on shift yet so you contact Clarice. Tell her we need all we can get on the night manager of the Sun Valley Motor Lodge.”
“On it,” Shanti replied.
Clarice, for your info, was a top-notch defense attorney.
She was also our handler (we were strictly forbidden to call her our Bosley). She was our conduit to Arthur, who none of us had met, and none of us knew who he was.
Get it?
Angels?
Raye turned to Jess. “Can you call Jinx? If he can’t be seen coming to us, we probably shouldn’t be seen going to him. But Jinx is there every night to conduct business. It’s not going to seem weird if she talks to him.”
“Consider it done,” Jess said.
“Also, ask her if she’s seen anyone hinky hanging around or watching the motel,” I added. “Maybe talking to Mr. Shithead or something. And a woman. She could be a colleague of hers, but I figure, after the Angels found the group of women those assholes grabbed, no one is going to try that again, or if someone is missing, Jinx or one of the girls would know about it and say something. So my guess is, it’s an outsider. Not in the life. Not a regular at the motel. But he said she treats him ‘decent,’ so maybe she comes to visit him.”
“Good catch,” Raye said.
I smiled.
“If she has, then we need all the deets,” Raye told Jess. “What she looks like. Car she drives. Stuff like that. If it’s the hinky people, the same.”
“Gotcha,” Jess replied.
“You have cakes to decorate this afternoon?” Luna asked.
I nodded.
“Okay, then,” she said. “Raye and I’ll connect with Titus and see if he’s heard anything on the grapevine.”
“Why do you two get to connect with Titus?” Jess asked.
“Yeah,” Shanti put in. “Why does Jess get Jinx and I get Clarice but you two get Titus?”
“Do you want Titus?” Luna’s question had the tone of a verbal wagging of her eyebrows.
“I could take a shot at Titus,” Shanti answered.
We all laser focused on her, especially me.
“Really?” I asked.
Shanti shrugged. “He’s gorgeous. He’s loaded. He has his own army. I mean, it’d remain to be seen if he’s a keeper, but he intrigues me.”
“He intrigues me too,” Jess mumbled.
“I can’t wait to meet this guy,” Gemma said.
“You have a hottie,” Harlow pointed out to Jess.
“Does that mean I can’t be intrigued?” Jess returned. “I can be intrigued. Mostly, though, I just want an excuse to hang at the man cave.”
We all sighed (or at least those of us who’d been to the man cave did) just at the thought of the man cave.
“Are we done talkin’ about the important shit?” Tex demanded.
“If you mean our possible new mission, yes,” Raye told him. “Though, now I’m switching Titus to Jess and Shanti, and Luna and I’ll take Jinx and Clarice.”
“Fab.’ Shanti smiled.
“I’d be proud a’ you girls for your show of growth when it comes to outlining the opening of an investigation if you weren’t so fuckin’ annoying,” Tex mutter-boomed.
Aww!
He stomped off.
Tito silently followed him.
Tex headed to the coffee cubby where he reigned supreme as barista because his coffees were otherworldly (and the line at the door that formed before we even opened laid testimony to this).
Tito went to his “office,” which was the back corner table by the windows where he had books, plants, journals, and where he spent his days scribbling, reading, playing games on his iPad or silently butting into Angels Confabs.
Since the downer was gone (meaning Tex, Tito wasn’t a downer), I turned to Shanti.
“Are you really gonna go there with Titus?”
“Are you gonna go there with Gabe?” she retorted.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” she said (but she was talking about Titus).
I beamed, liking this.
“Why no on Gabe?” Harlow asked me.
“Because men suck,” I told her.
“Javi doesn’t suck,” she returned.
“I haven’t done any research, except anecdotal, but it seems you hit a jackpot akin to Powerball with that one.” I looked to Jess. “And you.” Then to Raye. “And you.” Back to Harlow. “The rest of us aren’t so lucky.”
“Every guy isn’t Kev, honey,” she said softly.
“Uh, they totally are,” Joey decreed.
“Or versions,” Gemma added. “I had a date last week, and he said he had to make a detour to the restaurant. And that detour was him scoring coke off his dealer.”
“Gross!” Harlow exclaimed.
“Did you finish the date?” Shanti asked.
“I went to the restaurant with him, but I called a Lyft from outside,” Gemma told her. “He couldn’t believe I wasn’t cool with him taking me to his dealer on our first date. I couldn’t believe he was such a tool.”
“Last date I had swore it was a ‘joke’ when he asked if me ordering a dessert meant he was going to get a blowjob along with getting laid at the end of the date,” Joey piped in. “And that was a first date too. PS, after that, I demanded we split the check.”